Dr Guoquan Liu

Research Fellow

Centre for Crop Science
Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation
g.liu2@uq.edu.au
+61 7 336 52504

Overview

Dr. Guoquan Liu has more than ten years experience in sorghum tissue culture and genetic transformation. He developed a highly efficient sorghum particle transformation system in 2012. Since then, hundreds of transgenic plants have been regenerated from tens of constructs that are invoved in plant disease resistant genes (e.g. Lr34), report gene (gfp), specific-promoters (e.g. alpha- beta- kafirin, A2, LSG), G proteins etc.. He has trained many students how to transform sorghum including honor students, master students, and PhD students.

He has focused on improving sorghum grain yield and grain quality through biotechnologies including genetic transformation, genome-editing, synthetic biology, and plant apomixis.

Research Interests

  • Plant Tissue Culture
    Optimize tissue culture system for transformation and genome editing.
  • Plant genetic transformation
    Investigate and characterize gene function.
  • Plant genome editing
    Investigate and manipulate gene function for improving grain size and grain quality in sorghum.
  • Plany synthetic biology
    Design and synthesize genes for plant engineering in sorghum.
  • Biofuel
    Increase total sugar content and improve plant biomass in sorghum.
  • Capture heterosis
    The project is proudly funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and predominantly focus on fixing heterosis in sorghum and cowpea.

Research Impacts

Highly efficient sorghum tissue culture and particle bombardment transformation system.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
  • Masters (Research) of Agriculture, Northeast Agricultural University
  • Bachelor of Agriculture, Huazhong Agricultural University

Publications

  • Liu, Guoquan, Zhang, Yan, Gong, Hao, Li, Shan, Pan, Yunrong, Davis, Christopher, Jing, Hai-Chun, Wu, Luguang and Godwin, Ian D. (2021). Stem vacuole-targetted sucrose isomerase enhances sugar content in sorghum. Biotechnology for Biofuels, 14 (1) 53, 1-14. doi: 10.1186/s13068-021-01907-z

  • Liu, Guoquan, Lamont, Kyle C., Ahmad, Norazlina, Tomkins, Alison, Mudge, Stephen R., Gilding, Edward K. and Godwin, Ian D. (2017). The functionality of α-kafirin promoter and α-kafirin signal peptide. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, 128 (1), 133-143. doi: 10.1007/s11240-016-1093-3

  • Liu, Guoquan and Godwin, Ian D. (2012). Highly efficient sorghum transformation. Plant Cell Reports, 31 (6), 999-1007. doi: 10.1007/s00299-011-1218-4

View all Publications

Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Available Projects

  • Optimze CRISPR/Cas9 system on sorghum.

    Improve sorghum grain yield and grain quality through genome-editing.

  • Increase sorghum sugar content and sorghum biomass through genetic engineering.

  • Investigate genes involved in mitosis and meiosis pathway.

View all Available Projects

Publications

Featured Publications

  • Liu, Guoquan, Zhang, Yan, Gong, Hao, Li, Shan, Pan, Yunrong, Davis, Christopher, Jing, Hai-Chun, Wu, Luguang and Godwin, Ian D. (2021). Stem vacuole-targetted sucrose isomerase enhances sugar content in sorghum. Biotechnology for Biofuels, 14 (1) 53, 1-14. doi: 10.1186/s13068-021-01907-z

  • Liu, Guoquan, Lamont, Kyle C., Ahmad, Norazlina, Tomkins, Alison, Mudge, Stephen R., Gilding, Edward K. and Godwin, Ian D. (2017). The functionality of α-kafirin promoter and α-kafirin signal peptide. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture, 128 (1), 133-143. doi: 10.1007/s11240-016-1093-3

  • Liu, Guoquan and Godwin, Ian D. (2012). Highly efficient sorghum transformation. Plant Cell Reports, 31 (6), 999-1007. doi: 10.1007/s00299-011-1218-4

Book Chapter

  • Liu, Guoquan, Massel, Karen, Tabet, Basam and Godwin, Ian D. (2020). Biolistic DNA delivery and its applications in Sorghum bicolor. Biolistic DNA delivery in plants: methods and protocols. (pp. 197-215) New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-0356-7_10

  • Liu, Guoquan, Li, Jieqing and Godwin, Ian D. (2019). Genome editing by CRISPR/Cas9 in sorghum through biolistic bombardment. Methods in molecular biology. (pp. 169-183) New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-9039-9_12

  • Liu, Guoquan, Gilding, Edward and Godwin, Ian D. (2014). Genetic Transformation and Breeding. Genetics, Genomics and Breeding of Sorghum. (pp. 251-283) edited by Yi-Hong Wang and Chittaranjan Kole. Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi: 10.1201/b17153

  • Liu, Guoquan, Campbell, Bradley C. and Godwin, Ian D. (2014). Sorghum genetic transformation by particle bombardment. In Robert J. Henry and Agnelo Furtado (Ed.), Cereal genomics: methods and protocols (pp. 219-234) New York, NY, United States: Humana Press. doi:10.1007/978-1-62703-715-0-18

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Borrell, Andrew, George-Jaeggli, Barbara, Oosterom, Erik van, Hammer, Graeme, Mace, Emma, Godwin, Ian, Liu, Guoquan, Wong, Albert, Matiwos, Temesgen, Bantte, Kassahun, Christopher, Jack, Hickey, Lee, Richard, Cecile, Robinson, Hannah and Jordan, David (2020). How do crops balance water supply and demand when water is limiting?. The Third International Tropical Agriculture Conference TropAg 2019 , Brisbane, QLD Australia, 11–13 November 2019. Basel, Switzerland: MDPI. doi: 10.3390/proceedings2019036208

  • Borrell, Andrew, George-Jaeggli, Barbara, van Oosterom, Erik, Hammer, Graeme, Mace, Emma, Godwin, Ian, Liu, G., Wong, Albert, Temesgen, M., Kassahun, B., Christopher, Jack, Hickey, Lee, Richard, Cecile, Robinson, Hannah and Jordan, David (2019). Canopy and root plasticity for drought adaptation in cereals. Climate Change Linked Stress Tolerance in Plants (M4) (Keystone Symposia), Herrenhausen Palace, Hannover, Germany, 13-16 May 2019.

  • Borrell, Andrew, George-Jaeggli, Barbara, van Oosterom, Erik, Hammer, Graeme, Godwin, Ian, Liu, G., Wong, Albert, Hunt, Colleen and Jordan, David (2019). Drought adaptation in sorghum: scaling-up from gene to farmer's field. Australian Summer Grains Conference, Gold Coast, QLD, Australia, 8-10 July 2019.

  • Mcmillan, Hayley E., Liu, Guoquan, Shelton, H. Max, Dalzell, Scott A., Godwin, Ian D., Gamage, Harshi, Sharman, Cleo and Lambrides, Christopher J. (2019). Sterile leucaena becomes a reality?. International Leucaena Conference (ILC), Brisbane, Australia, 29 October-3 November 2018. Cali, Colombia: Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT). doi: 10.17138/TGFT(7)74-79

Other Outputs

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Optimze CRISPR/Cas9 system on sorghum.

    Improve sorghum grain yield and grain quality through genome-editing.

  • Increase sorghum sugar content and sorghum biomass through genetic engineering.

  • Investigate genes involved in mitosis and meiosis pathway.

  • Investigate genes to improve sorghum grain quality and grain yeild.