William Laing

Tertiary Education:  

1974  PhD, University of Illinois in Plant Physiology
1969  BSc (First Class Honours), Victoria University in botany
1968  BSc, Victoria University in Botany

Distinctions/Honours:  

1. 2007  Chairman's Award for vitamin C work.
2. 2007  Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship funding
3. 2001  Chairman's Award for Functional Genomics.
4. 1999  Recipient of Trimble award and
5. 1999  NZ/German Exchange fellowship (ISAT)
6. 1999  Member of NZ Society of Biochemistry
7. 1999  Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship funding
8. 1998  Recipient of Marsden Research Award on RubisCO
9. 1996  Recipient Marsden Research Award on SQAPI
10. 1992  Member of MORST review of Output 6
11. 1987  OECD Travel Award
12. 1987  Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship renewal
13. 1985  Awarded a Citation Classic by ISI for seminal RubisCO   paper
14. 1979-1980 Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship
15. 1979-1980 DSIR Study Award
16. 1971-73 Fulbright Scholarship
17. 1969  Fruit Federation Study Grant

Employment Record:

•  2007-present Principle Scientist, HortResearch, Auckland
• 2004-2007 Science Leader, Nutrigenomics, HortResearch, Auckland
• 2003-2004 Scientist, GeneTech Sector, HortResearch, Auckland.
• 1994-2002 Scientist, PostHarvest and Food Science Group, HortResearch, Auckland.
• 1992-1994 HortResearch, PostHarvest Science Group, Palmerston North.
• 1969-1992 Scientist, Plant Physiology Division, DSIR, DSIR Fruit & Trees, Palmerston North.
  

Other Information:  

Present Research/Professional Speciality:
Enzymology: enzyme kinetics, enzyme purification, enzyme assay, identification of the gene for a given enzyme using bioinformatics, identifying the function and reactions of unknown enzymes, especially in the ascorbic acid pathway.
Gene mining, gene function testing: use of homology searching, cluster analysis and other bioinformatic tools to discover the function of unknown genes in animals, plants and microorganisms including proteinases, proteinase inhibitors, transcription factors and other enzymes. Transcription factor analysis.
Proteomics: Use of 2D gels and protein sequencing to identify novel proteins.
Proteinases and their inhibitors:  Understanding the mechanism of action of the novel aspartic proteinase inhibitor SQAPI, developing new uses for this inhibitor in medicine. General work on proteinases and their inhibitors.

Refereed Journal Publications in the last five years

1. Crowhurst RN, Gleave AP, MacRae EA, Dwamena CA, Atkinson RG, Beuning LL, Bulley SM, Chagne D, Marsh KB, Matich AJ, Montefiori M, Newcomb RD, Schaffer RJ, Usadel B, Allan AC, Boldingh HL, Bowen JH, Davy MW, Eckloff R, Ferguson AR, Fraser LG, Gera E, Hellens RP, Janssen BJ, Klages K, Lo KR, MacDiarmid RM, Nain B, McNeilage MA, Rassam M, Richardson AC, Rikkerink EHA, Ross GS, Schröder RA, Snowden KC, Souleyre EJF, Templeton MD, Walton EF, Wang D, Wang MY, Wang YY, Wood M, Wu R, Yauk YK, Laing WA (2008) Analysis of expressed sequence tags from Actinidia: applications of a cross species EST database for gene discovery in the areas of flavor, health, color and ripening. BMC Genomics In Press
2. Allan, A.C., Hellens, R and Laing W.A. 2008 MYB transcription factors which colour our fruit.  Trends in Plant Science 13(3) 99-102 issue with cover.
3. Laing WA, Wright MA, Cooney J, Bulley SM. 2007 The missing step of the L-galactose pathway of ascorbate biosynthesis in plants, an L-galactose guanyltransferase, increases leaf ascorbate content.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 104:9534-9. (Cover article).
4. Rassam M, Bulley SM, Laing WA 2007 Oxalate and ascorbate in Actinidia fruit and leaves. Acta Horticulturae  753:479-485.
5. D. Ghosh, M A Skinner and W A Laing, Pharmacogenomics and nutrigenomics: synergies and differences, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61(5):567-74.
6. Christeller JT, Farley PC, Marshall RK, Anandan A, Wright MA, Newcomb R & Laing WA (2006) The squash aspartic proteinase inhibitor SQAPI, is widely present in the Cucurbitales, comprises a small multigene family and is a member of the phytocystatin family. Journal of Molecular Evolution 63(6): 747-757.
7. Rassam, M & Laing WA (2006) The interaction of the 11S globulin-like protein of kiwifruit seeds with pepsin. Plant Science 171: 663-669.
8. Hellens RP, Allan AC, Friel EN, Bolitho K, Grafton K, Templeton MD, Karunairetnam S, Gleave AP & Laing WA  (2006) Transient expression vectors for functional genomics, quantification of promoter activity and RNA silencing in plants. Plant Methods 1: 13.
9. Newcomb RD, Crowhurst R, Gleave AP, Rikkerink E, Allan AC, Beuning L, Bowen J, Gera E, Jamieson KR, Janssen B, Laing WA, McArtney S, Nain B, Ross G, Snowden K, Souleyre E,  Walton E, Yauk YC, (2006) Analyses of Expressed Sequence Tags from Apple (Malus pumilla) Reveals a Vast Set of Potential Molecular Markers and Suggests Active Evolution of Fruit-Expressed Members of Gene Families. Plant Physiology 141: 147-166.
10. Rassam M, Laing W. (2005) Variation in the Ascorbate and Oxalate levels in the Fruit of Actinidia chinensis genotypes. J Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 53, 2322-2326.
11. Wünsche, JN,  Greer, DH, Laing, WA, Palmer, JW. (2005) Physiological and biochemical leaf and tree responses to crop load in apple. Tree Physiology 25; 1253-1263.
12. Hejgaard, J., Laing, WA, Marttila, S.,  Gleave, AP,  Robert TH. (2005) Serpins in fruit and vegetative tissues of apple (Malus domestica): Expression of four serpins with distinct reactive centers and characterization of a major inhibitory seed serpin (MdZ1b). Functional Plant Biology, 32 517 - 527.
13. McManus, MT, Laing, WA, Watson, LM, Markwick, N, Voisey, C, White, DWR. (2005) Expression of the soybean (Kunitz) trypsin inhibitor in leaves of white clover  (Trifolium repens L.). Plant Science, 168:1211-1220.
14. Laing, WA, Barraclough, D, Bulley, S, Cooney, J, Wright, M, Macrae, E. (2004) A specific L-Galactose-1-Phosphate phosphatase on the path to ascorbate biosynthesis. PNAS 101, 16976-81.
15. Jackson, TA, Christeller, JT, McHenry, JZ, Laing, WA (2004). Quantification and kinetics of the decline in grass grub endopeptidase activity during initiation of amber disease Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 86, 72-76.
16. Laing, WA, Frearson, N, Bulley, S, MacRae, E (2004). Kiwifruit l-galactose dehydrogenase: molecular, biochemical and physiological aspects of the enzyme. Functional Plant Physiology 31, 1015 - 1025.
17. Barraclough, D, Obenland, D, Laing, W, and Carroll, T (2004).  A method for quick and easy two-dimensional electrophoresis of plant samples.  PostHarvest Biology and Technology 32, 175-181.
18. Rassam, M, Laing, W (2003).  Purification and characterization of cystatins from Actinidia deliciosa fruit.  Phytochemistry 65, 19-30.
19. Ryan, SN, McManus, MT, Laing, WA (2003).  Identification and characterisation of proteinase inhibitors and their genes from seeds of apple (Malus domestica).  Journal Of Biochemistry 134, 31-42.
20. Yoo, SD, Greer, DH, Laing, WA, McManus, MT (2003).  Changes in photosynthetic efficiency during leaf ontogeny in white clover.  Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 41, 887-893.
    

Book Chapters:

1. John Christeller, William Laing. (2005) Plant Serine Proteinase Inhibitors. Protein and peptide letters, 12 (5): 439-447.
2. Laing, W, Christeller, J (2004).  Extraction of proteins from plant tissues.  Current Protocols in Protein Science Chapter 4.7.1 John Wiley and Sons, New York. Edited Coligan JE, Dunn, BM, Speicher, DW and Wingfield, PT.

Other:

1. Patent submitted on L-Galactose-1-P Phosphatase, by William Laing.
2. Patent submitted on GDP-L-Galactose transferase and its effect on leaf ascorbate by William Laing and Sean Bulley.
3. Patent submitted on GDP-L-Galactose transferase/GDP-Mannose epimerase interaction and its effect on leaf ascorbate by William Laing and Sean Bulley.