Dr Jing Qiu

Personal profile

• 09/2021- present: Rowling Fellow, University of Edinburgh
• 01/2010 - 09/2021: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Edinburgh
• 07/2007 - 08/2009: Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Bristol
• 09/2003 - 07/2007: PhD in Molecular Neuroscience, University of Bristol
• 09/2002 - 09/2003: MSc in Immunology and Allergy, University of Nottingham
• 08/2000 - 06/2002: Liaoning Jinqiu Hospital, Shenyang, China
• 09/1995 - 08/2000: Dalian Medical University, China

Research Theme

• Ageing and Degeneration

Research

My current research focuses on microglial signaling with other brain cell types and how to exploit these to develop translationally relevant strategies to improve health. Microglia are brain resident macrophages and key controllers of neuroinflammation. In age and neurodegenerative disease, microglia switch from a homeostatic state to a primed phenotype, leading to an exaggerated response to inflammation. My current research aims to look for strategies to prevent disease-associated microglial conversion.

Funding

• Wellcome Trust ISSF3 Award
• UK DRI Pilot Award
• MRC Neuroimmunology Data Generation Award

Group Members

• Haoyu Zou (PhD student)
• Tom Leah (research technician)

Collaborations

• Giles Hardingham, University of Edinburgh
• Siddharthan Chandran, University of Edinburgh
• Neil Carragher, University of Edinburgh
• Marc Vendrell, University of Edinburgh
• Tovah Shaw, University of Edinburgh

Publications

Baxter, P., Dando, O., He, X., Hardingham, GE, and Qiu, J. (2021). Neurons and astrocytes combine to maintain microglia maturity and regulate inflammatory responses in vitro. Cell Reports 34.

Qiu, J., Dando, O., Febery, J.A., Fowler, J.H., Chandran, S., and Hardingham, G.E. (2020). Neuronal Activity and Its Role in Controlling Antioxidant Genes. Int J Mol Sci 21.

Qiu, J., Dando, O., Baxter, P.S., Hasel, P., Heron, S., Simpson, T.I., and Hardingham, G.E. (2018). Mixed-species RNA-seq for elucidation of non-cell-autonomous control of gene transcription. Nat Protoc 13, 2176-2199.

Qiu, J., Dunbar, D.R., Noble, J., Cairns, C., Carter, R., Kelly, V., Chapman, K.E., Seckl, J.R., and Yau, J.L. (2016a). Decreased Npas4 and Arc mRNA Levels in the Hippocampus of Aged Memory-Impaired Wild-Type But Not Memory Preserved 11beta-HSD1 Deficient Mice. J Neuroendocrinol 28.

Qiu, J., McQueen, J., Bilican, B., Dando, O., Magnani, D., Punovuori, K., Selvaraj, B.T., Livesey, M., Haghi, G., Heron, S., et al. (2016b). Evidence for evolutionary divergence of activity-dependent gene expression in developing neurons. Elife 5.

Markus, N.M., Hasel, P., Qiu, J., Bell, K.F., Heron, S., Kind, P.C., Dando, O., Simpson, T.I., and Hardingham, G.E. (2016). Expression of mRNA Encoding Mcu and Other Mitochondrial Calcium Regulatory Genes Depends on Cell Type, Neuronal Subtype, and Ca2+ Signaling. PLoS One 11, e0148164.

Konopacka*, A., Qiu*, J., Yao, S.T., Greenwood, M.P., Greenwood, M., Lancaster, T., Inoue, W., Mecawi, A.S., Vechiato, F.M., de Lima, J.B., et al. (2015). Osmoregulation requires brain expression of the renal Na-K-2Cl cotransporter NKCC2. J Neurosci 35, 5144-5155. (*co-first author)

Hasel, P., McKay, S., Qiu, J., and Hardingham, G.E. (2015). Selective dendritic susceptibility to bioenergetic, excitotoxic and redox perturbations in cortical neurons. Biochim Biophys Acta 1853, 2066-2076.

Qiu, J., Kleineidam, A., Gouraud, S., Yao, S.T., Greenwood, M., Hoe, S.Z., Hindmarch, C., and Murphy, D. (2014). The use of protein-DNA, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and transcriptome arrays to describe transcriptional circuits in the dehydrated male rat hypothalamus. Endocrinology 155, 4380-4390.

Livesey, M.R., Bilican, B., Qiu, J., Rzechorzek, N.M., Haghi, G., Burr, K., Hardingham, G.E., Chandran, S., and Wyllie, D.J. (2014). Maturation of AMPAR composition and the GABAAR reversal potential in hPSC-derived cortical neurons. J Neurosci 34, 4070-4075.

James, O.T., Livesey, M.R., Qiu, J., Dando, O., Bilican, B., Haghi, G., Rajan, R., Burr, K., Hardingham, G.E., Chandran, S., et al. (2014). Ionotropic GABA and glycine receptor subunit composition in human pluripotent stem cell-derived excitatory cortical neurones. J Physiol 592, 4353-4363.

Bilican, B., Livesey, M.R., Haghi, G., Qiu, J., Burr, K., Siller, R., Hardingham, G.E., Wyllie, D.J., and Chandran, S. (2014). Physiological normoxia and absence of EGF is required for the long-term propagation of anterior neural precursors from human pluripotent cells. PLoS One 9, e85932.

Qiu, J., Tan, Y.W., Hagenston, A.M., Martel, M.A., Kneisel, N., Skehel, P.A., Wyllie, D.J., Bading, H., and Hardingham, G.E. (2013). Mitochondrial calcium uniporter Mcu controls excitotoxicity and is transcriptionally repressed by neuroprotective nuclear calcium signals. Nat Commun 4, 2034.

Information for students:

Willingness to discuss research projects with undergraduate and postgraduate students: YES - please click here