Research Topics
Department of Crop Sciences
Ph.D. (1965) California Institute of Technology
Research Topics
Research Interests
The research interests of this laboratory center around the use of plant tissue culture for crop improvement and biochemical studies. To this end, we now have in place plant regeneration systems with any genotype of corn or soybean, and are transforming with genes to increase tryptophan, isoflavones and disease resistance in soybean.
Selection for glyphosate resistance with cell lines of several species has produced reproducible gene amplification. Mechanistic studies have been carried out with several herbicides including glyphosate, classic, haloxyfop, atrazine, and 2,4-D using plants and tissue cultures. We have developed photoautotrophic suspension cultures of several species including soybean, Amaranthus, Datura, Nicotiana and cotton which have utility in many studies including herbicide and disease resistance.
Since we have selected cell lines which overproduce several amino acids, many studies of the biosynthetic control enzymes in these pathways have been carried out. The pathways include those for tryptophan, phenylalanine, tyrosine, lysine, methionine, threonine and proline biosynthesis. Studies of tobacco cell lines that overproduce typtophan have led to the cloning of the feedback-insensitive control enzyme, anthranilate synthase, and to the identification of tissue culture specific and constitutive promotors. Studies of the typtophan overproduction on the synthesis of secondary compounds such as DIMBOA in maize are under way. The feedback-insensitive anthranilate synthase is being used as a new selectable marker for soybean and arabidopsis transformation.
Key Words
Recombinant DNA, Introduction of DNA into Plant Cells, Organelle
Genomes, Genome Organization/RFLP Mapping, Storage Proteins, Herbicide Mechanisms,
Natural Products, Plant Cell and/or Tissue Culture, Photosynthesis and Biophysical
Techniques, Plant/Pathogen Interactions, Plant Transformation
Current Research Funding
USDA, Illinois Soybean Program Operating Board, United Soybean Board, C-FAR,
Illinois-Missouri Biotechnology