A5032195746- Polysaccharides and Plant Cell Walls
- Plant Reproductive Biology
- Algal biology and biofuel production
- Protist diversity and phylogeny
- Marine and coastal plant biology
- Plant Molecular Biology Research
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology
- Diatoms and Algae Research
- Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
- Cellular transport and secretion
- Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life Management
- Plant Surface Properties and Treatments
- Polysaccharides Composition and Applications
- Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies
- Marine and coastal ecosystems
- Plant Diversity and Evolution
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism
- Botanical Research and Applications
- Horticultural and Viticultural Research
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Microbial Metabolites in Food Biotechnology
- Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
- Microtubule and mitosis dynamics
Skidmore College
2016-2025
Imaging Center
2014-2017
Saratoga Hospital
2012
University of Copenhagen
2010
Cornell University
1981-1984
Manhattanville College
1983
Miami University
1980-1981
The green algae represent a large group of morphologically diverse photosynthetic eukaryotes that occupy virtually every photic habitat on the planet. extracellular coverings including cell walls are also diverse. A recent surge research in algal fueled by new emerging technologies has revealed and critical insight concerning these coverings. For example, late divergent taxa Charophycean Green Algae possess containing assemblages polymers with notable similarity to cellulose, pectins,...
Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is an established model for studying fruit biology; however, most studies of tomato growth and ripening are based on homogenized pericarp, do not consider the internal tissues, or expression signatures individual cell tissue types. We present a spatiotemporally resolved transcriptome analysis ontogeny, using laser microdissection (LM) hand dissection coupled with RNA-Seq analysis. Regulatory structural gene networks, including families transcription factors...
The Charophycean green algae (CGA) occupy a key phylogenetic position as the evolutionary grade that includes sister group of land plants (embryophytes), and so provide potentially valuable experimental systems to study development evolution traits were necessary for terrestrial colonization. nature molecular bases such are still being determined, but one critical adaptation is thought have been complex cell wall. Very little known about identity, origins diversity biosynthetic machinery...
Numerous evolutionary innovations were required to enable freshwater green algae colonize terrestrial habitats and thereby initiate the evolution of land plants (embryophytes). These adaptations probably included changes in cell-wall composition architecture that become essential for embryophyte development radiation. However, it is not known what extent polymers are characteristic cell walls, including pectins, hemicelluloses, glycoproteins lignin, evolved response demands environment or...
Plant cell walls are highly sophisticated fiber composite structures that have evolved to fulfill a wide range of biological roles central plant life. In so doing they diversified not just between species, but also within plants, types, and wall
The pectin polymer homogalacturonan (HG) is a major component of land plant cell walls and especially abundant in the middle lamella. Current models suggest that HG deposited into wall as highly methylesterified polymer, demethylesterified by methylesterase enzymes cross-linked calcium ions to form gel. However, this idea based largely on indirect evidence vitro studies. We took advantage architecture unicellular alga Penium margaritaceum, which forms an elaborate HG-rich lattice its...
The plant cuticle is thought to be a critical evolutionary adaptation that allowed the first plants colonize land, because of its key roles in regulating water status and providing protection from biotic abiotic stresses. Much has been learned about composition structure through genetic biochemical studies angiosperms, as well underlying pathways, but little known cuticles early diverging lineages. Here, we demonstrate moss Physcomitrella patens, an extant relative earliest terrestrial...
Abstract Green algae display a wide range of extracellular matrix (ECM) components that include various types cell walls (CW), scales, crystalline glycoprotein coverings, hydrophobic compounds, and complex gels or mucilage. Recently, new information derived from genomic/transcriptomic screening, advanced biochemical analyses, immunocytochemical studies, ecophysiology has significantly enhanced refined our understanding the green algal ECM. In later diverging charophyte group algae, CW other...
Polysaccharides are major components of extracellular matrices and often extensively modified post-synthetically to suit local requirements developmental programmes. However, our current understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics functional significance these modifications is limited by a lack suitable molecular tools. Here, we report development novel non-immunological approach for producing highly selective reciprocal oligosaccharide-based probes chitosan (the product chitin deacetylation)...
The expansion of aerial organs in plants is coupled with the synthesis and deposition a hydrophobic cuticle, composed cutin waxes, which critically important limiting water loss. While abiotic stress-related hormone abscisic acid (ABA) known to up-regulate wax accumulation response drought, hormonal regulation cuticle biosynthesis during organ ontogeny poorly understood. To address hypothesis that ABA also mediates formation development, we assessed effect deficiency on three...
Abstract Mango fruit ( Mangifera indica L.) are highly perishable and have a limited shelf life, due to postharvest desiccation senescence, which limits their global distribution. Recent studies of tomato suggest that these traits influenced by the expression genes associated with cuticle metabolism. However, phenomena in mango lack genome-scale data. In order gain insight into biogenesis identify putative cuticle-associated genes, we analyzed transcriptomes peels from ripe overripe using...
Extensins (EXTs) are a family of plant cell wall hydroxyproline-rich glycoproteins (HRGPs) that implicated to play important roles in growth, development, and defense. Structurally, EXTs characterized by the repeated occurrence serine (Ser) followed three five prolines (Pro) residues, which hydroxylated as hydroxyproline (Hyp) glycosylated. Some have Tyrosine (Tyr)-X-Tyr (where X can be any amino acid) motifs responsible for intramolecular or intermolecular cross-linkings. divided into...
The charophyte green algae (CGA, Streptophyta, Viridiplantae) occupy a key phylogenetic position as the immediate ancestors of land plants but, paradoxically, are less well-studied than other major plant lineages. This is particularly true in context functional genomic studies, where lack an efficient protocol for their stable genetic transformation has been obstacle. Observations extant CGA species suggest existence some evolutionary adaptations that had to occur colonization; however,...
Abstract The charophycean green algae (CGA or basal streptophytes) are of particular evolutionary significance because their ancestors gave rise to land plants. One outstanding feature these is that cell walls exhibit remarkable similarities those Xyloglucan (XyG) a major structural component the most plants and was originally thought be absent in CGA. This study presents evidence XyG evolved based on a) identification orthologs genetic machinery produce XyG, b) range CGA and, c) elucidation...
Abstract Charophytes (Streptophyta) represent a diverse assemblage of extant green algae that are the sister lineage to land plants. About 500–600+ million years ago, charophyte progenitor successfully colonized and subsequently gave rise have but relatively simple body plans make them highly attractive organisms for many areas biological research. At cellular level, charophytes been used deciphering cytoskeletal networks their dynamics, membrane trafficking, extracellular matrix secretion,...
Abstract Land plants produce a cuticle, an extracellular hydrophobic layer that covers aerial organs and is involved in many critical protective roles, most notably preventing desiccation. The predominant component of the cuticle lipidic polyester, cutin, which deposited epidermal primary cell wall. Most cutin tomato fruit, model for research, polymerized by GDSL-hydrolase enzyme CUTIN SYNTHASE-LIKE 1 (CUS1). However, other enzymes assembly remain to be identified characterized. In this...