James Dewey Watson (born April 6, 1928) is an American molecular biologist, geneticist. Originally, Watson was drawn into molecular biology by the work of Salvador Luria. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology' including one other Nobel prize winner, he spearheaded. James Watson 2012 TTChao Symposium.jpg. Get this from a library! Biochemistry & molecular biology of plants. [Bob B Buchanan; Wilhelm Gruissem; Russell L Jones;].

Cellular and Developmental Biology Harvard University, 1991 Luan Laboratory studies how plants perceive and respond to extracellular signals through modifying their developmental and physiological programs. Studies in Luan Lab have identified a new molecular network for calcium signal transduction in plants. Downstream of these early signaling events, plants respond and adapt to environmental changes by regulating the biochemical processes including those at the plasma membrane, vacuolar membrane, and in the chloroplasts. Our goal is to understand the molecular mechanism underlying plant response and adaptation to its environment. Because higher plants can not “walk away” from their environment, they have evolved elaborate mechanisms to integrate their outside world into the program of their life cycle control. When environmental conditions change, plants rapidly perceive those changes and respond by physiological and developmental changes that would help themselves adapt to the “new” environment. We are interested in revealing the molecular networks that connect the environmental input to the intracellular responses in plants.

The understanding of biochemical pathways that allow plants to adapt to constantly changing environment is also among our primary research goals. Upon environmental changes, a plant cell has a number of rapid responses. One of these is fluctuation of cellular Ca 2+ that is often required for the further downstream responses and is thus referred to as a “second messenger”. A critical question regarding calcium signaling is how a simple cation serves as a messenger for so many different signals leading to distinct responses. The key step is signal “sensing”, i.e., the calcium signal is sensed by proteins functioning as Ca 2+ sensors. These sensors bind Ca 2+ and change their conformation/function.

Luan Lab recently discovered a family of novel Ca 2+ sensors (CBLs) from Arabidopsis. Nissan rb20 engine manual. The CBL-type Ca 2+ sensors function by interacting with and regulating a family of protein kinases (CIPKs) in a number of signaling pathways. At least 10 members of CBLs interact with 25 CIPKs, forming a large number of molecular complexes that interpret the calcium signals in plant cells. The functional specificity, synergism, and antagonism among various CBLs and CIPKs constitute a complex signaling network for cellular regulation and crosstalk.

CBL-CIPK in nutrient sensing: Plants are growing in a nutrient-poor environment especially after a long history of farming. Agricultural production is heavily relying on the application of chemical fertilizers, opposing a serious economic and environmental problem worldwide. One solution would be to breed crops that can tolerate low-nutrient soils without the need of fertilizers. Recent work in Luan laboratory identified a CBL-CIPK signaling pathway that regulates the activity of a voltage-gated potassium channels involved in K-uptake in plant roots. Manipulation of CBL-CIPK network can therefore enhance the growth of plants under low-K soils, impacting agriculture and environment.

(See Li et al., 2006 to get started on this subject). Furthermore, CBL-CIPK network also regulates nutrient homeostasis through targeting transport processes across the tonoplast (vacuolar membrane). This mechanism is exemplified by high Mg-detoxification mediated by multiple CBL-CIPK complexes associated with tonoplast (Tang et al., 2012; 2015). CBL-CIPK in stress and ABA responses:Several CBL-CIPK pathways have been identified that function in plant responses to environmental stress conditions including salt, drought, and cold. CBL-CIPK network is also involved in the response to plant hormones such as ABA that regulates stress responses. The crosstalk and interaction among the CBLs and CIPKs form a complex signaling network that links environmental responses to biochemical processes in plant cells. (See Cheong et al., 2003 and Pandey et al., 2004 to get started on this subject).