NU-UCB Cooperative Program on plant Molecular Biology

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Collaboration and stimulative discussions among members, and non-members, of the Nagoya University (NU) and the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) under the program "NU-UCB Cooperative Program on Plant Molecular Biology", yielded the following progress.1) Regulation of sink activity and calcium-signalingOne of the reseach topics focused in the program was the role of calcium-signaling in the regulation of sink-source interaction. Nakamura and Sugiyama (NU) have shown that calcium-signaling is involved in the sugar-inducible gene expression, and in the nitrate-regulation of gene expression, respectively. Jones (UCB) found that function of aleurone layr of barley seeds depends on specific isoform of calmodulin, and Nakamura partially purified a novel isoform of calcium-dependent protein kinase (CDPK) from tobacco leaves which is tightly associated with the plasma membrane.2) Regulation of source activity and plastid gene expressionSugiura (NU) and Grulissem (UCB) communicated on th … More e in vitro systems to study chloroplast gene expression, and Sugiura developed in vitro translation system and Gruissem developed in vitro system for the maturation of transcripts.3) Function of plant vacuolesMaeshima (NU) and Jones (UCB) collaborated on the immuno-cytochemical characterization of novel vacuole-like structures which Jones found in aleurone cells of barley seeds. Maeshima isolated cDNAs for tonoplast Ca^<2+>/H^+ antiporter.4) Molecular genetics of Arabidopsis thalianaFrom T-DNA tagged mutant lines, Fischer (UCB) found that Bell-1 codes for a homoeodomain factor essential for embryogenesis, and Machida (NU) found that NADPH-oxidase plays an important role in the growth control. Machida also identified a plasma membrane-associated kinase which is rapidly activated after wounding, and Gruissem (UCB) isolated a gene involved in the metabolism of inositol-phosphate.5) Application to agricultureNakamura and Machida (NU) helped Buchanan and Lemaux (UCB) to start Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of barley by vectors developed in NU. Less