James O. Berry

Molecular and Developmental Biology; Plant Gene Expression

Associate Professor

Ph.D 1982 Iowa State University
Postdoctoral work 1982 U. of Utah School of Medicine
Research Associate 1987 Rutgers University
Assistant Professor 1988;
Associate Professor 1994 University at Buffalo

Address Information

James O. Berry
Department of Biological Sciences
355 Cooke Hall
State University of New York at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14260

(716) 645-2363 ext: 145

To send e-mail: camjob@buffalo.edu

RESEARCH SUMMARY:

Amaranth uses the highly specialized C4 photosynthetic pathway, which allows this plant to be very efficient in the assimilation or fixation of atmospheric CO2 into biologically useful molecules. C4 plant species possess a specialized leaf organization, which is characterized by the presence of two separate photosynthetic cell types - the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. Photosynthetic enzymes present in either of these two cell types function together and work as a "CO2 pump" to concentrate CO2 in leaf bundle sheaths cells where carbon fixation occurs. the result is that C4 plants are much more efficient than the more common and less specialized C3 plants, particularly at high temperatures and in marginal desert or arid environments.

SELECTED PROJECTS:

  • Molecular Biology of C4 Photosynthesis in Grain Amaranth
    The leaves of plants that utilize the C4 photosynthetic pathway consist of two photosynthetic cell types, the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, which differ in their CO2 fixation roles. C4 photosynthetic requires interactions between enzymes which are specifically compartmentalized to one or the other cell type and selective cell type specific expression of genes encoding the C4 enzymes. The focus of this aspect of our research is to investigate mechanisms that regulate the cell type specific expression of nuclear and plastid encoded genes which produce enzymes of the C4 photosynthetic pathway. Molecular biology techniques are being used to examine processes that control the development of bundle sheath and mesophyll cells and control the genes that produce enzymes required for the function of the C4 photosynthetic pathway.

    •  

  • Translational Regulation of RuBPCase Gene Expression
    One of the most exciting aspects of gene regulation in amaranth is that very rapid and dramatic changes in the synthesis of the RuBPCase occurs at the level of protein synthesis (translation). These translational changes in gene expression can be induced and studied simply by changing illumination conditions. We are investigating the regulation of the RuBPCase at two translational steps, initiation and elongation. The process of protein translation is an integral part of the overall pathway of gene expression in all organisms. Rapid changes in the translation of specific mRNAs may be a mechanism for adapting to sudden environmental changes that could affect the survival of the organism. While little is currently known about translational control in plants, amaranth seedlings demonstrate one of the clearest examples of this form of regulation. Amaranth therefore provides an ideal system in which to study rapid, light-mediated changes in the expression of genes that produce photosynthesis proteins.

    PUBLICATIONS:

  • Patel, M., A.C. Corey, L.-Y. Yin,, S. Ali, W.C. Taylor, and J.O. Berry. (2004)
    Untranslated regions from C4 amaranth AhRbcS1 mRNAs confer translational
    enhancement and preferential bundle sheath cell expression in transgenic C4 Flaveria bidentis.
    Plant Physiol. Preview 10.1104/pp.104.051508.
    •
  • Givens, R.M., M.-H. Lin, D.J. Taylor, U. Mechold, J.O. Berry*, and V.J. Hernandez*. (2004)
    Inducible Expression, Enzymatic Activity, and Origin of Higher Plant Homologues of Bacterial
    RelA/SpoT Stress Proteins in Nicotiana tabaccum    *
    J. Biol. Chem. 279:7495-7504.
    * both authors contributed equally to this work
    •
  • McCormac, D.J., H. Litz., J. Wang, P.D. Gollnick, and J.O. Berry. (2001).
    Light-associated and processing-dependent protein binding to the 5’ UTR of
    rbcL mRNA in the chloroplasts of a C4 plant.     J. Biol. Chem. 276:3476-3483.
    •
  • Berry, J.O. (2001). Kranz anatomy and the C4 pathway, in Encyclopedia of
    Life Sciences    , Nature Publishing Group, London, www.els.net.
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  • Corey, A.C., D.A. Dempsey, D.F. Klessig, and J.O. Berry. (1999). Three RbcS
    cDNAs from the C4 Dicotyledonous Plant Amaranthus hypochondriacus
    (PGR99-101)    . Plant Physiol. 120: 934
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  • D.J. McCormac, J.J. Boinski, V.C. Ramsperger, and J.O. Berry (1997)
    C4 gene expression in photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic leaf regions of Amaranthus tricolor.
    Plant Physiol. 24:423-428
    •
  • J.O. Berry, D.J. McCormac, J.J. Long, J.J. Boinski, and A. Corey (1997)
    CPhotosynthetic gene expression in amaranth, an NAD-ME type C4 dicot.
    Aust. J. Plant Physiol. 114:801-815
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  • Ramsperger, V.C., Summers, R.G.and J.O. Berry (1996)
    Photosynthetic gene expression in meristems and initial leaf development in a C4 dicotyledonoous plant.
    Plant Physiol. 111:999-1010
  • Long, J.J. and J.O. Berry (1996)
    Tissue specific and light-mediated expression of the C4 photosynthetic NAD-dependent mailc enzyme of amaranth mitochondria.
    Plant Physiol. 112:473-482
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  • Long, J.J., J.L. Wang, and J.O. Berry (1994)
    Cloning and analysis of the C4 photosynthesis -NAD dependent malic enzyme of amaranth mitochondria
    J. Biol. Chem. 269:2827-2833
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  • Wang, J.L., Long, T. Hotchkiss, and J.O. Berry (1993)
    Regulation of C4 gene expression in light and dark grown amaranth cotyledons
    Plant Physiol. 102:1085-1093
    •

    RuBPCase is localized specifically to the chloroplasts of bundle sheaths (A). PPdK enzyme is localized to the chloroplasts of mesophyll cells (B). In a leaf midway through the sink-source transition in carbon import (C), an autoradiograph shows unlabeled regions that export 14CO2 (source regions) and labeled regions that import (sink regions). RUBPCase is bundle sheath-specific in source regions, (D), intermediate in the sink-source transition zone (E), and non-cell specific in sink regions (F).

     

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