Xuemin (Sam) Wang
Xuemin (Sam) Wang
E. Desmond Lee and Family Fund Endowed Professor
Phone: (314) 516-6219
Fax: (314) 516-6233
Email: wangxue@umsl.edu
Member and Principal Investigator
Donald Danforth Plant Science
Center
Ph.D. 1987 University of Kentucky
M.S. 1984 Ohio State University
B.S. 1982 Huazhong Agricultural University
Postdoctoral training: 1988-1991 Louisiana State University
1991-2004 Professor of Biochemistry, Kansas State University
2002-2004 Director of Kansas Lipidomics Research Center
Research Interests
Signal transduction in plant growth, development, and stress responses: Lipid-mediated signaling; Functional genomics of phospholipases; Metabolic profiling and lipidomics; Metabolic engineering
Research in my laboratory concerns signal transduction processes that
regulate plant growth, development, and stress responses. My current research
is grouped into four interrelated clusters:
I. Lipid-mediated signaling
II. Functional genomics of phospholipases
III. Metabolic profiling and lipidomics
IV. Metabolic engineering
.
One major focus in my laboratory is to understand the role of membrane
lipids and phospholipases in signaling cascades. Specifically, we are
interested in: i) identifying and characterizing enzymes that generate
lipid messengers, ii) defining downstream targets of lipid signaling pathways,
iii) elucidating the relationship and networks of different signaling
processes in hormonal and stress responses, and iv) determining the physiological
functions of lipid-mediated signaling. In addition, we are applying knowledge
gained from the above studies to manipulating crop plants for improving
stress tolerance and productivity. Integrated approaches of molecular
biology, biochemistry, cell biology, stress physiology, functional genomics,
and metabolomics are employed in our research.
1. Mishra, G, W. Zhang, F. Deng, J. Zhao, and X. Wang. 2006. A bifurcating pathway directs abscisic acid effects on stomatal closure and opening in Arabidopsis. Science 312: 264-266
2. Li, M., C. Qin, R.Welti., and X. Wang. 2006. Double knockouts of phospholipase Dζ1 and ζ2 in Arabidopsis affect root elongation during phosphate-limited growth, but do not affect root hair patterning. Plant Physiol. 140: 761-770
3. Zhang W., Yu L., Zhang Y. and X. Wang. 2005. Phospholipase D in the signaling network of plant responses to abscisic acid and reactive oxygen species Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1736:1-9.
4. Wang, X. 2005. Regulatory functions of phospholipase D and phosphatidic acid in plant growth development, and stress responses. Plant Physiol. 139:566-573
5. Zhang, W. C. Qin, J. Zhao, and X. Wang. 2004. Phospholipase Dα1-derived phosphatidic acid interacts with ABI1 phosphatase 2C and regulates abscisic acid signaling. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101: 9508-9513.
6. Li, W., M. Li, W. Zhang, R. Welti, and X. Wang. 2004. The plasma membrane-bound phospholipase Dδ enhances freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis. Nature Biotech. 22: 427-433.
7. Pappan K, L, Zheng, R. Krishnamoorthi, and X. Wang. 2004. Evidence for and characterization of Ca2+ binding to the catalytic region of Arabidopsis thaliana phospholipase Dβ. J. Biol. Chem. 279: 47833-47839.
8. Zhao, J. and X. Wang. 2004. Arabidopsis phospholipase Dα1 interacts with the heterotrimeric G-protein α-subunit through a motif analogous to the DRY motif in G-protein-coupled receptors. J. Biol. Chem. 279:1794-1800.
9. Wang, X. 2004. Lipid signaling. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 7: 329-336
10. Zhang W., C. Wang, C. Qin, T. Wood, G. Olafsdottir, and X. Wang. 2003. Phospholipase Dδ and phosphatidic acid decrease H2O2-induced cell death in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 15: 2285-2295.