Ray A. Bressan Professor Ph.D. Area of Interest: Molecular Genetics E-mail: Research Homepage CV

Stress Physiology

A broad program based on the techniques of in vitro plant cell culture and selection with three major goals: 1) Establish cell systems to study the physiology and biochemistry of variants with increased tolerance to water and salt stress and isolate and study genes involved in cellular tolerance. 2) Regenerate plants in some instances from variant cell lines to attempt recovery of agriculturally useful phenotypes and to study the genetic basis of the phenotype of variants. 3) Estimate the extent and usefulness of phenotypic variability resulting from adventitious morphogenesis in plants.

Selected Publications

• Zhu J, Jeong J, Zhu,Y, Sokolchik I, Miyazaki S, Zhu J-K, Hasegawa PM, Bohnert HJ, Shi, H., Yun, D.-J., and Bressan, R.A. (2008) Involvement of Arabidopsis HOS15 in histone deacetylation and cold tolerance. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 105:4945-4950.
• Jin JB, Jin YH, Lee J, Miura K, Yoo CY, Kim W-Y, Van Oosten M, Hyun Y, Somers DE, Lee L, Yun D-J, Bressan RA, Hasegawa PM  (2008)  The SUMOE3 ligase, AtSIZ1, regulates flowering by controlling a salicylic acid-mediated floral promotion pathway and through affects on FLC chromatin structure.  Plant J. 53:530-540.
• Chung J-S, Zhu J-K, Bressan RA, Hasegawa PM, Shi H  (2008) Reactive oxygen species mediate Na+-induced SOS1 mRNA stability in Arabidopsis.  Plant J  53:554-464.
• Wang X, Gao Z, Bressan RA, Weller SC, Li X (2007) Highly efficient in vitro regeneration of peppermint (Mentha piperita L.) via shoot organogenesis.
• Zhu J, Jeong J, Shi H, Sokolchik I, Zhu J-K, Yun D-J, Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA (2007)  A WD40 protein is important for histone deacetylation and freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis. 
• Zhu J, Koo YD, Zhu J-K, Jenney, Jr. FE, Adams MWW, Zhu Y, Yun D-J, Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA (2007) An enhancer mutant of the Arabidopsis salt overly sensitive 3 connects ion homeostasis to the oxidative stress response.  Mol. Cell Biol.  27:5214-5224.
• Oh D-H, Gong Q, Ulanov A, Zhang Q, Li Y, Ma W, Yun D-J, Bressan RA, Bohnert HJ  (2007) Sodim stress in the halophyte Thellungiella halophila and transcriptional changes in a thsos1-RNA interference line.  J Integrative Plant Biol. 49:1-13.
• Inan G, Goto F, Jin JB, Rosado A, Koiwa H, Shi H, Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA, Maggio A, Li X  (2007)Isolation and characterization of shs1, a sugar-hypersensitive and ABA-insensitive mutant with multiple stress responses.  Plant Mol Biol  65:295-309.
• Sridhar VV, Kapoor A, Zhang K, Zhu J, Zhao T, Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA, Zhu J-K  (2007)  Control of DNA methylation and heterochromatic silencing by histone H2B deubiquitination.  Nature 447:735-738.
• Miura K, Jin JB, Lee J, Yoo CY, Stirm V, Miura T, Bressan RA, Yun D-J, Hasegawa PM  (2007)  SIZ1-Mediated Sumoylation of ICE1 Controls CBF3/DREB1A Expression and Freezing Tolerance in Arabidopsis.  Plant Cell 19:1403-1414.
• Lee J, Nam J, Park HC, Na G, Miura K, Jin JB, Yoo CY, Baek D, Kim DH, Jeong JC, Kim D, Lee SY, Salt DE, Mengiste T, Gong Q, Ma S, Bohnert HJ, Kwak S-S, Bressan RA, Hasegawa PM, Yun D-J (2006)  Salicylic acid-mediated innate immunity in Arabidopsis is regulated by SIZ1 SUMO E3 ligase.  Plant J 49:79-90.
• Rosado A, Schapire AL, Bressan RA, Harfouche AL, Hasegawa PM, Valpuesta V, Botella MA (2006) The Arabidopsis Tetratricopeptide Repeats Containing Protein TTL1 Is Required for Osmotic Stress Responses and ABA Sensitivity. Plant Physiol. 142:1113-1126.
• Maggio A, Bressan RA (2006) Storia delle relazioni piñata-acqua: dalla fisica alla biologia.  Italus Hortus 13:42-52.
• Perrella G, Cremona G, Consiglio F, Errico A, Bressan RA, Conicella C (2006) Screening for mutations affectig sexual reproduction after activation tagging in Arabidopsis thaliana. J Appl Genet 47:109-111.
• Yoo CY, Miura K, Jin JB, Lee Y, Park HC, Salt DE, Yun D-J, Bressan RA, Hasegawa PM (2006) SIZ1 small ubiquitin-like modifier E3 ligase facilitates basal thermotolerance in Arabidopsis independent of salicylic acid.  Plant Physiol 142:1-11.
• Yoo CY, Miura K, Jin JB, Lee J, Park HC, Salt DE, Yun D-J, Bressan RA, Hasegawa PM (2006) SIZ1 SUMO E3 Ligase Facilitates Basal Thermotolerance in Arabidopsis Independent of Salicylic Acid. Plant Physiol. 142:1548-1558.
• Bang W, Kim S, Ueda A, Vikram M, Yun D, Bressan RA, Hasegawa PM, Bahk J, Koiwa H (2006). Arabidopsis carboxyl-terminal domain phosphatase-like isoforms share common catalytic and interaction domains but have distinct in planta functions. Plant Physiol. 142:586-594.
• Koiwa H, Bressan RA, Hasegawa PM (2006) Identification of plant stress-responsive determinants in arabidopsis by large-scale forward genetic screens. J. Exp. Bot. 57:1119-1128.
• Maggio A, Zhu JK, Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA (2006) Osmogenetics: Aristotle to Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 18:1542-1557.
• Schmid M, Uhlenhaut NH, Demar M, Bressan RA, Weigel D, Lohmann JU (2004) Dissection of floral induction pathways using global expression analysis. Development 130:6001-1012.
• Karthikeyan AS, Raghothama KG, Koo YD, Bressan RA, Yun D-J, Hasegawa PM (2005) The Arabidopsis SUMO E3 ligase SIZ1 controls phosphate deficiency responses.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA  102:7760-7765.
• Rus AM, Bressan RA, Hasegawa PM (2005) Unraveling salt tolerance in crops.  Nature Genetics  37:1029-1030.
• Maggio A, Zhu J-K, Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA  (2006) Historical Perspective Essay.  Osmogenetics: Aristotle to Arabidopsis.  Plant Cell 18:1542-1557.
• Karthikeyan AR, Raghothama KG, Koo KD, Bressan RA, Yun D-J, Hasegawa PM  (2005) The Arabidopsis SUMO E3 ligase SIZ1 controls phosphate deficiency responses  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA.  102:7760-7765.
• Zhu J, Verslues PE, Zheng X, Lee B-h, Zhan X, Manabe Y, Sokolchik I, Zhu Y, Dong C-H, Zhu J-K, Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA  (2005)  HOS10 encodes a novel R2R3-type MYB transcription factor essential for cold acclimation in plants.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 102:9966-9971.
• Zhu J, Shi, H, Lee B-h, Damsz B, Cheng S, Stirm V, Zhu J-K, Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA  (2004)  An Arabidopsis homeodomain transcription factor gene, HOS9, mediates cold tolerance through a CBF-independent pathway.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101:9873-9878.
• Lalitha S, Shade RE, Murdock LL, Bressan RA, Hasegawa PM, Nielsen SS  (2005)  Effectiveness of recombinant soybean cysteine proteinase inhibitors against selected crop pests.  Comparative Biochem Physiol Part C 140:227-235.
• Lalitha S, Shade RE, Murdock LM, Hasegawa PM, Bressan RA, Nielsen, SS  (2005)  Comparison of chemical characteristics of three soybean cysteine proteinase inhibitors.  J. Agric. Food Chem. 53:1591-1597.
• Chen X, Goodwin M, Liu X, Bressan RA, Jenks MA (2005) Mutation of the RST1 locus of Arabidopsis revewal an association of cuticular wax with embryo development. Plant Physiol. 139:909-919.
• Miura, K., Rus, A., Sharkhuu, A., Yokoi, S., Karthikeyan, A.S., Raghothama, K.G., Baek, D., Koo, Y.D., Jin, J.B., Bressan RA, Yun D-J, Hasegawa PM  (2005) The Arabidopsis SUMO E3 ligase SIZ1 controls phosphate deficiency responses.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 102:7760-7765.
• Narasimhan M., Coca MA, Jin J, Yamauchi T, Ito Y, Kadowaki T, Kim KK, Pardo JM, Damsz B, Hasegawa PM, Yun D-J, Bressan RA  (2005)  Osmotin is a homolog of mammalian adiponectin and controls apoptosis in yeast through a homolog of mammalian adiponectin receptor. Mol. Cell. 17:171-180.