Books and book chapters
Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Plant Organelles (2004) (H
Daniell and
CD Chase, eds.) Springer, Dordrecht, 659 pp.
Chase, CD and S Gabay-Laughnan (2004) Cytoplasmic male sterility and
fertility restoration by nuclear genes. pp. 623-634 in: Molecular
Biology and Biotechnology of Plant Organelles (H Daniell and CD Chase,
eds.) Springer, Dordrecht
Daniell, H and CD Chase (2004) Introduction to the molecular biology
and biotechnology of plant organelles. pp. 1-14 in: Molecular Biology
and Biotechnology of Plant Organelles (H Daniell and CD Chase, eds.)
Springer, Dordrecht
Chase, CD and S Gabay-Laughnan (2003) Exploring mitochondrial-nuclear
genome interactions with S male-sterile maize. pp 31-41 in: Recent
Research Developments in Genetics, vol. 3 (SG Pandali ed.) Research
Signpost, Kerala
Chase, CD (1998) The discovery of plant mitochondrial genomes. pp
85-104 in: Discoveries in Plant Biology (S-D Kung and S-F Yang eds)
World Scientific Publishing Co Ltd, Singapore
Review articles and commentaries
Chase, CD (2007) Cytoplasmic male sterility – a window to the world
of plant mitochondrial-nuclear interactions. Trends in Genetics 23:81-90
Chase, CD (2006) Genetically engineered cytoplasmic male sterility.
Trends in Plant Science 11:7-9
Mechanisms of S male sterility
In the S cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS-S) system of maize, expression
of mitochondrial open reading frames (orf355-orf77) results in the
collapse of developing pollen. The morphology of collapsed CMS-S pollen
is similar to that of animal cells that have undergone a form of
programmed cell death (PCD) known as apoptosis. PCD is a regulated
process of cell death and destruction key to normal development and to
defense and disease responses in both plants and animals. Furthermore,
mitochondria are key components of signal transduction pathways
regulating PCD. We are testing the hypothesis that expression of orf355
and/or orf77 in developing maize pollen results in a mitochondrial
signal initiating PCD. We use techniques of molecular biology to
investigate the expression of orf355 and orf77 in developing pollen and
to examine CMS-S pollen for molecular features of PCD. In collaboration
with Dr. Maria Gallo in the University of Florida Agronomy Department,
we are also using transgenic approaches to determine whether
mitochondrial-targeted orf355 or orf77 can initiate PCD in arabidopsis
plants or tobacco cells. This aspect of our research was funded by the
National Research Initiative of the USDA Cooperative State, Research,
Education and Extension Service (NRI-USDA-CSREES), grant number
2001-0534-10888.
Gallagher, L**, SK Betz§, and CD Chase (2002) Mitochondrial RNA
editing truncates a chimeric open reading frame associated with S
male-sterility in maize. Curr Genet 42:179-184
Wen, L* and CD Chase (1999) Mitochondrial gene expression in developing
male gametophytes of male-fertile and S male-sterile maize. Sex Plant
Reprod 11:323-330
Mechanisms of fertility restoration in
S male-sterile maize
Our primary research accomplishment over the past several years has
been to validate the S system of CMS in maize as an unprecedented
opportunity for molecular-genetic analysis of mitochondrial biogenesis
and function in a higher eukaryote. Restorer-of-fertility (restorer)
alleles that rescue pollen development are recovered as spontaneous
mutations at multiple nuclear loci. Through genetics and molecular
biology we demonstrated that restorer alleles can result from
loss-of-function mutations disrupting the expression of essential
mitochondrial genes as well as the expression of orf355-orf77.
This aspect of our research was carried out in collaboration with Dr.
Susan Gabay-Laughnan at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and
with funding from the NRI-USDA-CSREES award 95-37301-2039.
The major outcome of this work is a system that allows for the first
time, a systematic screen for genetic mutations disrupting
mitochondrial biogenesis in a higher eukaryote. With additional funding
(USDA-NRICGP award 00-35300-9409) raised in collaboration
with Dr. Gabay-Laughnan, we generated a collection of restorer
mutations in transposon-active maize lines. We have received a new
award, NRI-USDA-CSREES grant number 2005-35301-15710, to study in
detail the nature and functions of specific restorer alleles. We are
working to exploit maize transposon biology to clone and characterize
restorer-of-fertility genes at the molecular level. In parallel, we are
investigating the effects each mutation on mitochondrial gene
expression.
Gabay-Laughnan, S, CD Chase, VM Ortega and L Zhao* (2004)
Molecular-genetic characterization of CMS-S restorer-of-rertility
alleles identified in Mexican races of maize and teosinte. Genetics
166:959-970
Wen, L*, KL Ruesch**, VM Ortega, TL Kamps**, S Gabay-Laughnan and CD
Chase (2003) A nuclear restorer-of-fertility mutation disrupts
accumulation of mitochondrial ATP synthase subunit in developing pollen
of S male-sterile maize. Genetics: 165: 771-779
Wen, L* and CD Chase (1999) Pleiotropic effects of a nuclear
restorer-of-fertility locus on mitochondrial transcripts in
male-fertile and S male-sterile maize. Curr Genet 35:521-526
Kamps, TL** and CD Chase (1997) RFLP mapping of the maize
gametophytic restorer-of-fertility gene, Rf3, and aberrant pollen
transmission of the nonrestoring allele, rf3. Theor Appl Genet 95:
525-531
Kamps, TL**, DR McCarty and CD Chase (1996) Gametophyte genetics in Zea
mays L.:dominance of a restoration of fertility allele (Rf3) in diploid
pollen. Genetics 142:1001-1007
Applications of molecular biology to
plant improvement
The molecular basis of zinc redistribution in blight-affected citrus
In collaboration with Dr. Gene Albrigo (Citrus Research and Education
Center), Dr. Kathy Taylor identified, purified and characterized a
protein associated with zinc redistibution in citrus trees affected by
citrus blight. This work was funded by NRI-USDA-CSREES award
89-37-264-4752.
Taylor, KC*, LG Albrigo and CD Chase (1996) Purification of a Zn
binding phloem protein with sequence identity to chitin binding
proteins. Plant Physiol 110:657-664
~~~
Organelle inheritance in citrus somatic cell hybrids and cybrids
Cristina Moreira, a Ph.D. student, worked in my laboratory to
study the inheritance of organelle genomes in genetic materials
developed by Dr. Jude Grosser and Dr. Fred Gmitter at the Citrus
Research and Education Center. Cristina’s work led to the
identification of factors that potentially influence the recovery of a
particular organelle genome in somatic cell hybrids and cybrids
generated for citrus improvement. Cristina was supported by
Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e
Tecnologico/Brasilia-DF/Brazil.
Moreira, CD*, VM Ortega, FG Gmitter, Jr, JW Grosser, and CD Chase
(2002) Inheritance of organelle DNA sequences in a Citrus x Poncirus
intergeneric cross. J Hered 93:174-178
Moreira, CD**, CD Chase, FG Gmitter Jr, and JW Grosser (2000)
Inheritance of organelle genomes in citrus cybrids. Mol Breed 6:401-405
Moreira, CD**, CD Chase, FG Gmitter Jr, and JW Grosser (2000)
Inheritance of organelle genomes in citrus somatic hybrids. Plant Cell
Tissue and Organ Culture 61:165-168
~~~
DNA markers for bermudagrass variety identification
Neil Williams, an M.S. student, worked in my laboratory to develop DNA
markers for the identification of commercially important bermudagrass
varieties and bermudagrass breeding materials generated by Dr. Brian
Scully at the Everglades Research and Experiment Station in Belle
Glade. Neil developed simple sequence repeat DNA markers that
distinguished and revealed unexpected genetic relationships among
commercially important bermudagrass cultivars. Neil was supported by a
GC Horn Fellowship from the Florida Turfgrass Association and by the UF
/ IFAS Horticultural Sciences Department. Continuing research is
focused upon the development of additional markers to distinguish
between closely related varieties. This research is also supported by
Emerald Island Turf and the Florida Turfgrass Association.
Scully, BT, CD Chase and NR Williams (2002) The development of Simple
Sequence Repeat markers for fingerprinting bermudagrass. Florida Turf
Digest 20:14-16
Contact
Information
Horticultural Sciences
Department
Box 110690 Gainesville, FL 32611-0690
Office - 2215 Fifield Hall; Lab - 2219
Fifield Hall
tel - 352-392-1928 ext 316; fax -
352-392-5653;
e-mail - ctdc@.ifas.ufl.edu
