Current Research Interests:
A major focus of my research is the molecular improvement of important cereal crops. This involves the development of efficient methods for the delivery and optimal expression of genes into cereal cells; culture and selection of the rare transformed cells; and the regeneration of normal and fertile transgenic plants. My projects include the cellular and developmental biology of seed plants; protoplast, cell and tissue culture; somatic cell genetics; as well as genetic transformation.
Organizations:
International Association for Plant Tissue
Culture and Biotechnology (IAPTC&B)
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO)
Selected Publications:
Vasil, I.K. 1998. Biotechnology and food security for the 21st century: a real-world perspective. Nature Biotech. 16:399-400.
Vasil, I.K. and O.D. Anderson. 1997. Genetic engineering of wheat gluten. Trends Plant Sci. 2:292-297.
Carson, C.B., T. Hattori, L. Rosenkrans, V. Vasil, I.K. Vasil, P.A. Peterson, and D.R. McCarty. 1997. The quiescent/colorless alleles of viviparous1 show that the conserved B3 domain of VP1 is not essential for ABA-regulated gene expression in the seed. Plant J. 12:1231-1240.
Altpeter, FI., V. Vasil, V. Srivastava, and I.K. Vasil. 1996. Integration and expression of the high molecular-weight glutenin subunit 1Ax1 gene into wheat. Nature Biotech. 14:1155-1159.
Taylor, M.G. and I.K. Vasil. 1996. Quantitative analysis of ultrastructural changes during zygotic and somatic embryogenesis in perl millet (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R. Br.). Sex Plant Reprod. 9:286-298.
Kao, C.Y., S.M. Cocciolone, I.K. Vasil, and D.R. McCarty. 1996. Localization and interaction of cis-acting elements for absisic acid, viviparous1, and light activation of the C1 gene of maize. Plant Cell 8:1171-1179.
Molina, A., I. Diaz, I.K. Vasil, P. Carbonero, and F. Garcia-Olmedo. 1996. Two cold-inducible genes encoding lipid transfer protein LTP4 from barley show differential responses to bacterial pathogens. Molec. Gen. Genet. 252:162-168.
Srivastava, V., V. Vasil, and I.K. Vasil. 1996. Molecular characterization of the fate of transgenes in transformed wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Theor. Appl. Genet. 92:11031-1037.
Taylor, M.G. and I.K. Vasil. 1996. The ultrastructure of somatic embryo development in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum; Poaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 83:28-44.
Pedrosa, L. and I.K. Vasil. 1996. Optimization of somatic embryogenesis and long-term regeneration in callus cultures of diploperennial teosinte (Zea diploperennis Iltis, Doebley and Guzman). Maydica 41:333-348.
Altpeter, F., V. Vasil, V. Srivastava, E. Stoger, and I.K. Vasil. 1996. Accelerated production of transgenic wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants. Plant Cell Rep. 16:12-17.
Wan, C. and I.K. Vasil. 1996. Regeneration of plants from embryogenic callus, cell suspensions, protoplasts, and cryopreserved cell suspension cultures of Napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.). J. Plant Physiol. 148:718-726.
Vasil, I.K. 1996. Phosphinothricin-resistant crops. In: S.O. Duke (ed.), Herbicide-Resistant Crops, CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 85-91.
Wan, C. and I.K. Vasil. 1996. Regeneration of plants from embryogenetic callus, cell suspensions, protoplasts, and cryopreserved cell suspension cultures of Napiergrass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum.). J. Plant Physiol. In press.
Hoecker, U., I.K. Vasil, and D.R. McCarty. 1995. Integrated control of seed maturation and germination programs by activator and repressor functions of viviparous-1 of maize. Genes & Dev. 9:2459-2469.
Taylor, M.G. and I.K. Vasil. 1995. The ultrastructure of zygotic embryo development in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum; Poaceae). Amer. J. Bot. 82:205-219.
Vasil, V., W.R. Marcotte, Jr., L. Rosenkrans, S.M. Cocciolone, I.K. Vasil, R.S. Quartano, and D.R. McCarty. 1995. Overlap of viviparous-1 (VP1) and abscisic acid response elements in the Em promoter: G-box elements are sufficient but not necessary for VP1 activation. Plant Cell 7:1511-1518.
Castillo, A.M., V. Vasil, and I.K. Vasil. 1994. Rapid production of fertile transgenic plants of rye (Secale cereale L.). Bio/Technology 12:1366-1371.
Chowdhury, M.K.U., V. Vasil, and I.K. Vasil. 1994. Molecular analysis of plants regenerated from embryogenic cultures of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Theoret. Appl. Genet. 87:821-828.
Vasil, I.K. 1994. Molecular improvement of cereals. Plant Mol. Biol. 25:925-937.
Taylor, M.G., V. Vasil, and I.K. Vasil. 1993. Enhanced GUS gene expression in cereal/grass cell suspensions and immature embryos using the maize ubiquitin-based plasmid PAHC25. Plant Cell Rep.12:491-495.
Vasil, V., V. Srivastava, A.M. Castillo, M.R. Fromm, and I.K. Vasil. 1993. Rapid production of transgenic plants by direct bombardment of cultured immature embryos. Bio/Technology 11:1553-1558.
Chowdhury, M.K.U. and I.K. Vasil. 1992. Molecular analysis of plants regenerated from embryogenic cultures of hybrid sugarcane cultivars (Saccharum spp.). Theoret. Appl. Genet. 86:181-188.
Hattori, T., V. Vasil, L. Rosenkrans, L. Hannah, D.R. McCarty, and I.K. Vasil. 1992. The viviparous-1 gene and abscisic acid activate C1 regulatory gene for anthocyanin biosynthesis during seed maturation in maize. Genes Dev. 6:609-618.
Vasil, V., A.M. Castillo, M.E. Fromm, and I.K. Vasil. 1992. Herbicide resistant fertile transgenic wheat plants obtained by microprojectile bombardment of regenerable embryogenic callus. Bio/Technology. 10:667-674.
McCarty, D.R., T. Hattori, C.B. Carson, V. Vasil, M. Lazar, and I.K. Vasil. 1991. The viviparous-1 developmental gene of maize encodes a novel transcriptional activator. Cell. 66:895-905.
Vasil, V., F. Redway, and I.K. Vasil. 1990. Regeneration of plants from embryogenic suspension culture protoplasts of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Bio/Technology 8:429-434.
