Linda L. Walling
Professor of Genetics
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Plant Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Ph.D., University of Rochester, New York 1980
VOICE: 951-827-4687 |
The primary emphasis of the Walling laboratory to understand the changes in plant gene expression that follows insect feeding, wounding and pathogen invasion. The laboratory is focused on understanding the role of a wound- and infection-induced exopeptidase that is similar to the bovine leucine aminopeptidase (LAP). Unlike animals and many higher plants, tomatoes have a constitutive form of LAP and a wound-induced form of LAP. The role of these differentially regulated aminopeptidases during development, during abiotic stress, in controlling pathogen invasion, and in protein turnover is currently being studied using the tools of biochemistry and molecular genetics. The impact of LAP over-expression and down-regulation is being investigated using transgenic tomato plants.
A new program investigating the changes in gene expression in response to the phloem-feeding silverleaf whitefly has been initiated. The silverleaf whitefly induces novel and economically important developmental disorders in cucurbits and tomatoes. RNA display has been used to identify genes that are corelated with disorder development and defense response. Additional research efforts have been focused on constructing of seedless mandarins and pathogen- and insect tolerant citrus.
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
Gu YQ, Walling LL (2000) Specificity of the wound-induced leucine aminopeptidase (LAP-A) of tomato - Activity on dipeptide and tripeptide substrates. Eur J Biochem 267: 1178-1187
Park SY, Jauh GY, Mollet JC, Eckard KJ, Nothnagel EA, Walling LL, Lord EM (2000) A lipid transfer-like protein is necessary for lily pollen tube adhesion to an in vitro stylar matrix. Plant Cell 12: 151-163
Chao WS, Pautot V, Holzer FM, Walling LL (2000) Leucine aminopeptidases: The ubiquity of LAP-N and the specificity of LAP-A. Planta 210: 563-573
van de Ven WTG, LeVesque CS, Perring TM, Walling LL (2000) Local and systemic changes in squash gene expression in response to silverleaf whitefly feeding. Plant Cell In Press
Chao, W.S., Gu, Y.-Q., Pautot, V., Bray, E.A., and Walling, L.L. (1999) Leucine aminopeptidase RNAs, proteins and activities increase in response to water deficit, salinity and the wound signals - systemin, methyl jasmonate, and abscisic acid. Plant Physiology 120: 979-992
Gu, Y.-Q., Holzer, F.M., and Walling, L.L. (1999) Over-expression, purification and biochemical characterization of the wound-induced leucine aminopeptidase of tomato. Eur. J. Biochem. 263: 726-735
Walling, L. L. and Y.-Q. Gu (1996). Plant Aminopeptidases: Occurrence, function and characterization. Aminopeptidases. A. Taylor. Georgetown, Texas, R.G. Landes: 174-219.
Gu, Y.Q., Chao, W.S., and Walling, L.L. (1996) Localization and post-translational processing of the wound-induced leucine aminopeptidase proteins of tomato. J. Biol. Chem. 271: 25880-25887
Gu, Y.Q., Pautot, V., Holzer, F.M., and Walling, L.L. (1996) A complex array of proteins related to the multimeric leucine aminopeptidase of tomato. Plant Physiol. 110: 1257-1266