Recent Publications

RNA Sorting

Muench, D.G., Wu, Y., Coughlan, S.J. and Okita, T.W.  1998  Evidence for a Cytoskeleton-Associated Binding Site Involved in Prolamine mRNA Localization to the Protein Bodies in Rice Endosperm Tissue.  Plant Physiol. 116:559-569.

Okita, T.W., Choi, S.-B., Ito, H., Muench, D.E., Wu, Y. and Zhang, F.  1998  Entry into the Secretory System: The Role of mRNA Localization.  J. Exp. Botany 49:1081-1090.

Muench, D.G., Chuong, S.D.X., Franceschi, V.R. and Okita, T.W.  2000  Developing prolamine protein         bodies are associated with the cortical cytoskeleton in rice endosperm cells.  Planta, 211: 227-238.

Choi, S.B., C. Wang, D.G. Muench, K. Ozawa, V.R. Franceschi and T.W. Okita (2000) Messenger RNA Targeting of Rice Seed Storage Proteins to Specific ER Subdomains. Nature 407:765-767.

Sami-Subbu, H., S.-B. Choi, Y. Wu, C. Wang and T.W. Okita (2001) Identification of a Cytoskeleton-Associated 120 kD RNA-Binding Protein in Developing Rice Seeds. Plant Mol. Biol. 46: 79-88.

Takemoto, Y., S.J. Coughlan, T.W. Okita, H. Sato, M. Ogawa, T. Kumamaru.  2002 Protein disulfide isomerase is essential for the localization of prolamin and glutelin storage proteins to separate intracellular compartments.  Plant Physiol. 128:1212-1222.

Okita, T.W. and S.-B. Choi  2002  mRNA localization in plants: targeting to the cortical region and beyond.  Curr. Op. Plant Biol. 5:553-556.

Hamada, S., K. Ishiyama, S.-B. Choi, C.Wang, S.Singh, N. Kawai, V.R. Franceschi and T.W. Okita  2003 The transport of prolamine RNAs to prolamine protein bodies in living rice endosperm cells. Plant Cell. 15:2253-2264.

Hamada, S., K. Ishiyama, C. Salkulsingharoj, S.-B. Choi, Y. Wu, C. Hwang, S. Singh, N. Kawai, J. Messing, and T.W. Okita 2003 Multiple RNA transport pathways to the cortical region in developing rice endosperm. Plant Cell 15:2265-2272.

Washida, H., A. Sugino, J. Messing, A. Esen and T.W. Okita  2004  Localization of seed storage protein RNAs to distinct subdomains of the endoplasmic reticulum in maize endosperm cells. Plant Cell Physiol. 45(12):1830-1837.

Crofts, A.J. H. Washida, T.W. Okita, T., Kumamaru and H. Satoh  2004 Targeting of proteins to ER-derived compartments in plants: the importance of RNA localization. Plant Physiol. 136:3414-

Washida, H. A.J. Crofts, S. Hamada and T.W. Okita  2005  Targeting of RNAs to ER subdomains and its relationship with protein localization. In The Plant Endoplasmic Reticulum, Robinson, D.G., ed. Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg. In Press.

Manipulation of AGPase and Starch

Edwards, G., O. Kiirats, A. Laisk, T. Okita  2000  Requirements for CO₂ concentrating mechanism in C₄ plants relative to  limitations on carbon assimilation in rice.  In “Redesigning rice photosynthesis to increase yield,” Proceedings of the Workshop to Reduce World Hunger: Redesigning Rice Photosynthesis, (Sheedy, J.E., Mitchell, P.L. and Hardy, B., eds.), International Rice Research

Kavakli, I.H., C.J. Slattery, H. Ito and T.W. Okita  2000  The Conversion of Carbon and Nitrogen into Starch and Storage Proteins in Developing Storage Organs: An Overview.  Australian J. Plant Physiol. 27:561-570.

Slattery, C.J., H. Kavakli, and T.W. Okita  2000  Engineering starch for increased quantity and quality.  Trends in Plant Science 5:291-298.

Salamone, P.R., T.W. Greene, I.H. Kavakli and T.W. Okita (2000) Isolation and Characterization of a Higher Plant ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase Small Subunit Homotetramer. FEBS Lett. 482:113-118.

Okita, T.W., J Sun, C. Sakulringharoj, S.-B. Choi, G.E. Edwards, C. Kato, H. Ito and H. Matsui (2001) Increasing Rice Productivity and Yield by Manipulation of Starch Synthesis. In “Rice Biotechnology: Improving Yield, Stress Tolerance and Grain Quality,” Goode, J.A. and Chadwick, D., Ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York, pp. 135-152.

Sikka, V.K., S.-B. Choi, I.H. Kavakli, C. Sakulsingharoj, S. Gupta, H. Ito, and T.W. Okita  2001   Subcellular compartmentation and allosteric regulation of the rice endosperm ADPglucose pyrophosphorylase.  Plant Sci. 161:461-468.

Kavakli, I.H., T.W. Greene, P.R. Salamone, S.-B. Choi, and T.W. Okita  2001  M143, a mutation in the large subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, which affects substrate binding.  Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 281:783-787.

Kavakli, H.I., Jong-Sug Park, Casey J. Slattery, Peter R Salamone, Jennifer Frohlick, and Thomas W Okita (2001) Analysis of allosteric effector binding sites of potato ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase through error-prone PCR. J. Biol. Chem. 276:40834-40840.

Salamone, P.R., I. Halil Kavakli, Casey J. Slattery, and Thomas W. Okita (2001) Directed molecular evolution of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 99:1070-1075.

Singh, S., Sang-Bong Choi, Mahendra K. Modi, and Thomas W. Okita, 2001  Isolation and characterization of cDNA clones encoding ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase large and small subunits from chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.). Phytochem. 59:261-268.

Kavakli, H.I., C. Kato, S.-B. Choi, K.-H. Kim, P.R. Salamone, H. Ito, and T.W. Okita (2002) Generation, characterization, and heterologous expression of up-regulated Arabidopsis thaliana leaf ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases. Planta 215: 430-439

Sun, J., K.M. Gibson, O. Kiirats, T.W. Okita and G.E. Edwards 2002 Interactions of nitrate and CO₂ enrichment on growth, carbohydrates and Rubisco in Arabidopsis starch mutants – significance of starch and hexose.  Plant Physiol. 130:1573-1583.

Sakulsingharoj, C., S.-B. Choi^, and T.W. Okita 2003 Manipulation of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase in starch biosynthesis during rice seed development. In Advances in Rice Genetics. Supplement to Rice Genetics IV.  Proceedings of the Fourth International Rice Genetics Symposium. Khush, G.S., Brar, D.S. and Hardy, B., ed.,  22-27 October 2000, Los Banos, Philippines: International Rice Research Institute, pp.601-604.

Gibson, K.M., Seon-Kap Hwang, Gerald E. Edwards, Thomas W. Okita, Chikako Kato, Hirokazu Matsui, and Hiroyuki Ito  2003 Metabolic engineering of starch for enhanced plant productivity and yields. J. Applied Glycoscience. 50:201-206.

Satoh, H., A. Nishi, N. Fujita, A. Kubo, Y. Nakamura, T. Kawasaki and T.W. Okita  2003 Isolation and Characterization of Starch Mutants in Rice. J. Applied Glycoscience. 50:225-230.

Singh, S., C.J. Slattery, S.-B. Choi and T.W. Okita  2003  Molecular cloning, expression, kinetics and regulatory properties of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase from chickpea. Plant Physiol. Biochem. 41:399-405.

Sakulsingharoj, C., S.-B. Choi, M. Ogawa, S.Singh, J. Bork, C.R.. Meyer, G.E. Edwards, J. Preiss, and T.W. Okita  2003  Manipulating starch and storage protein biosynthesis during endosperm development to increase rice yield. In: Rice Science: Innovations and Impact for Livelihood, Proceedings of the International Rice Research Conference, 16-19 September 2002, Beijing, China, T.W. Mew, D.S. Brar, S. Peng, D. Dawe, and B. Hardy, eds., International Rice Research Institute, pp. 345-359.

Okita, T.W., Sakulsingharoj, C. S.-B. Choi, M. Ogawa, S. Singh, H.S. Gupta, J.Bork, C.R. Meyer, G.E. Edwards, J. Preiss. 2003  Metabolic engineering starch and protein biosynthesis in developing rice seeds. Proceedings of the International Conference “BioThailand 2003: Technology for Life.” BIOTEC, PEACH, Pattaya, Thailand.

Omoto, D., H. Ito, Y. Obana, K. Matsumoto, N. Isono, S. Hamada, T.W. Okita and H. Matsui.  2003  Isolation and characterization of two cDNAs for large and small subunits of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase.  J. Appl. Glycosci. 50, 475-479.

Cross, JM, M. Clancy, J.R. Shaw, T.W. Greene, R.R. Schmidt, T.W. Okita and L.C. Hannah  2004 Both subunits of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase are regulatory. Plant Physiol. 135:137-144.

Sakulsingharoj, C., S.-B. Choi, S.-K. Hwang, J. Bork,  C.R. Meyer, G.E. Edwards, J. Preiss, and T.W. Okita  2004  Engineering starch biosynthesis for enhanced rice yields: the role of the cytoplasmic ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. Plant Sci. 167:1323-1333.

Hwang, S.-K., P.R. Salamone, H. Kavakli, C.J. Slattery, T.W. Okita  2004 Rapid Purification of the potato ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase by poly-histidine mediated chromatography. Protein Purif. Express. 38: 99-107.

Cross^, J.M., M. Clancy, J.R. Shaw, S. Boehlein, T.W. Greene, R.R. Schmidt, T.W. Okita and L.C.  Hannah  2005  A polymorphic motif in the small subunit of ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase modulates interactions between the small and large subunits. Plant J. 50:501-511.

Hwang, S.-K., P.R. Salamone and T.W. Okita (2005) The higher plant ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase subunits modulate the regulatory and catalytic properties through their synergistic interactions.  FEBS Lett. 579:983-990.

Obana Y., D. Omoto, C. Kato, K. Matsumoto^, Y. Nagai, I. H. Kavakli, S. Hamada, G..E. Edwards, T. W. Okita, H. Matsui and H. Ito  2005  Enhanced turnover of transitory starch by expression of up-regulated ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylases in Arabidopsis thaliana.  Plant Science, In Press.