Jeff Harper

Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Academic Unit: 
Title: Professor
Professional degrees (Ph.D, 1985, Washington U, St Louis)

Contact Information

Mail Stop: 200
Phone: 775 784 1349
Fax:
e-mail: jfharper@unr.edu

http://www.cabnr.unr.edu/NAES/Personnel_Details.aspx?hIj7_GDp0x45=345

Research Area(s)

Signal Transduction in Plant Development

Research Interests

The Harper lab is interested in how a plant can use as few as 28,000 genes to develop and survive under extreme environmental conditions, such as cold, heat, drought and salt stress. A primary focus is on calcium signaling. The lab employs genetic, cell, bioinformatic, and biochemical approaches, using Arabidopsis and yeast as model systems.

Specific aims are focused on questions of enzyme structure and function for members of the following three gene families.

Calcium Dependent Protein Kinases (CDPKs). CDPKs have a unique structure defined by the presence of a calmodulin-like regulatory domain fused to the C-terminal end of the kinase. They are only found in plants and some protist, including the human parasite Plasmodium, the causative agent of malaria.

Cyclic Nucleotide Gated Channels (CNGCs). These ion channels have been implicated in calcium signaling and are regulated by both cyclic nucleotides and calmodulin.

P-type ATPase Ion Pumps. These ion pumps are used to transport across membranes a wide variety of ions, including H+, Ca2+, Na+, and heavy metals. They are involved in ion homeostasis, nutrient acquisition from the soil, toxic ion efflux, and signal transduction.

Current Graduate Students

Ying Li
Steve McDowell
Saemin Chang

Other Lab Members

Kelly Zinn
Meral Tunc

Selected Publications

Schiøtt, M., S. Romanowsky, M. K. Jakobsen, L. Bækgaard, M.G. Palmgren, JF Harper.  2004. A plant plasma membrane Ca2+ pump is required for normal pollen tube growth and fertilization. PNAS  101: 9502-9507

Frietsch, S, Y-F Wang, C Sladek, LR Poulsen, JI Schroeder, and JF Harper (2007) A Cyclic Nucleotide-Gated Channel essential for polarized tip growth of pollen.  PNAS 104: 14531-36

Poulsen, LR,  RL López-Marqués, S McDowell, J Okkeri, T Pomorski, JF Harper, and MG Palmgren (2008) The Arabidopsis P4-ATPase ALA3 localizes to the golgi and requires a beta-subunit to function in lipid translocation and secretory vesicle formation. Plant Cell 20:658-76

Ing-Feng Chang, Amy Curran, Rebekah Woolsey, David Quilici, John Cushman, Ron Mittler, Alice Harmon, and Jeffrey Harper (2009) Proteomic profiling of tandem affinity purified 14-3-3 protein complexes in Arabidopsis thaliana.  Proteomics (In Press)

 Candace Myers, Shawn M. Romanowsky, Yoshimi D. Barron, Shilpi Garg, Corinn L. Azuse, Amy Curran, Ryan M. Davis, Jasmine Hatton, Alice Harmon, and Jeffrey F. Harper (2009) Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinases Regulate Polarized Tip-Growth in Pollen Tubes.  The Plant Journal (In Press)