Email: rothstei@uoguelph.ca

Office: SCIE 4469
Ext: 58524
Lab: SCIE 4407-8
Ext: 58890

 

ROTHSTEIN LAB WEBSITE

Education

BA - Swarthmore College
PhD- University of Wisconsin

Research

My research interest is to use molecular genetic, biochemical and genomic information to understand problems of fundamental importance in plant biology which also have an impact on the improvement of important crop plants. One of the most important issues in crop agriculture is the economic and environmental cost of using large quantities of nitrogen fertilizer. Our current principle interest is in understanding the regulation of nitrogen metabolism with the long-term goal of generating the basic knowledge necessary to be able to improve the nitrogen use efficiency of crop plants. We are utilizing the genetic and genomic resources developed by the Arabidopsis scientific community to study this problem. In particular, we are interested in identifying regulatory genes important for these processes and manipulating their expression so that we can learn how to alter this trait in a positive fashion. The genes to be tested are being identified using a combination of bioinformatics analysis of sequence information, transcript profiling, biochemical analysis and by studying a large number of defined mutations in the genes of interest.

Selected Publications

Kant S, Bi YM, Rothstein SJ. (2010) Understanding plant response to nitrogen limitation for the improvement of crop nitrogen use efficiency. J Exp Bot. (in press)

Yaish M, El-kereamy A, Zhu T, Beatty P, Good AG, Bi YM and Rothstein SJ (2010) The APETALA-2-Like Transcription Factor OsAP2-39 Controls Key Interactions between Abscisic acid and Gibberellin in Rice. PloS Genetics 6(9) pii:e1001098

Kant S, Bi YM, Zhu T, Rothstein SJ. (2009) SAUR39, a small auxin-up RNA gene acts as a negative regulator of auxin synthesis and transport in rice. Plant Physiol. 151, 691-701

Bi YM, Kant S, Clark J. Gidda S, Ming F, Xu J, Rochon A, Shelp B, Hao L, Zhao R, Mullen R, Zhu T and Rothstein SJ (2009) Increased nitrogen use efficiency in transgenic rice plants over-expressing a nitrogen responsive early nodulin gene identified from rice expression profiling. Plant, Cell and Environ. 32, 1749-1760  

Schofield A, Bi, YM, Kant, S and Rothstein, SJ. Over-expression of STP13, a hexose transporter, improves plant growth and nitrogen use in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings. Plant Cell Environ. 32, 271-285. 2009.

Peng, M., Hudson, D, Schofield, A, Tsao, R, Yang, R, Gu, H, Bi, YM. and Rothstein, SJ. Adaptation of Arabidopsis to nitrogen limitation involves induction of anthocyanin synthesis which is controlled by the NLA gene. Journal of Experimental Botany 59, 2933-2944. 2008.

Kant, S, Bi, YM, Weretilnyk, E, Barak and S, Rothstein, SJ. The Arabidopsis Halophytic Relative, Thellungiella halophila, Tolerates Nitrogen limiting Conditions by Maintaining Growth, Nitrogen Uptake and Assimilation. Plant Physiol. 147:1168-80. 2008.

Peng, M, Bi, YM, Zhu, T and Rothstein, SJ. Genome-wide analysis of Arabidopsis responsive transcriptome to nitrogen limitation and its regulation by the ubiquitin ligase gene NLA. Plant Mol Biol. 65:775-97. 2007.

Bi, YM, Wang, RL, Zhu, T and Rothstein SJ. Global transcription profiling reveals differential responses to chronic nitrogen stress and putative nitrogen regulatory components in Arabidopsis. BMC Genomics 8: 281. 2007.

Peng, M, Hannam, C, Gu, H, Bi YM and Rothstein SJ. A mutation in NLA, which encodes a RING-type ubiquitin ligase, disrupts the adaptability of Arabidopsis to nitrogen limitation. Plant J 50: 320-337. 2007.

Mingsheng Peng, Yuhai Cui, Yong-Mei Bi and Steven J. Rothstein. AtMBD9: a protein with a methyl-CpG-binding domain regulates flowering time and shoot branching in Arabidopsis. Plant Journal, 46, 282-296, 2006.

Jay M. Shockey, Satinder K. Gidda, Dorselyn C. Chapital, Jui-Chang Kuan, Preetinder K. Dhanoa, John M. Bland, Steven J. Rothstein, Robert T. Mullen, and John M. Dyer. Tung Tree DGAT1 and DGAT2 Have Nonredundant Functions in Triacylglycerol Biosynthesis and Are Localized to Different Subdomains of the Endoplasmic Reticulum. Plant Cell; August 18, 2006.

Yong-Mei Bi, Yu Zhang, Tara Signorelli, Rong Zhao, Tong Zhu and Steven Rothstein. Genetic analysis of Arabidopsis GATA transcription factor gene family reveals a nitrate inducible member important for chlorophyll synthesis and glucose sensitivity. Plant Journal (2005) 44, 680-692.

Mingsheng Peng, Yuhai Cui, Yong-Mei Bi and Steven Rothstein. AtMBD9: A Protein Having A Methyl-CpG-Binding Domain Regulates Flowering Time and Shoot Branching in Arabidopsis. Plant Journal. In press.

Brugière, N., Cui, Y., and Rothstein, S.J. Molecular mechanisms of self-recognition in Brassica self-incompatibility. Trends in Plant Science 10: 432-438, 2000.

Cui, Y., Bi, Y.M., Brugière, N., Arnoldo, M., and Rothstein, S.J. The S locus glycoprotein and the S receptor kinase are sufficient for self-pollen rejection in Brassica. PNAS, 97: 3713-3717, 2000.

Sivasankar, S., Sheldrick, B., and Rothstein, S.J. Expression of allene oxide synthase determines defense gene activation in tomato. Plant Physiol. 122: 1335-1342, 2000.

Wu, Y., Tulsieram, L., and Rothstein, S.J. Identification and characterization of a putative light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding protein gene encoded at a fertility restorer locus for the Ogura CMS in Brassica napus L. Theoretical and Applied Genetics 477: 1-8, 2000.

Wu, Y., Tulsieram, L., Tao, Q., Zhang, H.-B., and Rothstein, S.J. A binary vector-based large insert library for Brassica napus and identification of clones linked to a fertility restorer locus for Ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). Genome 43: 102-109, 2000.

Bi, Y.-M., Brugiere, N., Cui, Y., Goring, D.R., and Rothstein, S.J. Transformation of Arabidopsis with a Brassica SLG/SRK region and Arc1 gene is not sufficient to transfer the self-incompatibility phenotype. Molec Gen genet 263: 648-654, 2000.

Rozwadowski K, Zhao R, Jackman L, Huebert T, Burkhart WE, Hemmingsen SM, Greenwood J, Rothstein SJ. Characterization and immunolocalization of a cytosolic calcium-binding protein from Brassica napus and Arabidopsis pollen. Plant Physiol. 120: 787-98, 1999.

Cui, Y., Brugiere, N., Jackman, L., Bi, Y.-M., Rothstein, S.J. Structural and Transcriptional Comparative Analysis of the S Locus Regions in Two Self-incompatible Brassica Napus Lines. The Plant Cell 11: 2217-2231, 1999.

Stahl, R., Arnoldo, M, Glavin, T., Yu, K., Goring, D. and Rothstein, S.J. The self-incompatibility phenotype in Brassica is altered by the transformation of a mutant S locus receptor kinase. Plant Cell. 10: 209-218, 1998.

Bate, N., S. Sivasankar, C. Moxon, J. Riley, J.E. Thompson, and S.J. Rothstein. Molecular characterization of an Arabidopsis thaliana gene encoding hydroperoxide lyase, a cytochrome P-450 that is wound inducible. Plant Physiol 117: 1393-1400, 1998.

Lab Members

Graduate Students
Humbert, Sabrina (Ph.D.)
Misyura, Max (Ph.D.)
Mahmood, Kashif (Ph.D.)

Postdocs
Kant, Surya (Dr.)
El-kereamy, Ashraf (Dr.)
Guevara, Dave (Dr.)
Zou, Xiaolu (Dr.)
Zhong, Sihui (Dr.)
Lu, guangwen (Dr.)
Hudson, Darryl (Dr.)

Technicians
Hao, Lixin
Zeng, Bin

Research Manager
Yong-Mei Bi (Dr.)

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