Areas of Specialization:

In 1995, we cloned a chimeric calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CCaMK) gene with a neural visinin-like calcium-binding domain. CCaMK is characterized by the presence of a catalytic domain, a calmodulin-binding domain, and a visinin-like calcium-binding domain in a single polypeptide; making it distinctly different from other known plant and animal kinases. Biochemical characterization of CCaMK revealed that it is regulated by both calcium and calcium/calmodulin.

See larger illustration

To see how this kinase is regulated by calcium/calmodulin, click here: CCaMK movie . This kinase is expressed in a stage-specific manner during pollen development.

In addition to pollen development, CCaMK has multi-functional roles in plant:microbe interactions. Examples of this are bacterial and mychorrizal symbioses.

CCaMK is involved in decoding the calcium signal during Nod factor signaling, which leads to the formation of nodules. A collaborative project has been established with Dr. Giles Oldroyd of John Innes Centre, UK, to study the functional significance of CCaMK in nodule development and symbiotic nitrogen fixation. A joint manuscript has been accepted for publication in Nature (Gleason, et al., Nature, in press).

To view Nod factor-triggered calcium spikes, see root hair movie, courtesy of Dr. Giles Oldroyd of John Innes Centre, UK.