Peter H Quail

Professor, UC Berkeley
Research Director, PGEC
Ph.D.  University of Sydney, Australia, 1968
B.S.   Agriculture    University of Sydney, Australia, 1964

800 Buchanan St.
Albany, California 94710
quail@nature.berkeley.edu
office: 510-559-5910   lab: 510-559-5915   fax:  510-559-5678

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We are interested in understanding the molecular mechanism by which light regulates gene expression in plants. Our research program is focused on the phytochromes, the major and best-characterized family of plant regulatory photoreceptors. The photoreceptor molecule functions as a biological switch that, upon perception of the light signal, triggers changes in transcription which are detectable within 5 minutes of the stimulus.

Plants monitor and respond developmentally to an array of environmental light signals.
What molecular mechanisms are involved in the perception, interpretation and transduction of those signals?

We employ the following fourfold general strategy to approach this problem:

1. Examine the phytochrome molecule for clues to its photosensory function and mechanism of action using structural analysis, phytochrome-defective mutants and overexpression of mutagenized phytochromes in transgenic Arabidopsis.
2. Study genes under phytochrome control to identify promoter DNA elements and transcription factors involved in induction or repression of expression.
3. Identify signal transduction pathway components between the photoreceptor and the genes it regulates using forward and reverse genetic screens for signaling-defective mutants, and molecular interaction screens for phytochrome-interacting proteins.
4. Dissect the primary transcriptional networks that orchestrate the expression of downstream genes responsible for elaborating light-regulated development, using oligonucleotide-microarray-based expression profiling.

Our data suggest that the phytochromes signal directly to photoresponsive genes by light induced translocation from the cytoplasm into the nucleus, followed by specific physical interaction with promoter-bound transcription factors of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) class. The data also suggest that genes encoding a master-set of diverse transcriptional regulators, that orchestrate downstream expression in the transcriptional network, are direct targets of this signaling pathway.

Recently, we have obtained evidence that light-induced activation of the phytochrome molecule induces intranuclear phosphorylation of the bHLH transcription factor, PIF3, preceding its proteosome-mediated degradation. These data suggest that phy-induced phosphorylation of target proteins may represent the primary intermolecular signaling transaction of the activated photoreceptor.

Al-Sady B, Ni W, Kircher S, Schäfer E, Quail PH (2006). Photoactivated phytochrome induces rapid PIF3 phosphorylation prior to proteasome-mediated degradation. Molecular Cell, 23, 439-446.

Quail, P. H. (2006) General Introduction. IN SCHÄFER, E. & NAGY, F. (Eds.) Photomorphogenesis in Plants and Bacteria, Chapter 17, 3rd Edition. Dordrecht, The Netherlands, Springer. pp 329-334.

Quail, P. H. (2006) Phytochrome Signal Transduction Network. IN SCHÄFER, E. & NAGY, F. (Eds.) Photomorphogenesis in Plants and Bacteria, Chapter 17, 3rd Edition. Dordrecht, The Netherlands, Springer. pp 335-356.

Tepperman, J. M., Hwang, Y.-S. & Quail, P. H. (2006) phyA Dominates in Transduction of Red-light Signals to Rapidly-responding Genes at the Initiation of Arabidopsis Seedling Deetiolation Plant J., in press.

Khanna, R., Shen, Y., Toledo-Ortiz, G., Kikis, E., Johannesen, H., Hwang, Y.-S. & Quail, P. H. (2006) Functional Profiling Reveals That Only a Small Number of Phytochrome-Regulated Early-Response Genes in Arabidopsis Are Necessary for Optimal Deetiolation. Plant Cell, doi: 10.1105/tpc.106.042200 .

Kikis, E. A., Khanna, R. & Quail, P. H. (2005) ELF4 is a phytochrome-regulated component of a negative-feedback loop involving the central oscillator components CCA1 and LHY. The Plant Journal, 44, 300-313.

Quail, P. H. (2005) Phytochrome Overview. IN WADA, M., SHIMAZAKI, K. & IINO, M. (Eds.) Light Sensing in Plants. Tokyo, Springer-Verlag. pp 21-35.

Huq, E. & Quail, P. H. (2005) Phytochrome Signaling. IN BRIGGS, W. R. & SPUDICH, J. (Eds.) Handbook of Photosensory Receptors. Weinheim, Wiley.Huq, E. & Quail, P. H. (2005) Phytochrome Signaling. IN BRIGGS, W. R. & SPUDICH, J. (Eds.) Handbook of Photosensory Receptors. Weinheim, Wiley.

Monte, E., Tepperman, J. M., Al-Sady, B., Kaczorowski, K. A., Alonso, J. M., Ecker, J. R., Li, X., Zhang, Y. & Quail, P. H. (2004) The phytochrome-Interacting transcription factor, PIF3, acts early, selectively, and positively and light-induced chloroplast development. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 101, 16091-16098.

Khanna, R., Huq, E., Kikis, E. A., Al-Sady, B., Lanzatella, C. & Quail, P. H. (2004) A Novel Molecular Recognition Motif Necessary for Targeting Photoactivated Phytochrome Signaling to Specific Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors. Plant Cell, 16, 3033-3044.

Tepperman, J. M.; Hudson, M. E.; Khanna, R.; Zhu, T.; Chang, S. H.; Wang, X.; Quail, P. H. (2004). Expression profiling of phyB mutant demonstrates substantial contribution of other phytochromes to red-light-regulated gene expression during seedling de-etiolation. Plant Journal, 38 (5): 725-739.

Huq, E., Al-Sady, B., Hudson, M., Kim, C., Apel, K. & Quail, P. H. (2004) PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 1, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, is a critical regulator of the chlorophyll biosynthetic pathway. Science, 305, 1937-1941.

Hoecker, U.; Toledo-Ortiz, G.; Bender, J.; Quail, P. H. (2004). The photomorphogenesis-related mutant red1 is defective in CYP83B1, a red light-induced gene encoding a cytochrome P450. Planta 219: 195-200.

Hudson, M. E. & Quail, P. H. (2003) Identification of promoter motifs involved in the network of phytochrome A-regulated gene expression by combined analysis of genomic sequence and microarray data. Plant Physiol., 133, 1605-1616.

Khanna, R. ; Kikis, E. A. ; Quail, P. H.(2003). EARLY FLOWERING 4 functions in phytochrome B-regulated seedling de-etiolation. Plant Physiology, 133: 1530-1538.

Monte, Elena; Alonso, Jose M; Ecker, Joseph R; Zhang, Yuelin; Li, Xin; Young, Jeff; Austin-Phillips, Sandra; Quail, Peter H (2003). Isolation and characterization of phyC mutants in Arabidopsis reveals complex crosstalk between phytochrome signaling pathways. Plant Cell, 15:2497-2501

Kaczorowski, K. A.; Quail, P. H.(2003). Arabidopsis PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR 7 (PRR7) is a signaling intermediate in phytochrome-regulated seedling deetiolation and phasing of the circadian clock. Plant Cell 15: 2654-2665

Hudson, Matthew E; Lisch, Damon R; Quail, Peter H. (2003). The FHY3 and FAR1 genes encode transposase-related proteins involved in regulation of gene expression by the phytochrome A-signaling pathway. Plant Journal, 34:453-471.

Toledo-Ortiz, G.; Huq, E.; Quail, P. H. (2003). The Arabidopsis basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor family. Plant Cell, 15: 1749-1770.

Huq, E., Al-Sady, B. & Quail, P. H. (2003) Nuclear translocation of the photoreceptor phytochrome B is necessary for its biological function in seedling photomorphogenesis. Plant J., 35, 660-664.

Shimizu-Sato, S., Huq, E., Tepperman, J. M. & Quail, P. H. (2002) A light-switchable gene promoter system. Nat Biotechnol, 20, 1041-4.

Quail, P. H. (2002) Phytochrome photosensory signalling networks. Nature Rev. | Mol. Cell Biol., 3, 85-93.

Huq, E.; Quail, P. H. (2002).: PIF4, a phytochrome-interacting bHLH factor, functions as a negative regulator of phytochrome B signaling in Arabidopsis. EMBO Journal, 21: 2441-2450.