108 Fenske Laboratory
University Park, PA 16802
Tel: (814) 863-4805
Fax: (814) 865-7846
Email:wrc2@email.psu.edu or waynecurtis@psu.edu
Home Page: http://www.personal.psu.edu/wrc2/
A primary interest of our laboratory is the study of pathogenic gene regulation and signal transduction in
plants. In contrast to bacterial systems where multiple related genes are usually placed under the control of one
promoter, plants and animals have developed a complex gene control strategy where each gene has its own promoter
which is regulated by biochemical signals and transcriptional factors. The ability to quickly develop genetically
altered plants provides unique opportunities to examine mechanisms of gene regulation. We have currently developed
transgenic plants and tissue cultures which carry a fluorescent protein under the control of a promoter induced
during pathogen defense. The expression of this gene can then be followed in vivo through fluorescent image analysis.
By exposing the plant to a local pathogen response we can visualize gene induction as well as modify the physiological
state of tissue with various signal transduction modulators (such as aspirin and oxidized fatty acids) which show
close analogies to mammalian inflammatory response. Our interest in plants is also related to their potential use
for industrial production of pharmaceuticals and food additives.
We are examining use of viral vectors (analogous to gene therapy for plants) for the purpose of producing low-cost therapeutic proteins. We are also extensively involved in the design and scale-up of bioreactor systems for the industrial production of pharmaceuticals. (See http://www.personal.psu.edu/wrc2 for more details).
Dr. Curtis' laboratories are located in Wartik Laboratory, the headquarters of the Biotechnology Institute. His primary labs are 1000 sq.ft., plus more than 1000 sq. ft. of additional shared usage areas for specialized work such as tissue culture / pathogen culture and containment areas and three walk-in incubators. The primary 700 sq.ft lab is divided into media preparation, molecular biology and analytical. An additional 150 sq.ft. is located in an isotope-rated room that contains a scintillation counter. A final 150 sq. ft. room contains vertically mounted laminar flow hoods for large-scale aseptic bioreactor studies. Major equipment includes a mass spectrometer, super-critical fluid extraction unit, centrifuges (micro, console and ultra), freeze-dryer, vacuum oven, and apparatus for molecular biology.
In addition, a wide range of 'common use' equipment obtained and maintained on collaborative grants is utilized: HPLC/ photodiode array, spectroscopic and radioactive scanners, ELISA readers, ultra-low temp freezers, fluorescent optical bench, etc. Wartik laboratory also contains the Life Science 'core facilities' for protein and DNA synthesis and sequencing, monoclonal antibodies, and center for computational biology.
Transgenic root tissue showing localized expression of green fluorescent protein under the control of a pathogen
induced promoter.
(Application of oxidized fatty acids results in rapid systemic gene induction whereas application of aspirin strongly
inhibits induction.)
Growth of a transgenic root culture in tissue culture provides a means of producing plant-derived pharmaceuticals
in vitro. Culture pictured produces anti-viral proteins.
Scaled-up studies of tissue culture in large-scale bioreactor systems (Pictured: 150L bioreactor system)
Merritt, C.D.; Raina, S.; Fedoroff, N.; Curtis, W.R., "Direct Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of Hyoscyamus muticus hairy roots using green fluorescent protein", Biotechnology Progress, 15(2): 278-282, 1999.
Hsiao, T.Y.; Bacani, F.T.; Carvalho, E.B.; Curtis, W.R., "Development of a low-cost bioreactor system: Application for plant cell suspension culture", Biotechnology Progress, 15(1): 144-122, 1999.
Ramakrishnan, D.; Luyk, D.; Curtis, W.R., "Monitoring biomass in root culture systems", Biotechnology & Bioengineering, 62(6): 711-721, 1999.
Curtis, W.R., "Achieving economic feasibility for moderate-value food and flavor additives: A perspective on productivity and proposal for production technology cost reduction", In: Plant Cell and Tissue Culture for the Production of Food Ingredients (Fu, T.-J.; Singh, G.; Curtis, W.R., eds.) Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishing, New York, NY, pp. 225-236, 1999.
Singh, G.; Gavrieli, J.; Oakey, J.S.; Curtis, W. R., "Interaction of methyl jasmonate, wounding and fungal elicitation during sesquiterpene induction in Hyoscyamus muticus in root cultures", Plant Cell Reports, 17:391-395, 1998.
Carvalho, E.; Curtis, W. R., "Characterization of fluid-flow resistance in root cultures with a convective flow tubular bioreactor", Biotechnology & Bioengineering, 60(3): 375-384, 1998.