William John Lucas
Distinguished Professor
wjlucas@ucdavis.edu

Plant Biology

Office
1225 Life Sciences
752-1093

Lab
752-7737


Picture of William J. Lucas
 
Degrees:
1975 PhD University of Adelaide Plant Physiology/Biophysics
1971 BS University of Adelaide Physical and Inorganic Chemistry and Botany
Research Interests:

Cellular and molecular aspects of virus transport within plants. Cell-to-cell trafficking of macromolecules, including proteins and protein-nucleic acid complexes via plasmodesmata. Role of plasmodesmata in mediating supracellular control over plant growth and development and over physiological functions. Evolution of cell-to-cell communication network(s) in plants.
Awards:
Martin Gibbs Medal awarded by ASPB
Francqui Medal awarded by the Belgian Francqui Foundation
French Academy of Sciences, elected foreign member
Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists (2007)
Professional Societies:
American Society for Plant Biology
Australian Society for Plant Sciences
CBS Graduate Group Affiliations:
Genetics  
Plant Biology  
Publications:
  • Ruiz-Medrano R, Xoconostle-Cázares, and WJ Lucas. 2001. Phloem as a conduit for inter-organ communication. Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 4:202-2098
  • Lee, J.Y., and Lucas, W.J.. 2001. Phosphorylation of viral movement proteins: regulation of cell-to-cell trafficking. Trends in Microbiology. 9:5-8
  • Provencher, L.A.M., Miao, L., Sinha, N., and Lucas, W.J.. 2001. Sucrose export defective 1 encodes a novel protein implicated in chloroplast to nucleus signaling. Plant Cell. 13:1127-1141
  • Lough, T. J., Emerson, S. J., Lucas, W. J. and Forster, R. L. S. 2001. Trans-complementation of long-distance movement of White clover mosaic virus triple gene block (TGB) mutants: phloem-associated movement of TGBp1. Virology 288:18-28.
  • Lucas, W. J., Yoo, B.-C., and Kragler, F. 2001. RNA as a long-distance information macromolecule in plants. Nature Reviews Cell & Molecular Biology 2:849-857.
  • Yoo, B.-C., Lee, J.-Y., and Lucas, W. J. 2002. Analysis of the complexity of protein kinases within the phloem sieve tube system: Characterization of Cucurbita maxima calmodulin-like domain protein kinase1. J. Biol. Chem. 277:15325-15332.
  • Haywood, V., Kragler, F., and Lucas, W. J. 2002. Plasmodesmata: Pathways for protein and ribonucleoprotein signaling. Plant Cell 14:S303-S325.
  • Foster, T. M., Lough, T. J. Emerson, S. J., Lee, R. H., Bowman, J. L., Forster, R. L. S., and Lucas, W. J. 2002. A surveillance system regulates selective entry of RNA into the shoot apex. Plant Cell 14:1497-1508.
  • Aoki, K., Kragler, F., Xoconostle-Cázares, B., and Lucas, W. J. 2002. A subclass of plant heat shock cognate 70 chaperones carries a motif that facilitates trafficking through plasmodesmata. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99:16342-16347.
  • Lee, J.-Y., Yoo, B.-C., Rojas, M., Gomez Ospina, N., Staehelin, L. A., and Lucas, W. J. 2003. Selective trafficking of non-cell-autonomous proteins mediated by NtNCAPP1. Science 299:392-396.
  • Gilbertson, R. L., Sudarshana, M., Hao, J., Rojas, M. R., and Lucas, W. J. 2003. Limitations on geminivirus genome size imposed by plasmodesmata and viral-encoded movement protein: insights into DNA trafficking. Plant Cell 15:2578-2591.
  • Yoo, B.-C., Kragler, F., Varkonyi-Gasic, E., Haywood, V., Archer-Evans, S., Lee, Y. M., Lough, T. J., and Lucas, W. J. 2004. A systemic small RNA signaling system in plants. Plant Cell 16:1979-2000.
  • Lucas, W. J. and Lee, J.-Y. 2004. Plasmodesmata as a supracellular control network in plants. Nature Review Mol. Cell Biol. 5:712-726.
  • Haywood, V., Yu, T.-S., Huang, N.-C. and Lucas, W. J. 2005. Phloem long-distance trafficking of GIBBERELLIC ACID INSENSITIVE RNA regulates leaf development. Plant Journal 42:49-68.
  • Lee, J.-Y., Taoka, K., Yoo, B.-C., Ben-Nissan, G., Kim, D.-J. and Lucas, W. J. 2005. Plasmodesmal-associated proein kinase in tobacco and Arabidopsis recognizes a subset of non-cell-autonomous proteins. Plant Cell 17:2817-2831.
  • Lucas, W. J. 2005. Plant viral movement proteins: Agents for cell-to-cell trafficking of viral genomes. Virology 344:169-184.
  • Lough, T. J. and Lucas, W. J. 2006. Integrative plant biology: role of phloem long-distance macromolecular trafficking. Annu. Rev. Plant Biol. 57:203-232.
  • Lough, T. J., Lee, R, H., Emerson, S. J., Forster, R. L. S. and Lucas, W. J. 2006. Functional analysis of the 5? untranslated region of potexvirus RNA reveals a role in viral replication and cell-to-cell movement. Virology 351:455-465.
  • Seo, Y.-S., Rojas, M. R., Lee, J.-Y., Jeon, J.-S., Ronald, P., Lucas, W. J., and Gilbertson, R. L. 2006. A viral resistance gene from common bean functions across plant families and is up-regulated in a non-virus-specific manner. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103:11856-11861.
  • Ruiz-Medrano, R. Moya, J.H. Xoconostle-Cázares, B., and Lucas, W.J. 2007. Influence of Cucumber mosaic virus infection on the mRNA population present in the phloem translocation stream of pumpkin plants. Functional Plant Biology 34:292-301.
  • Lin, M.-K., Belanger, H. Lee,Y.-J., Varkonyi-Gasic, E., Taoka, K.-I., Miura, E., Xoconostle-Cázares, B., Gendler, K., Jorgensen, R.A., Phinney, B., Lough T.J., and Lucas, W.J. 2007. FT protein may act as the long-distance florigenic signal in the cucurbits. Plant Cell 19:1488-1506.
  • Taoka, K.-I., Ham, B.-K., Xoconostle-Cázares, B., Rojas, M.R., and Lucas, W.J. 2007. Reciprocal phosphorylation and glycosylation recognition motifs control NCAPPl interaction with pumpkin phloem proteins and their cell-to-cell movement. Plant Cell 19:1866-1884.
Teaching Interests:
Plant physiology. Problems in plant physiology. Plant-virus-vector interactions. Membrane biology of plants. Signal transduction in plants.
Courses:
PLB 111 Plant Physiology Fall
PLB 123 Plant-Virus-Interactions Fall
PBI 217 Membrane Biology of Plants Spring
PBI 218B Signal Transduction and Intercellular Communication Spring