Dr. B.W. “Joe” Poovaiah

B.W. “Joe” Poovaiah

WSU Regents Professor, Department of Horticulture

Research

Plants are constantly exposed to external and internal stimuli (signals). They adapt by sensing these signals and responding to them. These external and internal stimuli are communicated by chemical messengers. One of the most important chemical signals used by plants is the calcium ion (Ca²⁺). This laboratory has a long-standing interest in understanding Ca²⁺/calmodulin-mediated signaling in plants. Calmodulin (CaM), a ubiquitous and multifunctional Ca²⁺-binding protein, is the primary intracellular Ca²⁺ receptor, which transduces the second messenger Ca²⁺ signal by binding to and altering the activity of other proteins. We have cloned and characterized a number of genes that encode for CaM-binding proteins and studied their role in Ca²⁺/CaM-mediated signaling. The primary goal of this research is to investigate the functional significance of these genes, with an emphasis on plant growth and plant-microbe interactions.

Selected Publications

Yuan, P., Luo, F and Gleason C and Poovaiah, B. W. 2022. Calcium/calmodulin-mediated microbial symbiotic interactions in plants. Frontiers in Plant Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.984909

Yuan, P and Poovaiah, B.W. 2022. Interplay between calcium/calmodulin-mediated signalling and AtSR1/CAMTA3 during increased temperature resulting in compromised immune response in plants. International Journal of Molecular Science. 2022, 23(4),2175; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms 23042175

Yuan, P., Tanaka, K. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2022. Calcium/calmodulin-mediated defense signaling: what is looming on the horizon for AtSR1/CAMTA3-mediated signaling in plant immunity. Frontiers in Plant Sci. 11, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.795353.

Yuan, P., Tanaka, K. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2021. Calmodulin-binding transcription activator AtSR1/CAMTA3 fine-tunes plant immune response by transcriptional regulation of the salicylate receptor NPR1. Plant, Cell & Environment 44(9), 3140-3154.

Yuan, P., Smrutisanjita, B., Jewel, J.B., Tanaka, K. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2020. Distinct molecular pattern-induced calcium signatures lead to different downstream transcriptional regulations via AtSR1/CAMTA3. Int. J. Mol. Sci., 21(21), 8163; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21218163.

Pi, E., Li, H., Xu, J, Zhu, C., Jiang, J. He, L., Lu, H., Wang, H., Poovaiah, B.W. and Du, L. 2019. Enhanced salt tolerance of soybean inoculated with rhizobia is correlated with the decreased phosphorylatin of GmMYB183 and altered flavonoid biosynthesis. Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, pp.mcp-RA119. DOI: 10.1074/mcp.RA119.001704.

Yoo, C.Y, Mano, N, Finkler, A., Weng, H., Day, I.S., Reddy, A.S.N., Poovaiah, B.W., Fromm, H., Hasegawa, P.M. and Mickelbart, M.V. 2019. A Ca²⁺/CaM-regulated transcriptional switch modulates stomatal development in response to water deficit. Scientific Reports, a journal of the Nature Research group, 9, 1–15.

Marcec, M.J., Gilroy, S, Poovaiah, B.W. and Tanaka, K. 2019. Mutual interplay of Ca²⁺ and ROS signaling in the plant immune response. Plant Science 283, 343–354.

Yuan, P. Yang, T. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2018. Calcium Signaling-Mediated Plant Response to Cold Stress. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2018, 19(12), 3896; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19123896

Yuan, P., Du, L. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2018. Ca²⁺/Calmodulin-Dependent AtSR1/CAMTA3 Plays Critical Roles in Balancing Plant Growth and Immunity. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2018, 19(6), 1764; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms19061764

Yuan, P., Tanaka, K., Du, L. and Poovaiah B.W. 2018. Calcium signaling in plant autoimmunity: A guard model for AtSR1/CAMTA3-mediated immune response. Molecular Plant 11, 637-639.

Pi, E., Zhu, C., Fan, W., Huang, Y, Qu, L., Li, Y., Zhao, Q., Qiu, L., Wang, H., Poovaiah, B.W. and Du, L. 2018. Quantitative Phosphoproteomic and Metabonomic Analyses Reveal GmMYB173 Optimizes Flavonoid Metabolism in Soybean under Salt Stress. Mol Cell Proteomics mcp.RA117.000417. doi:10.1074/mcp.RA117.000417

Poovaiah, B.W. and Du, Liqun. 2018. Calcium signaling: decoding mechanism of calcium signatures. New Phytologist. 217:1598-1609.

Jauregui, E., Du, L., Gleason, C. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2017. Altered calmodulin-binding capacity of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CCaMK) negatively affects root nodule symbiosis in Medicago truncatula. Frontiers in Plant Sci. doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.01921.

Yuan, P., Jauregui, E., Du, L., Tanaka, K. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2017. Calcium signatures and signaling events orchestrate plant-microbe interactions. Curr. Opin. in Plant Biol. 38:173-183.

Zeng, H., Xu, L., Singh, A., Wang, H., Du, L. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2015. Involvement of calmodulin and calmodulin-like proteins in plant responses to abiotic stresses. Front. Plant Sci., http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2015.00600.

Zhang, L., Du, L., Shen, C., Yang, Y. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2014. Regulating Plant Immunity through Ubiquitin-mediated Modulation of Ca²⁺-Calmodulin-AtSR1/CAMTA3 Signaling. Plant Journal, 78:268-281.

Poovaiah, B.W., Du, L., Wang, H. and Yang, T. 2013. Recent Advances in Calcium/Calmodulin-Mediated Signaling with an Emphasis on Plant-Microbe Interactions. Plant Physiology 163:531-542.

Routray, P., Miller, J.B., Du, L., Oldroyd, G. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2013. Phosphorylation of S344 in the calmodulin-binding domain negatively affects CCaMK function during bacterial and fungal symbioses. Plant Journal, 76:287-296.

Qiu, Y., Xi, J., Du, L., Suttle, J. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2012. Coupling calcium/calmodulin-mediated signaling and herbivore-induced plant response through calmodulin-binding transcription factor AtSR1/CAMTA3. Plant Mol. Biol. 79:89-99.

Qiu, Y., Xi, J., Du, L., Roje, S. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2012. A dual regulatory role of Arabidopsis calreticulin 2 in plant innate immunity. Plant J. 69(3):489–500.

Yang, T., Ali, G.S., Yang, L, Du, L., Reddy, A.S.N., Poovaiah, B.W. 2010. Calcium/calmodulin-regulated Receptor-like Kinase CRLK1 interacts with MEKK1 in Plants. Plant Signaling and Behavior 5:991-994.

Yang, T, Chaudhuri, S, Yang, L, Du, L, Poovaiah, B.W. 2010. A calcium/calmodulin-regulated member of the receptor-like kinase family confers cold tolerance in plants. J. Biol. Chem. 285:7119-7126.

Du, L., Ali, G. S., Simons, K. A., Hou J., Yang, T., Reddy, A.S.N. and Poovaiah, B. W. 2009. Ca²⁺/calmodulin regulates salicylic-acid-mediated plant immunity. Nature 457:1154-1158.

Gleason, C., Chaudhuri, S., Yang, T., Munoz-Gutierrez, A., Poovaiah, B.W. and Oldroyd, G.E.D. 2006. Nodulation independent of rhizobia induced by a calcium-activated kinase lacking autoinhibition. Nature. 441:1149-1152.

Du, L. and Poovaiah, B. W. 2005. Calcium/calmodulin is critical for brassinosteroid biosynthesis and plant growth. Nature. 437:741-745.

Du, L. and Poovaiah, B. W. 2004. A novel family of Ca²⁺/calmodulin-binding proteins involved in transcriptional regulation: Interaction with fsh/Ring3 class transcription activators. Plant Mol. Biol. 54: 549-569.

Yang, T., Chaudhuri, S., Yang, L., Chen, Y., and Poovaiah, B. W. 2004. Calcium/calmodulin upregulates a cytoplasmic receptor-like kinase. J. Biol. Chem. 279: 42552-42559.

Yang, T. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2003. Calcium/calmodulin-mediated signal network in plants. Trends in Plant Sci. 8:505-512.

Yang, T. and Poovaiah, B. W. 2002. A Calmodulin-binding CGCG box DNA-binding protein family involved in multiple signaling pathways in plants. J. Biol. Chem. 277: 45049-45058.

Sathyanarayanan, P.V. and B.W. Poovaiah. 2002. Autophosphorylation-dependent inactivation of plant chimeric calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase. Eur. J. Biochem. 269: 2457-2463.

Yang, T. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2002. Hydrogen peroxide homeostasis: Activation of plant catalase by calcium/calmodulin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 99: 4097-4102.

Sathyanarayanan, P.V., William F. Siems, Jeffrey P. Jones and B.W. Poovaiah. 2001. Calcium-stimulated autophosphorylation site of plant chimeric calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase. J. Biol. Chem. 276: 32940-32947.

Sathyanarayanan, P.V., Cremo, C.R. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2000. Plant chimeric Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase: Role of the neural visinin-like domain in regulating autophosphorylation and calmodulin affinity. J. Biol. Chem. 275: 30417-30422.

Yang, T. and Poovaiah, B.W. 2000. An early ethylene up-regulated gene encoding a calmodulin-binding protein involved in plant senescence and death. J. Biol. Chem. 275: 38467-38473.

Poovaiah, B.W., Xia, M., Liu, Z., Wang, W., Yang, T., Sathyanarayanan, P.V. and Franceschi, V.R. 1999. Developmental regulation of chimeric calcium/calmodulin‑dependent protein kinase gene in anthers. Planta 209: 161-171.

Ramachandiran, S., Takezawa, D., Wang, W., and Poovaiah, B.W. 1997. Functional domains of plant chimeric calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase: regulation by autoinhibitory and visinin-like domains. J. Biochem. 121: 984-990.

Takezawa, D., Ramachandiran, S., Paranjape, V. and Poovaiah, B.W. 1996. Dual regulation of a chimeric plant serine/threonine kinase by calcium and calcium/calmodulin. J. Biol. Chem. 271: 8126-8132.

Patil, S., Takezawa, D. and Poovaiah, B.W. 1995. Chimeric plant calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase gene with a neural visinin-like calcium-binding domain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 92: 4897-4901.

Jena, P. K., Reddy, A. S. N. and Poovaiah, B. W. 1989. Molecular cloning and sequencing of a cDNA for plant calmodulin: Signal-induced changes in the expression of calmodulin. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:3644-3648.

McFadden, J. J. and Poovaiah, B. W. 1988. Rapid changes in protein phosphorylation associated with light-induced gravity perception in corn roots. Plant Physiol. 86:332-334.

Poovaiah, B. W. and Reddy, A. S. N. 1987. Calcium messenger system in plants. CRC Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 6:47-103.

Veluthambi, K. and Poovaiah, B. W. 1984. Calcium- and calmodulin-regulated phosphorylation of soluble and membrane proteins from corn coleoptiles. Plant Physiol. 76:359-365.

Paliyath, G. and Poovaiah, B. W. 1984. Calmodulin inhibitor in senescing apples and its physiological and pharmacological significance. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 81:2065-2069.

Veluthambi, K. and Poovaiah, B. W. 1984. Calcium-promoted protein phosphorylation in plants. Science 233:167-169.

Poovaiah, B. W. and Rasmussen, H. P. 1973. Calcium distribution in the abscission zone of bean leaves. Electron microprobe x-ray analysis. Plant Physiol. 52:683-684.

Poovaiah, B. W. and Leopold, A. C. 1973. Inhibition of abscission by calcium. Plant Physiol. 51:848-851.

Poovaiah, B. W. and Leopold, A. C. 1973. Deferral of leaf senescence with calcium. Plant Physiol. 52:236-239.