venus flytrap


Dr. William F. Thompson - University Research Professor
Transgene regulation and silencing

Research Interests:

Molecular and cell biology of plant gene regulation, including chromatin structure and gene silencing.  Plant transformation and genetic engineering.

Selected Publications:(1996-2000)

Allen, G. C., G. Hall, S. Michalowski, W. Newman, A. K. Weissinger, S. Spiker and W.F. Thompson. (1996). High level transgene expression in plant cells:  Effects of a strong SAR from tobacco.  Plant Cell 8, 899-913. 

Spiker, S. and W. F. Thompson (1996) Matrix attachment regions and transgene expression in plants. Plant Physiology 110, 15-21.

Thompson, W. F., G. C. Allen, G. H. Jr. and S. Spiker. (1996). Matrix attachment regions and transgene expression. In P. Gustafson and R. B. Flavell (ed.), Genomes of Plants and Animals (Proceedings of the 21st Stadler Genetics Symposium). New York, Plenum Press, pp 243-269. 

Frances, S. and W. F. Thompson (1997).  The dark adaptation response of the de-etiolated pea mutant, lip1, is modulated by external signals and endogenous programs.  Plant Physiol., 115: 23-28.  

Petracek, M. E., L. F. Dickey, S. Huber, and W. F. Thompson (1997).  Light-regulated changes in abundance and polyriBOsome association of ferredoxin mRNA are dependent on photosynthesis.  Plant Cell 9:  2291-2300. 

Tanzer, M. M., W. F. Thompson, M. D. Law, E. A. Wernsman and S. Uknes (1997).  Characterization of post-transcriptionally suppressed transgene expression that confers resistance to tobacco etch virus infection in tobacco. Plant Cell 9: 1411-1423. 

Thompson, W. F., A. F. Bevan, B. Wells, and P. Shaw (1997).  Sites of rDNA transcription are widely disppersed through the nucleolus in Pisum sativum and can comprise single genes.  Plant J. 12: 571-581. 

Dickey, L. F., M. E. Petracek, E. R. Hansen, and W. F. Thompson (1998).  Light regulation of Fed-1 mRNA requires an element in the 5’ untranslated region and correlates with differential polyriBOsome association.  Plant Cell 10: 475-484. 

Kjemtrup, S., K. S. Sampson, C. Peele, L. V. Nguyen, M. A. Conkling, W. F. Thompson, and D. Robertson (1998).  Gene silencing from plant DNA carried by a geminivirus.  Plant J. 14, 91-100

Petracek, M. E., L. F. Dickey, T. T. Nguyen, C. Gatz, D. A. Sowinski, G. C. Allen, and W. F. Thompson. (1998) Ferredoxin mRNA is destabilized by changes in photosynthetic electron transport.  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 9009-9013.

Fitzmaurice, W. P., L. V. Nguyen, E. A. Wernsman, W. F. Thompson, and M. A. Conkling (1999) Transposon tagging of the Sulfur gene of tobacco using engineered maize Ac/Ds elements.  Genetics 153, 1919-1928. 

Michalowski, S.M., G. C. Allen, G. E. Hall, W. F. Thompson and S. Spiker (1999) Characterization of randomly-obtained matrix attachment regions (MARs) from higher plants.  Biochemistry 38, 12795-12804.

Ulker, B., G. C. Allen, S. L. Spiker, W. F. Thompson, and A. K. Weissinger (1999)  A tobacco matrix attachment region reduces the loss of transgene expression in the progeny of transgenic tobacco plants. Plant J. 18: 253-263. 

Vain, P., B. Worland, A. Kohli, J. W. Snape, P. Christou, G. C. Allen and W. F. Thompson (1999)  Matrix attachment regions increase transgene expression levels and stability in transgenic rice plants and their progeny. Plant J. 18: 233-242. 

Allen, G. C., S Spiker, and W. F. Thompson (2000)  Use of matrix attachment regions (MARs) to minimize transgene silencing.  Plant Molecular Biology 43, 361-376.  (Invited review in special issue)

Ling, J., Wells, D. R., Tanguay, R. L., Dickey, L. F., Thompson, W. F. and Gallie, D. R. (2000). Heat shock protein HSP101 binds to the Fed-1 internal light regulatory element and mediates its high translational activity. Plant Cell 12, 1213-1228. 

Love, J., A. Scott and W. F. Thompson (2000) Stringent control of transgene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana using the Top10 promoter system.  Plant J. 21: 579-588. 

Petracek, M. E., T. Nuygen, W. F. Thompson and L. F. Dickey (2000) Premature Termination codons destabilize Fed-1 mRNA when Fed-1 is translated.  Plant J.21: 563-569.