This award supports U.S.-U.K. cooperative research in cell biology. The investigators are Dominick and Margaret Basile of Lehman College, City University of New York, and Keith Roberts of the John Innes Institute, Norwich, United Kingdom. The research focuses on Arabinogalactan proteins (AGPs), which are cell-surface glycoproteins, and their role in cell proliferation. AGPs are associated with numerous functions in the plasma membranes and extracellular matrix in plants. Through the development of monoclonal antibodies, the investigators propose to identify AGPs associated with the suppression and desupression of cell proliferation in plants. Once the AGPs associated with cell proliferation are isolated, they can be characterized and their genetic regulation and mechanism can be better investigated. The U.S. investigators bring to this collaboration their work on morphoregulation in liverworts and their recent findings on the involvement of AGPs in plant development. This is complemented by the British investigator's expertise in producing monoclonal antibodies and his skill in immunocytochemical localization of AGPs. Their combined efforts will advance our understanding of the growth processes in the development of multicellular organisms and in the function of AGPs in regulating cell proliferation.
