David W Galbraith

Professor, Plant Science

Professor, Biomedical Engineering

Professor, BIO5 Institute

Primary Department

School of Plant Sciences

Department Affiliations

School of Plant Sciences

BIO5 Institute

Contact

(520) 621-9153

galbraith@arizona.edu

Work Summary

I examine the molecular functions of the different cells found in the tissues and organs of plants and animals and how they combine these functions to optimize the health and vigor of the organism.

Research Interest

David Galbraith obtained undergraduate and graduate degrees in Biochemistry from the University of Cambridge, and postdoctoral training as a NATO Fellow at Stanford University. His first academic appointment was at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, and he became Professor of Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona in 1989. His research has focused on the development of instrumentation and methods for the analysis of biological cells, organs, and systems. He is internationally recognized as a pioneer in the development and use of flow cytometry and sorting in plants, developing widely-used methods for the analysis of genome size and cell cycle status, and for the production of somatic hybrids. He also was among the first to develop methods for the analysis of gene expression within specific cell types, using markers based on Fluorescent Protein expression for flow sorting these cells, and microarray platforms for analysis of their transcriptional activities and protein complements. Current interests include applications of highly parallel platforms for transcript and protein profiling of minimal sample sizes, and for analysis of genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate gene expression during normal development and in diseased states, specifically pancreatic cancer. He is also funded to study factors involved in the regulation of bud dormancy in Vitis vinifera, and has interests in biodiversity and improvement of third-world agriculture. He has published more than 180 scholarly research articles, holds several patents, was elected a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science in 2002, and serves on the editorial board of Cytometry Part A. He is widely sought as a speaker, having presented over 360 seminars in academic, industrial and conference settings. He was elected Secretary of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry in 2016. Keywords: Plant and Animal Cellular Engineering; Biological Instrumentation; Flow Cytometry and Sorting

Publications

Nuclear expressed sequence tag (NEST) analysis: A novel means to study transcription through amplification of nuclear RNA

Macas, J., Lambert, G. M., Dolezel, D., & Galbraith, D. W. (1998). Nuclear expressed sequence tag (NEST) analysis: A novel means to study transcription through amplification of nuclear RNA. Cytometry, 33(4), 460-468.

PMID: 9845441;Abstract:

We describe a novel concept and corresponding methods for the analysis of transcription in higher plant cells. The concept is that an examination of the presence of different polyadenylated transcripts within isolated nuclei reflects the state of gene expression at a given moment more precisely than do conventional techniques using total cellular mRNA. The methods involve isolation of polyadenylated nuclear transcripts from flow-sorted nuclei, reverse transcription, amplification using the polymerase chain reaction, and analysis of the products through gel electrophoresis and sequencing. By using specific primers, we have demonstrated detection of selected gene products in nuclei from transgenic plants. We also employed a technique for analysis of individual transcripts based on the length polymorphisms of restriction fragments derived from their 3' ends. Because the technique does not require a priori knowledge of the analyzed sequences, it is suitable for displaying the complete spectra of RNA transcripts present in nuclei at the moment of their isolation. These fragments can be easily isolated and sequenced and the sequence information used for assignment of putative function of corresponding genes. These techniques have been used to identify leaf-, root- , and cell cycle-specific transcripts. In principle, they should be applicable to the tissues of any eukaryotic species that contain transcriptionally active nuclei.

CYP83B1, a cytochrome P450 at the metabolic branch paint in auxin and indole glucosinolate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis

Bak, S., Tax, F. E., Feldmann, K. A., Galbraith, D. W., & Feyereisen, R. (2001). CYP83B1, a cytochrome P450 at the metabolic branch paint in auxin and indole glucosinolate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. PLANT CELL, 13(1), 101-111.

Hydrogen peroxide is involved in abscisic acid-induced stomatal closure in Vicia faba

Zhang, X., Zhang, L., Dong, F. C., Gao, J. F., Galbraith, D. W., & Song, C. P. (2001). Hydrogen peroxide is involved in abscisic acid-induced stomatal closure in Vicia faba. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 126(4), 1438-1448.

Factors governing the flow cytometric analysis and sorting of large biological particles

Harkins, K. R., & Galbraith, D. W. (1987). Factors governing the flow cytometric analysis and sorting of large biological particles. Cytometry, 8(1), 60-70.

SYSTEMIC ENDOPOLYPLOIDY IN ARABIDOPSIS-THALIANA

GALBRAITH, D. W., HARKINS, K. R., & KNAPP, S. (1991). SYSTEMIC ENDOPOLYPLOIDY IN ARABIDOPSIS-THALIANA. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 96(3), 985-989.

David W Galbraith