RICHARD DAVID VIERSTRA
PROFESSOR
Department of Genetics and the Cellular and Molecular Biology Program
425 Henry Mall Linden Drive, University of Wisconsin‑ Madison, Madison, WI 53706-1574
(608)-262-8215 office: (608)-262-2976 FAX: email: vierstra@wisc.edu
EDUCATION
B.S. 1972‑1976 University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT (Biology, Minor in Chemistry)
Ph.D 1976‑1980 Michigan State University and MSU‑DOE Plant Research Laboratory
East Lansing , MI (Botany and Plant Pathology)
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
1976‑1980 Research Assistant, MSU‑DOE Plant Research Lab., Michigan State University
1980‑1983 Research Associate with Dr. Peter H. Quail, Department of Botany, University of
Wisconsin‑Madison
1984-1988 Assistant Professor, Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin‑Madison
1988-1992 Associate Professor, Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin‑Madison
1992-2002 Professor, Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison
1993-1994 Visiting Scholar, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia (In the laboratory of
Dr. Adrienne Clarke)
2003-present Professor, Department of Genetics, University of Wisconsin-Madison
AWARDS AND HONORS
Glenn Pound Outstanding Research Award, CALS, University of Wisconsin‑Madison (1986)
H.I. Romnes Faculty Research Fellowship, Graduate School, University of Wisconsin‑Madison (1989)
Fulbright Senior Scholar Award (1993-1994)
Kellet Mid-Career Research Fellowship, Graduate School, University of Wisconsin‑Madison (2001)
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2002)
PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES
Member, UW-Cellular and Molecular Biology Program (1984-); UW-Biotechnology Program (1988-);
UW-Genetics Program (1992-); UW-Plant Breeding and Genetics Program (2002).
NIH‑NRSA Fellowship Study Section (1986)
Organizer, Symposia on "Protein Turnover in Plants" (1987) and "Phytochrome" (1990), and "Protein
Degradation" (1998) Annual Meetings of American Society of Plant Physiologists
Program Committee, American Society of Plant Physiologists (1988‑1990)
Editorial Board, Plant Physiology (1988-1992, 1996-1997, and 1998-2001)
Vice Chairperson, FASEB Conference on "Ubiquitin and Intracellular Proteolysis" (1991)
Chairperson, FASEB Conference on "Ubiquitin and Intracellular Proteolysis" (1993)
Texas Advanced Research Program - Grant Review Panel (1995)
USDA-NRICGP: “Plant Genetic Mechanisms” - Grant Review Panel (1998)
NIH: “Molecular Biosciences (MBY)” Study Section (1998)
Panel Manager, USDA-NRICGP "Plant Genome and Genetic Mechanisms" Grant Review Panel
(2000-2001)
Editorial Board, Journal of Biological Chemistry (2001-present)
Organizer, Workshop on "The Ubiqutin/26S Proteasome Pathway”. XIV International Conference on
Arabidopsis Research”. Madison (2003) and 7th International Congress of Plant Molecular
Biology. Barcelona, Spain (2003).
DOE - Office of Basic Energy Sciences - Grant Review Panel (2003)
Board of Directors – International Society for Plant Molecular Biology (ISPMB) (2004-2008)
Organizer, Symposium on “Protein Degradation in Plants”. Annual Meeting of ASBP (2005)
BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PUBLICATIONS, selected from last four years (total = 153)
1. Yan, N., J. Doelling, T.G. Falbel, A.M. Durski, and R.D. Vierstra (2000) The ubiquitin-specific
protease (UBP) family from Arabidopsis thaliana: AtUBP1 and 2 are required for resistance to
the amino acid analog canavanine. Plant Physiol. 124: 1828-1843.
2. Callis, J. and R.D. Vierstra (2000) Protein degradation in signaling. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 3: 381-
386.
3. Vierstra, R.D., and S.J. Davis (2000) Bacteriophytochromes: new tools for understanding
phytochrome signal transduction. Sem. Cell Develop. Biol. 11: 511-521.
4. Peng, Z., J.M. Staub, G. Serino, S.F. Kwok, J. Kurepa, B.D. Bruce, R.D. Vierstra, N. Wei, and
X.-W. Deng (2001) The cellular level of PR500, a protein complex related to the 19S regulatory
particle of the proteasome, is regulated in response to stresses in plants. Mol. Biol Cell
12: 383-392.
5. Vener, A.V., A. Harms, M.R. Sussman, and R.D. Vierstra (2001) Mass spectrometric resolution
of reversible phosphorylation in photosynthetic membranes of Arabidopsis thaliana. J. Biol.
Chem. 276: 6959-6966.
6. Gosink, M.M., and R.D. Vierstra (2001) Use of Staphylococcus aureus protein A subdomains as a
tag for the sensitive detection of recombinant proteins. In: Cloning and Expression Vectors for
Gene Function Analysis. (Lu. Q., and M.P. Weiner, eds) Eaton Press, MA. pp 105-107.
7. Davis, S.J., S.-H. Bhoo, A.M. Durski, J.M. Walker, and R.D. Vierstra (2001) The heme oxygenase
family required for phytochrome chromophore biosynthesis is necessary for proper
photomorphogenesis in higher plants. Plant Physiol. 126: 656-669.
8. Doelling, J., N. Yan, A. Durski, J. Kurepa, J.M. Walker, and R.D. Vierstra (2001) The ubiquitin-
specific protease UBP14 is essential for early embryo development in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Plant J. 27: 393-405 (paper featured on the front cover).
9. Bhoo, S.-H., S.J. Davis, J.M. Walker, B. Karniol, and R.D. Vierstra (2001) Bacteriophytochromes
are photochromic histidine kinases using a biliverdin chromophore. Nature 414:776-779.
10. Fu, H.-Y., N. Reiss, Y. Lee, M. Glickman, and R.D. Vierstra (2001) Subunit interaction maps for
the regulatory particle of the 26S proteasome and the COP9-signalosome. EMBO J. 24: 7096-
7107.
11. Smalle, J, M. Kurepa, P. Yang, E. Babyichuk, S. Kushnir, A. Durski, and R.D. Vierstra (2002)
Cytokinin growth responses of Arabidopsis thaliana involve the 26S proteasome subunit RPN12a. Plant Cell 14: 17-32.
12. Vierstra, R.D. (2002) Cyanophytochromes, bacteriophytochromes, and plant phytochromes: light-
regulated kinases related to bacterial two-component regulators. In: Histidine Kinases (Inouye,
M. ed) Academic Press, NY. pp 273-295.
13. Casal, J.J., S.J. Davis, D. Kirchenbauer, A. Viczian, M.J. Yanovsky, R.C. Clough, S. Kircher, E.T.
Jordan-Beebe, E. Schäfer, F. Nagy, and R.D. Vierstra (2002) The serine-rich N-terminal
domain of oat phytochrome A helps regulate light responses and subnuclear localization of the
photoreceptor. Plant Physiol. 129: 1127-1137.
14. Doelling, J.N., J.M. Walker, E.M. Friedman, A.R. Thompson, and R.D. Vierstra (2002) The
APG12/8-activating enzyme APG7 is required for proper nutrient recycling and senescence in
Arabidopsis thaliana. J. Biol. Chem. 277: 33105-33114.
15. Gagne, J., B. P. Downes, S.-H. Shiu, A. M. Durski and R. D. Vierstra (2002) The F-Box subunit of
the SCF E3 complex is encoded by a diverse superfamily of genes in Arabidopsis. Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci USA 99: 11519-11524.
16. Kurepa, J., J. M. Walker, J. Smalle, M. M. Gosink, S. J. Davis, and R.D. Vierstra (2003) Small
ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO) protein modification system in Arabidopsis: accumulation of SUMO
conjugates is increased by stress. J. Biol. Chem. 278: 6862-6872.
17. Karniol, B. and R. D. Vierstra (2003) The pair of bacteriophytochrome from Agrobacterium
tumefaciens are histidine kinases with opposing photobiological properties. Proc. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA 100: 2807-2812.
18. Smalle, J., M. Kurepa, P. Yang, T. Emborg, E. Babyichuk, S. Kushnir, and R.D. Vierstra (2003)
The pleiotropic role in the 26S proteasome subunit RPN10 in Arabidopsis thaliana growth and
development supports a substate-specific function in abscisic acid signaling. Plant Cell 15: 965-
980.
19. Vierstra, R.D. (2003) The ubiquitin/26S proteasome pathway, the complex last chapter in the life of
many plant proteins. Trends Plant Sci. 8: 135-142.
20. Newbigin, E., and R. D. Vierstra (2003) Plant reproduction – sex and self denial. Nature 423:
229-230.
21. Peng, Z. Y. Shen, S. Feng, B. N. Chitteti, X. Wang, R. D. Vierstra, and X.-W. Deng (2003)
Evidence for a physical association of the COP9 signalosome, the proteasome and
specific SCF E3 ligases in vivo. Curr. Biol. 13: 504-505.
22. Downes, B. P., R. M. Stupar, D. J. Gingerich, and R. D. Vierstra (2003) The HECT ubiquitin-
protein ligase family in Arabidopsis: UPL3 has a specific role in trichome development. Plant J.
35: 729-742.
23. Franklin, K. A., S. J. Davis, W. M. Stoddart, R. D. Vierstra, and G. C. Whitelam (2003) Mutant
analyses define multiple roles for phytochrome C in Arabidopsis photomorphogenesis.
Plant Cell 15: 1981-1989.
24. Karniol, B. and R. D. Vierstra (2004) The HWE histidine kinases, a new family of bacterial two-
component sensor kinases with potentially diverse roles in environmental signaling. J. Bactertiol. 186: 445-453 (paper was chosen as the feature article).
25. Smalle, J., and R. D. Vierstra (2004) The ubiquitin 26S proteasome proteolytic pathway. Ann. Rev.
Plant Biol. 55: 555-590.
26. Vierstra R. D. and B. Karniol (2004) Phytochromes in microorganisms. In: Handbook of
Photosensory Receptors (W.R. Briggs and J. Spudich eds). Wiley-VCH Press, Wehiheim
Germany (in press).
27. Yang, P., H. Fu, J. M. Walker, C. M. Papa, J. Smalle, Y.-M. Ju, and R. D. Vierstra (2004)
Purification of the Arabidopsis 26S proteasome: biochemical and molecular analyses revealed the presence multiple isoforms. J. Biol. Chem. 279: 6401-6413.
28. Gagne, J. M., J. Smalle, D. J. Gingerich, J. M. Walker, S.-D. Yoo, S. Yanagisawa, and R. D. Vierstra (2004) The Arabidopsis EIN3-binding F-box 1 and 2 form ubiquitin ligases that
that repress ethylene action and promote growth by directing EIN3 degradation. Proc. Natl.
Acad. Sci. USA 101: 6803-6808.
29. Karniol, B. and R. D. Vierstra (2004) Functional analysis of bacteriophytochromes In:
Photomorphogenesis in Plant and Bacteria: Function and Signal Transduction Mechanisms (E.
Schafer ed) Kulwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Netherlands (in press).
30. Vierstra, R.D., and A. Thompson (2005) Autophagic protein degradation in plants. Curr. Opin.
Plant Biol. (in press).
31. Gingerich, D.J., J.M. Gagne, H. Helleman, M. Estelle, L. Ma, X.-W. Deng, and R. D. Vierstra (2004)
Cullin 3a and b assemble with members of the broad complex/tramtrack/bric-a-brac (BTB) protein family to form essential ubiquitin-protein ligases in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell (submitted).
32. Thompson, A.R., J.H. Doelling, and R.D. Vierstra (2004) The role of the autophagy (ATG)-5 protein
in autophagic nutrient recycling in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell (submitted).
33. Book, A., P. Yang, and R. D. Vierstra (2004) Tripeptidyl peptidase (TPP)-II, an oligomeric protease
complex from Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. (submitted).
34. Karniol, B., J. Wagner, J. M. Walker, and R. D. Vierstra (2004) Phylogenetic analysis of the phytochrome superfamily reveals distinct subfamilies of photoreceptors in a number of biological
kingdoms. J. Biol. Chem. (submitted).