Education

Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Carleton University, 1984

Current position

Professor and Queen’s Research Chair, Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Lab Website

http://post.queensu.ca/~plaxton/

Publications (since 2005)

Peer Reviewed Journals Articles

1. Shane, M. W., Fedosejevs, E. T. and Plaxton, W. C. (2013). Reciprocal control of anaplerotic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase by in vivo monoubiquitination and phosphorylation in developing proteoid roots of phosphate-deficient harsh hakea. Plant Physiol 161(4): 1634-1644.
   
2. Robinson, W. D., Park, J., Tran, H. T., Del Vecchio, H. A., Ying, S., Zins, J. L., Patel, K., McKnight, T. D. and Plaxton, W. C. (2012). The secreted purple acid phosphatase isozymes AtPAP12 and AtPAP26 play a pivotal role in extracellular phosphate-scavenging by Arabidopsis thaliana. J Exp Bot 63(18): 6531-6542.
   
3. Robinson, W. D., Carson, I., Ying, S., Ellis, K. and Plaxton, W. C. (2012). Eliminating the purple acid phosphatase AtPAP26 in Arabidopsis thaliana delays leaf senescence and impairs phosphorus remobilization. New Phytol 196(4): 1024-1029.
   
4. Park, J., Khuu, N., Howard, A. S., Mullen, R. T. and Plaxton, W. C. (2012). Bacterial- and plant-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase isozymes from developing castor oil seeds interact in vivo and associate with the surface of mitochondria. Plant J 71(2): 251-262.
   
5. Dalziel, K. J., O'Leary, B., Brikis, C., Rao, S. K., She, Y. M., Cyr, T. and Plaxton, W. C. (2012). The bacterial-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase isozyme from developing castor oil seeds is subject to in vivo regulatory phosphorylation at serine-451. FEBS Lett 586(7): 1049-1054.
   
6. O'Leary, B., Fedosejevs, E. T., Hill, A. T., Bettridge, J., Park, J., Rao, S. K., Leach, C. A. and Plaxton, W. C. (2011). Tissue-specific expression and post-translational modifications of plant- and bacterial-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase isozymes of the castor oil plant, Ricinus communis L. J Exp Bot 62(15): 5485-5495.
   
7. O'Leary, B., Rao, S. K. and Plaxton, W. C. (2011). Phosphorylation of bacterial-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase at Ser425 provides a further tier of enzyme control in developing castor oil seeds. Biochem J 433(1): 65-74.
   
8. Tran, H. T., Qian, W., Hurley, B. A., She, Y. M., Wang, D. and Plaxton, W. C. (2010). Biochemical and molecular characterization of AtPAP12 and AtPAP26: the predominant purple acid phosphatase isozymes secreted by phosphate-starved Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell Environ 33(11): 1789-1803.
   
9. Hurley, B. A., Tran, H. T., Marty, N. J., Park, J., Snedden, W. A., Mullen, R. T. and Plaxton, W. C. (2010). The dual-targeted purple acid phosphatase isozyme AtPAP26 is essential for efficient acclimation of Arabidopsis to nutritional phosphate deprivation. Plant Physiol 153(3): 1112-1122.
   
10. O'Leary, B., Rao, S. K., Kim, J. and Plaxton, W. C. (2009). Bacterial-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC) functions as a catalytic and regulatory subunit of the novel class-2 PEPC complex of vascular plants. J Biol Chem 284(37): 24797-24805.
    
11. Gregory, A. L., Hurley, B. A., Tran, H. T., Valentine, A. J., She, Y. M., Knowles, V. L. and Plaxton, W. C. (2009). In vivo regulatory phosphorylation of the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase AtPPC1 in phosphate-starved Arabidopsis thaliana. Biochem J 420(1): 57-65.
    
12. Uhrig, R. G., She, Y. M., Leach, C. A. and Plaxton, W. C. (2008). Regulatory monoubiquitination of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in germinating castor oil seeds. J Biol Chem 283(44): 29650-29657.
    
13. Tran, H. T. and Plaxton, W. C. (2008). Proteomic analysis of alterations in the secretome of Arabidopsis thaliana suspension cells subjected to nutritional phosphate deficiency. Proteomics 8(20): 4317-4326.
    
14. Uhrig, R. G., O'Leary, B., Spang, H. E., MacDonald, J. A., She, Y. M. and Plaxton, W. C. (2008). Coimmunopurification of phosphorylated bacterial- and plant-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylases with the plastidial pyruvate dehydrogenase complex from developing castor oil seeds. Plant Physiol 146(3): 1346-1357.
    
15. Gennidakis, S., Rao, S., Greenham, K., Uhrig, R. G., O'Leary, B., Snedden, W. A., Lu, C. and Plaxton, W. C. (2007). Bacterial- and plant-type phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase polypeptides interact in the hetero-oligomeric Class-2 PEPC complex of developing castor oil seeds. Plant J 52(5): 839-849.
    
16. Murmu, J. and Plaxton, W. C. (2007). Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase protein kinase from developing castor oil seeds: partial purification, characterization, and reversible control by photosynthate supply. Planta 226(5): 1299-1310.
    
17. Martin, M., Plaxton, W. C. and Podestá, F. E. (2007). Activity and concentration of non‐proteolyzed phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in the endosperm of germinating castor oil seeds: effects of anoxia on its activity. Physiologia Plantarum 130(4): 484-494.
    
18. Bozzo, G. G., Dunn, E. L. and Plaxton, W. C. (2006). Differential synthesis of phosphate-starvation inducible purple acid phosphatase isozymes in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) suspension cells and seedlings. Plant Cell Environ 29(2): 303-313.
    
19. Veljanovski, V., Vanderbeld, B., Knowles, V. L., Snedden, W. A. and Plaxton, W. C. (2006). Biochemical and molecular characterization of AtPAP26, a vacuolar purple acid phosphatase up-regulated in phosphate-deprived Arabidopsis suspension cells and seedlings. Plant Physiol 142(3): 1282-1293.
    
20. Crowley, V., Gennidakis, S. and Plaxton, W. C. (2005). In vitro proteolysis of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase from developing castor oil seeds by an endogenous thiol endopeptidase. Plant Cell Physiol 46(11): 1855-1862.
    
21. Tripodi, K. E., Turner, W. L., Gennidakis, S. and Plaxton, W. C. (2005). In vivo regulatory phosphorylation of novel phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase isoforms in endosperm of developing castor oil seeds. Plant Physiol 139(2): 969-978.
    
22. Turner, W. L., Knowles, V. L. and Plaxton, W. C. (2005). Cytosolic pyruvate kinase: subunit composition, activity, and amount in developing castor and soybean seeds, and biochemical characterization of the purified castor seed enzyme. Planta 222(6): 1051-1062.
    
23. Weese, B. B. and Plaxton, W. C. (2005). Purification and characterization of a homodimeric enolase from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 6301. Journal of Phycology 41(3): 515-522.
    
24. Lal, A., Plaxton, W. C. and Kayastha, A. M. (2005). Purification and characterization of an allosteric fructose-1,6-bisphosphate aldolase from germinating mung beans (Vigna radiata). Phytochemistry 66(9): 968-974.
    

Peer-reviewed Books and Chapters

1. Plaxton, W.C., O'Leary, B. (2013). The Central Role of Phosphoenolpyruvate Metabolism in Developing Oil Seeds. Chpt. 15 of SEED DEVELOPMENT. OMICS Technologies Toward Improvement of Seed Quality and Crop Yield. (GK Agrawal & R Rakwal; Eds). Publisher: Springer.
   
2. Veneklass, E.J., Lambers, H., Bragg, J., Finnegan, P.M., Lovelock, C.E., Plaxton, W.C., Price, C., Scheible, W-R., Shane, M.W., White, P.J., Raven, J.A. (2012). Opportunities for improving phosphorus-use efficiency in crop plants (a Tansley Review). New Phytologist 195(2): 306-320.
   
3. Plaxton, W. C. and Tran, H. T. (2011). Metabolic adaptations of phosphate-starved plants. Plant Physiol 156(3): 1006-1015.
   
4. O'Leary, B., Park, J. and Plaxton, W. C. (2011). The remarkable diversity of plant PEPC (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase): recent insights into the physiological functions and post-translational controls of non-photosynthetic PEPCs. Biochem J 436(1): 15-34.
   
5. Tran, H. T., Hurley, B. A. and Plaxton, W. C. (2010). Feeding hungry plants: the role of purple acid phosphatases in phosphate nutrition. Plant Science 179(1): 14-27.
   
6. Plaxton, W. C. (2010). Metabolic Flexibility Helps Plants to Survive Stress. Updated Web-essay for a web-site (http://5e.plantphys.net/) that supplements the 5^th Edition of “Plant Physiology” (Taiz & Zeigler). My Web-essay augments Chapter 11 ('Respiration') of this widely used undergraduate textbook.
   
7. Bozzo, G.G. and Plaxton, W.C. (2008). The Role of Intracellular and Secreted Purple Acid Phosphatases in Tomato Phosphate Nutrition. In: Tomatoes and tomato products: Nutritional, medicinal and therapeutic properties. (V Preedy & R Watson, eds), Science Publishers, Chpt. 10, pp. 215-234.
   
8. Plaxton, W.C. and Podestà, F.E. (2006). The functional organization and control of plant respiration. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 25(2): 159-198
   
9. Plaxton, W.C. (2006). Metabolic Flexibility Helps Plants to Survive Stress. Updated Web-essay for a web-site (http://www.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=e&id=124) that supplements the 4^th Edition of “Plant Physiology” (Taiz & Zeigler). My Web-essay (14 pgs & 3 figs) augments Chapter 11 ('Respiration') of this widely used undergraduate textbook.
   
10. Tripodi, K.E. and Plaxton, W.C. (2005). In vivo regulatory phosphorylation of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase in developing castor oil seeds. In: “Photosynthesis: Fundamental Aspects to Global Perspectives” (A van der Est & D Bruce, eds); pp. 915-918.
    
11. Plaxton, W.C. (2004). Principles of Metabolic Control. In: “Functional Metabolism of Cells: Control, Regulation, and Adaptation” (KB Storey, ed). John Wiley & Sons, Inc., N.Y. pp 1-24.
    
12. Plaxton, W.C. (2004). Biochemical Adaptations of Phosphate Starved Plants. In: “Encyclopedia of Plant & Crop Science” (R Goodman, ed), Marcel Dekker, N.Y. pp. 976-980.
    
13. Plaxton, W.C. (2002). Metabolic Flexibility Helps Plants to Survive Stress. Web-essay for a web-site (http://www.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=e&id=124) that supplements the 3^rd Edition of “Plant Physiology” (Taiz & Zeigler). My Web-essay (12 pgs & 3 figs) occurs in Chapter 11 ('Respiration') of this undergraduate textbook.
    
14. McDonald, A.E., Grant, B.R., Plaxton, W.C. (2001). Phosphite (phosphorous acid): Its relevance in the environment and agriculture, and influence on the plant phosphate starvation response. Journal of Plant Nutrition 24(10):1505-1519.
    

Books Edited

1. Plaxton, W.C. and McManus, M.T. (co-editors) (2006). Control of Primary Metabolism in Plants. Annual Plant Reviews, Volume 22 (13 chapters), Blackwell Publishing, U.K.
   http://ca.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405130962.html