My primary research interest is in biogenesis of plant membranes. Emphasis is on the lipid components, particularly the phospholipids and the enzymes which synthesize them. Work will continue on enzyme purification and characterization, as well as experiments to define the mechanisms of regulation of membrane synthesis. These include investigations of regulation by metabolic intermediates, the membrane environment and enzyme turnover.
I recently have begun research on the membrane lipids of algae. Most algae and many cryptogams have unusual membrane lipids, one of which substantially replaces the major higher plant and animal phospholipid, phosphatidylcholine. Synthesis of the algal lipids has received little attention and we are elucidating their pathways of biosynthesis. Results from these investigations will be used study regulation of algal membrane biosynthesis regulation during flagellar regeneration and the cell cycle.
Yang, W, JV Moroney, TS Moore. 2004. Membrane lipid biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Ethanolaminephosphotransferase is capable of synthesizing both phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. Arch Biochem Biophys 430: 198-209.
Yang, W, CB Mason, SV Pollock, T Lavezzi, JV Moroney, TS Moore.
2004. Membrane lipid biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: expression and
characterization of CTP:phosphoethanolamine cytidylyltransferase. Biochem
J 382: 51-57
Blouin, A., T. Lavezzi, and T. S. Moore. 2002. Membrane lipid
biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Partial characterization of CDP-
diacylglycerol: myo-inositol 3-phoaphatidyltransferase. Plant Physiol. and
Biochem. 41: 11-16
Moore, TS, Z Du, Z Chen. 2001. Membrane lipid biosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In vitro biosynthesis of diacylglyceryltrimethylhomoserine. Plant Physiol. 125: 423-429.
Tang, F and TS Moore. 1997. Enzymes of the primary phosphatidylethanolamine biosynthetic pathway in castor bean endosperm. Developmental profiles and partial purification of the mitochondrial CTP: ethanolaminephophate cytidylyltransferase. Plant Physiol. 115: 1589-1597.
Chapman, K. D. and T. S. Moore. 1994. Isozymes of cottonseed microsomal N- acylphosphatidylethanolamine synthase: Detergent solubilization and electrophoretic separation of active enzymes with different properties. Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1211:29-36.
Chapman, K. D. and T. S. Moore. 1993. Catalytic properties of a newly discovered acyltransferase that synthesizes N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine in cottonseed (Gossypum hirsutum L.) microsomes. Plant Physiol. 102:761-769.
Moore, T. S., ed. 1993. Lipid Metabolism in Plants, CRC
Press, Boca Raton, FL, 660 pp.
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