Marcelo Serpe   Associate Professor Department of Biology
Year arrived at BSU: 1998 Mailing Address: Department of Biology, Boise State University, Boise, ID 83725 Office Location: Science Nursing Building 206 Office phone: 208-426-3687 FAX: 208-426-4267 e-mail address: mserpe@boisestate.edu

Academic Degrees, Postdoctoral Work, and Previous Position

Ingeniero Agronomo, Facultad de Agronomia, Universidad de Buenos Aires, 1981.

Ph.D., Plant Physiology, University of California, Davis, 1991.

Postdoctoral research associate, Plant Cell Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, 1991-95.

Assistant Professor, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, 1995-1998.

Assistant Professor, Boise State University, 1998-2002.

Recent Teaching

 

Current Research Interests

My research interest is in the area of plant cell growth.  Presently, the main research effort in my laboratory is aimed at understanding the growth mechanisms of nonarticulated laticifers. Nonarticulated laticifers are giant cells that contain latex, a conspicuous and often white fluid that oozes from certain plants upon injury. Nonarticulated laticifers have unusual growth characteristics; they elongate indefinitely and grow intrusively between other plant cells.  The growth characteristics of a plant cell are intimately related to the composition and metabolism of the cell wall.  To identify mechanisms involved in the growth of nonarticulated laticifers, we have been analyzing the wall composition of laticifers and their surrounding cells using a variety of antibodies against polysaccharides and proteoglycans.  These analyses have been conducted in two laticiferous plants that are distantly related to each other:  Asclepias speciosa, a milkweed, and Euphorbia heterophylla, a plant closely related to the poinsettia. Our studies indicate that laticifer walls have structural features that distinguish them from the walls of other cells.  Moreover, our results point to various processes of polysaccharide disassembly and synthesis that participate in intrusive growth and elongation of laticifers.  Our current goal is to further characterize cell wall modifications associated with intrusive growth and to identify enzymes involved in this process.  This work will contribute to the understanding of the interactions between laticifers and their adjacent cells and may help to recognize mechanisms that mediate separation and adhesion of plant cells.

 

Recently, I have also begun a collaboration with Dr. Marcia Wicklow-Howard (B.S.U.) and Dr. Roger Rosentreter (Idaho BLM office) to investigate the effect of biological soil crusts on seed germination of grasses.  Several observations and experiments indicate that intact biological crusts reduce seed germination of Bromus tectorum, an alien and annual grass commonly known as cheatgrass or downy brome. We are investigating the mechanisms responsible for such effect and also analyzing the effect of biological crusts on seed germination of other grasses.

 

Selected Publications

Chao WS, Serpe MD, Jia Y, Shelver WL, Anderson JV, Umeda M.  Potential roles for autophosphorylation, kinase activity, and abundance of a CDK-activating kinase (Ee;CDKF;1) during growth in leafy spurge.  Plant Molecular Biology (in press)

Serpe MD, Orm JM, Barkes TR, Rosentreter R (2006) Germination and seed water status of four grasses on moss dominated biological soil crusts from arid lands  Plant Ecology 185: 163-178

Chao WS, Serpe MD, Anderson JV, Gesch RW, Horvath DP. (2006) Sugars, hormones, and environment affect the dormancy status in underground adventitious buds of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula).  Weed Science 54: 59-68

Serpe MD, Muir AJ, Andème-Onzighi C, Driouich A (2004)  Differential expression of callose and a b-1,4 galactan epitope in the laticiferous plant Euphorbia heterophylla L. Int J Plant Sci 165: 571-585

Serpe MD, Muir AJ, Driouich A (2002) Immunolocalization of b-D-glucans, pectins, and arabinogalactan-proteins during intrusive growth and elongation of nonarticulated laticifers in Asclepias speciosa Torr. Planta 215: 357-370

Serpe MD, Muir AJ, Keidel AM. (2001) Localization of cell wall polysaccharides in nonarticulated laticifers of Asclepias speciosa.  Protoplasma 216: 215-226

Serpe MD, Matthews MA (2000) Turgor and cell wall yielding in dicot leaf growth in response to changes in relative humidity. Aust J Plant Physiol 27: 1131-1140

Serpe MD, Nothnagel EA (1999) Arabinogalactan-proteins in the Multiple Domains of the Plant Cell Surface. Advances in Botanical Research 30: 207-289

Serpe MD, Nothnagel EA (1996) Heterogeneity of arabinogalactan-proteins on the plasma membrane of rose cells.  Plant Physiol. 112: 1261-1271

Serpe MD, Nothnagel EA (1996) Lipid lateral mobility in the plasma membrane of whole plant cells.  Pflügers Archives-European Journal of Physiology. 43: 253-254

Serpe MD, Nothnagel EA (1995)  Purification and biochemical characterization of arabinogalactan-proteins from the cell wall of rose cells.  Plant Physiol. 109: 1007-1016

Serpe MD, Nothnagel EA (1994) Effects of Yariv phenylglycosides on Rosa cell suspensions: Evidence for the involvement of arabinogalactan-proteins in cell proliferation.  Planta 193: 542-550

Serpe MD, Matthews MA (1994) Growth, pressure, and wall stress in epidermal cells of Begonia leaves during development.  Int. J. Plant Sci. 155: 291-301

Serpe MD, Matthews MA (1994) Changes in cell wall yielding and stored growth in Begonia argenteo-guttata L. leaves during the development of water deficits.  Plant Cell Physiol. 35: 619-626

Serpe MD, Matthews MA (1992) Rapid changes in cell wall yielding of elongating Begonia argenteo-guttata L. leaves in response to changes in plant water status.  Plant Physiol. 100: 1852-1857