Prof. Bernard[bernard] Epel

My research interest is in the isolation and characterization of Pd proteins using proteomic techniques.  Specific topics include:

• The cloning and sequencing of genes to all Pd proteins.
• A functional and molecular characterization of Arabidopsis Pd mutants.
• The characterization of changes in the Pd composition in tissues undergoing developmental changes.
• The molecular characterization of Pd proteins associated with each type of Pd
• The identification of Pd proteins involved in virus MP and Pd interactions.
• The characterization at the biochemical and molecular level of changes in Pd composition resulting from MP expression in transgenic leaves expressing MP:GFP.
• The development of techniques to allow us to identify Pd protein involved in protein-protein interactions between Pd associated proteins and host-proteins that transport through or interact with Pd.

Epel BL , Padgett HS, Heinlein M and Beachy RN (1996). Plant virus movement protein dynamics probed with a movement protein fused to GFP. Gene 173:75-79.

Fenczik CS., Epel BL and Beachy RN (1996). Role of plasmodesmata and viral movement protein in spread of plant viruses. In-: Plant Gene Research : Signal Transduction in Plant Development. Springer-Verlag, Wein, New York pp 249-279.

Padgett HS, Epel BL, Kahn TW, Heinlein M, Watanabe Y and Beachy RN (1996). Distribution of tobamovirus movement protein in infected cells and implications for cell-to-cell spread of infection. The Plant Journal 10:1079-1088.

Yahalom A, Lando R, Katz A and Epel BL (1998). A calcium-dependent protein kinase is associated with maize mesocotyl plasmodesmata. J Plant Physiol . 153:354-362.

Heinlein M, Padgett HS, Gens JS, Pickard BG, Casper SJ, Epel BL , and Beachy RN (1998). Changing patterns of localization of the tobacco mosaic virus movement protein and replicase to the endoplasmic reticulum and microtubules during infection. Plant Cell 10:1107-1120.

Oparka KJ, Roberts AG, Boevink P, Santa Cruz S, Roberts I, Pradel KS, Imlau A, Sauer N, Kotlizky G and Epel B(1999). Simple, but not branched, plasmodesmata allow the non-specific trafficking of proteins in developing tobacco leaves. Cell: 97: 743-754.

Kotlizky G, Boulton MI, Pitaksutheepong C, Davies JW and Epel BL (2000). Intracellular and intercellular movement of maize streak geminivirus V1 and V2 proteins transiently expressed as green fluorescent protein fusions. Virology. 274:32-38

Aaziz R, Dinant S and Epel BL (2001). Plasmodesmata and plant cytoskeleton. Trends Plant Sci. 6: 326-307

Kotlizky G, Katz A, van der Laak J, Boyko V, Lapidot M, Beachy RN, Heinlein M and Epel BL.(2001) A dysfunctional movement protein of tobacco mosaic virus interferes with targeting of wild-type movement protein to microtubules. Mol Plant Microbe Interact.14: 895-904

Gafni Y and Epel BL (2002). The role of host and viral proteins in intra- and inter-cellular trafficking of geminiviruses. Physiol Mol Plant Path. 60: 231-241

Man M and Epel BL (2004) Characterization of regulatory elements within the coat protein (CP) coding region of Tobacco mosaic virus affecting subgenomic transcription and green fluorescent protein expression from the CP subgenomic RNA promoter. J Gen Virol. 85:1727-1738

Heinlein M. and Epel BL (2004) (Invited review). Macromolecular transport and signaling through plasmodesmata. Int Rev Cytol. 2004;235:93-164.

Liarzi O. and Epel BL. (2005). The development of a quantitative tool for measuring changes in the coefficient of conductivity of plasmodesmata induced by developmental, biotic and abiotic signals. Protoplasma 225: 67-76.

Sagi G, Katz A, Guenoune-Gelbart D, and Epel BL (2005). Class 1 Reversibly Glycosylated Polypeptides Are Plasmodesmal-Associated Proteins Delivered to Plasmodesmata via the Golgi Apparatus. Plant Cell 17: 1788-1800.