"Two Short Stories: Plant Clocks and High-Lycopene Tomatoes"

Autar Mattoo, Ph.D.

Research Leader of the Vegetable Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD

Building 003 Auditorium
April 28, 2003
10:30 AM

Dr. Mattoo, Research Leader of the Vegetable Laboratory at Beltsville, Maryland, is known internationally as an authority in two diverse programs: molecular aspects of chloroplast function with particular emphasis on the photosystem II reaction center proteins, and regulation of ethylene biosynthesis and fruit ripening. His pioneering investigations have provided fundamental new knowledge and novel concepts.

Dr. Mattoo elucidated the complete metabolic life history of a key component of photosynthesis and demonstrated its reversible, photo-regulated posttranslational covalent attachment of phosphate and palmitic acid (palmitoylation). Dr. Mattoo successfully applied an aspect of these basic fundamental discoveries in co-developing an ultrasensitive thermostable biosensor, for rapid detection of residual herbicides in soil and water.

Dr. Mattoo pioneered the regulatory interaction and metabolic linkage between biosynthesis of polyamines and ethylene in higher plants. He applied this new knowledge to produce transgenic tomatoes transformed with a regulatable polyamine gene, providing a novel strategy to genetically engineer crops for high lycopene, better fruit juice quality, and longer vine life attributes.

Dr. Mattoo's accomplishments are documented in 196 research papers published in high-impact science journals. He has guided more than a dozen Ph.D. students and advised 75 or more research associates and visiting scientists from the U.S. and from foreign countries in biochemistry and molecular biology. He twice chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Plant Senescence, and served on Technical Advisory Committee of US-Israel BARD. Dr. Mattoo has presented over 100 invited lectures at national and international meetings, as well as over 90 guest lectures at various Universities and research Institutes. Dr. Mattoo was recognized as the: Beltsville Area Scientist of the Year (1998), ARS's Distinguished Senior Scientist of the Year (1998), Secretary of Agriculture's "People Making a Difference" award (1999), and USDA Secretary's Honor Award for Scientific Excellence (1999).