Dr. Tom Leustek Professor Biochemistry and Microbiology Foran Hall, Room 328A 59 Dudley Road Cook College, Rutgers University New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8520 Phone:  732-932-8165 x326 Fax: 732-932-0312 Email:  leustek@aesop.rutgers.edu Lab Web Page: http://aesop.rutgers.edu/~leusteklab/

Education
Ph.D., Rutgers University, 1987

Research Interests
My research focuses on the molecular biology and biochemistry of sulfur and amino acid metabolism  in photosynthetic organisms. The ongoing projects include sulfate assimilation, biosynthesis of cysteine, methionine, threonine, sulfur-containing secondary compounds and non-protein amino acids. My work utilizes molecular genetic/biochemical approaches to identify and characterize the genes encoding specific pathway enzymes and to identify and characterize mechanisms for metabolic regulation. Transgenic plants are used to modify metabolic pathways. Sulfur, the focus of my lab over the past six years, is a key macronutrient with many important biological functions including stress resistance, osmoregulation, gene regulation, plant development, nutritional value, pharmaceutical compounds, biochemical activity and many others. Photosynthetic organisms serve as the primary producers for all living organisms so the mechanism by which plants assimilate and metabolize sulfur is of particular interest. There is also biotechnological potential. For example increasing methionine content, an essential dietary requirement for animals, can enhance the nutritional value of crop plants. Another possibility is in enhancing stress resistance of crop plants.

Recent Publications

Bick JA, Setterdahl AT, Knaff DB, Chen Y, Pitcher LH, Zilinskas BA,Leustek (2001) Regulation of the plant-type 5’-adenylylsulfate reductase by oxidative stress. Biochemistry 40: 9040-9048

Sanda SL, Leustek T, Theisen MJ, Garavito M, Benning C (2001) Recombinant Arabidopsis SQD1 converts UDP-glucose and sulfite to the sulfolipid head group precursor UDP-sulfoquinovose in vitro. J Biol Chem 276:
3941-3946

Rotte C, Leustek T (2000) Differential subcellular localization and expression of ATP sulfurylase and APS reductase during ontogenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves indicates that cytosolic and plastid forms of ATP sulfurylase may have specialized functions. Plant Physiol 124: 715-724

Gao Y, Schofield O, Leustek T (2000) Characterization of sulfate assimilation in marine algae focusing on the enzyme 5’-adenylylsulfate (APS) reductase. Plant Physiol 123: 1087-1096

Hatzfeld Y, Lee S, Lee M, Leustek T, Saito K (2000) Functional characterization of a gene encoding a fourth ATP sulfurylase isoform from Arabidopsis thaliana. Gene 248: 51-58

Leustek T, Bick JA (2000) The evolution of sulfur assimilation in plants. In: Sulfur nutrition and sulfur assimilation in higher plants, C Brunold, J-C Davidian, L De Kok, H Rennenberg, I Stulen, eds. Paul Haupt Publishers, Bern, Switzerland, The Netherlands, pp 1-15

Crawford NM, Kahn ML, Leustek T, Long SR (2000) Chapter 16-Nitrogen and Sulfur. In: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants, BB Buchanan, W Gruissem, RL Jones, eds. American Society of Plant Physiologists, Rockville, MD, pp. 786-849

Leustek T, Martin MN, Bick JA, Davies JP (2000) Pathways and regulation of sulfur metabolism revealed through molecular and genetic studies. Annu Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 51: 141-166

Bick JA, Dennis JJ, Zylstra GJ Nowack J, Leustek T (2000) Identification of a new class of 5’-adenylylsulfate (APS) reductase from sulfate-assimilating bacteria. J Bacteriol 182: 135-142

Kim J, Leustek T (2000) Repression of cystathionine g -synthase in Arabidopsis thaliana produces partial methionine auxotrophy and developmental abnormalities. Plant Sci 151: 9-18

Marty I, Douat C, Tichit L, Kim J, Leustek T, Abagnac G (2000) The cystathionine-g -synthase gene involved in methionine biosynthesis is highly expressed and auxin-repressed during wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca L.) fruit ripening. Theor Appl Genet 100: 1129-1136

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