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| Peter Rizzo received his A.B. in Biology and his M.A. in Botany from Indiana University. He received his Ph.D. in Plant Physiology from the University of Michigan under Dr. Larry Nooden. After postdoctoral work as an NIH Fellow at Purdue University, he joined Texas A&M University faculty in 1975. He is currently a Faculty Emeritus in Biology. |
Peter Rizzo 3258 TAMU Office: Lab: Fax: 979-845-2891 |
| Basic Nuclear Proteins in Algae
Histone-like Proteins in Dinoflagellates. The diverse group of unicellular algae known as dinoflagellates are the only eukaryotes that lack histones completely. The nuclear DNA is, of course, not organized into nucleosomes, but is organized into discrete chromosomes. The mechanism by which this is accomplished remains a mystery. Instead of histone, one or sometimes two histone-like proteins are found associated with the nuclear DNA. We have isolated and partially characterized one such histone-like protein from the dinoflagellate Crypthecodinium cohnii. Histone Occurrence in Algae: Although the histones of higher plants and animals are well characterized, little is known about the histones of the algae. Due to their taxonomic position, information on algal histones are of interest regarding the evolution of chromatin. The current evidence suggests that some algae (other than dinoflagellates) lack certain histone types while most contain a complete set of all five. Thus, we are characterizing histones from the chloromonad Olisthodiscus luteus, the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardi, the "chrysophyte-like" endosymbiont alga of Peridinium balticum and of Peridinium foliaceum, as well as the histone-like proteins from various dinoflagellates. Cell Cycle Regulation in Dinoflagellates: We are also investigating the control of the cell cycle in the nonphotosynthetic heterotroph C. cohnii, and the photosynthetic dinoflagellate Gonyaulax polydra. We have currently completed a comparison of the DNA sequence for the cdc2 homologue in both organisms. |
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Rizzo, P. J. 2003. Those Amazing Dinoflagellate Chromosomes. Cell Research, 13(4): 215-217. Rodriguez, M., J.W. Cho, H. Sauer and P.J. Rizzo. 1993. Evidence for the presence of a cdc2-like protein kinase in the dinoflagellate Crypthedodinium cohnii. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 40:91-96. Rizzo, P.J. 1991. The enigma of the dinoflagellate chromosome. Journal of Protozoology 38:246-252. Morris, R.L., L.R. Keller, A. Zweidler and P.J. Rizzo. 1990. Analysis of Chlamydomonas reinhardi histones and chromatin. Journal of Protozoology 37:117-123. Rizzo, P.J. 1987. Biochemistry of the dinoflagellate nucleus. The Biology of Dinoflagellates. F.J.R. Taylor (ed.), Blackwell Botanical Monographs, pp. 143-173. |
