Beronda Montgomery-Kaguri
Assistant Professor

Ph.D, 2001, University of California, Davis

montg133@msu.edu
MSU-DOE Plant Research Lab
322 Plant Biology Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Office: 517-353-7802
Lab: 517-353-3992
Fax: (517) 353-9168

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Beronda Montgomery-Kaguri

Research Interests

Photosynthetic organisms possess the ability to finely tune their growth and developmental responses to changes in their ambient environment. The perception of light and the photomorphogenetic changes that occur as a response to light signals are among the most important adaptive responses. Our long-term research interest centers on elucidating the mechanisms utilized by photosynthetic organisms for adapting to changes in their photoenvironment. Biliproteins are light-absorbing pigments involved in both photosynthesis and the regulation of photomorphogenesis in cyanobacteria, algae and plants. In higher plants, the biliprotein phytochromes control many aspects of growth and development from seed germination through senescence. Functional phytochrome photoreceptors depend upon the convergence of two pathways - apoproteins are encoded by nuclear-localized genes, whereas the light-absorbing chromophore is synthesized in plastids (Figure 1). Although a great deal has been discovered about the roles of individual phytochrome family members and the intracellular signaling mechanisms of phytochromes, our understanding of the distributions and mechanisms of localized pools of phytochrome, which define the sites of phytochrome photoperception and regulate organ-specific light responses within plants, is limited. MORE

Recent Publications

Bordowitz JR, Montgomery, BL (2008). Photoregulation of cellular morphology during complementary chromatic adaptation requires sensor-kinase-class protein RcaE in Fremyella diplosiphon, Journal of Bacteriology 190: 4069-4074.

Montgomery, BL (2007). Sensing the light: photoreceptive systems and signal transduction in cyanobacteria. Molecular Microbiology, 64: 16-27.

Montgomery, BL (2007). Phytochrome. McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science and Technology, McGraw Hill, New York, pp. 180-183.

Montgomery, BL (2006). Plant Photoreceptors and the Photoperiodic Induction of Flowering. In: Floriculture, Ornamental and Plant Biotechnology: Advances and Topical Issues (1st Edition), Teixeira da Silva JA (ed), Global Science Books, London, United Kingdom, Volume 1, pp. 256-262.

Montgomery, BL, Casey-Silva, EM, Grossman, AR, Kehoe, DM (2004). AplA, a Member of a New Class of Phycobiliproteins Lacking a Traditional Role in Photosynthetic Light Harvesting, Journal of Bacteriology, 186: 7420-7428.

Terauchi, K, Montgomery, BL, Grossman, AR, Lagarias, JC, Kehoe, DM (2004). RcaE is a Complementary Chromatic Adaptation Photoreceptor Required for Green and Red Light Responsiveness, Molecular Microbiology 51: 567-577.

Balabas, BE, Montgomery, BL, Ong, LE, Kehoe DM (2003). CotB is Essential for Complete Activation of Green Light Induced Genes During Complementary Chromatic Adaptation in Fremyella diplosiphon. Molecular Microbiology 50: 781-793. MORE