“I push students to embrace patience, objectivity and thoroughness during their research because I think that raises the IQ of the whole team, and bodes well for our future.”

In my current research I “bridge the large and the small”, combining physiology and molecular biology to understand whether trees can be asked to distribute the carbon they remove from the atmosphere into longer-lasting solid forms. Modern DNA-based genomic tools for genotype screening mean that it is realistic to expect that the potential societal benefits of basic molecular research like this will eventually be tested at the level of tree selection and management. This excites me for the future of our research, and I think this should challenge ambitious young students with an interest in plant science and in the role of ecosystems in our planets welfare. The SFRES program here offers an unusual opportunity to learn cutting edge molecular and genomic biology while rubbing elbows and taking classes offered by some of the nations most well recognized researchers in forest ecosystem science.

Specific Interests:

• Tree-wide metabolic networks for carbon storage and mobilization
• Biochemical signal transduction
• Stress physiology of trees
• Functional genomics of signaling and general metabolism

---

[Research Projects]   [Recent Publications]  

RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Tsai C.-J., Harding SA, "Protein engineering for manipulation of phenylpropanoid metabolism" CPBR, $188,000, 09/06 to 08/08
  
  
• Harding, S.A., Tsai, C.-J., Lindroth, R.L. (UW-Madison), "A genomics investigation of partitioning into and among flavonoid-derived condensed tannins for carbon sequestration in Populus" DOE $1,386,389, 09/05 to 09/08
  
  
• Tsai, C.-J., Harding, S.A., "Protein engineering for manipulation of phenylpropanoid metabolism" CPBR Fellowship, $40,000, 09/05 to 08/06
  
  
• Tsai, C.-J., Harding, S.A., Zhang, S., Davis, M. (DOE-NREL), "A functional genomics approach to investigate regulation of phenolic glycosides metabolism in Populus" NSF Plant Genome Research, $2,114,091, 11/04 to 12/08
  
  
• Tsai, C.-J., Harding, S.A. and Kelley, S.S. (DOE-NREL), "Molecular Dissection of Alpha-tubulins during Microfibril Deposition in Wood Forming Tissues of Aspen" USDA-NRICGP, $220,000, 11/02 to 11/07
  
  
• Harding, S.A. and Tsai, C.-J. "Designing Promoters for Precision Targeting of Gene Expression" The Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research, Inc. $126,001, 01/03 to 12/05
  
  
• Tsai, C.-J., Harding, S.A., Joshi, C.P., and Chiang, V.L. "Functional Genomics of Fast-growing Transgenic Aspen" Michigan Life Sciences Corridor Fund, $2,013,729, 03/01 to 12/04
  
  
• Tsai, C.-J., Joshi, C.P., and Harding, S.A. "Acquisition of an ABI Prime 3100-Avant Genetic Analyzer for High Throughput DNA Sequencing and Fragment Analysis" Michigan Tech Research Excellence Fund, $50,000, 04/03 to 06/04
  
  

[Top]

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

• Rajinikanth M., Harding S.A., Tsai C.-J. 2007 The glycine decarboxylase complex multienzyme family in Populus. Journal of Experimental Botany 58: 1761-1770. Reprint
  
  
• Lin J., Gunter L.E., Harding S.A., Kopp R.F., McCord R.P., Tsai C.-J., Tuskan G.A., Smart L.B. 2007 Development of AFLP and RAPD markers linked to a locus associated with twisted growth in corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa'). Tree Physiology (in press).
  
  
• Tsai C.-J., El Kayal W., Harding S.A. 2006 Populus, the new model system for investigating phenylpropanoid complexity (invited review). International Journal of Applied Science and Engineering 4: 221-233. Reprint
  
  
• Tsai C.-J., Harding S.A., Tschaplinski T.J., Lindroth R.L., Yuan Y. 2006 Genome-wide analysis of the structural genes regulating defense phenylpropanoid metabolism in Populus. New Phytologist 172: 47-62. Abstract
  
  
• Harding S.A., Jiang H., Jeong M.L., Casado F.L., Lin H.-W., Tsai C.-J. 2005 Functional genomics analysis of foliar condensed tannin and phenolic glycoside regulation in natural cottonwood hybrids. Tree Physiology 25: 1475-1486. Reprint
  
  
• Jeong M.L., Jiang H., Chen H.-S., Tsai C.-J., Harding S.A. 2004 Metabolic profiling the sink to source transition in developing leaves of quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides). Plant Physiology 136: 3364-3375. Abstract
  
  
• Ranjan P., Kao Y.-Y., Jiang H., Joshi C.P., Harding S.A., Tsai C.-J. 2004 Suppression subtractive hybridization-mediated transcriptome analysis from multiple tissues of aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees altered in phenylpropanoid metabolism. Planta 219: 694-704. Abstract
  
  
• Wang Y.-S., Harding S.A., Tsai C.-J. 2004 Expression of a glycine decarboxylase complex H-protein in non-photosynthetic tissues of Populus tremuloides. Biochimica Biophysica Acta 1676: 267-273. Abstract
  
  
• Kao Y.-Y., Harding S.A., Tsai C.-J. 2002 Differential expression of two distinct phenylalanine ammonia-lyase genes in condensed tannin-accumulating and lignifying cells of quaking aspen. Plant Physiology 130: 796-807. Abstract
  
  
• Harding S.A., Leshkevich J., Chiang V.L., Tsai C.-J. 2002 Differential substrate inhibition couples kinetically distinct 4-coumarate:CoA ligases with spatially distinct metabolic roles in quaking aspen. Plant Physiology 128: 428-438. Abstract
  
  
• Hu W.-J., Harding S.A., Lung J., Popko J.L., Ralph J., Stokke D.D., Tsai C.-J., Chiang, V.L. 1999 Repression of lignin biosynthesis promotes cellulose accumulation and growth in transgenic trees. Nature Biotechnology 17: 808-812. Abstract
  
  
Book Chapters


• Harding, S.A., Tsai C.-J., Cseke, L.J., Chang, S.C. and Chen, F. 2003 In situ hybridization. In: Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine, Second Edition, (Cseke, L.J., Kaufman, P.B., Podila, G.K., and Tsai, C.J. eds), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. pp. 487-508
  
  
• Touchell, D.H., Wang, Y.-S., Harding, S.A., and Tsai C.-J. 2002 Differential display. In: Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine, Second Edition, (Cseke, L.J., Kaufman, P.B., Podila, G.K., and Tsai, C.J. eds), CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. pp. 305-317
  
  
• Tsai C.-J., Cseke, L.J., Harding, S.A. 2003 Isolation and purification of RNA. In: Cseke, L.J., Kaufman, P.B., Podila, G.K., Tsai C.-J. (eds) Handbook of Molecular and Cellular Methods in Biology and Medicine. 2nd ed. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. pp. 25-44.