C. Robertson McClung
Professor
Appointments
Chair, Department of Biological Sciences
Professor of Biological Sciences
The Patricia F. and William B. Hale 1944 Professor in the Arts and Sciences
Professor in the Molecular and Cellular Biology Graduate Program
Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists
Area of Expertise
circadian rhythms,
photorespiration,
plant molecular genetics
Biography
The ability of an organism to measure time is the product of a cellular biological clock. Many phenomena controlled by the biological clock cycle on a daily basis and are called circadian rhythms. My goal is to understand the genetic and biochemical mechanisms by which an organism measures time and uses that temporal information to regulate gene expressionand cellular physiology.
Education
B.Sc. Queen's University
M.Sc. Dalhousie University
Ph.D. Michigan State University
Publications
Lou, P., Greenham, K., McClung, C.R. (2022) Rhythmic Leaf and Cotyledon Movement Analysis. Methods Mol Biol. 2022;2494:125-134. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2297-1_9. PMID: 35467204
Deng. L., Gao, B., Zhao, L., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Q., Guo, M., Yang, Y., Wang, S., Xie, L., Lou, H., Ma, M., Zhang, W., Cao, Z., Zhang, Q., McClung, C.R, Li, G., Li, X. (2022) Diurnal RNAPII-tethered chromatin interactions are associated with rhythmic gene expression in rice. Genome Biol. Jan 6;23(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s13059-021-02594-7. PMID: 34991658
McClung, C.R. (2021) Circadian Clock Components Offer Targets for Crop Domestication and Improvement. Genes (Basel). 2021 Mar 6;12(3):374. doi: 10.3390/genes12030374. PMID: 33800720
Lou, P., S. Woody, K. Greenham, R.VanBuren, M. Colle, P.P. Edger, R. Sartor, Y. Zheng, N. Levendoski, J. Lim, C.So, B. Stoveken, T. Woody, J. Zhao, S. Shen, R.M. Amasino & C.R. McClung. 2020. Genetic and genomic resources to study natural variation in Brassica rapa. Plant Direct. Dec 22;4(12):e00285. doi: 10.1002/pld3.285.
Deng. L., Gao, B., Zhao, L., Zhang, Y., Zhang, Q., Guo, M., Yang, Y., Wang, S., Xie, L., Lou, H., Ma, M., Zhang, W., Cao, Z., Zhang, Q., McClung, C.R, Li, G., Li, X. (2022) Diurnal RNAPII-tethered chromatin interactions are associated with rhythmic gene expression in rice. Genome Biol. Jan 6;23(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s13059-021-02594-7. PMID: 34991658
McClung, C.R. (2021) Circadian Clock Components Offer Targets for Crop Domestication and Improvement. Genes (Basel). Mar 6;12(3):374. doi: 10.3390/genes12030374. PMID: 33800720
Greenham, K., R.C. Sartor, S. Zorich, P. Lou, T.C. Mockler, & C.R. McClung. 2020. Expansion of the circadian transcriptome in Brassica rapa and genome wide diversification of paralog expression patterns. Elife. Sep 30;9:e58993. doi: 10.7554/eLife.58993
Leinonen, P.H., M.J. Salmela, K. Greenham, C.R. McClung, & J.H. Willis. 2020. Populations are differentiated in biological rhythms without explicit elevational clines in the plant Mimulus laciniatus. J. Biol. Rhythms 35: 452-464. doi: 10.1177/0748730420936408.
Guadagno, C.R., D. Millar, R. Lai, D.S. Mackay, J.R. Pleban, C.R. McClung, C. Weinig D.R. Wang & B.E. Ewers. 2020. Use of transcriptomic data to inform biophysical models via Bayesian networks. Ecol. Modelling 429: 109086. doi: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109086.
Zhang, C., M. Gao, N.C. Seitz, W. Angel, A. Hallworth, L. Wiratan, O. Darwish, N. Alkharouf, T. Dawit, D. Lin, R. Egoshi, X. Wang, C.R. McClung, & H. Lu. 2019. LUX ARRHYTHMO mediates crosstalk between the circadian clock and defense in Arabidopsis. Nature Commun. 10:2543. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10485-6.
Park, H.J., D. Baek, J.-Y. Cha, X. Liao, S.-H. Kang, C.R. McClung, S.Y. Lee, D.-J. Yun & W.-Y. Kim.. 2019. HOS15 interacts with the histone deacetylase HDA9 and the Evening Complex to epigenetically regulate the floral activator GIGANTEA. Plant Cell 31:37-51. doi: 10.1105/tpc.18.00721.
McClung, C.R. 2019. The plant circadian oscillator. Biology 8, 14. doi:10.3390/biology8010014
Kim, H., H.J. Kim, Q.T. Vu, S. Jung, C.R. McClung, S. Hong & H.G. Nam. 2018. Circadian control of ORE1 by PRR9 positively regulates leaf senescence in Arabidopsis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 115: 8448-8453. doi 10.1073/pnas.1722407115.
Greenham, K., P. Lou, J.R. Puzey, G. Kumar, C. Arnevik, H. Farid, J.H. Willis & C.R. McClung. 2017. Geographic variation of plant circadian clock function in natural and agricultural settings. J. Biol. Rhythms. 32: 26-34
Greenham, K., C.R. Guadagno, M.A. Gehan, T.C. Mockler, C. Weinig, B.E. Ewers & C.R. McClung. 2017. Temporal network analysis identifies early physiological and transcriptomic indicators of mild drought in Brassica rapa. eLIFE 6: e29655
Lu, H., C.R. McClung, & C. Zhang. 2017. Tick Tock: Circadian regulation of plant innate immunity. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 55: 287–311. doi: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-080516-035451.Lu, H., C.R. McClung, & C. Zhang. 2017. Tick Tock: Circadian regulation of plant innate immunity. Annu. Rev. Phytopathol. 55: 287–311. doi: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-080516-035451.
Salmela, M.J., K. Greenham, P. Lou, C.R. McClung, B.E. Ewers & C. Weinig. 2016. Variation in circadian rhythms is maintained among and within populations in Boechera stricta in Wyoming. Plant Cell Environ. 39: 1293-1303.
Yarkhunova,, Y., C.E. Edwards, B.E. Ewers, R.L. Baker, T.L. Aston, C.R. McClung, P. Lou & C. Weinig. 2016. Selection during crop diversification involves correlated evolution of the circadian clock and ecophysiological traits in Brassica rapa. New. Phytol. 210:133-144.
Kim, J.A., H.-e. Jung, J.K. Hong, V. Hermand, C.R. McClung, Y.-H. Lee, J.Y. Kim, S.I. Lee, M.-J. Jeong, J. Kim, D.J. Yun & W.-Y. Kim. 2016. Reduction of GIGANTEA expression in transgenic Brassica rapa enhances salt tolerance. Plant Cell Rep. 35:1943-1954. doi: 10.1007/s00299-016-2008-9.
Greenham, K., P. Lou, H. Farid, S.E. Remsen & C.R. McClung. 2015. TRiP: Tracking Rhythms in Plants, an automated leaf movement analysis program for circadian period estimation. Plant Methods 11:33.
Gehan, M.A., K. Greenham, T.C. Mockler & C.R. McClung. 2015. Transcriptional networks – crops, clocks, and abiotic stress. Curr. Op. Plant Biol. 24: 39-46.
Greenham, K. & C.R. McClung. 2015. Integrating circadian dynamics with physiological processes in plants. Nature Rev. Genet. 16: 598-610.
Xie, Q., P. Lou, V. Hermand, R. Aman, H.J. Park, D.-J Yun, W.Y. Kim, M.J. Salmela, B.E. Ewers, C. Weinig, S.L. Khan*, D.L.P. Schaible*, & C.R. McClung. 2015. Allelic polymorphism of GIGANTEA is responsible for naturally occurring variation in circadian period in Brassica rapa. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 112:3829-3834.
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