John Cushman

Photo of John Cushman, Extension

John Cushman

Professor

Summary

  • Opuntia ficus-indica: A Highly Water-Use Efficient And Productive Biomass Feedstock For Semi-Arid Lands: The goal of this research to expand the use of cactus pear (Opuntia ficus-indica) as highly water-use efficient, highly productive, and climate-resilient biomass feedstock for semi-arid regions of the U.S. The major research goals are to: 1) develop molecular identifiers from complete chloroplast genome sequence information for resolving the genetic structure of the germplasm collection of O. ficus-indica to remove genetically identical accessions and resolved species designations; 2) evaluate available public germplasm collection of O. ficus-indica for biomass productivity under standard irrigation and fertilization conditions in the field; 3) evaluate elite germplasm for optimal water and fertilization inputs, refine productivity models, and perform life-cycle assessment (LCA) and life-cycle costing (LCC) analyses; 4) develop effective strategies to overcome barriers to production including overcoming Opuntia stunting disease (OSD) and supporting effective insect management programs for insect pests.  An innovative extension program will inform interested stakeholders about the benefits of cactus pear production systems in arid and semi-arid regions and to disseminate research results through public outreach and education.     

 

  • Genetic improvement and field testing of Tef: A forage, fodder, and highly nutritious, gluten-free grain crop for dryland agriculture: Tef (Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter, Poaceae) is a warm season, C4-photosynthesis grass that is gaining popularity in the U.S. as a high-quality forage, fodder, and highly nutritious, gluten-free grain. Tef productivity is limited by susceptibility to lodging due to its characteristic tall and weak stems, low seed production per unit area (or productivity), and small seed size. The long-term goals of the proposed integrated research and extension project are to accelerate E. tef domestication to suit U.S. agriculture needs through improving existing genomic resources, evaluating the agronomic performance of highly productive and drought tolerance accessions, and improving lodging resistance and overall grain yield.

 

  • Optimized crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) engineering for improving water-use efficiency in plants: Crassulacean acid metabolism and tissue succulence are metabolic and anatomical adaptations that improve water-use efficiency and drought (and salinity) stress tolerance in plants. These traits are among the most widespread and successful adaptations in the plant kingdom for mitigating drought stress, and thus, represent highly useful traits for the design of climate-resilient crops. The goal of this project is to test optimized synthetic versions of crassulacean acid metabolism alone and in combination with engineered tissue succulence. The proposed synthetic gene circuits developed by this project can be applied widely to other food, feed, fiber, and biofuel crops to improve their productivity, reduce photorespiration, improve water-use efficiency, and drought/salinity stress tolerance under the hotter and drier environments of the future.

Our research is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Institutes of Food, and Agriculture, and the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station (NAES).

Students and postdoctoral research associates with broad interests in plant molecular genetics, plant biochemistry, and synthetic biology related to abiotic stress tolerance and food, feed, and biofuel production systems are welcomed to pursue training opportunities in this laboratory.

Education

B.S. 1982 Ursinus College
M.S. 1984 Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Ph.D. 1986 Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Courses

 

  • BCH/JOUR 496/696 - Scientific Communication Masterclass
  • BCH 703 - Grant Writing for Molecular Biosciences
  • BCH 705 - Molecular Genetics
  • BCH 706 - Functional Genomics
  • BCH 718 - Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology
  • BCH 794 - Plant Biochemistry Colloquium

Honors and Awards

2022 AAAS Fellow

2017 Regents' Researcher Award

2013 Outstanding UNR Researcher Award

2011-2013 Foundation Professor

2003 Outstanding CABNR Researcher Award
 

Service

Guest editor, Annals of Botany; Handling Editor, Journal of Plant Physiology; Associate Editor, Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development; 

News & Journal Articles, Fact Sheets, Reports...

Book Chapter(s)
The role of drought-induced proteins regulating drought tolerance in cereals. Mengistu M, Cushman JC 2023, Tuberosa, R. (ed.). In: Developing drought-resistant cereals, Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing, Cambridge, UK. DOI: 10.19103/AS.2022.0109.04
Climate change responses and adaptations in crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) plants. Pereira, P.N., Niechayev, N.A., Blair, B.B., and Cushman, J.C. 2020, In: Photosynthesis, Respiration, and Climate Change. Eds. Danielle Way, Katie M. Becklin. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration. Springer, New York, NY USA. In press.
Journals
Biomass production potential of 14 accessions of cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) as a food, feed, and biofuel crop for arid lands.
Increased food, feed, and biofuel demands of the future will require a greater reliance upon crop production systems in arid and semi-arid regions around the world. Here, we evaluated the biomass productivity of 14 Opuntia spp. accessions under semi-arid conditions to identify high-yielding biomass producers.
 Neupane, D., Niechayev, N. A., Petrusa, L. M., Heinitz, C. and Cushman, J. C. 2024, Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. 210: e12704
Comprehensive expression profiling analysis to investigate salt and drought responding genes in wild barley (Hordeum spontaneum L.). Bakir M, Uncuoglu AA, Ozmen CY, Baydu FY, Kazan K, Kibar U, Schlauch KA, Cushman JC, Ergul A 2023, Plant Stress 11: 100315. DOI: 10.1016/j.stress.2023.100315.
The starch-deficient plastidic PHOSPHOGLUCOMUTASE mutant of the constitutive crassulacean acid metabolisms (CAM) species Kalanchoe fedtschenkoi impacts diel regulation and timing of stomatal CO2 responsiveness Hurtado-Castano N, Atkins E, Barnes J, Boxall SF, Dever LV, Knerova J, Hartwell J, Cushman JC, Borland AM 2023, Annals of Botany. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad017
Epidermal bladder cells as a herbivore defense mechanism Moog MW, Yang X, Bendtsen AK, Dong L, Crocoll C, Imamura T, Mori M, Cushman JC, Kant M, Palmgren M 2023, Current Biology. 33: 4662-4673. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.09.063
Developmental dynamics of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) in Opuntia ficus-indica Niechayev NA, Meyer JA, Cushman JC 2023, Annals of Botany. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad070
Tissue succulence in plants: Carrying water for climate change Peréz-Lopéz AV, Lim SD, Cushman JC. 2023, Journal of Plant Physiology. 289: 154081. DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2023.154081
Evolutionary blocks to anthocyanin accumulation and the loss of an anthocyanin carrier protein in betalain-pigmented Caryophylalles Pucker B, Walker-Hale N, Yim WC, Cushman JC, Crum A, Yang Y, Brockington S 2023, New Phytologist. 241: 471-489. DOI: 10.1111/nph.19341
Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) at the crossroads: Special issue in the Annals of Botany to honor 50 years of CAM research by Klaus Winter Sage RF, Edwards EJ, Heyduk K, Cushman JC 2023, Annals of Botany. DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcad160
Multi-scale catalytic fast pyrolysis of Grindelia reveals opportunities for generating low oxygen content bio-oils from drought tolerant biomass Cross P, Iisa K, To A, Nimlos M, Carpenter D, Mayer JA, Cushman JC, Neupane B, Miller G, Adhikari S, Mukarakate C 2022, Energy & Fuels. 36 (1): 425–434. DOI: 10.1021/acs.energyfuels.1c02403
Plant responses and adaptations to climate change Cushman JC, Denby K, Mittler R. 2022, The Plant Journal. 109 (2): 319–322. DOI: 10.1111/tpj.15641 (Cover Article)
Realizing the potential of Camelina sativa as a bioenergy crop for a changing global climate Neupane D, Lohaus RH, Solomon JKQ, Cushman JC 2022, MDPI Plants. 11 (6): 772. DOI: 10.3390/plants11060772 (Cover Article)
NaCl-promoted respiration and cell division in halophytism of a halophyte, the common ice plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L Sato R, Tran DQ, Yoshida K, Dang J, Konishi A, Ohnishi S, Cushman JC, Agarie S 2022, J. Fac. Agr. Kyushu Univ. 67 (2): 153-164. http://hdl.handle.net/2324/4797822
Chromosomal features of the B. carinata Gomenzer genome assembly
The final piece of the Triangle of U: Evolution of the tetraploid Brassica carinata genome
Here, we report a chromosome scale 1.31-Gbp genome assembly with 156.9-fold sequencing coverage for B. carinata, completing the reference genomes comprising the classic Triangle of U, a classical theory of the evolutionary relationships among these six species.
 Won Cheol Yim, Mia L Swain, Dongna Ma, Hong An, Kevin A Bird, David D Curdie, Samuel Wang, Hyun Don Ham, Agusto Luzuriaga-Neira, Jay S Kirkwood, Manhoi Hur, Juan K Q Solomon, Jeffrey F Harper, Dylan K Kosma, David Alvarez-Ponce, John C Cushman, Patrick P Edger, Annaliese S Mason, J Chris Pires, Haibao Tang, Xingtan Zhang 2022, The Plant Cell, Volume 34, Issue 11, November 2022, Pages 4143–4172
Characterization of a microbial consortium for improved biological degradation of Opuntia ficus-indica biomass for biofuel production. Blair BB, Yim WC, Cushman JC. 2021, Heliyon. 7 (8): e07854. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07854
Membrane profiling by free flow Electrophoresis and SWATH-MS to characterize subcellular compartment proteomes in Mesembryanthemum crystallinum. Guo Q, Liu L, Yim WC, Cushman JC, Barkla BJ. 2021, International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 22:5020. DOI: 10.3390/ijms22095020.
Grain mineral nutrient profiling and iron bioavailability of an ancient crop teff (Eragrostis tef) Ligaba-Osena A, Mengistu MA, Craft E, Bodis M, Giri S, Beyene G, Cushman JC, Glahn R, Pineros M. 2021, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition. 15 (10): 1314–1324. DOI: 10.21475/ajcs.21.15.10.p3264
Disentangling sources of genes tree discordance in phylogenomic datasets: Testing ancient hybridizations in Amaranthaceae s.l.. Moreles-Briones, D.F., Kadereit, G., Tefarikis, D., Moore, M.J., Smith, S.A., Brockington, S.F., Timoneda, A., Yim, W.C., Cushman, J.C., and Yang, Y. 2021, Systematic Biology. DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syaa066. PubMed PMID: 32785686.
Five-year field trial of the biomass productivity and irrigation response of cactus pear (Opuntia spp.) as a bioenergy feedstock for arid lands. Neupane D, Mayer JA, Niechayev NA, Bishop CD, Cushman JC 2021, Global Change Biology: Bioenergy. 13(4): 719-741. DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.12805.
An Agrobacterium-mediated transformation via organogenesis regeneration of a facultative CAM plant, the common ice plant Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. Agarie, S., Umemoto, M., Sunagawa, H., Anai, T., Cushman, J.C. 2020, Plant Production Science 23: 343–349. DOI: 10.1080.1343943x.2020.1730700.
Plant tissue succulence engineering improves water-use efficiency, water-deficit stress attenuation and salinity tolerance in Arabidopsis. Lim, S. D., Mayer, J. A., Yim, W. C., Cushman, J. C. 2020, Plant Journal, 103(3), 1049-1072
Plant tissue succulence engineering improves water-use efficiency, water-deficit stress attenuation, and salinity tolerance in Arabidopsis. Lim, S.D., Meyer, J.A., Yim, W.C., and Cushman, J.C. 2020, The Plant Journal. 103: 1049–1072. DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14783.
Five-year field trial of eight Camelina sativa varieties for biomass to be used for biofuel under irrigated conditions in a semi-arid climate. Lohaus, R.H., Neupan, D., Mengistu, M.A., Solomon, J.K.Q., and Cushman, J.C. 2020, MDPI Agronomy. 10: 562. DOI: 10.3390/agronomy10040562.
Genomic adaptations of the green alga Dunaliella salina to life under high salinity. Polle, J.E.W., Calhoun, S., McKie-Krisberg, Z., Prochnik, S., Neofotis, P., Yim, W.C., Hathwaik, L.T., Jenkins, J., Molina, H., Bunkenborg, J., Grigoriev, I. Barry, K., Schmutz, J., Jin, E., Cushman, J.C., and Magnusson, J.R. 2020, Algal Research. 50: 101990. DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2020.101990.
Characterization of Seed, Oil, and Fatty Acid Methyl Esters of an Ethyl Methanesulfonate Mutant of Camelina sativa with Reduced Seed-Coat Mucilage RH Lohaus, JJ Zager, DK Kosma, JC Cushman 2020, Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society, vol 97, iss 2
Systems biology and synthetic biology in relation to drought tolerance and avoidance in plants. Yang, X., Cushman, J.C., Borland, A.M., and Liu, Q. 2020, Frontiers in Plant Science. 11: 394. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00394.
Biosystems design to accelerate the C3-to-CAM progression. Yuan, G., Hassan, M.M., Liu, D., Lim, S.D., Yim, W.C., Cushman, J.C., Markel, K., Shih, P.M., Lu, H., Weston, D.J., Chen, J-G., Tschaplinski, T.J., Tuskan, G.A., Yang, X. 2020, Biodesign Research. Article ID 3686791. DOI: 10.34133/2020/3686791.
Light-responsive expression atlas reveals the effects of light quality and intensity in Kalanchoë fedtschenkoi, a plant with crassulacean acid metabolism. Zhang, J., Hu, R., Sreedasyam, A. Garcia, T.M., Lipzen, A., Wang, M., Yerramsetty, P., Liu, D., Ng, V., Schmutz, J., Cushman, J.C., Borland, A.M., Pasha, A., Provart, N.J., Chen, J-G., Muchero, W., Tuskan, G.A., and Yang, X. 2020, GigaScience. 9: 1-17. DOI: 10.1093/gigascience.gia018.
Crassulacean Acid Metabolism Abiotic Stress-Responsive Transcription Factors: a Potential Genetic Engineering Approach for Improving Crop Tolerance to Abiotic Stress Amin AB, Rathnayake KN, Yim WC, Garcia TM, Wone B, Cushman JC, Wone BWM 2019, Front Plant Sci. 2019; 10: 129.
The bracteatus pineapple genome and domestication of clonally propagated crops. Chen L-Y, VanBuren R, Paris M, Zhou H, Zhang X, Wai CM, Yan H, Chen S, Along M, Ramakrishnan S, Liao Z, Liu J, Lin J, Yue J, Fatima M, Lin Z, Zhang J, Juang L, Wang H, Hwa T-Y, Kao S-M, Choi JY, Sharma A, Song J, Wang H, Yim WC, Cushman JC, Paull RE, Matsumoto T, Qin Y, Wu Q, Wang J, Yu Q, Wu J, Zhang S, Boches P, Tung C-W, Wang M-L, d’Eckenbrugge GC, Sanewski GM, Purrugganan MD, Schatz MC, Bennetzen JL, Lexer C, Ming R. 2019, Nature Genetics. 51: 1549–1558 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-019-0506-8.
Biology and chemistry of an Umbravirus-like 2989 bp single-stranded RNA as a possible causal agent for Opuntia stunting disease (engrosamiente de cladidios) – A review Felker P, Bunch R, Russo G, Preston K, Tine JA, Suter B, Mo X, Cushman JC, Yim WC 2019, Journal of the Professional Association for Cactus Development. 21: 1–31.
A method for simultaneous isolation of chloroplasts and mitochondria from ice plant. Hong, H.T.K., Phuong, T.T.B., Wheatley, M.D., and Cushman, J.C. 2019, Plant Cell Biotechnology and Molecular Biology. 20: 47–54. DOI: 10.1016/j.pep.2018.11.010.
New perspectives on Crassulacean acid metabolism Hultine K, Cushman JC, Williams DG. 2019, Journal of Experimental Botany. 70: 6489–6493. DOI: 10.1093/jxb/erz465. Cover article.
Laying the foundation for crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) biodesign: Characterization of individual C4 metabolism genes from the common ice plant in Arabidopsis Lim SD, Lee S, Choi W-G, Yim WC, and Cushman 2019, Frontiers in Plant Science. 10: 101
Characterization of seed oil and fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) from wild-type and an ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutant of Camelina sativa with reduced seed-coat mucilage. Lohaus, R.H., Zager, J.J., Kosma, D.K., and Cushman, J.C. 2019, Journal of American Oil Chemists’ Society. 97: 157–174. DOI: 10.1002/aocs.12322.
Nutritional and mineral content of prickly pear cactus: A highly water-use efficient forage, fodder, and food species Mayer JA, Cushman JC 2019, Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science. 205:625–634. DOI: 10.1111/jac.12353. Cover article
Understanding trait diversity associated with crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) Niechayev NA, Pereira PN, Cushman JC 2019, Current Opinion in Plant Biology 49: 74-85
Exploring the relationship between crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and mineral nutrition with a special focus on nitrogen Pereira PN, Cushman JC. 2019, International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 20: 4363. DOI: 10.3390/ijms20184363.
Evolution of l-DOPA 4,5-dioxygenase activity allows for recurrent specialisation to betalain pigmentation in Caryophyllales Sheehan H, Feng T, Walker-Hale N, Lopez-Nieves S, Pucker B, Guo R, Yim WC, Badgami R, Timoneda A, Zhao L, Tiley H, Copetti D, Sanderson MJ, Cushman JC, Moore MJ, Smith SA, Brockington SF 2019, New Phytologist. 227: 914–929. DOI: 10.1111/nph.16089.
Ion accumulation and expression of ion homeostasis-related genes associated with halophytism, NaCl-promoted growth in a halophyte, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. Tran DQ, Konishi A, Cushman JC, Morokuma M, Toyota M, Agarie S. 2019, Protein Production Science. 9: 91–102. DOI: 10.1080/1343943X.2019.1647788.
Identification of Genes Encoding Enzymes Catalyzing the Early Steps of Carrot Polyacetylene Biosynthesis Busta L, Yim WC, LaBrant EW, Wang P, Grimes L, Malyszka K, Cushman JC, Santos P, Kosma DK, Cahoon EB 2018, Plant Physiology December 2018
Fast pyrolysis of Opuntia ficus-indica and Grindelia squarrosa. Cross P, Mukarakate C, Nimlos M, Carpenter D, Donohoe B, Mayer JA, Cushman JC, Neupane B, Miller G, Adhikari S. 2018, Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. 32: 3510–3518.
Simultaneous chloroplast, mitochondria isolation and mitochondrial protein preparation for two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis of ice plant leaves under well-watered and water-deficit stressed treatments Hong HTK, Phuong TTB, Thuy NTT, Wheatley MD, and Cushman JC 2018, Protein Expression and Purification. 155: 86–94
A Vitis vinifera basic helix–loop–helix transcription factor enhances plant cell size, vegetative biomass and reproductive yield Lim SD, Yim WC, Liu D, Hu R, Yang X, Cushman JC 2018, Plant Biotechnology Journal 09 March 2018
Quantitative ROS bioreporters: A robust toolkit for studying biological roles of ROS in response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Lim, S. D., Kim, S.-H., Gilroy, S., Cushman, J. C., Choi, W.-G. 2018, Physiologia plantarum, 165(2), 356-368.
Draft nuclear genome sequence of the halophilic and beta-carotene-accumulating green alga Dunaliella salina strain CCAP19/18. Polle JE, Barry K, Cushman J, Schmutz J, Tran D, Hathwaik LT, Yim WC, Jenkins J, McKie-Krisberg Z, Prochnik S, Lindquist E. 2017, Genome Announcements. 5:e01105-17.
Draft Nuclear Genome Sequence of the Halophilic and Beta-Carotene-Accumulating Green Alga Dunaliella salina Strain CCAP19/1. Polle JEW, Barry K, Cushman JC, Schmutz J, Tran D, Hathwaik LT, Yim WC, Jenkins J, McKie-Krisberg Z, Prochnik S, Lindquist S, Dockter R, Adam C, Molina H, Bunkenborg J, Jin ES, Buchheim M, Magnuson J. 2017, Genome Announcements doi:10.1128/genomeA.01105-17
MYB and HD-ZIP IV homologs related to trichome formation are involved in epidermal bladder cell development in the halophyte Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. Roeurn S, Hoshino N, Soejima K, Inoue Y, Cushman JC, Agarie S. 2017, Plant Production Science 20 (1): 72-82.
Leaf carbohydrates influence transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of nocturnal carboxylation and starch degradation in the facultative CAM plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum. Taybi T, Cushman JC, Borland AM. 2017, Journal of Plant Physiology. 218: 144-154.
Temporal and spatial transcriptomic and microRNA dynamics of CAM photosynthesis in pineapple. Wai CM, VanBuren R, Zhang J, Huang L, Miao W, Edger PP, Yim WC, Priest HD, Meyers BC, Mockler T, Smith JA, Cushman JC, Ming R. 2017, The Plant Journal. 92: 19-30
The Kalanchoë genome provides insights into convergent evolution and building blocks of crassulacean acid metabolism. Yang X, Hu R, Yin H, Jenkins J, Shu S, Tang H, Liu D, Weighill DA, Yim WC, Ha J, Heyduk K, Goodstein DM, Guo H-B, Moseley RC, Fitzek E, Jawdy S, Zhang Z, Xie M, Hartwell JA, Grimwood J, Abraham PE, Mewalal R, Beltrán JD, Boxall SF, Dever LD, Palla KJ, Albion R, Garcia T, Mayer JA, Lim SD, Wai CM, Peluso P, Van Buren R, De Paoli HC, Borland AM, Guo H, Chen J-G, Muchero W, Yin Y, Jacobson DA, Tschaplinski TJ, Hettich RL, Ming R, Winter K, Leebens-Mack JC, Smith JAC, Cushman JC, Schmutz J, Tuskan G 2017, Nature Communications. 18:1899.
An rbcL mRNA binding protein is associated with C3 to C4 evolution and light-induced production of Rubisco in Flaveria. Yerramsetty PK, Agar EM, Yim WC, Cushman JC, Berry JO 2017, Journal of Experimental Botany DOI:10.1093/jxb/erx264
Divide and Conquer (DC) BLAST: Fast and easy BLAST execution within HPC environments. Yim WC, Cushman JC 2017, PeerJ. 5: e3486.
Sporobolus stapfianus: Insights into desiccation tolerance in the resurrection grasses from linking transcriptomics to metabolomics. Yobi A, Schlauch KA, Tillett RL, Yim WC, Espinoza C, Wone BWM, Cushman JC, Oliver MJ 2017, BMC Plant Biol doi: 10.1186/s12870-017-1013-7.
Transcript, protein and metabolite temporal dynamics in the CAM plant Agave Abraham PE, Yin H, Borland AM, Weighill D, Lim SD, De Paoli HC, Engle N, Jones PC, Agh R, Weston DJ, Wullschleger SD, schaplinski T, Jacobson D, Cushman JC, Hettich RL, Tuskan GA, Yang, Y 2016, Nature Plants 2: 16178
Orchestration of carbohydrate processing for crassulacean acid metabolism. Borland AM, Guo H-B, Yang X, Cushman JC. 2016, Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 31: 118–124.
Identification of ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) microRNAs using RNA-Seq and their putative roles in high salinity responses in seedlings. Chiang C, Yim WC, Sun Y, Ohnishi M, Mimura T, Cushman JC, Yen HE. 2016, Frontiers in Plant ScienceFront Plant Sci. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01143
Identification of ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L.) microRNAs using RNA-Seq and analysis of their potential functional roles in high salinity responses in seedlings. Chiang C-P, Yim WC, Sun Y-H, Ohnishi M, Mimura T, Cushman JC, Yen HE. 2016, Frontiers in Plant Biology. 7: 1143.
Suppression subtractive hybridization library construction and identification of epidermal bladder cell-related genes in the common ice plant, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum L. Roeurn S, Hoshino N, Soejima K, Inoue Y, Cushman JC, Agarie S 2016, Plant Product. Sci. 19: 552-561.
Development and use of bioenergy feedstocks for semi-arid and arid lands. Cushman JC, Davis SC, Yang X, Borland AM 2015, Journal of Experimental Botany. 66: 4177-4193.
Transgressive, reiterative selection of Dunaliella salina with enhanced lipid and starch production using continuous buoyant density gradient centrifugation. Hathwaik LT, Redelman D, Samburova V, Zielinska B, Shintani DK, Harper JF, Cushman JC. 2015, Algal Research. 9:194-203.
Evaluation of diverse microalgal species as potential biofuel feedstocks grown using municipal wastewater. Hiibel SR, Lemos MS, Kelly BP, Cushman JC. 2015, Frontiers in Energy Research. 3 (20): 1-8.
The pineapple genome and the evolution of CAM photosynthesis. Ming R, Van Buren R, Wai CM, Tang H, Schatz MC, Bowers, JE, Lyons E, Wang M-L, Chen J, Biggers E, Zhang J, Huang L, Zhang L, Miao W, Zhang J, Ye Z, Miao C, Lin Z, Wang H, Zhou H, Yim WC, Priest HD, Zheng C, Woodhouse M, Edger PP, Guyot R, Guo H-B, Guo H, Zheng G, Singh R, Sharma A, Min X, Zheng Y, Lee H, Gurtowski J, Sedlazeck F, Harkess A, McKain MR, Liao Z, Fang J, Liu J, Zhang X, Zhang Q, Hu W, Yuan Q, Wang K, Chen L-Y, Shirley N, Lin Y-R, Liu L-Y, Hernandez AG, Wright CL, Bulone V, Tuskan GA 2015, Nature Genetics. 47: 1435–1442.
Biomass characterization of Agave and Opuntia as potential biofuel feedstocks. Yang L, Carl S, Lu M, Mayer JA, Cushman JC, Tian E, Lin H. 2015, Biomass and Bioenergy. 76: 43-53. DOI: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2015.03.004
A roadmap for research on crassulacean acid metabolism to enhance sustainable food and bioenergy production in a hotter, drier world. Yang X, Cushman JC, Borland AM, Edwards EJ, Wullschleger SD, Tuskan GA, Owen NA, Griffiths H, Smith JAC, De Paoli HC, Weston DJ, Cottingham R, Hartwell J, Davis SC, Silvera K, Ming R, Schlauch KA, Abraham P, Stewart JR, Guo H-B, Albion RA, Ha J, Lim SD, Wone BWM, Yim WC, Garcia T, Mayer JA, Petereit J, Nair SS, Casey E, Hettich RL, Ceusters J, Ranjan P, Palla KJ, Yin H, Reyes-García C, Andrade JL, Freschi L, Beltran JD, Dever LV, Boxall SF, Waller J, Davies J, Bupphada P, Kadu N, Winter K, Sage 2015, New Phytologist. 207: 491–504.
Engineering Crassulacean acid metabolism to improve water-use efficiency. Borland AM, Hartwell J, Weston D, Schlauch KA, Tschaplinski TJ, Tuskan GA, Yang X, Cushman JC. 2014, Trends Plant Sci. 19: 327-338. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2014.01.006. Video abstract for this article is available at: http://www.cell.com/trends/plant-science/home
Climate-resilient agroforestry: Physiological responses to climate change and engineering of crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) as a mitigation strategy. Borland AM, Wullschleger SD, Wilson DJ, Tuskan GA, Hartwell J, Yang X, Cushman JC. 2014, Plant, Cell and Environment. 38: 1833-1849.
Interview with John C. Cushman. Cushman JC. 2014, Trends Plant Sci. 19: 274-275. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2014.03.003
Synthetic biology as it relates to CAM photosynthesis: Challenges and opportunities. DePaoli HC, Borland AM, Tuskan GA, Cushman JC, Yang X. 2014, J. Exp. Bot. 65:3381-3393.
Multiple isoforms of phophoenolpyruvate carboxylase in the Orchidacea (subtribe Oncidiinae): implications for the evolution of crassulacean acid metabolism. Silvera K, Winter K, Rodgriguez BL, Albion, RL, Cushman JC. 2014, J. Exp. Bot. 65:3623-3636. doi: 10.1093/jxb/eru234