Richard Arthur is a professor of

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

and

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. He got his bachelor's degree in

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

at Pennsylvania State University. He went on to receive his PhD in biochemistry at Indiana University in 1982 and did post doctoral research at the University of Washington. Amasino's research focuses on plants and how plants know when to flower. In 2006 he was elected to the

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

. Amasino’sresearch has focused on how plants know when to flower after exposure to winter, a process called

vernalization Vernalization (from Latin ''vernus'', "of the spring") is the induction of a plant's flowering process by exposure to the prolonged cold of winter, or by an artificial equivalent. After vernalization, plants have acquired the ability to flower, ...

. Amasino discovered that

annual Annual may refer to: *Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year ** Yearbook ** Literary annual *Annual plant *Annual report *Annual giving *Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco *Annuals (band), ...

and

biennial Biennial means (an event) lasting for two years or occurring every two years. The related term biennium is used in reference to a period of two years. In particular, it can refer to: * Biennial plant, a plant which blooms in its second year and th ...

Brassicaceae—and in particular ''

Arabidopsis thaliana ''Arabidopsis thaliana'', the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small flowering plant native to Eurasia and Africa. ''A. thaliana'' is considered a weed; it is found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land. A winter a ...

''—will only flower after prolonged cold treatment by shutting off a gene called

Flowering Locus C Flowering Locus C (''FLC'') is a MADS-box gene that in late-flowering ecotypes of the plant '' Arabidopsis thaliana'' is responsible for vernalization. In a new seedling ''FLC'' is expressed, which prevents flowering. Upon exposure to cold, less ...

(FLC). Recently, his work has centered on vernalization responses in temperate grasses using

Brachypodium distachyon ''Brachypodium distachyon'', commonly called purple false brome or stiff brome, is a grass species native to southern Europe, northern Africa and southwestern Asia east to India. It is related to the major cereal grain species wheat, barley, oats ...

Honors and awards

*2018 Carlos O. Miller Professor of Biochemistry *2013 Hilldale Professorship *2011 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow *2009 Elected Fellow of the American Society of Plant Biologists *2008 Hildale Professorship *2006 Elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences *2006 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Teaching Professor *2003 Wisconsin Distinguished Professor Biochemistry, UW-Madison *1989-1994 Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation *1986 McKnight Foundation Individual Research Award in Plant Biology

References

External links

Hhmi.orgBiochem.wisc.edu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amasino, Richard American biochemists American geneticists Living people Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty 1956 births