| Citation | Professor Chua is distinguished for his many original contributions to plant cell and developmental biology. He discovered the D2 protein and other chlorophyll-protein complexes and related to the photosystem II reaction center. With others he demonstrated that the small subunit of Rubisco is synthesized as a precursor on free cyctoplasmic ribosomes and uncovered many of the details of its subsequent transport into the chloroplast. He has demonstrated the organ-specific expression of the various members of the RBCS gene family, as well as the light-regulated expression of one of these genes in transformed petunia calli. His laboratory has defined cis-acting sequence elements and enhancer-like sequences responsible for the phytochrome-response and organ-specific expression in transgenic plants. His current work on the control of gene expression in transgenic plants is laying the groundwork for new advances in plant breeding. Chua serves as scientific advisor to the governments of Singapore and Malaysia. |