The Moorhead Lab

Studying cell signalling events controlled by protein phosphorylation in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Greg Moorhead

I completed my Bachelor of Science at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario before completing a PhD with Dr. Bill Plaxton (Queen's) in Plant Biochemistry. After graduation, I began my post-doctoral studies under the guidance of Sir Philip Cohen at the University of Dundee (Dundee, Scotland) where I studied mammalian protein phosphatases. I then worked with Dr. Carol MacKintosh (University of Dundee) on plant nitrate reductase and 14-3-3 proteins. 

I joined the department of Biological Sciences biochemistry group at the University of Calgary in 1998. My current research looks into signalling pathways regulated by protein kinases and protein phosphatases in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

  • BCEM 411 - Biochemistry Lab Techniques I
  • BCEM 547 -  Signal Transduction and Regulation of Metabolism
  • BCEM 561 - Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology
  1. Lab location

    Biological Sciences 144 (BI 144)

  2. Email

    moorhead@ucalgary.ca

Dr. Greg Moorhead, Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Ab.

Professor, Biological Sciences - Biochemistry

Eukaryotic-like Phosphoprotein Phosphatase (PPP) enzyme evolution: interactions with environmental toxins and regulatory proteins.

David Kerk, Chris White-Gloria, Jayde J. Johnson, and Greg B.G. Moorhead (2023) Bioscience Reports 43 BSR20230378

Peroxisomal protein phosphatase PP2A-B’ theta interacts with and piggybacks SINA-like 10 E3 ligase into peroxisomes.

Amr Kataya, Sierra Mitchell, Rasha Etman, Marcus Samuel, and Greg B Moorhead (2023) Biochem. Biophys. Research Comm. 644: 34-39.

Identification of Arabidopsis Protein Kinases That Harbor Functional Type 1 Peroxisomal Targeting Signals.

Amr Kataya, Nitija Gautam, Muhammad Jamshed, Douglas G. Muench, Marcus A. Samuel, Jay J. Thelen, and Greg B. Moorhead (2022) Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 10:745883.

Activity-based profiling of endogenous Phosphoprotein Phosphatases by mass spectrometry.

Brooke L. Brauer, Kwame Wiredu, Scott A. Gerber, Sierra Mitchell, Greg B Moorhead and Arminja N. Kettenbach (2021) Nature Protocols, 16: 4919–4943.

The origin and radiation of the phosphoprotein phosphatase (PPP) sequences of Eukaryotes.

David Kerk, Jordan F. Mattice, Mario Valdez Trescano, Sergei Noskov, Kenneth K.-S. Ng, and Greg B.G. Moorhead (2021) Scientific Reports, 11:13681.

Use of mitotic protein kinase inhibitors and phospho-specific antibodies to monitor protein phosphorylation during the cell cycle.

Isha Nasa, Greg B. Moorhead and Arminja N. Kettenbach (2021) Cell Cycle Oscillators 2nd Ed., Methods in Molecular Biology Vol. 2329, 205-221.

Origin of the Phosphoprotein Phosphatase (PPP) sequence family in Bacteria: critical ancestral sequence changes, radiation patterns and substrate binding features.

David Kerk, Mario E. Valdés-Tresanco, Ryan Toth, Sergei Y. Noskov, Kenneth K.S. Ng, and Greg Moorhead (2021)   Biochem Biophys Acta. DOI 10.1016/j.bbadva.2021.100005

GL2 expression modulator, a plant specific protein phosphatase one interactor that binds phosphoinositides.

Templeton GW, Johnson JJ, Sieben NA, Moorhead GB. (2020) Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 528: 607-611.

LIKE SEX4 1 Acts as a β-Amylase-Binding Scaffold on Starch Granules during Starch Degradation.

Schreier TB, Umhang M, Lee SK, Lue WL, Shen Z, Silver D, Graf A, Müller A, Eicke S, Stadler-Waibel M, Seung D, Bischof S, Briggs SP, Kötting O, Moorhead GBG, Chen J, Zeeman SC. (2019) Plant Cell. 31: 2169–2186.

A Framework to Investigate Peroxisomal Protein Phosphorylation in Arabidopsis.

Kataya ARA, Muench DG, Moorhead GB. (2019) Trends Plant Sci. Apr;24(4):366-381.

A Quantitative Chemical Proteomic Strategy for Profiling Phosphoprotein Phosphatases from Yeast to Humans.

Lyons SP, Jenkins NP, Nasa I, Choy MS, Adamo ME, Page R, Peti W, Moorhead GB, Kettenbach AN. Mol Cell Proteomics. 2018 Dec;17(12):2448-2461.

 

 

 


Jayde Johnson Graduate Student

Jayde Johnson - PhD Candidate

I completed my undergraduate degree here at the University of Calgary earning a BSc (Honours) in Biochemistry. My research career began with an undergraduate 530 project supervised by Dr. Moorhead where I focused on purifying the protein phosphatase Shewanella-like protein phosphatase 1 (SLP1). My graduate project now focuses on how SLP1 is regulated in the chloroplast of Arabidopsis thaliana. When I am not in the lab you can probably find me playing baseball or volleyball. I also enjoy outdoor activities like hiking, camping, and snowshoeing.

Chris White-Gloria -Graduate Student

Chris White-Gloria - PhD Candidate

After completing a BSc (Biochemistry) at UCalgary in 2018, I started graduate studies in the Moorhead lab. I boarded the SLP1 project, specifically looking at the protein phosphatase's many putative substrates in the chloroplast. Chloroplast metabolism and its regulation by post-translational modifications has since fascinated me. Beyond lab activities, I enjoy running and Seniore's pizza. 

Dilawar Niazi - Graduate Student

Dilawar Niazi - MSc Student

I grew up in Pakistan and immigrated to Canada when I was 11. I did my undergraduate degree - BSc (honours) at UCalgary. In my final year I completed a 530 research project under Dr. Constance Finney (Immunologist). I studied host-parasite interactions using stem cell-derived organoids and the model murine helminth parasite - Heligmosomoides polygyrus. Wanting to pursue research further, I joined the Moorhead lab and began working on a chloroplast protein complex (the plastid ACCase) that catalyzes the rate limited step in plastid fatty acid biosynthesis. So far, I love what I'm doing! : )

 

Lana Wong

Lana Wong- MSc Student

I am currently a Master's student.

Current Students:

Ashley McGibbon

Sandra Tran

Sierra Mitchell - M.Sc.

Amr Kataya - Research Assoc.

Kristijan Kovac - Undergraduate

Danielle Maundy - Undergraduate

Kyle Harris - Undergraduate

David Kerk - Research Assoc.

Jordan Mattice - M.Sc.

Abigail Kiddle - Undergraduate

Ryan Toth - M.Sc.

Ryan Grewal - Undergraduate

Jordan La - Undergraduate

Sibapriya Chaudhuri - Doctoral

Parker La - Undergraduate

Kayla Marritt - Undergraduate

Kaitlin Chan - Undergraduate

Paige Grant - Undergraduate

Ryan Toth - M.Sc.

Sharon Dong - Undergraduate

Houda El Sidawi - Undergraduate

Viviana Heather - Undergraduate

Shan Wang - Undergraduate

Tejinder Gill - Undergraduate

Guneet Khosa - Undergraduate

Brooke Rackel - M.Sc.

Aminah Farzana - Undergraduate

Ahmad Vahab - M.Sc.

Sibapriya Chaudhuri - Ph.D

Lay Yin Tang - PDF

Drishti Mannan - Undergraduate

Nicolas Sieben - M.Sc.

Arshpreet Deol - Undergraduate

AM Labandera - Ph.D

Simon Hasan - Undergraduate

Matt Patterson - Undergraduate

Keaton Colville - Undergraduate

Sarvan Kumar - Undergraduate

David Lloyd - M.Sc.

Isha Nasa - Ph.D

Scott Corbett - Undergraduate

Brendan Bakos - Undergraduate

Arsalan Pervaiz - Undergraduate

Rolaine Bu - Undergraduate

Tuyen Dao - Undergraduate

Nick Bandy - Undergraduate

Tyler O'Bryan - Undergraduate

Dylan Silver - Ph.D

Nick Bandy - Undergraduate

Matt Banasch - Undergraduate

Glen Uhrig - Ph.D

Veerle Dewever - PDF

Mark Bazett - Undergraduate

Cory Waller - Undergraduate

Oyefiade Adeoye - Undergraduate

Hui Xu - Technician

Elizabeth Nguyen - Undergraduate

Wendy Lyzenga - Undergraduate

Susan Wrobel - Undergraduate

Bhavneet Kahlon - Undergraduate

Tianjun Sun - Undergraduate

Harbir Gill - Undergraduate

Mhairi Nimick - Technician

Shawn Keating - Undergraduate

Michael Tang - Undergraduate

Tony Ferrar - M.Sc.

Yan Chen - M.Sc.

George Templeton - Ph.D

Richard Suri - Undergraduate

Christine Johannes - Undergraduate

Hong Tran - Undergraduate

Rahela Malik - Undergraduate

Chris Armstrong - Undergraduate

Mona Patel - Undergraduate

Annegret Ulke-Lemée - Ph.D

Trevor Trinh - Undergraduate

Dave Bridges - Ph.D

Hue Tran - M.Sc.

Ha Nv - Undergraduate

Mike Stubbs - Undergraduate

Natalie Rezansoff - Undergraduate

Adrian Atwell - Undergraduate

Catherine Smith - M.Sc.

Jacqueline Pearce - Undergraduate

Gideon Choi - Undergraduate