Professor
Curie Hall 0247
Box 6931, Radford University
Radford, VA 24142-6939, U.S.A.
Tel:(540) 831-3560 Fax:(540) 831-6615
E-mail: gcote@radford.edu
Courses Taught:
- BIOL 104 - Human Biology
- BIOL 105 - Concepts of Biology
- BIOL 222 - Cell Biology
About:
I am trained as a biochemist/cell biologist. Currently my research interests focus on plant cells that produce crystals of calcium oxalate. I am particularly interested in plants of the Arum family, and do most of my work on the common -- and poisonous -- houseplant, Dieffenbachia. This plant, and some of its aroid relatives has crystals that can be actively shot out of the cell, presumably into the mouth tissues of anything eating it. A picture of one of these ballistic cells is shown to the right, taken under polarization microscopy. Note the nipples at either end where the cell wall is weak and can be ruptured to allow crystals to be shot out. I am interested in what role these cells play in the plant's life, how the cells develop, what controls their development, and how they differ, at the cellular and molecular level, from other cells.
