Donald R. McCarty
· ProfessorUniversity of Florida · Horticultural Sciences
Active 1982–2026
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About
Donald R. McCarty is a Professor in the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the University of Florida, where he is also a faculty member in the Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology Program. His research areas include comparative genomics, seed development, plant hormones, and carotenoid metabolism. Dr. McCarty holds a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin, earned in 1985, along with a Master's degree in Agronomy from the same university and a Bachelor's degree in Agronomy from Iowa State University. He has served as Associate Director of the University of Florida Genetics Institute since 2005 and has been a faculty member at UF since 1991, with prior roles including Assistant Professor and Associate Professor in the Department of Vegetable Crops. His professional contributions include leadership roles such as serving on the executive board of the UF Genetics Institute and being an Associate Director of the same institute. Dr. McCarty has been recognized with awards such as the UF Research Foundation Professor and the UF/IFAS Award of Excellence for Graduate Research. His work focuses on advancing understanding in plant genetics and molecular biology, contributing significantly to research and education in horticultural sciences.
Research topics
- Biology
- Genetics
- Evolutionary biology
- Biochemistry
- Cell biology
- Chemistry
- Endocrinology
- Computational biology
- Organic chemistry
- Botany
Selected publications
Chromosome-level genome assembly of a regenerable maize inbred line A188
Genome biology · 2021 · 83 citations
BACKGROUND: The maize inbred line A188 is an attractive model for elucidation of gene function and improvement due to its high embryogenic capacity and many contrasting traits to the first maize reference genome, B73, and other elite lines. The lack of a genome assembly of A188 limits its use as a model for functional studies. RESULTS: Here, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly of A188 using long reads and optical maps. Comparison of A188 with B73 using both whole-genome alignments and…
The number of catalytic cycles in an enzyme’s lifetime and why it matters to metabolic engineering
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · 2021 · 66 citations
). In all organisms, enzymes whose substrates, products, or mechanisms can attack reactive amino acid residues had significantly lower median CCR values than other enzymes. Taken with literature on mechanism-based inactivation, the latter finding supports the proposal that 1) random active-site damage by reaction chemistry is an important cause of enzyme failure, and 2) reactive noncatalytic residues in the active-site region are likely contributors to damage susceptibility. Enzyme engineering t…
The Plant Cell · 2022 · 62 citations
Maternal-to-filial nutrition transfer is central to grain development and yield. nitrate transporter 1/peptide transporter (NRT1-PTR)-type transporters typically transport nitrate, peptides, and ions. Here, we report the identification of a maize (Zea mays) NRT1-PTR-type transporter that transports sucrose and glucose. The activity of this sugar transporter, named Sucrose and Glucose Carrier 1 (SUGCAR1), was systematically verified by tracer-labeled sugar uptake and serial electrophysiological s…
Nucleic Acids Research · 2020 · 54 citations
Transposable elements (TEs) are ubiquitous DNA segments capable of moving from one site to another within host genomes. The extant distributions of TEs in eukaryotic genomes have been shaped by both bona fide TE integration preferences in eukaryotic genomes and by selection following integration. Here, we compare TE target site distribution in host genomes using multiple de novo transposon insertion datasets in both plants and animals and compare them in the context of genome-wide transcriptiona…
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY · 2020 · 46 citations
insertions provides an important resource for functional genetics studies of maize.
Recent grants
Functional Analysis of B3 Domain Transcription Factors
NSF · $390k · 2003–2007
Construction of Comprehensive Sequence Indexed Transposon Resources for Maize
NSF · $3.7M · 2007–2013
SGER -Towards a Comprehensive, Sequence-Indexed Functional Genomics Resource in Maize
NSF · $200k · 2005–2007
Frequent coauthors
- 47 shared
Karen E. Koch
University of Florida
- 34 shared
Masaharu Suzuki
University of Florida
- 24 shared
Charles T. Hunter
Agricultural Research Service
- 21 shared
Philip W. Becraft
Iowa State University
- 21 shared
Andrew D. Hanson
University of Florida
- 18 shared
Shan Wu
- 16 shared
José F. Gutièrrez‐Marcos
University of Warwick
- 16 shared
Pascual Pérez
Limagrain (France)
Education
- 1985
PhD, Biochemistry
University of Wisconsin Madison
- 1979
BS, Agronomy
Iowa State University
Awards & honors
- UF Research Foundation Professor (1997-1999)
- UF/IFAS 1998 Award of Excellence for Graduate Research
- UF Research Achievement Award (1992)
- Executive Board of the UF Genetics Institute, a campus wide…
- Associate Director, UF Genetics Institute (2005-present)
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