Ralph Dewey

About

Ralph Dewey is the Philip Morris Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at NC State University. His research focuses on the application of molecular biology techniques toward crop improvement. Current projects include reducing carcinogenic compounds in tobacco products, developing ultra-low nicotine tobaccos to assist smokers in quitting, and utilizing genome editing tools to modify the mitochondrial genome in plants. These efforts aim to develop novel hybrid seed production systems and create seedless fruit phenotypes. Dewey's work contributes to advancements in crop biotechnology with a particular emphasis on tobacco and related plant systems.

Research topics

• Biology
• Botany
• Computer Science
• Biochemistry
• Horticulture
• Pathology
• Computational biology
• Food science
• Cell biology
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Molecular genetics of alkaloid biosynthesis in Nicotiana tabacum

  Phytochemistry · 2013-08-16 · 183 citations

  review1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Transgenic and Mutation-Based Suppression of a Berberine Bridge Enzyme-Like (BBL) Gene Family Reduces Alkaloid Content in Field-Grown Tobacco

  PLoS ONE · 2015-02-17 · 54 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Motivation exists to develop tobacco cultivars with reduced nicotine content for the purpose of facilitating compliance with expected tobacco product regulations that could mandate the lowering of nicotine levels per se, or the reduction of carcinogenic alkaloid-derived tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). A berberine bridge enzyme-like (BBL) gene family was recently characterized for N. tabacum and found to catalyze one of the final steps in pyridine alkaloid synthesis for this species. Becau…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Expression of a constitutively active nitrate reductase variant in tobacco reduces tobacco‐specific nitrosamine accumulation in cured leaves and cigarette smoke

  Plant Biotechnology Journal · 2016-01-23 · 38 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior authorCorresponding

  Summary Burley tobaccos ( Nicotiana tabacum ) display a nitrogen‐use‐deficiency phenotype that is associated with the accumulation of high levels of nitrate within the leaf, a trait correlated with production of a class of compounds referred to as tobacco‐specific nitrosamines ( TSNA s). Two TSNA species, 4‐(methylnitrosamino)‐1‐(3‐pyridyl)‐1‐butanone ( NNK ) and N ‐nitrosonornicotine ( NNN ), have been shown to be strong carcinogens in numerous animal studies. We investigated the potential of m…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Overexpression of ubiquitin‐like <i>Lp<scp>HUB</scp>1</i> gene confers drought tolerance in perennial ryegrass

  Plant Biotechnology Journal · 2014-12-09 · 37 citations

  articleOpen access

  HUB1, also known as Ubl5, is a member of the subfamily of ubiquitin-like post-translational modifiers. HUB1 exerts its role by conjugating with protein targets. The function of this protein has not been studied in plants. A HUB1 gene, LpHUB1, was identified from serial analysis of gene expression data and cloned from perennial ryegrass. The expression of this gene was reported previously to be elevated in pastures during the summer and by drought stress in climate-controlled growth chambers. Her…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Genetic and Agronomic Analysis of Tobacco Genotypes Exhibiting Reduced Nicotine Accumulation Due to Induced Mutations in Berberine Bridge Like (BBL) Genes

  Frontiers in Plant Science · 2020 · 29 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  . The described genetic materials may be of value for the manufacture of cigarettes with reduced nicotine levels and for future studies to better understand the molecular biology of alkaloid accumulation in tobacco.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Joseph W. Burton

  Royal London Hospital

  13 shared

• Ramsey S. Lewis

  North Carolina State University

  11 shared

• Balazs Siminszky

  University of Kentucky

  10 shared

• C. S. Levings

  10 shared

• Richard F. Wilson

  9 shared

• D. H. Timothy

  University of Utah

  8 shared

• William P. Novitzky

  8 shared

• Andrea J. Cardinal

  Syngenta (United States)

  8 shared

Labs

• Dewey LabPI

Education

• PhD, Crop Science

  North Carolina State University

  1987

• MS, Crop Science

  North Carolina State University

  1985

• BS, Biology

  Utah State University

  1982

Similar researchers at North Carolina State University

• Alan Franzluebbersh-79
• Gina Brown-Guedirah-51
• Owen Duckworthh-37