
W. Ronald Mills, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Chemistry,
College of Science and Engineering
Contact number: 281-283-3773
Email: mills@uhcl.edu
Office: B3531-1
Publications
Published Papers and Chapters
Mills, W. R., and B. P. Stone. 1973. Resensitization to gibberellin of grand rapids
lettuce seeds treated with continuous far red light. J. Tenn. Acad. Sci. 48: 51-52.
Mills, W. R., and K. G. Wilson. 1978. Effects of lysine, threonine, and methionine
on light-driven protein synthesis in isolated pea (Pisum sativum L.) chloroplasts.
Planta 142: 153-160.
Mills, W. R., and K. G. Wilson. 1978. Amino acid biosynthesis in isolated pea chloroplasts:
metabolism of labeled aspartate and sulfate. FEBS Lett. 92: 129-132.
Lea, P. J., W. R. Mills, and B. J. Miflin. 1979. The isolation of a lysine sensitive
aspartate kinase from pea leaves and its involvement in homoserine biosynthesis in
isolated chloroplasts. FEBS Lett. 98: 165- 168.
Whanbaeck-Spencer, R., W. R. Mills, R. R. Henke, E. L. Burdge, and K. G. Wilson. 1979.
Itracellular localization of aspartate kinase in spinach (Spinacea oleracea). FEBS
Lett. 104: 303-308.
Kirkman, M. A., M. M. Burrell, P. J. Lea, and W. R. Mills. 1980. Identification and
measurement of homoserine by gas-liquid chromatography. Anal. Biochem. 101: 364-368.
Mills, W. R., and K. W. Joy. 1980. A rapid method for isolation of purified physiologically
active chloroplasts, used to study the intracellular distribution of amino acids in
pea leaves. Planta 148: 75-83.
Mills, W. R., P. J. Lea, and B. J. Miflin. 1980. Photosynthetic formation of the aspartate
family of amino acids in isolated chloroplasts. Plant Physiol. 65: 1166-1172.
Miflin, B. J., P. J. Lea, W. R. Mills, J. K. Sainis, R. M. Wallsgrove, and M. Mazelis.
1981. Amino acid biosynthesis in chloroplasts. In: Photosynthesis, Vol. IV. Regulation
of chloroplast metabolism. G. Akoyunoglu, ed. 731-740, Balaban International Science
Service, Philadelphia, Pa.
Lea, P. J., W. R. Mills, R. M. Wallsgrove, and B. J. Miflin. 1982. The assimilation
of itrogen and the synthesis of amino acids in chloroplasts and blue-green bacteria.
In: The origins of the chloroplast. J. A. Schiff and R. Y. Stanier, eds., pp. 149-170,
Elsevier, New York.
Mills, W. R., and B. J. Baumgartner. 1983. Light-driven DNA biosynthesis in isolated
pea chloroplasts. FEBS Lett. 163: 124-127.
Kasschau, M. R., C. M. Skisak, J. P. Cook, and W. R. Mills. 1984. ß- alanine metabolism
and high salinity stress in the sea anemone, Bunodosoma cavernata. J. Comp. Physiol.
B. 154: 181-186.
Mills, W. R., B. J. Baumgartner, and R. E. Tipton. 1984. DNA biosynthesis in intact,
isolated chloroplasts. In: Genetic manipulation in plants and its application to agriculture.
G. R. Stewart and P. J. Lea, eds., pp. 286-287, Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Joy, K. W., and W. R. Mills. 1987. Purification of chloroplasts using silica-sols.
In: Methods in Enzymology, L. Packer and R. Douce, eds., Vol. 148, 179-188, Academic
Press, Inc., San Diego, California.
Mills, W. R. 1987. Synthesis of branched chain amino acids. In D. W. Newmann and K.
G. Wilson, eds., Models in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, CRC Press, Inc., pp.
28-32, Boca Raton, Florida.
Mills, W. R., and B. J. Baumgartner. 1987. DNA biosynthesis in chloroplasts and its
regulation: Studies on isolated chloroplasts and chloroplast extracts. Progress in
Photosynthesis Research. 4, 683- 686.
Mills, W. R., and K. G. Wilson. 1987. Synthesis of aspartate-family amino acids. In
D. W. Newmann and K. G. Wilson, eds., Models in Plant Physiology and Biochemistry,
pp. 19-24, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Florida.
Baumgartner, B. J., and W. R. Mills. 1988. DNA synthesis in chloroplasts. I. Characterization
of and developmental variation in both light- and ATP-driven thymidine incorporation
by isolated intact chloroplasts. J. Exp. Bot. 39, 1481-1494.
Baumgartner, B. J., S. P. Riley, M. R. Kasschau, and W. R. Mills. 1988. DNA synthesis
in chloroplasts. II. Developmental variation in TTP incorporation into DNA by plastid
extracts. J. Exp. Bot. 39, 1495-1504.
Mills, W. R., and B. J. Baumgartner. 1988. DNA synthesis in isolated chloroplasts.
In: S. A. Boffey and D. Lloyd, eds., Division and Segregation of Organelles, pp. 211-230,
Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England.
Mills, W. R., M. Reeves, D. L. Fowler and S. F. Capo. 1989. DNA synthesis in chloroplasts.
III. The DNA gyrase inhibitors nalidixic acid and novobiocin inhibit both thymidine
incorporation into DNA and photosynthetic oxygen evolution in isolated chloroplasts.
J. Exp. Bot. 40: 425-430.
Mills, W. R., S. F. Capo, S. A. Bergh, and C. B. Lassiter. 1990. Developmental variation
in aspartate-family amino acid biosynthesis by isolated chloroplasts. In: M. Baltscheffsky,
ed., Current Research in Photosynthesis. Vol. IV, pp. 271-274, Kluwer Academic Publishers,
Netherlands.
Mills, W. R., B. W. Stephens, and M., Reeves. 1993. Regulation of aspartate-family
amino acid biosynthesis: studies using isolated pea chloroplasts. In: N. Murata, ed.,
Research in Photosynthesis. Vol IV., pp. 55-58, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands
.
Published Abstracts
Thirty presentations or published abstracts since 1979.
Research Projects
- Plant biochemistry
- Ecotilling and plant genomics
Awards and Accomplishments
- President's Distinguished Research Award, 1990, University of Houston-Clear Lake
- Bye Fellowship, 1986-87, Robinson College in the University of Cambridge
- Phi Kappa Phi, 1986, University of Houston-Clear Lake Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award, 1984, University of Houston-Clear Lake
- Institute of Biochemistry Fellowship, 1979, Carleton University Piper Award for Teaching Excellence, 1983, University of Houston- Clear Lake
- NSF-NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship, 1977-78, Rothamsted Experimental Station
- Dissertation Fellowship, 1976-77, Miami University