Skip to main content
Skip to main content
Give      University of Florida

Dr. Harry J. Klee

Eminent Scholar and Professor Emeritus

Mailing Address:
Fifield Hall
2550 Hull Road
PO Box 110690
Gainesville, Florida 32611

E-mail: hjklee@ufl.edu

  • Areas of Research
    • Genetics and biochemistry of flavor
    • Tomato fruit development
  • Teaching Responsibilities
    • HOS 5306 – The Molecular Biology of Plant Hormones
  • Educational Background
    • Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of Massachusetts (1980)
    • B.S., Psychology, University of Massachusetts (1974)
  • Work Experience
    • 1995-       Eminent Scholar, Dickman Chair for Tomato Improvement, University of Florida, Dept. of Horticultural Sciences
    • 1992-95   Adjunct Professor, Washington University Dept. of Biology
    • 1992-95   Fellow, Monsanto Company
    • 1984-92   Senior Scientist, Monsanto Company
    • 1980-84   Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Eugene Nester, Dept. of Microbiology, University of Washington.
  • Professional Activities
    • President, American Society of Plant Biologists 2017
    • President-Elect, American Society of Plant Biologists 2016
    • Qiushi Chair Professor, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou China 2014
    • ASPB Early Career Award Committee member 2006-09
    • Editor-in-Chief, The Plant Journal 2002-2009
  • Honors and Awards
    • 2012        Elected Member, U.S. National Academy of Sciences
    • 2009        Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
    • 2008        Van Camp Becks Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Horticulture
    • 2001        Invited Professor Fellowship from Institut National Polytechnique Toulouse
  • Program Personnel
    • Denise Tieman, Research Assistant Professor
    • Mark Taylor
    • Dawn Bies

Selected Publications

AuthorsYearTitle / DescriptionPublication
Klee H, Tieman D.   2018 The genetics of fruit flavor preferences. Nature Reviews Genetics. doi:10.1038/s41576-018-0002-5.
Zhu G, Wang S, Huang Z, Zhang S, Liao Q, Zhang C, Lin T, Qin M, Peng M, Yang C, Cao X, Han X, Wang X, van der Knaap E, Zhang Z, Xia Cui X, Klee H, Fernie A, Luo J, Huang S.   2018 Rewiring of the fruit metabolome in tomato breeding. Cell, 172, 249–261.
Tieman D, Zhu G, Resende M, Lin T, Nguyen C, Bies D, Rambla JL, Ortiz Beltran K, Taylor M, Zhang B, Ikeda H, Liu Z, Fisher J, Zemach I, Monforte A, Zamir D, Granell A, Kirst M, Huang S, Klee H.  2017 A chemical genetic roadmap to improved tomato flavor. Science, 355: 391-394.
Zhang B, Tieman DM, Chen J, Xu Y, Chen K, Fei Z, Giovannoni J, Klee HJ.  2016 Loss of tomato flavor quality during chilling is associated with reduced expression of volatile biosynthetic genes and a transient alteration in DNA methylation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA, 113: 12580-12585.
Tieman DM, McIntyre L, Blandon-Ubeda A, Bies D, Odabasi A, Rodriguez G, van der Knaap E, Taylor M, Goulet C, Mageroy MH, Snyder D, Colquoun T, Moskowitz H, Sims C, Clark D, Bartoshuk L, Klee H.   2012 The chemical interactions underlying tomato flavor preferences. Current Biology 22:1-5.
Tieman D, Taylor M, Schauer N, Fernie AR, Hanson AD, Klee HJ.   2006 Aromatic amino acid decarboxylases participate in the synthesis of the flavor and aroma volatiles 2-phenylethanol and 2-phenylacetaldehyde in tomato fruits. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA. 103:8287-8292.
Goff SA, Klee HJ.  2006  Plant Volatile Compounds: Sensory Cues for Health and Nutritional Value? Science 311: 815-819.
Booker J, Auldridge M, Wills, S, McCarty D, Klee H, Leyser O.   2004  MAX3/CCD7 is a carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase required for synthesis of a novel plant signaling molecule. Current Biol. 14: 1232-1238.
Wilkinson J, Lanahan M, Yen H.-C, Giovannoni J, Klee H.   1995  An ethylene-inducible component of signal transduction encoded by Never ripe. Science 270:1807-1809.
Lanahan M, Yen H.-C, Giovannoni J, Klee H.  1994  The Never ripe mutation blocks ethylene perception in tomato. Plant Cell, 6:521-530.
Klee H, Hayford M, Kretzmer K. Barry G, Kishore G.   1991  Control of ethylene synthesis by expression of a bacterial ACC deaminase in transgenic tomato plants. Plant Cell 3:1187-1193.
Romano C. Hein M, Klee H.   1991  Inactivation of auxin in tobacco transformed with the indoleacetic acid-lysine synthetase gene of Pseudomonas savastanoi. Genes and Dev. 5:438-446.
Klee H. Horsch R, Hinchee M, Hein M, Hoffmann N.   1987  The effects of overproduction of two Agrobacterium tumefaciens T-DNA auxin biosynthetic gene products in transgenic petunia plants. Genes and Dev. 1: 86-96.
Shah D, Horsch R, Klee H, Kishore G. Tumer N, Hironaka C, Sanders P, Gasser C, Aykent S, Siegal N, Rogers S, Fraley R.  1986  Transfer of a chimeric gene encoding EPSP synthase to plant cells confers resistance to the herbicide glyphosate. Science 233: 478-481.