Current position
Visiting Fellow
Research interests
My scientific interests are in the molecular analysis of plant-microbe
interactions, particularly those involving Rhizobium bacteria
because of its importance to symbiotic nitrogen fixation, but
also endophytic bacteria because both these groups of organisms
can also serve as model systems for plant pathology. I have focussed
my research program on one of the most crucial unanswered questions
of plant biology, namely, how do plants perceive and then restrict
infection by micro-organisms. A central aim of my research has
been to determine the chemical cues and signals used in these
recognition and containment processes. My group has initiated
the description of the molecular basis of this intercellular communication
between plants and their associated microbes. As part of this
program we have examined the phenomenon of host specificity in
Rhizobium bacteria and its possible extension to non-leguminous
plants such as rice and wheat.
My current research program consists of several inter-related
but distinct sections: a section on the molecular biology of Rhizobium/legume
interactions and a section on endophytic bacteria/rice plant associations.
The program involves three integrated research project areas.
The Rhizobium molecular biology section, which has been
historically the major component of my group, underpins the plant
molecular biology section because it provides a range of biological
probes (strains, plasmids, recombinant DNA constructions, specific
mutants and distinct, purified oligosaccharides isolated from
several Rhizobium sp.). The availability of these probes
has enabled the group to investigate the molecular responses produced
by legumes and rice plants during microbial invasion/association.
The third section of our program is the development of the 2-Dimensional
gel electrophoresis technology for Proteome analysis and its application
to various biological systems such as, Rhizobium bacteria,
different plant tissues and Wallaby brain tissues.
Selected Publications
Redmond JW, Batley M, Djordjevic MA, Innes RW, Kuempel PL, Rolfe
BG (1986) "Flavones induce expression of nodulation genes
in Rhizobium". Nature 323: 632- 636.
Rolfe BG, McIver J (1996) "Single leaf plantlet bioassays
for the study of root morphogenesis and Rhizobium-legume
nodulation". Australian Journal of Plant Physiology 23: 271-283.
Mathesius U, Schlaman HRM, Spaink HP, Sautter C, Rolfe BG, and
Djordjevic MA ( 1998) "Auxin transport inhibition precedes
root nodule formation in white clover roots and is regulated by
flavonoids and derivatives of chitin oligosaccharides". The
Plant Journal 14: 23-43.
Mathesius U, Bayliss C, Weinman JJ, Schlaman HRM, Spaink HP,
Sautter C, Rolfe BG, McCully ME, Djordjevic MA (1998) "Flavonoids
synthesized in cortical cells during nodule initiation are early
developmental markers in white clover". Molecular Plant-Microbe
Interactions 11: 1223-1232.
Chen H, Higgins J, Oresnik IJ, Hynes MF, Natera S, Djordjevic
MA, Weinman JJ, Rolfe, BG (2000) "Proteome analysis demonstrates
complex replicon and luteolin interactions in pSyma-cured derivatives
of Sinorhizobium meliloti strain 2011". Electrophoresis
21: 3833-3842.
Mathesius U, Keijzer, G, Natera, SHA, Weinman JJ, Djordjevic
MA, Rolfe, BG (2001) "Establishment of a root proteome reference
map for the model legume Medicago truncatula using the
expressed sequence tag database for peptide mass fingerprinting".
Proteomics 1: 1424-1440.
Further Publications (PDF file)
Metabolomic
studies of model legume Medicago truncatula (PDF file)
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