Current position
Professor
Research interests
Physiology and biochemistry
of plants, Analysis of photosynthesis and stomatal physiology
by genetic manipulation, Mathematical modeling of photosynthetic
processes, Stable isotope fractionations in plants.
Studies on photosynthesis
and plant growth
We are using antisense
RNA suppression of nuclear genes to repress the levels of certain
enzymes of the photosynthetic carbon metabolism in tobacco. Biochemical
and physiological analysis of the consequences of such specific
changes has allowed us to test our understanding of the regulation
of photosynthesis. We are using the same techniques in the C4
species Flaveria bidentis to the study the regulation of C4
photosynthesis and are currently examining transgenic F. bidentis
plants with reduced amounts of Carbonic anhydrase and F. bidentis
with reduced amounts of Rubisco activase. Our studies are underpinned
by mathematical modeling of the biochemistry of C3 and C4
photosynthesis.
Studies on stomatal
physiology
Stomata regulate the
fluxes of CO2 and water to and from the
plant and determine how plants survive dry conditions. Although
much physiological data is available on how stomata respond to
environmental changes in light, CO2, and
humidity, mechanisms are poorly understood. Currently we are using
stomatal specific promoters to target enzymes of the carbon metabolism
in the guard cells through antisense constructs. The aim is to
get a better understanding of the physiology of stomatal movement
with the longer term aim of manipulating stomatal conductance.
Collaborators:
Prof
MR Badger (ANU), Dr Jan Conroy (UWS), Dr
JR Evans (ANU), Prof GD Farquhar
(ANU), DR TR Furbank (CSIRO), Dr Oula Ghannoum(ANU), DR K Oxborough
(Essex University UK), Prof C Raines (Essex University UK), Prof
TD Sharkey (Wisconsin University USA), Dr
Spencer Whitney (ANU)Dr
D Price (ANU)
Selected Publications
Husain S, von Caemmerer
S, Munns R (2004) Control of salt transport form roots to shoots
of wheat in saline soil. Functional Plant Biology, 31, 1115-1126.
Ghannoum O, Evans JR,
Chow Wah Soon, Andrews TJ, Con roy PJ , von Caemmerer
S , (2005) Faster Rubisco is the key to superior nitrogen-use
efficiency in NADP-malic enzyme relative to NAD-malic enzyme C4
grasses. Plant Physiology 137, 638-650.
von Caemmerer S, Hendrickson
L , Quinn V, Vella N, Millgate AG, Furbank RT (2005) Reductions
of Rubisco activase by antisense RNA in the C4
plant Flaveria bidentis reduces Rubisco carbamylation
and leaf photosynthesis. Plant Physiology 137, 747-755.
Kubien DS, von Caemmerer
S, Furbank RT, Sage F (2003) C4 photosynthesis
at low temperature: a study using transgenic plants with reduced
amounts of Rubisco Plant Physiology ( in press).
von Caemmerer, S, (2003) Invited opinion: C4 photosynthesis
in a single C3 cell is theoretically inefficient
but may ameliorate internal CO2diffusion limitations
of C3 leaves. Plant Cell & Environment
(in press).
von Caemmerer S, Furbank RT, (2003) The C4
pathway: An efficient C4 pump (invited mini
review) Photosynthesis Research (in press)
Siebke K, Ghannoum O, Conroy PJ, von Caemmerer S (2002) Elevated
CO2increases the leaf temperature of two glasshouse
grown C4 grasses. (Functional Plant Biology,
29,1377-1385)
James RA, Rivelli RA, Munns R, von Caemmerer S (2002) Physiology
of salt tolerance in durum wheat: Identifying factors affecting
leaf injury and CO2 assimnilation. (Functional
Plant Biology, 29, 1393-1403)
Bernacchi, CJ, Portis A.R. Nakano H. von Caemmerer S and SP Long
(2002) Temperature response of mesophyll conductance; implications
for the determination of Rubisco enzyme kinetics and limitations
to photosynthesis in vivo. (Plant Physiology, 130, 1992-1998)
Ghannoum O, von Caemmerer S, Conroy PJ (2002) The effect of drought
on plant water use efficiency of nine NAD-ME and nine NADP-ME Australian
C4 grasses. (Functional Plant Biology, 29,
1337-1348)
Ghannoum O, von Caemmerer S, Conroy PJ (2001) Plant water use efficiency
of 17 Australian NAD-ME and NADP-ME C4 grasses
at ambient and elevated CO2 partial pressure.
Aust. J. Plant Physiol, 28: 1207-1217
von Caemmerer S, Ghannoum O, Conroy PJ, Clark H, Newton PCD (2001)
Photosynthetic responses of temperate species to free air CO2
enrichment (FACE) in a grazed New Zealand pasture. Aust. J. Plant
Physiol, 28: 439-450
Sharkey TD, Badger MR, von Caemmerer, Andrews TJ (2001) Increased
heat sensitivity of photosynthesis in tobacco plants with reduced
Rubisco activase. Photosynthesis Research 67: 147-156
Farquhar GD, von Caemmerer S, Berry JA (2001) Models of photosynthesis.
Plant Physiol 125, 42-45
Ghannoum O, von Caemmerer S, Ziska LH, Conroy JP (2000) The growth
response of C4 plants to rising atmospheric
CO2 partial pressure: a reassessment. Plant
Cell and Environment 23, 931-942.
Ruuska SA, von Caemmerer S, Badger MR, Andrews TJ, Price GD Robinson
SA (2000) The xanthophyll cycle light energy dissipation and electron
transport in transgenic tobacco with carbon assimilation capacity
Aust. J Plant Physiol 27,289-300.
Ruuska SA, Andrews TJ, Badger MR, Price GD, von Caemmerer S (2000)
The role of chloroplast electrontransport and metabolites in modulating
Rubisco activity in Tobacco: Insights from transgenic plants with
reduced amounts of cytochrome bf complex or glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate
dehydrogenase. Plant Physiol. 122, 491-504.
Ruuska SA, Badger MR, Andrews TJ, von Caemmerer S (2000) Photosynthetic
electron sinks in transgenic tobacco with reduced amounts of Rubisco:
Little evidence for significant Mehler reaction. J. Exp. Bot. 51,
357-368.
von Caemmerer, S (2000) Biochemical models of photosynthesis. Techniques
in Plant Sciences, No.2 CSIRO Publishing, Australia
von Caemmerer S and Quick P (2000) Rubisco: physiology in vivo.
In: Advances in photosynthesis “Photosynthesis: Physiology
and Metabolism (ed RC Leegood, TD Sharkey, and S von Caemmerer)
Kulwer Academic Publishers Dorecht, Boston, London) , p 86-107.
von Caemmerer S and Furbank RT (1999) The modelling of C4
photosynthesis. In: The biology of C4 photosynthesis
(ed, R Sage ). Academic Press, p169-207.
Ludwig M, von Caemmerer S, Price GD, Badger MR, Furbank RT, (1998)
Expression of tobacco carbonic anydrase in the C4
dicot Flaveria bidentis leads to increased leakiness of the bundle
sheath and a defective CO2 concentrating mechanism.
Plant Physiol 117: 1071-1081
von Caemmerer S, Millgate A, Farquhar GD, Furbank RT (1997) Reduction
of Rubisco by antisense RNA in the C4 plant
Flaveria bidentis leads to reduced assimilation rates and increased
carbon isotope discrimination. Plant Physiol 113, 469-477.
Siebke K, von Caemmerer, S, Badger, MR, Furbank, RT, (1997) Expressing
an RBcS antisense gene in transgenic Flaveria bidentis leads to
an increased quantum requirement per CO2 fixed
in photosystem I and II. Plant Physiol 115:1163-1174.
Maxwell, K, von Caemmerer S, Evans, JR, (1997) Is a low internal
conductance to CO2 diffusion a consequence
of succulence in plants with crassulacean acid metabolism. Aust.
J. Plant Physiol 24:,777-786
Mate CJ, von Caemmerer S, Evans JR, Hudson G S, Andrews TJ (1996)
The relationship between CO2 assimilation
rate, Rubisco carbamylation and Rubisco activase content in activase-deficient
transgenic tobacco suggests a simple model of activase action. Planta
198: 604-613.
Evans, JR, von Caemmerer, S (1996) CO2 diffusion
inside leaves. Plant Physiol 110: 339-346.
von Caemmerer, S, Evans,
J. R., Hudson G.S., Andrews, T.J.(1994). The kinetics of ribulose-1,5,bisphosphate
carboxylase/oxygenase in vivo inferred from measurements of photosynthesis
in leaves of transgenic tobacco. Planta 195,88-97
Return
to Molecular Plant Physiology Group
Back
to top
|
