Student Opportunities
As a team, we take an integrated approach to plant biology using
a wide range of techniques including genetics, molecular biology,
biochemistry, proteomics, cell biology and bioinformatics.
We use two interacting well characterised model organisms - the
legume Medicago truncatula and the soil bacteria Sinorhizobium
meliloti - to enable the role of specific genes,
gene products and signalling molecules regulating growth and development
to be assessed.
Our current focus is on the nodule meristem formed on legume
roots by Rhizobium infection. One of our aims is to isolate
and characterise novel peptide signal molecules which may act
as regulators of proliferating meristemic cells and their differentiation.
Knowledge of these peptide signals and the control of meristem
communication is the key to manipulating plants for adaption to
the Australian environment and for the production of specialty
chemicals valuable for human health.
Current Research
Control of Meristem Differentiation and Plant Architecture in
Legumes
We are a major node of the Australian
Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research, an ongoing research collaboration
investigating organogenesis and the control of plant architecture
in two model legumes (Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus)
using nodule formation, lateral root formation, flower development
and tissue culture systems.
One of the objectives is to understand how to control meristem
differentiation and plant architecture. Meristem control is the
key to manipulating legumes for adaptation to the Australian environment
and for the production of specialty chemicals produced only in
particular plant organs.
The second objective is to isolate and characterise novel chemical
signal molecules involved in communication between the different
meristem centres of the plant. These chemical signal molecules
could involve primary and secondary metabolites or regulatory
peptides that may have potential value for human health.
The third objective is to undertake a systematic systems biology
analysis of the model legumes describing the interacting gene
networks and key metabolic pathways. This will facilitate the
identification of IP for use in crop legumes (e.g. soybean and
peas) and other plants.
Molecular stimuli of bacteria triggering plant root gene expression
We are studying the effects of growth-promoting
and -inhibiting compounds from soil and microorganisms on root
development. We are investigating how the different external signals
to roots are "translated" by the plant into its development
and increasing our understanding of how the plasticity of root
development is modulated in response to constantly changing environmental
factors.
Bioinformatics
Section
We are developing bioinformatics infrastructures and analysing experimental data towards an integrative vision of the Legume system biology. Current studies include the prediction of non-coding RNA and microRNA and the development of methods for analysing and visualising gene expression using microarray and proteomic data.
Publicly available resources can be found by following this link.
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People and Contacts
| Buer, Charles |
Postdoctoral Fellow |
| +61 2 6125 3087
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| Chen, Hancai |
Research Officer |
| +61 2 6125 7205
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| Djordjevic, Michael |
Group Leader |
| +61 2 6125 3088
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| DuFall, Lauren |
Honours Student |
| +61 2 6125 7179
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| Eyles, Rodney |
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| +61 2 6125 5077
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| Frickey, Tancred |
Postdoctoral Fellow |
| +61 2 6125 7923
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| Goffard, Nicolas |
Visiting Fellow |
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| Hapel, Andrew |
Visiting Fellow |
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| Hocart, Charles |
Research Officer |
| +61 2 6125 5071
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| Holmes, Peta |
PhD Student |
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| Imin, Nijat |
Research Fellow |
| +61 2 6125 5099
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| James, Gabriel |
PhD Student |
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| Kuran, Kathryn |
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| Kusumawati, Lucia |
PhD Student |
| +61 4 3265 1517
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| Naora, Hiroto |
Visiting Fellow |
| +61 2 6288 2362
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| Oakes, Marie |
Senior Technical Officer |
| +61 2 6125 3088
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| Rolfe, Barry |
Visiting Fellow (Group Leader) |
| +61 2 6125 5085
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| Saur, Isabel |
Visiting Scholar |
| +61 2 6125 3087
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| Schultz, Nikki |
Research Assistant |
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| Steele, Ted |
Visiting Fellow |
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| Weiller, Georg |
Fellow |
| +61 2 6125 5916
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| Weinman, Jeremy |
Research Officer |
| +61 2 6125 7942
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| Wen, Jiayu |
Visiting Fellow |
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| Wilks, Ann |
School Visitor |
| +61 2 6125 0421
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| Yang, Huiming |
Honours Student |
| +61 4 3145 2281
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Products and Services
Technologies available
Transcriptomics: microarray (Affymetrix).
Proteomics, Metabolomics and Glycomics: 2D-gel electrophoresis, multi-chamber electrophoresis
instrument
(proteome Systems IsoelectrlQ), MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer (Bruker
OmniFlex), LCQ Deca XP Plus (Thermo), QToF2 MS (Micromass), Polaris Q GC/MS (Thermo), two Shimadzu HPLC (diode array UV/Vis fluorescence & evaporative light scattering detectors), Hewlett Packard 1090M HPLC (photodiode array and fluorescence
detectors), Fisons MD800
GC/MS.
Bioinformatics: Various software packages to visualise
2D-gels (Melanie), process data (in-house and commercial programs),
and search both public and private data bases for identity (Mascot).
Molecular and Cell Biology: standard array of techniques
for molecular biology and cell biology, including direct and indirect
access to plant and microbial strains, transformants and mutants.
Online products
Plant databases
Two-Dimensional
Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis Database
View protein information for Oryza sativa cultivar Doongara
anther tissue and Medicago truncatula root
Software for molecular sequence analysis
DIPLOMO
- DIstance PLOt MOnitor:
Analyze evolutionary trends graphically by creating and analyzing
distance plots (scatter plots of pairwise taxa distances using
different distance measures).
TreDis:
Create a patristic distance matrix from a tree
PhylPro:
Phylogenetic Profile methods for detecting genetic recombination
TransAlign:
Align nucleotide sequence according to their encoded amino-acids
RAPDistance
Software
for the analysis of RAPD's and RFLPs
GPRIME
PCR primer
design software tool
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Links
Commercial Linkages: Australian Proteome Analysis
Facility (peptide mass finger printing, mass spectrometry), the Australian
Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Legume Research.
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