The Groups > Professor Christina Offler
 

Associate Professor Christina (Tina) Offler
Associate Professor
Biological Sciences
School of Environmental and Life Sciences
Biological Sciences Building
Faculty of Science and Information Technology
The University of Newcastle
Callaghan
NSW 2308

Personal Website Address: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/discipline/biology/staff/profile/co_assocprof.html
Email : Tina.Offler@ newcastle.edu.au

Research Aims
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The Big Question

  • Regulation of transfer cell development

The Short-term goals

  • Establish the role of the cytoskeleton in regulating deposition of invaginated wall ingrowths of transfer cells.
  • Understand the mechanisms involved in deposition of invaginated wall ingrowths.
  • Establish the temporal relationship between wall ingrowth deposition and acquiring membrane transport function.
  • Identify signal(s) inducing transfer cell differentiation and the role of sugars in this process.
Research Interests
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  • Regulation of transfer cell development using seeds as experimental models; cellular pathways of nutrient transport; mechanisms of wall deposition and their regulation by cellular components; signals initiating cell differentiation.

  • Restoration of disturbed ecosystems: re-instating sustainable nutrient cycles using endemic native species; phytoremediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals.

Current projects include:

  • Mechanisms involved in wall ingrowth deposition in transfer cells (with Dr D McCurdy)

  • Regulation of transfer cell development (with Professor J Patrick)

  • Molecular analysis & genetic manipulation of sucrose transport in cereals (with Professor J Patrick and Dr R. Furbank, CSIRO Plant Industry).

  • e-instating sustainable nutrient cycles on mined land using endemic native species (with Mr M. Cole and Professor J Patrick).
Group (lab) Members and areas of research
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  • Associate Professor C.E. Offler - Biology of transfer cells; restoration of disturbed ecosystems.

  • Professor J. W. Patrick - Regulation of phloem unloading; regulation of transfer cell development; restoration of disturbed ecosytems.

  • Dr D. W. McCurdy - Cell and molecular biology of cell wall formation in transfer cells; molecular biology of hexose transporters.

  • Dr Y. Zhou - Cloning and functional characterisation of membrane transporters responsible for nutrient release.

  • Dr C. Koller - Phytoremediation of soils contaminated with heavy metals.

  • Mr M. Cole - Restoration of disturbed ecosystems.

  • Dr C Castor - Restoration of the ecological dynamics of seeds in disturbed soil.

Techniques in the Laboratory
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Currently active

  • Confocal microscopy; scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
  • Cloning of membrane transporters by hybridisation.
  • Manipulation of transporter expression in transgenic plants - overexpression; ihRNA under expression.
  • Expression analysis - Northern; Westerns; in situ hybridisation; immunolocalisation.
  • In planta transporter studies using radioisotopes
  • Organ culture
  • Functional analysis using photosynthetic gas exchange

In development

  • Visualization of the actin cytoskeleton by confocal microscopy
  • Cloning of membrane transporters by complementation.
  • Functional characterisation of membrane transporters by expression in yeast.
  • Plasma membrane vesicle system to study membrane transporters responsible for nutrient release.
  • Characterization of soil media for physical and nutritional characteristics related to restoring native forest ecosystems
Main areas of expertise
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Top three areas of knowledge

  1. Transfer cell biology
  2. Cellular routes of nutrient transport in developing seeds
  3. Sugar transport

 

Top three technical skills

  1. Light and electron microscopy
  2. In situ hybridization and immunolocalization
Funding
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Current

  • ACARP (with M Cole & JW Patrick); 2003-2005; $240,000.
  • Industry/APRA (with M. Cole, JW Patrick & M Mahony); 2003-2006; $98,000.

Applications planned or submitted

  • ARC-DP -- Plant transfer cells - elucidating the mechanisms involved in wall ingrowth deposition (with DW McCurdy & M Talbot)
  • ACARP - Using species interactions, substrate characteristics and selectivity in the provision of nutrients to plants by microbes, to combat exotic weeds during ecosystem restoration.
  • ARC Linkage - Phytoremediation of arsenic contaminated soils using endemic plant species.
Publications
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  • Offler CE, McCurdy DW, Patrick JW, Talbot MJ (2003) Transfer cells: Cells specialized for a special purpose. Annual Review of Plant Biology 54, 431 - 454

  • Talbot MJ, Franceschi VR, McCurdy DW & Offler CE (2001) Wall ingrowth architecture in epidermal transfer cells of Vicia faba cotyledons. Protoplasma 214, 102-117.

  • Tegeder M, Offler CE , Frommer WB & Patrick JW (2000) Amino acid transporters are localized to transfer cells of developing pea seeds. Plant Physiology 122, 319-326.

  • Farley SJ, Patrick JW & Offler CE (2000) Functional transfer cells differentiate in cultured cotyledons of Vicia faba seeds. Protoplasma 214, 102-117 .

 

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