Overview of Program

The Program has two components. The identification and analysis of genes involved in:

1. Early embryo and endosperm development from egg and central cell to early grain stages in wheat.

2. Cell wall synthesis in elongating coleoptiles and developing barley grains

The Projects

• Project 1 - Construction of cell and tissue specific libraries from wheat meiocytes and components of the developing wheat grain
• Project 2 - Transcript analysis for specific cells and tissues
• Project 3 - Identification and analysis of genes controlling early embryo and endosperm development
• Project 4 - Genes and enzymes responsible for cell wall synthesis in cereals
• Project 5 - Coordination of Gene Expression and Enzyme Activity during Growth of Young Seedlings
• Project 6 - Coordination of Gene Expression and Enzyme Activity during Differentiation in Developing Cereal Grains

Research Agency Capability

The research groups of the project supervisors have extensive experience in the use of all techniques required for the Program. In collaboration with researchers at SARDI, the group has been developing the SARDI robotics facility to conduct automated analyses.

The Program builds on strong existing collaborations between researchers from the University of Adelaide (Plant Science), University of Melbourne (Botany School), Hamburg University (Applied & Molecular Plant Biology) and South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI). The organisations involved have access to extensive equipment resources.

The University of Adelaide

Protein sequencer, amino acid analyser, capillary HPLC, DNA synthesiser, DNA sequencer, Dionex system for analysis of carbohydrates, capillary electrophoresis and electrospray mass spectrometer, powerful Silicon Graphics computers, gene mapping populations, prepared filters and associated computing facilities allow rapid mapping of genes to cereal genomes, cereal transformation laboratories, associated growth rooms, glasshouses, containment facilities, NMR, gc-ms, a confocal microscope, EM facilities, advanced robotics system (S.A. Research and Development Institute).

The University of Melbourne

Light, fluorescence, scanning and transmission electron microscopes, live video-enhanced microscopes, cinematography and micro-injection systems, glasshouses, a recombinant DNA glasshouse, tissue culture rooms, controlled growth chambers, HPLCs, a FPLC, GCs, Beckman protein sequencer, GC-MS, a high resolution mass spectrometer equipped with FAB-MS, electrospray ionisation (ESI), a Finnigan LC-Q ion trap mass spectrometer, access to high-field NMR (500 and 750 MHz).

The University of Hamburg

The University of Hamburg group is recognised as a world leader in cereal cell culture and micro-manipulation. They have access to state-of-art equipment for cell analysis, micro-dissection and transformation.