by Wending Li

ASPS Travel Awards Recipients for ComBio2015

PhD candidate, Centre for Carbon, Water and Food, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Sydney

My research focuses on understanding ammonium transport in maize. In agricultural plant production, nitrogen fertilisers are used widely where ~10¹¹ kg of nitrogen fertilizers are used annualy (Glass, 2003). The cultivation of cereals (wheat, maize, barley, rice) requires a significant amount of nitrogen fertiliser. Unfortunately, cereal N fertiliser use is poor, where only 30-50% of the total N applied is actually used for the production of the final grain yield (Raun and Johnson, 1999; Tilman et al., 2002). Low nitrogen use efficiencies can result in the loss of nitrogen into the environment, which causes water and soil pollution as well as greenhouse gas production (Masclaux-Daubresse et al., 2010). In addition, the waste of nitrogen fertilizers also gives rise to financial losses to the farmers, a significant cost in the production cycle. Therefore, improving plant nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is an important strategy to overcome many of these constraints. One direction in enhancing NUE in plants is to increase the efficiency of root N transport processes. This includes, the proteins involved in the uptake of nitrogen from the soil as well as the internal storage and redistribution of nitrogen required to support growth and final seed yield and quality (Garnett et al., 2009).

Ammonium is a major form of nitrogen absorbed by plants and can be redistributed through high and low affinity pathways. The physiological and molecular activities of high-affinity ammonium transporters have been examined in numerous plant species, which belong to the AMT/MEP/Rhesus superfamily. Conversely, molecular information about low-affinity ammonium transport systems remains limited. Recently, our lab has discovered a new family of low affinity ammonium transport proteins called AMF1 (ammonium facilitator 1) (Chiasson et al., 2014). Through sequence homology, we found two AMF1 homologs in maize, which are ZmAMF1;1 and ZmAMF1;2. I have been investigating the function of these two genes in maize as well as using heterologous expression systems (yeast and Xenopus laevis oocytes) to define their functional relevance in nitrogen transport and overall plant growth. In maize, I’ve observed ZmAMF1 is induced by nitrogen starvation in roots, while both ZmAMF1 and ZmAMF2 are preferentially expressed in the shoots. The cellular location of both genes is currently being identified using a native promoter::GUS fusion construct transformed into the dwarf maize inbred line Gaspe. I have undertaken a reverse genetics approach in maize using a collection of Mu transposon insertion lines within exon and promoter loci of either ZmAMF1 or ZmAMF2 (provided by B. Meeley, DuPont Pioneer). We have progressed the transposon lines through a series of backcrosses to B73 and Gaspe using a diagnostic PCR screening assay. Mutant plants containing perturbations in ammonium transport in maize are undergoing characterisation. This project will contribute to a better understanding of the role AMF1 proteins in plant N transport and metabolism, including their role as low-affinity ammonium transporters. Our research will improve our understanding of nitrogen uptake and redistribution in plants, whiles also establishing new strategies to improve nitrogen use efficiency, plant growth and development.

Reference:

Chiasson DM, Loughlin PC, Mazurkiewicz D, Mohammadidehcheshmeh M, Fedorova EE, Okamoto M, McLean E, Glass AD, Smith SE, Bisseling T (2014) Soybean SAT1 (Symbiotic Ammonium Transporter 1) encodes a bHLH transcription factor involved in nodule growth and NH4+ transport. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111: 4814-4819

Garnett T, Conn V, Kaiser BN (2009) Root based approaches to improving nitrogen use efficiency in plants. Plant, cell & environment 32: 1272-1283

Glass AD (2003) Nitrogen use efficiency of crop plants: physiological constraints upon nitrogen absorption. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 22: 453-470

Masclaux-Daubresse C, Daniel-Vedele F, Dechorgnat J, Chardon F, Gaufichon L, Suzuki A (2010) Nitrogen uptake, assimilation and remobilization in plants: challenges for sustainable and productive agriculture. Annals of Botany 105: 1141-1157

Raun WR, Johnson GV (1999) Improving nitrogen use efficiency for cereal production. Agronomy Journal 91: 357-363

Tilman D, Cassman KG, Matson PA, Naylor R, Polasky S (2002) Agricultural sustainability and intensive production practices. Nature 418: 671-677

By Dr. Zhengyu (Allen) Wen

ComBio 2015 was well above my expectation. As a plant physiologist interesting in ion transporter research, I had previosuly attended conferences relevant to my area of expertise and found myself comfortable enjoying the science. ComBio is a combined conference covering multiple fields of science and I had some minor trouble submitting my abstract to the relevant plenary that best aligned with my research topic, which did make me wonder about the scope of science that was to follow. But as the conference began, I realized that the 2015 ComBio was going to provide a big and pleasant experience. Professor Martin Caffrey’s lecture discussed new insights into protein structural biology and how it can effect protein function, which was very interesting from a structural biology perspective. I learn’t that there were new ways to crystallise a protein. Given the current difficulties in crystallizing ion transporters, this new method could potentially be used to solve the structure of ion transporters relevant to my research program. I also learn’t a lot from the epigenetics talks, which could pave new ways for crop biofortification and modification. Overall, ComBio2015 truly broadened my view in science, pushing me to think big.

by Dr. Matthew Tucker

ARC Future Fellow at The University of Adelaide

It’s been a busy start to the year in terms of conferences and workshops relevant to plant research. The bi-annual Plant Reproduction meeting was held from the 18^th to 23^rd of March at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The conference brings together experts from diverse fields stretching all the way from meristem development through to sporogenesis, pollen tube attraction, fertilisation, embryogenesis, endosperm development and fruit growth. The ultimate aim of the conference is to describe fundamental research from model species, such as the discovery of genes, mechanisms and biochemical pathways, which might be used to address current and future challenges in crop reproduction and yield. The conference was well attended with approximately 220 attendees, and the quality of data presented was amazing. Australian attendees included researchers from CSIRO Agriculture, The University of Adelaide and the ACPFG. The highlights were talks from Minako Ueda from the University of Nagoya, who showed stunning videos of fluorescently-tagged Arabidopsis egg cells developing into zygotes, Noni Franklin-Tong from the University of Birmingham, who described her work on transferring the self-incompatibility system from poppy into Arabidopsis, and Li Yuan from UC Davis who won an award for his talk on a histidine kinases that controls central cell development in the Arabidopsis female gametophyte. The discovery of genes controlling or inducing apomixis in maize, Taraxacum and Pennisetum was also a major breakthrough. It was clear from the talks that CRISPR/Cas9 and ChipSeq are now standard techniques in the field, while the capacity to isolate, profile and study previously inaccessible cell types through fluorescence assisted cell sorting (FACS) and microdissection is also rapidly progressing. The next plant Reproduction meeting will be held in Japan in 2018, and I would strongly recommend attending what always proves to be a collaborative, interactive and socially enjoyable meeting.

Photos of the Tucson desert moon, the famed Dr Minako Ueda with the author, the packed conference and Tetsuya Higashiyama introducing the next Plant Reproduction meeting.

Another excellent CSIRO workshop was recently held from the 19^th-21^st April in Kiama on the NSW south coast. The workshop, also sponsored by the ASPS, brought together Australian and International researchers from the field of Crop Developmental Genetics to discuss old and new strategies for the improvement of crop yield. Cereal crops such as wheat, barley and sorghum were discussed in addition to research on lupins, canola, tomato and legumes. Talks from international speakers including Jorge Dubcovsky from UC Davis, Junko Kyozuka from Tohoku University, Thorsten Schnurrbusch from IPK Gatersleben and Yuval Eshed from the Weizmann Institute were highlights, while students from CSIRO, ANU, the Universities of Adelaide, Queensland and Monash confirmed that the future of plant developmental genetics in Australia is in good hands. The intention was to use this workshop as a springboard for further collaborative research and meetings; plant developmental genetics is a relatively small field that provides so much promise for translating fundamental discoveries directly into breeding outcomes. As part of this I plan to update the ASPS Plant Development page to include information about the field and the research being undertaken in Australia, hopefully this will act as a useful resource for both students and researchers.

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Article by Florence Danila: Recipient of the ComBio 2015 ASPS Student Poster Prize

A large majority of the human population depends on rice (Oryza sativa) for survival. Rice production needs to increase by 50% to support a higher demand for food forecasted over the next 35 years due to an increasing human population. Traditional breeding can only increase rice yield by 1% per annum. Switching the less efficient C₃ photosynthetic system of rice to use a more efficient C₄ photosynthesis, would theoretically increase productivity by 50%. The aim of the C₄ Rice Consortium is to add features of C₄ photosynthesis to the C₃ plant, rice. Therefore, it is essential to know whether rice can support the expected increase in metabolite flux between the leaf mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cells after all the C₄ biochemistry has been installed. The main pathway for metabolite flux is symplastic, i.e. via the plasmodesmata (PD) connecting M and BS cells. Comparison of the symplastic transport mechanisms between the C₃ monocot crop, rice, and the C₄ plant, Setaria viridis was done by looking at the PD density and pit field distribution between the M and BS cells. Electron microscopy and 3D immunolocalisation showed that Setaria (C₄) has higher PD density and higher pit field area coverage on M/BS cell interface than rice (C₃). Establishing the numerical difference in terms of PD connections between C₃ and C₄ plants is not only relevant for the C₄ Rice Project but also in plant transport and modelling studies.

Acknowledgements:

ARC Centre of Excellence for Translational Photosynthesis (Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia). International Rice Research Institute (Laguna, Philippines). CSIRO Agriculture (Canberra, Australia).

References:

Payne, J. A., Bleackley, M. R., Lee, T. H., Shafee, T. M., Poon, I. K., Hulett, M. D., . . . Anderson, M. A. (2016). The plant defensin NaD1 introduces membrane disorder through a specific interaction with the lipid, phosphatidylinositol 4,5 bisphosphate. Biochim Biophys Acta, 1858(6), 1099-1109. doi:10.1016/j.bbamem.2016.02.016

Poon, I. K., Baxter, A. A., Lay, F. T., Mills, G. D., Adda, C. G., Payne, J. A., … Hulett, M. D. (2014). Phosphoinositide-mediated oligomerization of a defensin induces cell lysis. eLife, 3, e01808. http://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.01808

For more information email: ja2payne@students.latrobe.edu.au (La Trobe University, Melbourne Victoria Australia)

On behalf of Australian Society of Plant Scientists, I joined Science Meets Parliament (SMP) on the 1^st and 2^nd of March, 2016 in Canberra. The SMP aims to provide scientists unique opportunities to build mutual understanding and connections between scientists and parliamentarians and to better understand the policy making process connecting science and innovation that underpins Australia’s economic, social and environmental wellbeing.

Day 1 of the SMP started with an opening address given by Professor Brian Schmidt (AC, Nobel Laureate and Vice Chancellor of ANU) at the Hotel Realm. Prof Schmidt analysed a broad aspects of Australian Science and offered a few ‘tips’ on how to talk to politicians. This was followed by a vivid discussion and debate on ‘How to turn your science into news’, presented by Kylie Walker (Australian Academy of Science), Paul Bongiorno (Network Ten) and Alison Carabine (ABC radio). The meeting continued with an ‘Interactive session’ on rehearsing for parliamentary meetings and concluded with a Gala dinner at the Great Hall in Parliament House where key note speakers, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, (Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science) and the Hon Bill Shorten MP (Leader of the Opposition) addressed the audience outlining their policies and visions for the future of Australian science.

Day 2 featured face-to-face group meetings in Parliament House with Ministers, Parliamentary Members and Senators. Their were concurrent sessions on Science and Politics delivered by past and present Federal Chief Scientists, Professors Ian Chubb and Alan Finkel, respectively, as well as Aidan Byrne (ARC CEO Professor) and Senator Kim Carr (Shadow Minister for Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Industry).

The two-day event proved to be a very rewarding experience. It helped to better understand and appreciate the process of formulating science-related policies and decisions developed at the government level. It provided a unique opportunity to network with politicians, journalists and fellow scientists while advocating plant science to the broader community. To the latter, I attached here a photo with the Science Minister Chris Pyne at the Gala diner following his keynote speech and our informal discussion.

Email: yong-ling.ruan@newcastle.edu.au

ComBio2016: 3-7 October 2016 – Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

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Announcing the call for applications for second round ASPS Robertson Travelling Fellowships award 2016;

2016 RN Robertson Travelling Fellowships, Round 2 applications close April 30th 2016.

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New employment opportunities are available at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Saudi Arabia

Global Plant Council E-Bulletin February 2016 Forward to a Friend |  | View web version (also click here to translate to other languages!)

Email Us GPC Website GPC Blog @GlobalPlantGPC @GPC_EnEspanol Facebook Donate E-Bulletin /  February 2016 Welcome to your monthly e-Bulletin from the Global Plant Council! As usual, this newsletter provides an overview of some of the new and fascinating plant science going on around the world, as well as details of new reports, funding opportunities, events and other information we thought you might find useful. Don’t forget to check out our website, blog and social media channels for even more content, and if you have any questions, comments or feedback for us then please send us an email!

Latest News /  View more…If you have news you would like us to share on our website, please contact lisa@globalplantcouncil.org  This month 58 new breaking news stories were posted on the GPC website including… In Nature Plants: Ancient flowering plant was beautiful, but probably poisonous Researchers have announced the discovery of the first-ever fossil specimens of an “asterid” – a family of flowering plants that gave us everything from the potato to tomatoes, tobacco, petunias and our morning cup of coffee. In New Phytologist: Study documents drought’s impact on redwood forest ferns A comprehensive study of water relations in native ferns, conducted during one of the worst droughts in California’s recent history, shows that extreme conditions have tested the limits of drought tolerance in these plants. High resolution insights into how roots grow Researchers in Frankfurt have used a high-tech optical microscope and computer simulation analysis to conclude that, in Arabidopsis, root shape is determined by a combination of genetic predisposition and the self-organization of cells. A new role for vitamin B6 in plants Researchers from the University of Geneva, Switzerland, have discovered an unexpected role for the micronutrient vitamin B6, in relation to nitrogen metabolism. Finding the best seeds to meet Africa’s needs A new coordinated soybean variety evaluation program is underway that will give African growers more and better seed options. Events / View more…If you have a conference, meeting, workshop, training course or other event coming up, we can include it in our Events calendar! Please email lisa@globalplantcouncil.org Plant Reproduction 2016: 24th International Congress on Sexual Plant Reproduction 18–23 March 2016. Tucson, Arizona, USA. UK Plant Sciences Federation Conference: PlantSci 2016 – Plants in a changing world: molecule to ecosystem 11–12 April 2016. Norwich, UK. International Conference on Pulses for Health, Nutrition and Sustainable Agriculture in Drylands 13–15 April 2016. Rabat, Morocco. Reports / New reports, and an archive of useful documents from the last few years, are available on our website. Head to the Resources page and click ‘Reports’. BREXIT and Agriculture (PDF) Ahead of a referendum in June 2016, this report by the UK’s Farmer–Scientist Network discusses the potential impact on agriculture of Great Britain’s exit (“BREXIT”) from the European Union. More…(PDF) Funding Opportunities / Spotted a funding opportunity we’ve missed? Please tell us about it by emailing lisa@globalplantcouncil.org This month we found some new funding opportunities, including the David Miller Travel Bursary Award for young plant scientists or horticulturalists from the UK and Ireland, travel and conference funding from the Australian Academy of Science Research, and the Bayer Foundation International Fellowship Program. More info…Congratulations also to Detlef Weigel, who has been awarded the 2016 GSA Medal of the Genetics Society of America. On the blog /  View more…Would you like to contribute an article to the GPC’s blog? Please get in touch! Email lisa@globalplantcouncil.org Flowers of the Global Plant Council Following on from December’s GigaScience post about sequencing the genome of Hong Kong’s national flower, Amelia Frizell-Armitage takes a look at some of the other national plants of our member organizations’ home countries. More…Integrated Pest Management Systems What is integrated pest management (IPM), and how is it achieved? All is explained in this GPC blog post. More… Plant Artificial Chromosome Technology Could artificial chromosome technology transform plant genetic engineering? Find out more about this emerging technology.  More… Members /  Click here for details of the GPC Member Organizations and representatives.  Please contact Ruth Bastow (ruth@globalplantcouncil.org) to find out how your organization can join the Global Plant Council.  The GPC is a coalition of plant and crop science societies from across the globe. The GPC seeks to bring plant scientists together to work synergistically toward solving the pressing problems we face. Please click here to make a donation via PayPal to help support the GPC.

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