| Contact Details |
E: Barry.Pogson@anu.edu.au
T: (+61 2) 6125 5629
F: (+61 2) 6125 0313 |
| Main Research interests |
· Genomic and biochemical responses of plants to drought and high
light stress.
· Function and regulation of carotenoids in photoprotection and plant development.
· Chloroplast – nuclear signalling and systemic acquired acclimation.
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| Teaching Activities |
BIOL1007:
Living Cells
BIOL3161:
Genomics and its Applications (Convenor)
BIOL3174
and BIOL3175:
Research Projects (Co-convenor)
BIOL2121: Plants: Genes to Environment
BIOL8020:
Genomics and Biotechnology
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| Awards |
2000 Goldacre Medal, awarded by the Australian Society for Plant Scientists on the merit of original research by an early career scientist 2001 Fenner Medal, awarded by the Australian Academy of Science for distinguished research in plant and animal sciences by scientists 40 years or under.
2005 Vice-Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Supervision
2006 Rebiez Foundation Award for Best Paper in the area of Chloroplast Biology
to Förster, Mathesius and Pogson.
2007 Australian Society of Plant Scientists and Functional Plant Biology Best Paper
Award for Young Scientists to Cuttriss et al. 2007 |
| Current Research Group |
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Current Group
Dr Britta Förster – Research Fellow
Dr Veronica Albrecht – Research Fellow
Dr Chris Cazzonelli - Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr Dawar Hussain - Post-Doctoral Fellow
Dr Gonzalo Estavillo - Post-Doctoral Fellow
Matthew Gordon – PhD student
Nick Woo - PhD student
Nok Pornsiriwong – PhD student
Melanie Carmody – PhD student
Nazia Nisar – PhD Student
Lisa Chew – Technician
Derek Collinge – Lab manager
Peter Crisp – Honours Student
Sami Hakim - Honours Student
Andrea Roberts - Honours Student
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| Visiting Fellows and ANU Colleagues |
Prof Barry Osmond , BaMBi
Dr Kuide Yin, Chinese Scholarship Council Visiting
Scholar
Prof Murray Badger and Dr WS (Fred) Chow (RSBS)
Dr Sue Cossetto – ARC Centre of Excellence
in Plant Energy Biology Education Officer
Prof Susanne von
Caemmerer (RSBS)
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| Research Activities |
The research program is an integral component of
the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology, which is based at ANU,
UWA and USyd. The Centre offers Honours scholarships ($6K) and topup scholarships for PhD
students ($7K), in addition to well funded research, conference travel and
graduate training programs. See http://www.plantenergy.uwa.edu.au/ for more details.
Signalling between organelles and between sun and shade leaves:
1. We are studying the mechanisms by which plants perceive and respond to drought and excess light. This requires signals from the chloroplast to the nucleus, a process known as retrograde signaling.
2. During chloroplast biogenesis novel genes control the rate of development of the chloroplast. This is being studied using snowy cotyledon mutants (sco).
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3. A leaf exposed to full sunlight will transmit a signal to shaded leaves enable a systemic acquired acclimation (SAA) response. The nature and regulation of SAA is under investigation.
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Functional Genomics of Environmental Stress: We are studying the mechanism of drought stress signaling in Arabidopsis and crop plants using mutants that are most resistant to drought.
The approach utilizes cutting-edge genomic technologies, such as DNA chip arrays and high throughput screening of promoter-reporter gene fusions to identify novel genes and signalling pathways in the model plant, Arabidopsis, wheat, rice and the alga, Chlamydomonas.
We are incorporating this knowledge into the development of drought tolerant crops. |
Photosynthesis and photoprotection : Antixoidants, such as carotenoids are essential for the survival of plants. We are determining their roles as safety valves against oxidative damage induced during photosynthesis. This program is a combination of biochemical genetics and physiology. Work uses Arabidopsis, CHlamydomonas and avocado |

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Regulation of Carotenoid Biosynthesis: Our work is focused on the characterization of plant pigments, particularly carotenoids and their role in photosynthesis and chloroplast development. Carotenoids are important pigments in photosystems, many fruits, flowers, and seafood. Nutritionally they are the source of vitamin A and offer some protection against certain cancers, heart and eye diseases. Thus, understanding their biosynthesis may lead to improved nutritional value of foods. The goals are to elucidate the mechanisms that control carotenoid accumulation using biochemical genetics.
Plant Development, Auxin and Carotenoid Biosynthesis. A recently identified novel gene alters the number of branches on a plant and the carotenoid content of the cell. The project is to study the function and subcellular distribution of this gene and determine its role in apical dominance, developmental biology and carotenoid biosynthesis. |
Collaborative projects: Several projects are undertaken by students based in CSIRO. For example, there is a project relating to cereal colour and nutritional content of wheat with Dr Howitt and Dr Morell. |
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| Publications |
2009
Karl Gordon, Wee Tek Tay, Derek Collinge, Adam Williams, and Philip Batterham. (2009) Genetics and Molecular Biology of the Major Crop Pest Genus Helicoverpa. In Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Lepidoptera. Eds. Marian R. Goldsmith and Frantisek Marek, CRC press, USA.
Moldovan, D., Spriggs, A., Yang, J., Pogson, B.J., Dennis, E.S., and Wilson, I.W. (2009) Hypoxia responsive MicroRNAs and trans-acting small interfering RNAs. J. Exp. Bot. (in press)
Cazzonelli CI, Roberts AC, Carmody M and Pogson BJ. Transcriptional control of SET DOMAIN GROUP 8 and CAROTENOID ISOMERASE during Arabidopsis development. Molecular Plant. In Press
Meyer, EH, Tomaz, T, Carroll, AJ, Estavillo, G, Delannoy, E, Tanz, S, Small, ID Pogson, BJ, and Millar, AH (2009) Remodeled respiration in ndusf4 with low phosphorylation efficiency suppresses Arabidopsis germination and growth and alters control of metabolism at night. Plant Physiology (in press)
Delannoy, E, Le Ret, M, Faivre-Nitschke, SE, Estavillo, GM, Bergdoll, M, Taylor, NL, Pogson, BJ, Small, ID, Imbault, P, and Gualberto, JM (2009) Arabidopsis tRNA adenosine deaminase (TADA) is responsible for editing the wobble nucleotide of chloroplast tRNAArg(ACG), a modification essential for efficient chloroplast translation. Plant Cell. 21: 2058-2071
Millar, AH, Carrie, C, Pogson, BJ and Whelan J (2009) Exploring the function:location nexus - using multiple lines of evidence in defining the subcellular location of plant proteins Plant Cell (in press)
Kim, E-H, Li, X-P, Razeghifard, R, Anderson, JM, Niyogi, KK, Pogson, BJ, and Chow, WS The multiple roles of light-harvesting chlorophyll a.b-protein complexes define structure and optimize function of Arabidopsis chloroplasts: a study using two chlorophyll b-less mutants. BBA Bioenergetics. 973-984
Bond, DM, Dennis, ES, Pogson, BJ and Finnegan, EJ (2009) Histone acetylation, VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE 3, FLOWERING LOCUS C and the vernalization response. Molecular Plant (in press).
Bond, DM, Wilson, I, Dennis, ES, Pogson, BJ and Finnegan, EJ (2009) VERNALIZATION INSENSITIVE 3 (VIN3) is required for the response of Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings exposed to low oxygen conditions. The Plant Journal.59: 576-587
Howitt CA, Cavanagh C, Bowerman AF, Cazzonelli CI, Rampling L, Mimica JL, and Pogson BJ. (2009) Alternative splicing, activation of cryptic exons and amino acid substitutions in carotenoid biosynthetic genes are associated with lutein accumulation in wheat endosperm. Functional and Integrative Genomics. 9: 363-376
Cazzonelli CI, Finnegan J and Pogson, BJ. (2009) Promoting gene expression in plants bypermissive histone lysine methylation. Plant Signaling & Behavior 4 (6): 484-488
Cazzonelli CI, Nisar N, Hussain D, Carmody M and Pogson BJ. (2009) Biosynthesis and Regulation of Carotenoids in Plants- micronutrients, vitamins and health benefits. In Plant Developmental Biology-Biotechnology Perspectives. Ed. Eng Chong Pua, Springer, Germany. (In press)
Cazzonelli, CI, Yin, K and Pogson, BJ (2009) Potential implications for epigenetic regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis during root and shoot development. Plant Signaling and Behavior 4(4):1-3
Cazzonelli, CI, Cuttriss, AJ, Cossetto, SB, Pye, W, Whelan, J, Finnegan, J, Turnbull, C and Pogson, BJ (2009) Regulation of Carotenoid Composition and Shoot Branching in Arabidopsis by a Chromatin Modifying Histone Methyltransferase, SDG8. Plant Cell 21: 39-53
Wilson, PB, Estavillo, GM, Field, KJ, Carroll, AJ, Pornsiriwong, W, Howell, KA, Lake, JA, Millar, AH, von Caemmerer, S, Pogson, BJ (2009) The nucleotidase/phosphatase, SAL1, is a negative regulator of drought tolerance in Arabidopsis. The Plant Journal (in press 8/12/08)
Britta Förster, C. Barry Osmond and Barry J. Pogson (2009) De-novo Synthesis and Degradation of Lx- and V-cycle Pigments during Shade and Sun Acclimation in Avocado Leaves (P. americana). Plant Physiology 149: 1179-1195.
2008
Woo NS, Badger, MR and Pogson BJ (2008) A rapid, non-invasive procedure for quantitative assessment of drought survival using chlorophyll fluorescence. Plant Methods 4:27
Velten, J, Pogson BJ, and Cazzonelli, CI (2008) Luciferase as a reporter of gene activity in plants. Transgenic Plant Journal 2 (1): 1-13.
Giraud, E Ho, LHM Clifton, R Carroll, A Estavillo, G Howell, KA Ivanova, A Pogson, BJ Millar AH and Whelan, J (2008) The absence of Alternative Oxidase 1a in Arabidopsis thaliana results in acute sensitivity to combined light and drought stress Plant Physiology 147(2): 595-610.
Osmond CB, Forster B, Pogson BJ (2008) Dynamics of the truncated lutein epoxide cycle in avocado (Persea Americana L.); implications for efficiency of light harvesting In: Allen JF, Grantt E. Golbeck, JH Osmond CB (eds) Photosynthesis. Energy from the Sun, Springer, Dordrecht ISBN 978-1-4020-6707-5. Vol 2: 1031-1034 ;
Pogson, B.J., Woo, NS, Förster B and Small, ID (2008) Signalling pathways within and beyond energy organelles. Trends in Plant Science 13 (11): 602-609.
Bechtold, U, Richard, O, Zamboni, A, Gapper, C, Geisler, M, Pogson, B, Karpinski, S and Mullineaux, PM (2008) Impact of chloroplast- and extracellular-sourced ROS on high light-responsive gene expression in Arabidopsis. J. of Experimental Botany 59: 121-133
2007
*Rossel, JB *Wilson, PB, *Hussain, D, Woo, NS, Gordon, MJ, Mewett, OP, Howell, KA, Whelan, J, Kazan, K, Pogson, BJ (2007) Systemic and Intracellular Response to Photooxidative stress in Arabidopsis Plant Cell 19: 4091-4110. * equal first author
Pogson, BJ, Wilson, PB and Rossel, JB (2007) Methods for improving stress resistance in plants and materials therefor. Australian Patent.
Cuttriss, A.J. Chubb, AC Alawady, A Grimm, B and Pogson
BJ (2007) Regulation of Lutein Biosynthesis and Prolamellar Body
Formation in Arabidopsis. Functional Plant Biology 34: 663-672
Fan, D-Y, Nie, Q, Hope, AB Hillier, W, Pogson, BJ, and Chow WS (2007) Quantification of cyclic electron flow around Photosystem I in spinach leaves during photosynthetic induction. Photosynthesis Research 94: 347-357
2006
Sun ZL, Lee HY, Matsubara S, Hope AB, Pogson BJ, Hong YN and Chow WS
(2006) Photoprotection of residual functional Photosystem II units that
survive illumination in the absence of repair, and their critical role
in subsequent recovery Physiologia Plantarum 128: 415-424
Forster B, Mathesius U, Pogson BJ (2006) Comparative proteomics of high
light stress in the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Proteomics
6: 4309-4320
DellaPenna, D. and Pogson, B.J. (2006) Vitamin synthesis in plants: tocopherols and carotenoids. Annual Review of Plant Biology 57: 711-738 [link to journal]
Howitt , C.A. and Pogson, B.J. (2006) Carotenoid accumulation and function in seeds and non-green tissues. Plant, Cell and Environment, 29:435-445 [link to journal]
Rossel, J.B., Walter, P.B , Hendrickson, L., Chow, W., Poole, A., Mullineaux, P., and Pogson, B.J. (2006) A mutation affecting ascorbate peroxidase 2 gene expression reveals a link between responses to high light and drought tolerance. Plant Cell and Environment,29:269-281. [link to journal]
Cuttriss, A.J., Mimica, J., Howitt, C. and Pogson, B.J. (2006) Carotenoid Metabolism. IN Wise, R. and Hoober, K and (eds) The Structure and Function of Plastids, Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, Springer, Volume 23, pp 315-334. [link to publisher]
2005
Pogson, B.J., Rissler, H.M. Frank, H.A. (2005) The roles of carotenoids in energy quenching. IN Wydrzynski T. and Satoh K. (eds) Photosystem II: The Water/Plastoquinone Oxido-reductase in Photosynthesis, Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration, Springer, Vol 22, pp 515-537. [link to publisher]
Förster,B., Osmond, C.B. and Pogson, B.J. (2005) Improved survival of very high light and oxidative stress is conferred by spontaneous gain-of-function mutations in Chlamydomonas . BBA - Bioenergetics , 1709: 45-57 . [PubMed]
Hendrickson, L., Förster, B., Pogson, B.J. and Chow, W.S. (2005) A simple chlorophyll fluorescence parameter that correlates with the rate coefficient of photoinactivation of Photosystem II. Photosyn. research, 84 : 43-9 . [PubMed]
2004
Millgate, A.G., Pogson, B.J., Wilson , I.W., Zenk, M.H., Gerlach, W.L., Fist, A.J. and Larkin, P.J. (2004) A morphine-free mutant of opium poppy - changing the poppy analgesic industry. Nature, 431: 413-414. [PubMed]
Pogson B.J. and Morris , S.C. (2004) Postharvest Senescence of Vegetables and its Regulation IN Noodén, L.D. ed. Cell Death in Plants, Academic Press, San Diego , pp. 319-3291.
Ryu, J.Y., Song, J.Y., Lee, J.M., Jeong, S.W., Chow, W.S., Choi, S.B., Pogson, B.J. and Park, Y.I. (2004) Glucose-induced expression of carotenoid biosynthesis genes in the dark is mediated by cytosolic pH in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp PCC 6803. J. of Biological Chemistry 279 : 25320-25325. [PubMed]
Cuttriss, A.J. and Pogson, B.J. (2004) Carotenoids IN Davies, KM ed Plant Pigments and their manipulation. Annual Plant Reviews Vol 14, pp 57-91 CRC Press. [link to book]
Förster, B. and Pogson, B.J. (2004) Carotenoids in Photosynthesis IN Goodman R ed. Encyc. Plant and Crop Science Marcel Dekker New York . [link to article]
Rossel, J.B., Cuttriss, A.J. and Pogson, B.J. (2004) Identifying Photoprotection Mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana. Methods Mol. Biol. , 274: 287-300. [PubMed]
Selected earlier publications
Rossel, J.B., Wilson , I.W. and Pogson, B.J. (2002) Global Changes in Gene Expression in Response to High Light in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiol. 2002 130: 1109-1120. [Pubmed]
Park, H., Kreunen, S.S., Cuttriss, A.J., DellaPenna, D. and Pogson B.J. (2002) Identification of the carotenoid isomerase provides insight into carotenoid biosynthesis, prolamellar body formation and photomorphogenesis. Plant Cell 14: 321-332. [PubMed]
Pogson B.J., Niyogi K., Björkman O., and DellaPenna D. (1998) Altered xanthophyll compositions adversely affect chlorophyll accumulation and nonphotochemical quenching in Arabidopsis mutants. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95: 13324-29. [PubMed]
Pogson, B.J., McDonald, K., Truong, M., Britton, G., and DellaPenna D. (1996) Arabidopsis carotenoid mutants demonstrate lutein is not essential for photosynthesis in higher plants. Plant Cell 8: 1627-39. [PubMed]
Cunningham, F.X., Pogson, B.J., Sun, Z., McDonald, K., Gantt, E., and DellaPenna, D. (1996) Functional analysis of the beta and epsilon lycopene cyclase enzymes of Arabidopsis reveals a mechanism for the control of cyclic carotenoid formation. Plant Cell 8: 1613-26. [PubMed] |