Dr Susan Gillies PhD(UQ) 

Completion of a B.App.Sc at the University of Technology Sydney led to positions
involving research into the potential for a cholera/typhoid vaccine at The University of
Adelaide, the genetic basis of osteoporosis at the Garvan Institute and the genetics of
an inherited cancer syndrome (Naevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome - NBCCS) at The
University of Queensland. This latter work lead to a PhD focussing on using functional
studies to examine the precise effects created by small changes in the genes of NBCCS
patients. 

After completion of my PhD I chose to leave a career in the genetics of human diseases
and apply the molecular, cellular and genetic techniques I had acquired to another area
of interest, the understanding and improvement of plants and plant foods, joining the
CPCG in September, 2004. 

Here my work has involved investigating the genetics underlying the production of
fragrance in rice and the development of rice plants with enhanced folate. My current
focus is on developing a high throughput system for examining the function of any given
gene in a model plant system using the rice plant.

Journal articles

Link

Gene expression in the developing aleurone and starchy endosperm of wheat (with Agnelo Furtado and Robert J. Henry), Plant Biotechnology Journal (2012)

Wheat is a critical food source globally. Food security is an increasing concern; current production...

 

OpenURL

Inactivation of an aminoaldehyde dehydrogenase is responsible for fragrance in rice (with Louis MT Bradbury, Donald J. Brushett, Daniel LE Waters, and Robert J. Henry), Plant Molecular Biology (2008)

Rice (Oryza sativa) has two betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase homologs, BAD1 and BAD2, encoded on chromosome...

 

Conference publications

Rice expressing wheat HPPK/DHPS: a transgenic cereal crop with enhanced folate (with Shane R. McIntosh and Robert J. Henry), Wheat Science Dynamics: Challenges and Opportunities: International Wheat Quality Conference IV (2009)
 

PDF

A cereal crop with enhanced folate: rice transgenic for wheat HPPK/DHPS (with Shane R. McIntosh and Robert J. Henry), ComBio 2008 (2008)

Folate is a B-group vitamin critical for normal cellular function and division. It acts in...

 

PDF

A transgenic cereal crop with enhanced folate: rice expressing wheat HPPK/DHPS (Presentation to the 11th International Wheat Genetics Symposium) (with Shane R. McIntosh and Robert J. Henry), 11th International Wheat Genetics Symposium (2008)
 

PDF

A transgenic cereal crop with enhanced folate: rice expressing wheat HPPK/DHPS (Presentation to the 58th Australian Cereal Chemistry Conference) (with Shane R. McIntosh and Robert J. Henry), 58th Australian Cereal Chemistry Conference (2008)
 

Metabolically engineered rice, a cereal crop showing enhanced folate (with Robert J. Henry), International Plant and Animal Genome XVI Conference (2008)

Folate is a B-group vitamin critical for normal cellular function and division. It acts in...

 

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