PhD position in Plant Science - Australia

Identification and functional characterisation of flax rust Avr genes

Flax has at least 30 resistance genes able to confer resistance to flax rust (pictured). Each resistance gene enables flax to recognise and respond to isolates of the flax rust fungus carrying a corresponding Avr gene.  Many of these resistance genes have been isolated and some (L6 and M) have been studied at the protein level. Several Avr genes have also been isolated and studied at the protein level (AvrL567, AvrM, AvrP123 and AvrP4). However, a number of flax Avr genes have not yet been identified. This project will combine next generation sequencing, bioinformatics and classical genetics to identify new Avr genes and an inhibitor gene that suppresses the ability of flax to detect some Avr genes. Gene identification will be followed by functional characterisation using an array of molecular and cell biology techniques including plant and fungal transformation, interaction cloning and protein subcellular localisation. This project will be supervised jointly by Dr David Jones, Research School of Biology, ANU, and Drs Peter Dodds and Jeff Ellis, CSIRO Plant Industry.

Supervisor profile: http://biology.anu.edu.au/david_jones/

Contact: david.jones(at)anu.edu.au