Durnford, Dion G. - University of New Brunswick

研究领域

1) Photoacclimation and the regulation of antenna composition and function: Photoacclimation comprises a nested series of short- and long-term responses that allow photosynthetic organisms to adjust to changes in light intensity. One aspect of my research concentrates on the mechanisms underlying long-term (hours to days) acclimation strategies that can cause the activities or concentrations of enzymes, photosynthetic complexes and cofactors to change; a process that requires coordination between the nucleus and chloroplast. My lab is especially interested in the mechanisms underlying the regulation of genes encoding the light-harvesting antennae and characterizing the role of specific proteins in photoprotection and light harvesting. In the last year we have started to dissect the function of specific members of the LHC-like family in Chlamydomonas using a combination of biochemical and reverse genetics approaches to determine the roles of these LHC variants in photoacclimation and photoprotection. 2) Antennae evolution: There is tremendous diversity in the type of light-harvesting antenna possessed by different photosynthetic groups. My lab is interested in examining the complexity of this gene family in diverse organisms to delineate functionally relevant complexes. We also have a continuing interest in identifying novel pigment-protein complexes and LHC-like relatives that may have a role in light harvesting or photoprotection.

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Li X-Q, A Ng , R King, and s (2008) A rapid and simple bioassay method for herbicide detection. Biomarker Insights 3, p1-5. Patron NJ, DG Durnford and S Kopriva (2008) Sulfate assimilation in eukaryotes: fusions, relocations and lateral transfers. BMC Evolutionary Biology 2008, 8:39 (4 February 2008). Koziol AG and DG Durnford (2008) Euglena light-harvesting complexes are encoded by multifarious polyprotein mRNAs that evolve in concert. Mol. Biol. Evol. 25(1) 92-100 Koziol AG and DG Durnford (2007) Euglena light-harvesting complexes are encoded by multifarious polyprotein mRNAs that evolve in concert. Mol. Biol. Evol. In Press (Accepted Oct. 11). Rogers MB, RF Watkins, JT Harper, DG Durnford, MW Gray, and PJ Keeling (2007) A complex and punctate distribution of three eukaryotic genes derived by lateral gene transfer. BMC Evolutionary Biology. 7:89 (doi:10.1186/1471-2148-7-89). Koziol AG, T. Borza, K. Ishida, P. Keeling, RW. Lee, DG. Durnford. (2007) Tracing the Evolution of the Light-Harvesting Antennae in Chlorophyll a/b-Containing Organisms. Plant Physiology. 143:1802-1816. McKim, SM and DG Durnford (2006) Translational regulation of Light-Harvesting Complex Expression during Photoacclimation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 44 (11-12), 857-865. Durnford, DG and MW Gray (2006) Analysis of Euglena gracilis Plastid-Targeted Proteins Reveals Different Classes of Transit Sequences. Eukaryotic Cell. Eukaryotic Cell. 5 (12), 2079-2091. Humby, PL and DG Durnford (2006) Photoacclimation: physiological and molecular responses to alterations in the light environment. In: Plant-environment Interactions. Third edition Editor. B. Huang. Taylor and Francis, New York. Keeling PJ, Burger G, Durnford DG, Lang BF, Lee RW, Pearlman RW, Roger AJ, and Gray MW . (2005) Eukaryotic genome diversity and the tree of eukaryotes. Trends Ecol Evol, 20, 670-676. Rissler, HR and DG Durnford (2005) Isolation of a novel carotenoid-rich protein in Cyanophora paradoxa that is immunologically related to the light-harvesting complexes of photosynthetic eukaryotes. Plant Cell Physiol. 46 (3), 416-424. Yi-Bu Chen, Dion G. Durnford, Michal Koblizek, and Paul G. Falkowski (2004) Plastid Regulation of Lhcb1 Transcription in the Chlorophyte Alga Dunaliella tertiolect. Plant Physiol. 136; 3737-3750. Durnford DG, JA Price, SM McKim, ML Sarchfield (2003) light-harvesting complex gene expression is controlled by both transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms during photoacclimation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Physiol. Plant. 118: 193-205. Durnford, DG (2003) Structure and Regulation of Algal Light-Harvesting Complex Genes. In: Photosynthesis in Algae. Eds, A.W. Larkum, S. Douglas, and J.A. Raven. Deane JA, M Fraunholz, V Su, U-G Maier, W. Martin, DG Durnford, GI McFadden (2000) Evidence for nucleomorph to host nucleus gene transfer: light-harvesting complex proteins from cryptomonads and chlorarachniophytes. Protist, 151, 239-252. McKay RML, J La Roche, AF Yakunin, DG Durnford, RJ Geider (1999) Accumulation of ferredoxin and flavodoxin in a marine diatom in response to Fe. J. Phycology, 35, 510-519 Durnford DG, JA Deane, S Tan , GI McFadden, E. Gantt, BR Green (1999) A phylogenetic assessment of the eukaryotic light-harvesting antenna proteins, with implications for plastid evolution. J. Mol. Evol. 48 (1): 59-68. Durnford DG, O. Prasil, JM Escoubas and PG Falkowski (1998) Assessing the potential for chloroplast redox-regulation of nuclear gene expression. Methods Enzymology. 297, 220-237. Durnford DG and PG Falkowski (1997) Chloroplast redox regulation of nuclear gene transcription during photoacclimation. Photosyn. Res. 53: 229-241 Green BR and DG Durnford (1996) The chlorophyll-carotenoid proteins of oxygenic photosynthesis. Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. Plant Mol. Biol. 47: 685-714 Durnford DG, R Abersold and BR Green (1996) The fucoxanthin-chlorophyll proteins from a chromophyte alga are part of a large multigene family: structural and evolutionary relationships to other light harvesting antennae. Mol. Gen. Genet. 253, 377-386 Durnford DG, BR Green (1994) Characterization of the light harvesting proteins of the chromophyte alga, Olisthodiscus luteus (Heterosigma carterae). Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1184, 118-123 Wolfe GR, Cunningham FX, DG Durnford, BR Green and E Gantt (1994) Evidence for a common origin of chloroplasts with light-harvesting complexes of different pigmentation. Nature 367, 566-568.