个人简介

Ph.D. Queen’s University 1991 M.Sc. University of Western Ontario 1987 B.Sc. University of Western Ontario 1984

研究领域

Plant Biology

Plant growth at all stages depends on the ability of metabolism to function effectively under a wide range of cellular and environmental conditions. An enhanced understanding of how metabolism functions, particularly under less favorable conditions, is therefore a central component of intensifying efforts worldwide to improve plant productivity for food and many other uses. We investigate the impact of abiotic and biotic stresses (such as drought, low temperature, nutrient deficiency, high carbon dioxide, low oxygen, pathogen attack) on metabolism. Our goal is to uncover the signature responses of carbon and energy metabolism to stress, and to elucidate how these responses support acclimation to stress. An emphasis is placed on the two major energy transducing organelles of the plant cell (the mitochondrion and the chloroplast) and on the interactions between major metabolic hubs including respiration, photosynthesis and nutrient assimilation. In addition, the impact of the related reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen metabolic networks is investigated. These reactive species can damage metabolism but are also key signaling molecules supporting stress acclimation. To advance our goals, an integrative approach is taken, whereby processes are studied at the whole plant, cell, organelle, and molecular level using a combination of physiological, biochemical and molecular biological approaches. This includes growth of plants and suspension cells under defined conditions; generation and analysis of transgenic plants; gene expression analyses; leaf gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence analyses; organelle isolation and analyses; biochemical analyses of enzymes and metabolites, and confocal imaging and biochemical analysis of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.

近期论文

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Knockdown of mitochondrial alternative oxidase induces the 'stress state' of signaling molecule pools in Nicotiana tabacum, with implications for stomatal function.Cvetkovska M, Dahal K, Alber NA, Jin C, Cheung M, Vanlerberghe GC.New Phytol. 2014 Jul;203(2):449-61 pubmed A lack of mitochondrial alternative oxidase compromises capacity to recover from severe drought stress.Wang J, Vanlerberghe GC.Physiol Plant 2013 Apr; pubmed Alternative Oxidase: A Mitochondrial Respiratory Pathway to Maintain Metabolic and Signaling Homeostasis during Abiotic and Biotic Stress in Plants.Vanlerberghe GC.Int J Mol Sci 2013;14(4):6805-47 pubmed The signaling role of a mitochondrial superoxide burst during stress.Cvetkovska M, Alber NA, Vanlerberghe GC.Plant Signal Behav 2013 Jan;8(1):e22749 pubmed Alternative oxidase impacts the plant response to biotic stress by influencing the mitochondrial generation of reactive oxygen species.Cvetkovska M, Vanlerberghe GC.Plant Cell Environ. 2013 Mar;36(3):721-32 pubmed Alternative oxidase modulates leaf mitochondrial concentrations of superoxide and nitric oxide.Cvetkovska M, Vanlerberghe GC.New Phytol. 2012 Jul;195(1):32-9 pubmed Coordination of a mitochondrial superoxide burst during the hypersensitive response to bacterial pathogen in Nicotiana tabacum.Cvetkovska M, Vanlerberghe GC.Plant Cell Environ. 2012 Jun;35(6):1121-36 pubmed Impact of mitochondrial alternative oxidase expression on the response of Nicotiana tabacum to cold temperature.Wang J, Rajakulendran N, Amirsadeghi S, Vanlerberghe GC.Physiol Plant 2011 Aug;142(4):339-51 pubmed The product of the alternative oxidase is still H2O.Møller IM, Rasmusson AG, Siedow JJ, Vanlerberghe GC.Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 2010 Mar;495(1):93-4; author reply 95-6 pubmed Alternative oxidase in animals: unique characteristics and taxonomic distribution.McDonald AE, Vanlerberghe GC, Staples JF.J. Exp. Biol. 2009 Aug;212(Pt 16):2627-34 pubmed Is the maintenance of homeostatic mitochondrial signaling during stress a physiological role for alternative oxidase?.Vanlerberghe GC, Cvetkovska M, Wang J.Physiol Plant 2009 Dec;137(4):392-406 pubmed