Dr Cecilia Blomstedt - Researcher Profile

Biography

Cecilia works in the School of Biological Sciences within the Faculty of Science at Monash University as a Research Fellow.

Cecilia's areas of interest are:

• The regulation of cyanogenesis in forage sorghum
• The molecular mechanisms of desiccation tolerance in resurrection plants and how this knowledge can be applied to abiotic stress tolerance in crop plants
• Secondary metabolism, eg alkaloid production
• Food security

Keywords

cyanogenesis, desiccation tolerance, , cyp79a1; mutations; cyanide toxicity; gene regulation; nitrogen metabolism; sorghum bicolor, desiccation tolerance; growth-related genes; sporobolus stapfianus

Qualifications

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Institution: The University of Melbourne

Year awarded: 1995

Publications

Book Chapters

Gianello, R., Kuang, J., Gaff, D.F., Mahidashti-Ghasempour, H.R., Blomstedt, C.K., Hamill, J.D., Neale, A.D., 1999, Proteins correlated with desiccation tolerance in a resurrection grass Sporobolus stapfianus, in Plant Responses to Environmental Stress, Bios Scientific Publishers, Oxford UK, pp. 161-166.

Journal Articles

Blomstedt, C., Gleadow, R., O'Donnell, N., Naur, P., Jensen, K., Laursen, T., Olsen, C., Stuart, P., Hamill, J., Moller, B., Neale, A., 2012, A combined biochemical screen and TILLING approach identifies mutations in Sorghum bicolor L. Moench resulting in acyanogenic forage production, Plant Biotechnology Journal [P], vol 10, issue 1, Wiley-Blackwell, Malden USA, pp. 54-66.

Blomstedt, C.K.M., Griffiths, C.A., Fredericks, D.P., Hamill, J.D., Gaff, D.F., Neale, A.D., 2010, The resurrection plant Sporobolus stapfianus: an unlikely model for engineering enhanced plant biomass?, Journal Of Plant Growth Regulation [P], vol 62, issue 3, Springer, GZ Dordrecht Netherlands, pp. 217-232.

Gaff, D.F., Blomstedt, C.K., Neale, A.D., Le, T.N., Hamill, J.D., Ghasempour, H.R., 2009, Sporobolus stapfianus, a model desiccation-tolerant grass, Functional Plant Biology [P], vol 36, CSIRO, Australia, pp. 589-599.

Le, N.T., Blomstedt, C.K.M., Kuang, J., Tenlen, J., Gaff, D.F., Hamill, J.D., Neale, A.D., 2007, Desiccation-tolerance specific gene expression in leaf tissue of the resurrection plant Sporobolus stapfianus, Functional Plant Biology, vol 34, CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood Victoria, pp. 589-600.

McManus, L.J., Sasse, J., Blomstedt, C.K.M., Bossinger, G., 2007, The effects of ethyl methanesulfonate treatment on Eucalyptus pollen behaviour in vitro, Trees, vol 21, issue 3, Springer Verlag, Germany, pp. 379-383.

McManus, L.J., Sasse, J., Blomstedt, C.K.M., Bossinger, G., 2006, Pollen treatment for mutation induction in Eucalyptus globulus ssp. globulus (Myrtaceae), Australian Journal of Botany, vol 54, CSIRO, Collingwood Vic Australia, pp. 65-71.

Neale, A.D., Blomstedt, C.K., Bronson, P., Le, N.T., Guthridge, K.M., Evans, J., Gaff, D.F., Hamill, J.D., 2000, The isolation of genes from the resurrection grass Sporobolus stapfianus which are induced during severe drought stress, Plant, Cell and Environment, vol 23, Blackwell Science Ltd, Oxford England, pp. 265-277.

Blomstedt, C.K., Gianello, R., Gaff, D.F., Hamill, J.D., Neale, A.D., 1998, Differential gene expression in desiccation - tolerant and desiccation - sensitive tissue of the resurrection grass, Sporobolus stapfianus, Australian Journal of Plant Physiology, vol 25, CSIRO, Collingwood Vic Australia, pp. 937-946.

Blomstedt, C.K., Gianello, R., Hamill, J.D., Neale, A.D., Gaff, D.F., 1998, Drought-stimulated genes correlated with desiccation tolerane of the resurrection grass Sporobolus stapfianus, Plant Growth Regulation, vol 24 no 3, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherland, pp. 153-161.

Conference Proceedings

Blomstedt, C.K., Le, N.T., Bronson, P., Guthridge, K.M., Tenlen, J., Trypatgis, C., Anderson, E.M., Gaff, D.F., Neale, A.D., Hamill, J.D., 1997, Molecular biology of desiccation tolerance in the African resurrection grass Sporobolus stapfianus, 5th International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology, Singapore, 21-27 September 1997, Kluwer Academic Press, Belgium, p. 86.

Other

Le, N.T., Blomstedt, C.K., Gaff, D.F., Neale, A.D., Hamill, J.D., 1998, Characterisation of a gene with homology to UDP-glucose glucosylte ansferases from a genomic library of the resurrection grass Sporobolus stapfianus, Combined conference abstracts of the Aust. Soc. for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Aust. Soc. of Plant Physiologists Inc. (Inc. Volume 30, 1998 of the Proceedings of the ASBMB). Adelaide, SA. 28 Sept-1 Oct, 1998, Adelaide SA Australia.

Le, N.T., Blomstedt, C.K., Guthridge, K.M., Tenlen, J., Neale, A.D., Hamill, J.D., Gaff, D.F., 1997, A UDP-glucose glycosyltransferase is strongly up-regulated in the resurrection grass Sporobolus stapfianus in response to severe water stress (Symposium P21-4), Combined Conference Abstracts of the Aust. Soc. for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Aust. Soc. of Plant Physiologists Inc. (Inc. Vol. 29 of the Proceedings of the ASBMB), Aust. Soc. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Inc, Kent Town SA Australia.

Blomstedt, C.K., Le, N.T., Bronson, P., Guthridge, K.M., Tenlen, J., Trypatgis, C., Anderson, E.M., Hamill, J.D., Gaff, D.F., Neale, A.D., 1997, Molecular analysis of drought tolerance in the resurrection grass Sporobolus stapfianus (Symposium P21-2), Combined Conference Abstracts of the Aust. Soc. for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Aust. Soc. of Plant Physiologists Inc. (Inc. Vol. 29 of the Proceedings of the ASBMB), Aust. Soc. Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Inc, Kent Town SA Australia.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Disruption of putrescine metabolism and effects on primary and secondary metabolism in Nicotiana in response to varying conditions of environmental stress..

Supervisors:

Blomstedt, C (Main), Neale, A (Associate).

Program of Study:

(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Functional analysis of dehydration responsive genes from the resurrection grass Sporobolus stapfianus.

Supervisors:

Blomstedt, C (Main), Neale, A (Associate).

Program of Study:

(MASTER'S BY RESEARCH).

Thesis Title:

Molecular regulation and genetic alteration of N-based secondary metabolism in plants.

Supervisors:

Gleadow, R (Main), Blomstedt, C (Associate).

Completed Supervision

Student:

O'Donnell, N.

Program of Study:

Regulation of cyanogenesis in forage sorghum. (PHD) 2012.

Supervisors:

Gleadow, R (Main), Blomstedt, C (Associate), Hamill, J (Associate), Neale, A (Associate).