Bachelor of Science in Botany, First Class Honours
(University of Western Australia)(degree received 1981)
Doctor of Philosophy in Genetics
(Australian National University)(degree received 1985)
Tel: +81 422-33-3484
Fax: +81 422-33-1449
Email: ridge@icu.ac.jp
Teaching: cell biology, molecular plant development, plant morphology and structure laboratory classes, seminars, basic biology courses for majors and non-majors, advanced courses, postgraduate courses; plus honours students, postgraduate students, and all the activities one expects of a university professor!
Project 2. Legume root hair surface molecules, as related to early interactions with rhizobia. With Dr Charlotta Fredriksson, JSPS post-doctoral fellow for two years from Sweden, Jan 1999 to Jan 2001. Funded by JSPS at about 7 million yen per year.
Project 3. Nod factor interactions with legumes and non-legumes. With Dr Hiroshi Kouchi (National Institute of Agrobiological Resources, Tsukuba, Japan). We have a 1 billion yen grant (about 10 million US dollars) from 2000. This grant is shared by 16 laboratories throughout Japan for projects on the theme of plant-microbe interactions that include both pathogenic and symbiotic insteractions..
Project 4. GFP-labelled organelles in Lotus with Dr Kouchi.
PREVIOUS RECENT COLLABORATION:
Plant myosin genes. With Dr Richard Williamson and Dr Jacek Plazinski (both of the Australian National University) and Dr Teruo Shimmen (Himeji Institute of Technology, Japan). After Dr Plazinski left academia for government, and the grant finished, (Japan Ministry of Education funding of 21 million yen from April 1996 - April 1999) this project was closed.
1. In an investigation of the early interactions between the symbiotic bacterium Rhizobium and legume root hairs, I have developed a model of how Rhizobium interacts with the cytoskeleton of the root hair cell during infection. The model is based on the results of various microscopy techniques, including freeze-substitution for electron microscopy. This line of research continues with an investigation into the role of pyriform vesicles in root hair growth and how they and clathrin are affected during Rhizobium infection.
2. Using the synthetic auxin 2,4-D, I have been investigating the induction of nodule-like structures on the cereals rice and wheat. The results have shown that these monocotyledons have the same in-built 'programming' for the development of nodules as do the dicotyledon legumes, and that perhaps the only barrier to establishing a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis is the initial 'molecular conversation' where the Rhizobium and plant communicate using flavone and lipo-oligosaccharide signal molecules.
3. Dynamics of ER using GFP as a reporter combined with confocal laser microscopy.
4/91 - 7/93 Rockefeller Foundation Research Fellow Australian National University. 4/90 - 3/91 Visiting Research Scientist Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA. 9/87 - 3/90 Foreign Professor University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. 10/85 - 8/87 Higher Scientific Officer John Innes Institute, Norwich, UK. 4/85 - 10/85 Post-Doctoral Fellow Australian National University