Christopher P. L. Grof

　　Title:Professor and Director

　　Address:Centre for Plant Science School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle, Callaghan Newcastle NSW 2308.

　　Tel:  +61 2 49215858

　　Email:  Chris.Grof@newcastle.edu.au

　　Education Background:

　　1989     PhD James Cook University of North Queensland, Queensland, Australia.

　　Working Experiences:

　　1988-89    Lecturer in second and third year Plant Physiology; James Cook University of North Queensland (JCUNQ).

　　1989-90    Postdoctoral Fellow (Professor D.A. Walker, FRS); University of Sheffield. UK.

　　1990-93    Postdoctoral Fellow (Professor C.J. Leaver, FRS); University of Oxford. UK.

　　1993-2007 Principal Research Scientist; CSIRO Plant Industry, Brisbane, Australia.

　　2008-       Professor of Plant Science, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia.

　　Research Interests:

　　A major focus of my research is to develop a fundamental understanding of carbon metabolism and partitioning that includes the interaction of organelles and organs contributing to plant growth/storage. Early research identified the role of the essential micronutrient sodium in chloroplast development and provision of energy for a key step in regenerating the three-carbon acceptor molecule in mesophyll cells of C₄ plants. Carbon flux through mitochondria and respiratory metabolism are fundamental platforms for cotyledon development. In this context, the Pyruvate Dehydrogenase Complex, under the control of the E1 a subunit, was demonstrated to play a central role in regulating entry of pyruvate into mitochondria. Dissecting mechanisms regulating photoassimilate production and transport of sucrose from source to sink have been undertaken in the important C₄ crop, sugarcane. A directed EST sequencing approach, undertaken on the major sugarcane sucrose storage organ, the stem, identified a number of ESTs encoding novel sugar transporters and full length cDNA sequences were isolated. Three putative hexose transporters were immunolocalised to the phloem of maturing stem internodes. Most significantly an increase in expression of these transporters coincided with the logarithmic increase in sucrose concentration indicating they play an important role in accumulating sucrose in the stem sink. The ShSUT1 sucrose transporter, exhibited a novel localisation pattern being present in the cell layer surrounding vascular bundles and showed a strong spike in expression at the initiation of the logarithmic phase of sucrose accumulation. The sucrose transporter is predicted to function to retrieve sucrose from the apoplasm as water returns to the xylem through the symplasmically isolated vascular bundles. The development of a high level of expertise in functional characterisation of sugar transporters has been realised through research visits to the laboratories of premier transport researchers Professor Frommer, (Carnegie Institute, Stanford University) and Professor John Ward, (University of Minnesota) and resulted in functional characterisation of sugarcane and Sorghum sucrose transporters in heterologous systems including yeast and Xenopus laevis oocytes.

　　As an adjunct to researching photoassimilate partitioning, my research group has considerable expertise in improving transformation and transgene expression in recalcitrant plant species, skills essential for implementing genetic manipulations in order to dissect the role of candidate genes.

　　In 2008 I began developing new research platforms using Sorghum and Setaria as model biofuels feedstocks. In addition to investigating sucrose transport mechanisms I have extended the scope of photoassimilate partitioning to include cell wall construction/deconstruction and composition. My research group is currently undertaking leading edge research in the development of FTIR and FPA-FTIR as tools for detailed investigation of cereal grass cell wall composition and the development of predictive models of cell wall composition using spectral analysis.

　　Professional Activities:

　　Martin AP, Palmer WM, Brown CW, Abel C, Lunn JE, Furbank RT, Grof CPL (2016). A developing Setaria viridis internode: An experimental system for the study of biomass generation in a C₄ model species.  Biotechnology for Biofuels , 9, 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13068-016-0457-6

　　Milne RJ , Offler CE , Patrick JW, and Grof CPL (2015). Cellular pathways of source leaf phloem loading and phloem unloading in developing stems of Sorghum bicolor in relation to stem sucrose storage. Functional Plant Biology 42, 957-970 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/FP15133.

　　Palmer WM, Martin AP, Flynn JR, Reed SL, White RG, Furbank RT, Grof CPL (2015). PEA-CLARITY: 3D molecular imaging of whole plant organs. Scientific Reports 5, 13492; doi: 10.1038/srep13492.

　　Y, Grof CPL, Patrick JW (2014). Proof of concept for a novel functional screening system for plant sucrose effluxers.  J Biol Methods 1 (2):e5. doi: 10.14440/jbm.2014.27.

　　Martin AP, Palmer WM, Byrt CS, Furbank RT, Grof CPL (2013). A holistic high-throughput screening framework for biofuel feedstock assessment that characterises variations in soluble sugars and cell wall composition in Sorghum bicolor . Biotechnology for Biofuels doi: 10.1186/1754-6834-6-186.

　　Byrt CS, Grof CPL, Furbank RT (2011). C₄ plants as biofuel feedstocks: Optimising biomass production and feedstock quality from a lignocellulosic perspective. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology 53, 120-135 .

　　Kühn C, Grof CPL (2010). Sucrose transporters of higher plants. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 13, 287-298.