Ulrika EgertsdotterAdjunct Associate Professor Ph.D., Swedish University of Agricultural    Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden, 1996

Dr. Egertsdotter obtained her B.Sc.in Biological Sciences and Chemistry at Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden, in 1989, and her Ph.D. in Cell- and Molecular biology at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden, in 1996. She was awarded a Marie Curie Fellowship from The European Union to study mechanisms of signal transduction in plant model system in the Plant Laboratory at the University of York, UK, for a two year period. Between 1998 and 2000, she was working as a senior scientific officer at the Norwegian Research Institute in Norway responsible for the somatic embryogenesis program. In February 2000, she received a Gunnar Nicholson Fellowship to work on genomics of loblolly pine development at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology. She joined the institute as a research staff member in 2002. Dr. Egertsdotter's main research interest is in the genetic regulation of the wood formation process in conifers. She has also an interest in the regulation of somatic embryo development and the biochemical processes involved.

Research Summary

Genomics of developmental processes in loblolly pine

The genetic regulation of developmental processes in loblolly pine, e.g. wood formation, embryo development, can be studied by a genomics approach. Large numbers of genes from loblolly pine have been identified by EST sequencing http://web.ahc.umn.edu/biodata. The gene corresponding cDNA clones can be utilized in microarray experiments where the expression of many genes are studied. The results from microarray analysis shows the co-ordinated regulation of genes involved in different pathways and with potential regulatory function.

We have been analysing gene expression by microarrays on different materials. Studies have been completed on gene expression during wood formation analysing compression wood, early wood - late wood, and lignifying and lignified wood. Model callus cultures that can be induced to produce lignin have been used as a model system to study the lignification process. The technology to process small tissue samples yielding less than 100 ng total RNA has enabled microarray analysis on single layers of cells. Studies on gene expression during somatic embryogenesis have also been completed and published. In an ongoing study we are applying microarrays to analyze transgenic spruce that has altered lignin biosynthesis.

We use real-time PCR for verification of the microarray expression data.