Staff profile

Professor Marilyn A Anderson FAA, FTSE

Professor, Lab Head

Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering

School of Molecular Sciences
Department of Biochemistry

Physical Science 4 room 380B/380 (L), Melbourne (Bundoora)

 

Qualifications

BSc Hons UMELB., PhD La Trobe.

Area of study

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Brief Profile

Professor Marilyn Anderson completed a BSc Honours at The University of Melbourne and a PhD in Biochemistry at La Trobe University. She spent seven years in the United States working on diabetes at the University of Miami and oncogenes at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. She returned to Australia in 1982 to establish a molecular biology group at the newly established Plant Cell Biology Research Centre at the University of Melbourne. In 1995, she moved to the Department of Biochemistry at La Trobe University.

Professor Anderson's current work is focussed on defence molecules produced by plants for protection against insect pests and pathogens. This interest was a spin off from work on genes that control pollination in flowering plants. She discovered that the female sexual tissues of plants produce high concentrations of molecules that protect reproductive capacity under adverse conditions in the field. Her current research spans from basic work on the structure and function of these molecules, to the practical application of creating crop plants which are protected from losses in the field due to predation and disease. This practical application is being developed within the company Hexima Limited of which Professor Anderson is a founding scientist and Chief Science Officer.

Achievements

  • Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
  • Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE)
  • Chief Science Officer of Hexima Ltd (since 2009)
  • Founder and past Director on the Board of Hexima Ltd
  • Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD)
  • Director on the Board of City West Water Ltd (since 2008)
  • Past Director on the Board of South East Water Ltd (1998 - 2008)
  • Served on the Biological Sciences Study Panel of the Australian Research Council (1999 - 2000)

Research specialisation

- Plant innate immunity proteins

Recent Publications

View Marilyn Anderson's publications on ResearcherID.

van der Weerden, N.L., Hancock, R.E., Anderson, M.A. (2010) Permeabilization of fungal hyphae by the plant defensin NaD1 occurs through a cell wall dependent process. J Biol Chem. Sep 22. [Epub ahead of print]

Mylne, J.S., Wang, C.K., van der Weerden, N.L., Craik, D.J. (2010) Cyclotides are a component of the innate defence of Oldenlandia affinis. Biopolymers. May 26. [Epub ahead of print]

Dunse, K.M., Kaas, Q., Guarino, R.F., Barton, P.A., Craik, D.J., Anderson, M.A. (2010) Molecular basis for the resistance of an insect chymotrypsin to a potato type II proteinase inhibitor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 107: 15016-21

Dunse, K.M., Stevens, J.A., Lay, F.T., Gaspar, Y.M., Heath, R.L., Anderson, M.A. (2010) Coexpression of potato type I and II proteinase inhibitors gives cotton plants protection against insect damage in the field. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 107: 15011-5

Covey, P.A., Subbaiah, C.C., Parsons, R.L., Pearce, G., Lay, F.T., Anderson, M.A., Ryan, C.A., Bedinger, P.A. (2010) A pollen-specific RALF from Solanum lycopersicum that regulates pollen tube elongation. Plant Physiol 153: 703-715

Schirra, H.J., Guarino, R.F., Anderson, M.A., Craik, D.J. (2010) Selective removal of individual disulfide bonds within a potato type II serine proteinase inhibitor from Nicotiana alata reveals differential stabilization of the reactive-site loop. J Mol Biol 395: 609-626

Gruber, C.W., Cemazar, M., Anderson, M.A., Craik, D.J. (2009) Enzyme mechanism and function of a novel plant PDI involved in the oxidative folding of cystine knot defense peptides. Adv Exp Med Biol 611: 31-32.

Schirra, H.J., Anderson, M.A. and Craik, D.J. (2008) Structural refinement of insecticidal plant proteinase inhibitors from Nicotiana alata. Protein Pept. Lett. 15: 903-909.

Pelegrini, P.B., Lay, F.T., Murad, A.M., Anderson, M.A., Franco, O.L. (2008) Novel insights on the mechanism of action of alpha-amylase inhibitors from the plant defensin family. Proteins 73: 719-729.

van der Weerden, N.L., Lay, F.T., Anderson, M.A. (2008) The plant defensin NaD1 enters the cytoplasm of Fusarium oxysporum hyphae. J Biol Chem. 283: 14445-14452.

Barbeta, B.L., Marshall, A.T., Gillon, A.D., Craik, D.J., Anderson, M.A. (2008) Plant cyclotides disrupt epithelial cells in the midgut of lepidopteran larvae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 105: 1221-1225.

Gillon, A.D., Saska, I., Jennings, C.V., Guarino, R.F., Craik, D.J., Anderson, M.A.. (2008) Biosynthesis of circular proteins in plants. Plant J. 53: 505-515.

Saska I, Gillon AD, Hatsugai N, Dietzgen RG, Hara-Nishimura I, Anderson MA, Craik DJ. (2007) An asparaginyl endopeptidase mediates in vivo protein backbone cyclization. J Biol Chem 282: 29721-29728.

Gruber, C.W., Čemažar, M., Anderson, M.A. and Craik, D.J. (2007) Insecticidal plant cyclotides and related cystine knot toxins. Toxicon 49, 561-575

Johnson, E.D., Miller, E.A. and Anderson, M.A. (2007) Dual location of a family of proteinase inhibitors within the stigmas of Nicotiana alata. Planta 225: 1265-1276

Maheswaran, G., Pridmore, L., Franz, P. and Anderson, M.A. (2007) A proteinase inhibitor from Nicotiana alata inhibits the normal development of light-brown apple moth, Epiphyas postvittana in transgenic apple plants. Plant Cell Rep. 26, 773-82

Gruber, C.W., Čemažar, M., Clark, R.J., Horibe, T., Renda, R.F., Anderson, M.A. and Craik, D.J. (2007) A novel plant protein disulphide isomerise involved in the oxidative folding of cystine knot defense proteins. J Biol Chem 282: 20435-46.

Gunasekera, S., Daly, N.L., Anderson, M.A. and Craik, D.J. (2006) Chemical synthesis and biosynthesis of the cyclotide family. IUBMB Life 58, 1-10.

Mulvenna, J.P., Bharathi, R., Mylne, J.S., Burton, R.A., Shirley, N.J., Fincher, G.B., Anderson, M.A. and Craik, D.J. (2006) Discovery of cyclotide –like protein sequences in graminaceous crop plants; Ancestral precursors of circular proteins? The Plant Cell, 18, 1-11.

Charity, J.A., Hughes, P., Anderson, M.A., Bittisnich, D.J., Whitecross, M. and Higgins, T.J.V. (2005) Pest and disease protection conferred by expression of barley ß-hordothionin and Nicotiana alata proteinase inhibitor genes in transgenic tobacco. Functional Plant Biology 32, 35-44.

Jennings, C.V., Rosengren, K.J., Daly, N.L., Plan, M., Stevens, Jl, Scanlon, M.J., Waine, C., Norman, D.G., Anderson, M.A. and Craik, D.J. (2005) Isolation, Solution Structure, and Insecticidal Activity of Kalata B2, a Circular Protein with a Twist: Do MÖbius Strips Exist in Nature? Biochemistry, 44, 851-860.

Lay, F.T. and Anderson, M.A. (2005) Defensins – Components of the innate immune system in plants. Current Protein and Peptide Science 6, 85-101.

Dutton, J.L., Renda, R.F., Waine, C., Clark, R.J., Daly N.L., Jennings, C.V., Anderson, M.A. and Craik D.J. (2004) Conserved Structural and Sequence Elements Implicated in the Processing of Gene-encoded Circular Proteins. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 45, 46858-46867.

Janssen, B.J., Schirra, H.J., Lay, F.T., Anderson, M.A. and Craik, D.J. (2003) Structure of Petunia hybrida defensin 1, a novel plant defensin with five disulfide bonds. Biochemistry, 42, 8214-8222.

Lay, F.T., Brugliera, F. and Anderson, M.A. (2003) Isolation and Properties of Floral Defensins from Ornamental Tobacco and Petunia. Plant Physiology, 131, 1283-1293.

Lay, F. T., Schirra, H. J., Scanlon, M. J., Anderson, M. A., Craik, D. J. (2003) The three-dimensional solution structure of NaD1, a floral defensin from Nicotiana alata and its application to a homology model of the crop defense protein alfAFP. Journal of Molecular Biology, 325, 175-188.

Craik, D.J., Anderson, M.A. and Daly, N.L. (2003) Circular proteins tied in knots. Today's Life Science, 15, 28-32.

Craik, D.J., Anderson, M.A., Barry, D.G., Clark, R.J., Daly, N.L., Jennings, C.V. and Mulvenna, J. (2002) Discovery and structures of the cyclotides: novel macrocyclic peptides from plants. Letters in Peptide Science, 8: 119-128.

Jennings, C., West, J., Waine, C., Craik, D. J. and Anderson, M. A. (2001) Biosynthesis and insecticidal properties of plant cyclotides: The cyclic knotted proteins from Oldenlandia affinis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 98, 10614-10619.

Schirra, H. J., Scanlon, M. J., Lee, M. C. S., Anderson, M. A. and Craik, D. J. (2001) The solution structure of C1-T1, a two-domain proteinase inhibitor derived from a circular precursor protein from Nicotiana alata. Journal of Molecular Biology 306, 69-79.

Korsinczky, M. L., Schirra, H. J., Rosengren, K. J., West, J., Condie, B. A., Otvos, L., Anderson, M. A. and Craik, D. J. (2001) Solution structures by 1H NMR of the novel cyclic trypsin inhibitor SFTI-1 from sunflower seeds and an acyclic permutant. Journal of Molecular Biology 311, 579-591.

Miller, E. A., Lee, M. C. S., Atkinson, A. H. O. and Anderson, M. A. (2000) Identification of a novel four-domain member of the proteinase inhibitor II family from the stigmas of Nicotiana alata. Plant Molecular Biology 42, 329-333.

Older Publications

Miller, E. A., Lee, M. C. S. and Anderson, M. A. (1999) Identification and characterization of a prevacuolar compartment in stigmas of Nicotiana alata. The Plant Cell 11, 1499-1508.

Newbigin, E., Anderson, M. A. and Clarke, A. E. (1999) Molecular basis of self-incompatibility in the Solanaceae., In M. Nee, D. E. Symon, R.N. Lester and J. P. Jessop (editors). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, pp. 189-195.

Lee, M. C. S., Scanlon, M. J., Craik, D. J. and Anderson, M. A. (1999) A novel two-chain proteinase inhibitor generated by circularization of a multidomain precursor protein. Nature Structural Biology 6, 526-530.

Miller, E. A. and Anderson, M. A. (1999) Reply: The role of BP-80 in sorting to the vacuole in stigmas. Plant Cell 11, 2071-2073.

Scanlon, M. J., Lee, M. C. S., Anderson, M. A. and Craik, D. J. (1999) Structure of a putative ancestral protein encoded by a single sequence repeat from a multidomain poteinase inhibitor gene from Nicotiana alata. Structure with Folding and Design 7, 793-802.

Ferguson, C., Bacic, A., Anderson, M. A. and Read, S. M. (1999) Subcellular distribution of arabinogalactan proteins in pollen grains and tubes as revealed with a monoclonal antibody raised against stylar arabinogalactan proteins. Protoplasma 206, 105-117.

Charity, J. A., Anderson, M. A., Bittisnich, D. J., Whitecross, M. and Higgins, T. J. V. (1999) Transgenic tobacco and peas expressing a proteinase inhibitor from Nicotiana alata have increased insect resistance. Molecular Breeding 5, 357-365.

Miller, E. A. and Anderson, M. A. (1999) Uncoating the mechanisms of vacuolar protein transport. Trends in Plant Science 4, 46-48.