BSc (Biochemistry) McMaster University PhD (Biochemistry) University of Alberta

Our main interest is trying to answer the questions “How are plant genes regulated” and “what role do insulators play in this process?” Insulators are sequences that can block the effects of enhancers on promoters and/or help to define chromatin regions such as boundaries between euchromatin and heterochromatin. Plant insulators have potential to isolate transgenes from the influence on sequences flanking sites of insertion such as promoters.

Baum, B.R., Edwards, T., Johnson, D.A. Phylogenetic relationships among diploid Aegilops species inferred from 5S rDNA units. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 53: 34-44, 2009 Gudynaite-Savitch, L., Johnson, D.A., Miki, B.L. Strategies to Mitigate Transgene-Promoter Interactions. Plant Biotechnology Journal 7: 472-485, 2009 Baum, B.R., Johnson, D.A. Molecular confirmation of the genomic constitution of Douglasdeweya (Triticeae: Poaceae) - demonstration of the utility of the 5S rDNA sequence as a tool for haplome identification. Molecular Genetics and Genomics 279: 621-628, 2008 Soleimani, V.D., Baum, B.R., Johnson, D.A. Analysis and quantification of retroposon BARE-1 reveals the dynamic nature of the barley genome. Genome 49(4): 389-396, 2006 Moïse, J., Han, S.Y., Gudynaite-Savitch, L., Johnson, D.A., Miki, B.L.A. Seed Coats: Structure, Development, Composition and Biotechnology. In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology - Plant 41: 620-644, 2005