Dr Elizabeth Dun

Senior Research Fellow

School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability

e.dun@uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

Plants, unlike animals, are amazingly plastic, having the ability to drastically change their above and below ground architecture in response to changing conditions. These changes in conditions, which may only be local to a specific plant part, can be communicated throughout the plant via long distance signals, including plant hormones, to elicit a plant-wide coordinated response. My research is concerned with the regulation of the above ground shoot architecture, or branching, and how different signals interact to control when, where and how a tiny bud will grow into a branch. This is an important plant trait, being a major determinant of yield in field, horticulture and forestry crops.

The interplay of multiple factors (including hormonal, developmental and environmental) coordinately act to regulate bud outgrowth. The plant hormones strigolactone and auxin inhibit bud outgrowth, while cytokinin promotes outgrowth. Environmental and developmental factors (i.e. photoperiod/daylength, position of axillary bud along stem) and many flowering genes also influence bud outgrowth, particularly the patterns of outgrowth. For example, photoperiod substantially affects the position of branches along the stem, even in decapitated and strigolactone-deficient plants, and therefore does not require the branching hormone strigolactone. Photoperiod regulation of branching patterns is not solely attributable to the process of flowering, as some mutants that do not flower under any photoperiod still display photoperiod-responsive vegetative traits.

My research, using the model plant garden pea (Pisum sativum), seeks to discover how strigolactones and other known hormones/signals regulate shoot architecture in response to environmental factors (photoperiod) and in coordination with developmental processes (flowering). I am studying the interactions between pathways controlling photoperiod, light response, flowering and branching which will help me to identify factors that determine position of branches along the stem. Understanding such crosstalk is important and will be an important step towards targeted modification of plant architecture, enabling bud outgrowth to be directed to desired regions or stages of plant growth.

Publications

Journal Articles (23)

Conference Papers (5)

Thesis (1)

Journal Articles

Dun, Elizabeth A., Brewer, Philip B., Gillam, Elizabeth M. J. and Beveridge, Christine A. (2023). Strigolactones and shoot branching: what is the real hormone and how does it work?. Plant And Cell Physiology, 64 (9), 967-983. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcad088

Cao, Da, Chabikwa, Tinashe, Barbier, Francois, Dun, Elizabeth A, Fichtner, Franziska, Dong, Lili, Kerr, Stephanie C and Beveridge, Christine A (2023). Auxin-independent effects of apical dominance induce changes in phytohormones correlated with bud outgrowth. Plant Physiology, 192 (2), 1420-1434. doi: 10.1093/plphys/kiad034

Kerr, Stephanie C., Patil, Suyash, de Saint Germain, Alexandre, Pillot, Jean‐Paul, Saffar, Julie, Ligerot, Yasmine, Aubert, Grégoire, Citerne, Sylvie, Bellec, Yannick, Dun, Elizabeth A., Beveridge, Christine A. and Rameau, Catherine (2021). Integration of the SMXL/D53 strigolactone signalling repressors in the model of shoot branching regulation in Pisum sativum. The Plant Journal, 107 (6) tpj.15415, 1756-1770. doi: 10.1111/tpj.15415

Bertheloot, Jessica, Barbier, François, Boudon, Frédéric, Perez‐Garcia, Maria Dolores, Péron, Thomas, Citerne, Sylvie, Dun, Elizabeth, Beveridge, Christine, Godin, Christophe and Sakr, Soulaiman (2020). Sugar availability suppresses the auxin‐induced strigolactone pathway to promote bud outgrowth. New Phytologist, 225 (2) nph.16201, 866-879. doi: 10.1111/nph.16201

Barbier, Francois F., Dun, Elizabeth A., Kerr, Stephanie C., Chabikwa, Tinashe G. and Beveridge, Christine A. (2019). An update on the signals controlling shoot branching. Trends in Plant Science, 24 (3), 220-236. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2018.12.001

Barbier, Francois F. , Dun, Elizabeth A. and Beveridge, Christine A. (2017). Apical dominance. Current Biology, 27 (17), R864-R865. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.05.024

Kameoka, Hiromu, Dun, Elizabeth A., Lopez-Obando, Mauricio, Brewer, Philip B., de Saint Germain, Alexandre, Rameau, Catherine, Beveridge, Christine A. and Kyozuka, Junko (2016). Phloem transport of the receptor, DWARF14 protein, is required for full function of strigolactones. Plant Physiology, 172 (3), 1844-1852. doi: 10.1104/pp.16.01212

Brewer, Philip B., Yoneyama, Kaori, Filardo, Fiona, Meyers, Emma, Scaffidi, Adrian, Frickey, Tancred, Akiyama, Kohki, Seto, Yoshiya, Dun, Elizabeth A., Cremer, Julia E., Kerr, Stephanie C., Waters, Mark T., Flematti, Gavin R., Mason, Michael G., Weiller, Georg, Yamaguchi, Shinjiro, Nomura, Takahito, Smith, Steven M., Yoneyama, Koichi and Beveridge, Christine A. (2016). Lateral branching oxidoreductase acts in the final stages of strigolactone biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings, 113 (22), 6301-6306. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1601729113

Brewer, Philip B., Dun, Elizabeth A., Gui, Renyi, Mason, Michael G. and Beveridge, Christine A. (2015). Strigolactone inhibition of branching independent of polar auxin transport. Plant Physiology, 168 (4), 1820-1829. doi: 10.1104/pp.15.00014

de Saint Germain, Alexandre, Ligerot, Yasmine, Dun, Elizabeth A., Pillot, Jean-Paul, Ross, John J., Beveridge, Christine A. and Rameau, Catherine (2013). Strigolactones stimulate internode elongation independently of Gibberellins. Plant Physiology, 163 (2), 1012-1025. doi: 10.1104/pp.113.220541

Dun, Elizabeth A., de Saint Germain, Alexandre, Rameau, Catherine and Beveridge, Christine A. (2013). Dynamics of strigolactone function and shoot branching responses in Pisum sativum. Molecular Plant, 6 (1), 128-140. doi: 10.1093/mp/sss131

Agusti, Javier, Herold, Silvia, Schwarz, Martina, Sanchez, Pablo, Ljung, Karin, Dun, Elizabeth A., Brewer, Philip B., Beveridge, Christine A., Sieberer, Tobias, Sehr, Eva M. and Greb, Thomas (2012). Strigolactone signaling is required for auxin-dependent stimulation of secondary growth in plants (vol 108, pg 20242, 2011). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 109 (35), 14277-14277. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1211779109

Dun, Elizabeth A., de Saint Germain, Alexandre, Rameau, Catherine and Beveridge, Christine A. (2012). Antagonistic action of strigolactone and cytokinin in bud outgrowth control. Plant Physiology, 158 (1), 487-498. doi: 10.1104/pp.111.186783

Agusti, Javier, Herold, Silvia, Schwarz, Martina, Sanchez, Pablo, Ljung, Karin, Dun, Elizabeth A., Brewer, Philip B., Beveridge, Christine A., Sieberer, Tobias, Sehr, Eva M. and Greb, Thomas (2011). Strigolactone signaling is required for auxin-dependent stimulation of secondary growth in plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108 (50), 20242-20247. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1111902108

Nelson, David C., Scaffidi, Adrian, Dun, Elizabeth A., Waters, Mark T., Flematti, Gavin R., Dixon, Kingsley W., Beveridge, Christine A., Ghisalberti, Emilio L. and Smith, Steven M. (2011). F-box protein MAX2 has dual roles in karrikin and strigolactone signaling in Arabidopsis thaliana. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA, 108 (21), 8897-8902. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1100987108

Dun, EA, Hanan, J and Beveridge, CA (2009). Computational Modeling and Molecular Physiology Experiments Reveal New Insights into Shoot Branching in Pea. PLANT CELL, 21 (11), 3459-3472. doi: 10.1105/tpc.109.069013

Beveridge, CA, Dun, EA and Rameau, C (2009). Pea has its tendrils in branching discoveries spanning a century from auxin to strigolactones. Plant Physiology, 151 (3), 985-990. doi: 10.1104/pp.109.143909

Wenden, B, Dun, EA, Hanan, J, Andrieu, B, Weller, JL, Beveridge, CA and Rameau, C (2009). Computational analysis of flowering in pea (Pisum sativum). New Phytologist, 184 (1), 153-167. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2009.02952.x

Dun, E.A., Brewer, P.B. and Beveridge, C.A. (2009). Strigolactones: discovery of the elusive shoot branching hormone. Trends in Plant Science, 14 (7), 364-372. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2009.04.003

Brewer, Philip B., Dun, Elizabeth A., Ferguson, Brett J., Rameau, Catherine and Beveridge, Christine A. (2009). Strigolactone acts downstream of auxin to regulate bud outgrowth in pea and arabidopsis. Plant Physiology, 150 (1), 482-493. doi: 10.1104/pp.108.134783

Gomez-Roldan, V., Fermas, S., Brewer, P., Puech-Pagès, V., Dun, E., Pillot, J-P., Letisse. F., Matusova, R., Danoun, S., Portais, J-C., Bouwmeester, H., Bécard, G., Beveridge, C. A., Rameau, C. and Rochange, S.F. (2008). Strigolactone inhibition of shoot branching. Nature, 455 (7210), 189-194. doi: 10.1038/nature07271

Dun, E. A., Ferguson, B. J. and Beveridge, C. A. (2006). Apical dominance and shoot branching. Divergent opinions or divergent mechanisms?. Plant Physiology, 142 (3), 812-819. doi: 10.1104/pp.106.086868

Johnson, X., Brcich, T., Dun, E. A., Goussot, M., Haurogne, K., Beveridge, C. A. and Rameau, C. (2006). Branching genes are conserved across species. Genes controlling a novel signal in pea are coregulated by other long-distance signals. Plant Physiology, 142 (3), 1014-1026. doi: 10.1104/pp.106.087676

Conference Papers

Wijerathna-Yapa, Akila, Fortuna, Nicole, Dun, Elizabeth, Lawson, Brodie, Cooper, Mark and Beveridge, Christine A. (2022). Prior Knowledge-driven Branching Phenotype Prediction for Shoot Architecture Improvement. ARC Centre of Excellence for Plant Success in Nature and Agriculture Research Retreat, Hobart, TAS Australia, 30 May - 1 June 2022.

Dun, E., Hanan, J. and Beveridge, C. A. (2007). Hypothesis-driven computational modelling of the shoot branching control network in pea. CSIRO Transformational Biology Workshop, Black Mountain, Australia, 18-20 June, 2007. CSIRO.

Beveridge, C. A., Foo, E., Murray, M. D., Dun, E. A. and Brcich, T. A. (2004). Novel signals and IAA cross-talk. IPGSA 2004, Canberra, Australia, 20th - 24th September, 2004.

Beveridge, Christine, Harding, Elizabeth, Renton, Michael, Bell, Paul, Parmenter, Kathy and Hanan, Jim (2004). Hypothesis driven modelling of long-distance signalling and plant development. 4th International Workshop on Functional-Structural Plant Models (FSPM 04), Montpellier, France, 7-11 June, 2004. Montpellier, France: UMR AMAP.

Harding, E. A. (2003). Branching in Pisum sativum (garden pea). The Inaugural Retreat for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Inh, Moreton Bay Research Station, North Stradbroke Island, 27th Feb To 2nd Mar, 2003. UQ: ARC Centre of Excellence For Integrative Legume Research.

Thesis

Dun, Elizabeth (2007). Branching in pea : molecular physiology and computational analysis. PhD Thesis, School of Integrative Biology, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/134173

Areas of research

Plant and crop science