Graduate Student Chris Topp

Chris started as a technician in 2001 and entered the graduate program in 2003. His primary interest is the function of centromere-associated RNA. He is also interested in overall kinetochore architecture in both maize and Arabidopsis .

Phan B.H., Jin, W., Topp, C.N., Zhong, C.X., Jiang, J., Dawe R.K., and Parrott, W.A. 2006. Transgenic Res.

Topp, C.N., and Dawe,  R.K.  2006. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 9, 647-653

Topp, C.N., Zhong C.X., and Dawe, R.K. 2004. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 101, 15986-15991

Zhong C.X., Marshall J.B., Topp, C et al. 2002. Plant Cell 14, 2825-2836

Graduate student Yaqing Du

Yaqing transferred to the lab in early 2004 with an interest in Centromere Protein C (CENPC) and its potential role in centromere recognition and evolution. She has taken a biochemical focus in her work, using purified CENPC to investigate the nucleic acid binding properties of the protein. Yaqing has also worked on maize NDC80.

Du, Y., and Dawe, R.K. 2007. Chromosome Res. August issue.

Graduate student Xuexian Li

Xuexian began in January 2004 with an interest in histone phosphorylation. Xuexian is also investigating MIS12 as a potential constitutive marker of active centromeres.

Zhang, X., Li, X.*, Marshall, J.B., Zhong, C.X., and Dawe, R.K. 2005. Plant Cell 17, 572-583

*Co-first author

Graduate student Jinghua Shi

Jinghua joined the lab in late 2004 with an interest in chromatin organization. She is also interested in centromere sequence and evolution. Most of her current efforts are directed towards centromere mapping using high throughput markers.

Shi, J. and Dawe R.K. 2006. Genetics 173, 1571-1583

Graduate student Sarah Rushing

Sarah joined the lab in 2006 with an interest in plant genetics. Her Master's research is on the localization and function of Arabidopsis kinetochore proteins.

Graduate student Han Zhang

Han is a Genetics Department major who joined the lab in April of 2006. She too is interested in the challenging problem of artificial chromosomes. Her current work is directed towards developing new ways of delivering large centromeric DNA into maize.

Graduate student Yun Li

Yun joined the lab along with Sarah and Han in the Spring of 2006. She is studying Centromeric Retroelements and how they are distributed among the grasses and other monocots. Her long term goal is to develop a better perspective on how we can apply what we have learned from maize and rice to other crops.

Graduate student Brunilis Burgos

Brunilis joined the lab in 2007 as a SREB-State Scholar. Brunie is developing new RNAi methods in Arabidopsis for assaying essential genes - such as those encoding kinetochore proteins.

Graduate student Lisa Kanizay

Lisa joined the lab in June 2007. She has a UGA Presidential Fellowship. Her interests are in transposons, genomics and the Abnormal 10 chromosome.

Technician Sarah Wolf

Sarah joined the lab in mid 2007. As of now she is working mapping centromeres, transposon display and ChIP.