Diane M. Beckles
Assistant Professor/Plant BiologistEducation
University of Sheffield, England Biotechnology 1990-1993 BSc
University of Cambridge, England Plant Biochemistry 1995-1998 Ph.D
Professional Experience
1995-1997 Predoctoral Researcher, University of Cambridge, England
1997-1998 Predoctoral Researcher John Innes Centre, England
01-06/1999 Postdoctoral Researcher, John Innes Centre, England
1999-2002 Visiting Research Scientist, DuPont Agricultural Biotechnology,
DE, USA
2003-present Assistant Professor/Plant Biologist, University of California,
Davis
Honors/ Awards
Barbados Government Scholarship, 1989
First Class Honours, BSc. University of Sheffield
Commonwealth Scholarship Commission Scholarship, 1995
Tom ap Rees Memorial Graduate Student Prize 1997
John Innes Centre Graduate Student Award 1998
Research Interests
I am interested in carbohydrate metabolism especially in starch biosynthesis
in wheat seeds. I take a multi-faceted approach. I use classical biochemistry
and molecular biology to study single proteins and genes involved in starch
biosynthesis, and global profiling technologies - cDNA microarrays and
Lynx Megaclone™ technology http://www.lynxgen.com/wt/tert.php3?page_name=megaclone to look at the expression of several hundred/thousands of genes in parallel.
This allows one to get a broad picture of metabolism and to
potentially discover hitherto unknown genes.
This work has been generously supported by DuPont Agricultural Biotechnology. They have donated to my lab - 20 wheat cDNA libraries, and the novel wheat ESTs identified by Lynx experiments to allow me to continue my research in this area. I hope to identify important genetic determinants of wheat seed development and starch biosynthesis using these resources. I am also interested in understanding how carbohydrates are allocated between sink-source tissue in tomato.
Teaching
I will be participating in two biochemistry courses – BIS103- Bioenergetics and metabolism and MCB/PLB126 Plant Biochemistry in the Spring of 2004.
Publications/Patents
1. Beckles, DM, Butler KH, Krebbers, E, Broglie KE (submitted) Cloning and genetic characterization of a novel starch synthase from wheat . Plant Physiol.
2. Burton, RA, Johnson PE, Beckles DM, Fisher GB, Jenner HL, Naldrett MJ, Denyer K (2002) Characterization of the Genes Encoding the Cytosolic and Plastidial Forms of ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase in Wheat Endosperm. Plant Physiol. 130(3):1464-75
3. Beckles, DM, Smith AM and ap Rees, T (2001) A cytosolic ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is a feature of graminaceous endosperms, but not of other starch-storing organs. Plant Physiol. 125(2):818-27.
4. Beckles, DM, Craig J and Smith AM (2001) ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase is located in the plastid in developing tomato fruit. Plant Physiol. 126(1):261-6.
5. Pearlstein RW and Beckles DM (2001) BB1439USNA (“Starch Branching Enzyme IIB), Application No. 09/792,127
6. Beckles DM (2000) BB1423USNA (Homologs of starch synthase DUI) Application No 09/739,438.