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Dr Marianne Frommer PhD Honorary Associate School of Biological Sciences Phone Ph (+61) (2) 9351 4239 |
Appointed an ARC Senior Research Fellow in the School of Biological Scineces based on internationally significant work in human molecular genetics at The Kanematsu Institute, University of Edinburgh, and the University of Wisconsin. PhD was gained at the University of Sydney with work on physical biochemistry of contractile proteins of muscle. Initiated the Fruit Fly Research Centre in the School of Biological Sciences in 1993, and was appointed inaugural Research Director of the Centre from 1997 to 1999.
Was part of the team which first identified unmethylated CpG-rich regions in the mammalian genome. With a PhD student, Margaret Gardiner-Garden, carried out an extensive sequence analysis of CpG distribution in mammalian genomes and defined sequence criteria for identification of CpG islands. (Was responsible for coining the term "CpG island" now in such widespread and general use that it is no longer cited.) Studies of promoter function of both 5' and 3' CpG islands. Analysis of dinucleotide frequencies in angiosperm genomes. Discoverer of a technique for non-radioactive in situ hybridisation using BrdU-labelled probes and antiBrdU detection (patent held jointly by Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and Bioclone, Australia). Discoverer of bisulphite genomic sequencing for cytosine methylation. Studies of DNA methylation in mammalian genomes. ARC Senior Research Fellow: made a change in research direction, to leave medically-based research for agriculture-based research on fruit fly genetics. Began work on the molecular genetics of the Queensland fruit fly in 1993 as an ARC Senior Research Fellow. Instigated the FFRC in 1995 and appointed inaugural Research Director in 1997-99. Under her direction the fruit fly genome has begun to be characterized with the establishment of a linkage map including both visible and molecular markers.B. tryoni genes have been cloned and sequenced as indicated in this proposal, and a major study of microsatellite markers has produced valuable results concerning the distribution of different fruit fly populations.
