John J. Finer
Department of Horticulture and Crop Science
OARDC/The Ohio State University
1680 Madison Ave.
Wooster, OH 44691
Tel: 330-263-3880
e-mail: finer.1@osu.edu
Professor
B.S. - Botany, Miami University
M.S., Ph.D. - Plant Physiology, Texas A&M University
Post-doc: - CIBA-GEIGY Biotechnology (now Syngenta)
Area of expertise: Transformation and transgene expression in crop plants
Cattleya intermedia 'John Finer'
Research efforts in the laboratory have focused on genetic transformation and transgene expression in crop plants. Although the main emphasis in my laboratory is currently on soybean and sunflower, we have additional experience with transformation of maize, wheat, tomato, bentgrass, cotton, white pine, Chinese yam, Christmas cactus and Ohio buckeye. We were the first university laboratory to report consistent recovery of transgenic plants of cotton, soybean and corn. Embryogenic tissues are used for both basic studies on plant growth and development and as targets for transformation.
In the area of transformation, we continue to use particle bombardment for transformation of a variety of different crops (mostly soybean and wheat). Efforts with Sonication-Assisted Agrobacterium-mediated Transformation (SAAT) continue to increase. Not only is SAAT useful for improved transformation efficiencies, but we are gaining valuable information on Agrobacterium-host interactions.
In the area of transgene expression, we continue to improve our developed technologies in robotics and for automated image capture and analysis. We are most involved in promoter isolation, reintroduction and gene expression tracking using GFP as a reporter. We are also involved in characterization of factors which modulate transgene expression using our robotics system. Images, collected over time, are digitally spliced together to generate time-lapse animations of tissue growth and gene expression. Tissue growth and gene expression animations reveal unique features of the subject materials, that are clearly not visible from single time point image collections.
