Name: Dr. Liza Conrad

Project: Polcomb Group Genes Controlling Endosperm Development in Rice

Project Summary:

Liza’s project centers on the identification and characterization of rice orthologs of
Arabidopsis Polycomb Group (PcG) genes. The primary goal is to determine their
function in the regulation of endosperm proliferation and patterning in rice. Further
studies will be conducted on the timing and mechanism of this regulation through
expression analysis during embryo sac and early seed development in rice.

Education:
PhD, Plant Breeding and Genetics, Cornell University
Thesis Advisor: Dr. Thomas Brutnell
PhD Thesis: “Activator (Ac) mutagenesis and epigenetic regulation in maize”

B.S., cum laude, Biological Sciences, State University of New York College at Cortland,
Cortland, NY

Publications:

Conrad L.J., L. Bai, K.R. Ahern, K.J. Dusinberre, D.P. Kane and T.P. Brutnell
(2007) State II Dissociation (Ds) element formation following Activator (Ac)
excision in maize. Genetics 177: 737–747

Conrad L.J., K. Kakuchi, and T.P. Brutnell (in press) “Transposon tagging in cereal
crops” in The Handbook of Plant Functional Genomics: Concepts and Protocols,
eds. Kahl and Meksem, vol. 2, pp267-290.

Conrad L.J. and T.P. Brutnell (2005) Ac-immobilized, a stable source of Activator
Transposase that mediates somatic and gametophytic excision of Dissociation
elements in maize. Genetics 171: 1999-2012

Kolkman J.M.1, L.J. Conrad1, P.R. Farmer, K. Hardeman, K.R. Ahern, P.E. Lewis,
R.J. Sawers, S. Lebejko, P. Chomet and T.P. Brutnell (2005) Distribution of
Activator (Ac) throughout the maize genome for use in regional mutagenesis.
Genetics 169: 981-995 (1co-first author)

T. P. Brutnell and L. Conrad (2003) "Transposon Tagging using Activator (Ac) in
Maize" in Plant Functional Genomics, Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 236,
pp.157-175

Conrad L, Hardeman K, Lewis PA, Lebejko S, Farmer P, Ahern K, Chomet P,
Brutnell TP (2002) Regional mutagenesis utilizing Activator (Ac) in maize. MNL
76(99): 81-83