Assoc/Prof Patrick Finnegan
Associate Professor
Contact details
| Address | School of Plant Biology The University of Western Australia (M084) 35 Stirling Highway CRAWLEY WA 6009 Australia |
|---|---|
| Phone | 6488 8546 |
| Fax | 6488 1108 |
| patrick.finnegan@uwa.edu.au |
Biography
I spent my early years in the United States of America, mainly in the small New England state of Vermont, renowned for the beauty of its autumn foliage, the purity of its snow and the sweetness of its maple syrup. I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (U.S.A.). I then left the U.S. for Montreal, Canada to undertake a PhD at McGill University. My PhD experience sparked my interest in mitochondrial biogenesis, an area I continue to research at UWA. After completing my PhD in 1989, overjoyed at finishing the degree but greatly saddened by the prospect of leaving beautiful, cosmopolitan Montreal, I moved to Australia with the view of staying for a 2 year post-doctoral experience. I have been here ever since, enjoying the natural beauty of the place and the friendliness of the people. I held post-doctoral research positions at Monash University, Queensland University of Technology, The Australian National University and Macquarie University. Before taking up my position as Lecturer in Plant Biology at UWA in 2003, I held lecturing posts in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, ANU (1999) and the School of Science, Food and Horticulture, University of Western Sydney (2001 – 2002). I have always enjoyed opportunities to work with Australian and international research students at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Over the years, I have been actively involved in the supervision of many Honours and postgraduate research students. All these students successfully finished their research degrees and most are still directly involved in scientific research. I remain very interested in plant mitochondrial biogenesis, and have recently branched into the area of plant phosphate nutrition, as you can read by following the link to my Profile page.
Key research
- • Mitochondrial biogenesis and function
- • Phosphorus nutrition in Australian native
- plants
- • Plant respiration
- • Regulation of plant gene expression
- • Plant molecular biology
Major research interests
- Genetic manipulation
- Mitochondrial biogenesis and evolution
- Molecular biology and gene expression
- Nutrient acquisition
- Plant physiology
Publications
32. Finnegan, P.M., Soole, K.L. and Umbach, A.L. (2004) Alternative mitochondrial electron transport proteins in higher plants. In: Plant Mitochondria: From Genome to Function. Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration vol 17. Day, D.A., Millar A.H., and Whelan J., eds., Kluwer, pp. 163 – 230.
31. Pharmawati, M., Yan, G., Sedgley, R., Finnegan, P.M. (2004) Chloroplast DNA inheritance and variation in Leucadendron species (Proteaceae) as revealed by PCR-RFLP. Theor Appl Genet 109: 1694-1701. DOI 10.1007.s00122-004-1800-z.
30. Finnegan, P.M., Brumbley, S.M., O’Shea, M.S., Nevalainen, K.M.H., and Bergquist, P.L. (2004) Isolation and characterisation of genes encoding thermoactive and thermostable dextranases from two thermotolerant soil bacteria. Current Microbiology 49:327-333
29. Finnegan, P.M., Brumbley, S.M., O’Shea, M.S., Nevalainen, K.M.H., and Bergquist, P.L. (2004) Paenibacillus isolates possess diverse dextran-degrading enzymes. J Appl Microbiol 97: 477-485.
28. Finnegan, P.M., Umbach, A.L. and Wilce, J. (2003) Prokaryotic origins for the mitochondrial alternative oxidase and plastid IMMUTANS nuclear genes. FEBS Lett. 555: 425 – 430.
27. Thirkettle Watts, D., McCabe, T.C., Clifton, R., Moore, C., Finnegan, P.M., Day D.A. and Whelan, J. (2003) Analysis of the Alternative Oxidase Promoters from Soybean. Plant Physiol 133: 1158-1169.
26. Holtzapffel, R.C., Castelli, J., Finnegan, P.M., Millar, A.H., Whelan, J. and Day, D.A. (2003) A tomato alternative oxidase protein with altered regulatory properties. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1606: 153 – 162.
25. Djajanegara, I.N., Finnegan, P.M., Mathieu, C., McCabe, T., Whelan, J. and Day, D.A. (2002) Regulation of alternative oxidase gene expression in soybean. Plant Molecular Biology. 50: 735 – 742.
24. Holtzapffel,R.C., Finnegan, P.M., Millar, A.H., Badger, M.R. and Day, D.A. (2002) Mitochondrial protein expression in tomato fruit during on-vine ripening and cold storage. Functional Plant Biology. 29: 827 - 834.
23. Finnegan, P.M., Suzuki, S., Ludwig, M. and Burnell, J.N. (1999) Differential expression of four genes encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in the C4 monocot Urochloa panicoides. Plant Physiology. 120: 1033-1041.
22. Tanudji, M., Djajanegara, I.N., Daley, D.O., McCabe, T.C., Finnegan, P.M., Day, D.A. and Whelan, J. (1999) The multiple alternative oxidase proteins of soybean. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology. 26: 337-344.
21. Djajanegara, I.N., Holtzapffel, R., Finnegan, P.M., Hoefnagel, M.H.N., Berthold, D.A. Wiskich, J.T., and Day, D.A. (1999) A single amino acid change in the plant alternative oxidase alters the specificity of organic acid activation. FEBS Letts. 454: 220-224.
20. Whelan, J., Smith,M.K., Finnegan, P.M. and Day, D.A. (1999) Cloning and Sequencing of a Genomic Clone for the Alternative Oxidase (Accession No. AF083880) from Soybean. (PGR99-072) Plant Physiology. 120: 633.
19. Finnegan, P.M., Wooding, A.R. and Day, D.A. (1999) An alternative oxidase monoclonal antibody recognises a highly conserved sequence among alternative oxidase subunits. FEBS Letter 447, 21-24.
18. McCabe, T., Finnegan, P.M., Millar, A.H., Day, D.A. and Whelan, J. (1998) Increased alternative oxidase activity during cotyledon development in soybean is caused by differential gene expression. Plant Physiology 118, 675-682.
17. Kaiser, B.N., Finnegan, P.M., Tyerman, S.D., Whitehead, L.F., Day, D.A. and Udvardi, M.K. (1998) Identification and characterisation of a novel ammonium transport protein from soybean nodules. Science 281, 1202-1206.
16. Finnegan, P.M., Djajanegara, I.N., Schuller, L.J., Smith, M.K., Whelan, J. and Day, D.A. (1998) Analysis of the antimycin A-inducible promoter region of soybean GmAOX1. In Møller, I.M., Gardeström, P., Glimelius, K., and Glaser, E. eds., Plant Mitochondria: From Gene to Function. Backhuys, Leiden 449-453.
15. Day, D.A., Whelan, J., McCabe, T.C., Millar, A.H., Atkin, O.K., Djajanegara, I.N., Schuller, L.J. and Finnegan, P.M. (1998) Developmental and environmental regulation of alternative oxidase expression in soybean. In Møller, I.M., Gardeström, P., Glimelius, K., and Glaser, E. eds., Plant Mitochondria: From Gene to Function. Backhuys, Leiden 429-440.
14. Holtzapffel, R.C., Finnegan, P.M., Millar, A.H., Dutilh, B., Badger, M.R. and Day, D.A. (1998) Purification and properties of mitochondria from tomato. In Møller, I.M., Gardeström, P., Glimelius, K., and Glaser, E. eds., Plant Mitochondria: From Gene to Function. Backhuys, Leiden 469-474.
13. Tanudji, M., Daley, D.O., McCabe, T.C., Finnegan, P.M., Djajanegara, I.N, Day, D.A. and Whelan, J. (1998) Alternative oxidase proteins of soybean mitochondria: Identification of the multiple proteins in soybean tissues.In Møller, I.M., Gardeström, P., Glimelius, K., and Glaser, E. eds., Plant Mitochondria: From Gene to Function. Backhuys, Leiden 525-530.
12. Millar, A.H., Finnegan, P.M., Whelan, J., Drevon, J.J. and Day, D.A. (1997) Expresion and kinetics of the mitochondrial alternative oxidase in nitrogen-fixing nodules of soybean roots. Plant, Cell and Environment. 20, 1273-1282.
11. Finnegan, P.M., Whelan, J., Millar, A.H., Zhang, Q., Smith, M.K., Wiskich, J.T. and Day, D.A. (1997) Differential expression of the multigene family encoding the soybean mitochondrial alternative oxidase. Plant Physiol. 114, 455-466.
10. Finnegan, P.M., Ellis, T.P., Nagley, P. and Lukins, H.B. (1995) The mature AEP2 gene product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, required for the expression of subunit 9 of ATP synthase, is a 58 kDa mitochondrial protein. FEBS Lett. 368, 505-508.
9. Finnegan, P.M. and Burnell, J.N. (1995) Isolation and sequence analysis of cDNAs encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from the PCK-type C4 grass Urochloa panicoides. Plant Mol. Biol. 27, 365-376.
8. Nagley, P., Devenish, R.J. and Finnegan, P.M. (1994) Gene Expression. In Knox, B., Ladiges, P., Evans, B. eds., Biology. McGraw Hill, Sydney, Chapter 11.
7. Payne, M.J., Finnegan, P.M., Smooker, P.M. and Lukins, H.B. (1993) Characterisation of a second nuclear gene, AEP1, required for expression of the mitochondrial oli1 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Curr. Genet. 24, 126-135.
6. Finnegan, P.M., Payne, M.J., Keramidaris, E. and Lukins, H.B. (1991) Characterisation of a yeast nuclear gene, AEP2, required for accumulation of mitochondrial mRNA encoding subunit 9 of the ATP synthase. Curr. Genet. 20, 53-61.
5. Gray, R.E., Grasso, D.G., Maxwell, R.J., Finnegan, P.M., Nagley, P. and Devenish, R.J. (1990) Identification of a 66 kDa protein associated with yeast mitochondrial ATP synthase as heat shock protein hsp60. FEBS Lett. 268, 265-268.
4. Brown, G.G. and Finnegan, P.M. (1989) RNA Plasmids. Int. Rev. Cytol. 117, 1-56.
3. Finnegan, P.M. and Brown, G.G. (1990) Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of RNA levels in maize mitochondria. The Plant Cell 2, 71-83.
2. Finnegan, P.M. and Brown, G.G. (1987) In organello transcription in maize mitochondria and its sensitivity to inhibitors of RNA synthesis. Plant Physiol. 85, 304-309.
1. Finnegan, P.M. and Brown, G.G. (1986) Autonomously replicating RNA in mitochondria of maize plants with S-type cytoplasm. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 5175-5179.
31. Pharmawati, M., Yan, G., Sedgley, R., Finnegan, P.M. (2004) Chloroplast DNA inheritance and variation in Leucadendron species (Proteaceae) as revealed by PCR-RFLP. Theor Appl Genet 109: 1694-1701. DOI 10.1007.s00122-004-1800-z.
30. Finnegan, P.M., Brumbley, S.M., O’Shea, M.S., Nevalainen, K.M.H., and Bergquist, P.L. (2004) Isolation and characterisation of genes encoding thermoactive and thermostable dextranases from two thermotolerant soil bacteria. Current Microbiology 49:327-333
29. Finnegan, P.M., Brumbley, S.M., O’Shea, M.S., Nevalainen, K.M.H., and Bergquist, P.L. (2004) Paenibacillus isolates possess diverse dextran-degrading enzymes. J Appl Microbiol 97: 477-485.
28. Finnegan, P.M., Umbach, A.L. and Wilce, J. (2003) Prokaryotic origins for the mitochondrial alternative oxidase and plastid IMMUTANS nuclear genes. FEBS Lett. 555: 425 – 430.
27. Thirkettle Watts, D., McCabe, T.C., Clifton, R., Moore, C., Finnegan, P.M., Day D.A. and Whelan, J. (2003) Analysis of the Alternative Oxidase Promoters from Soybean. Plant Physiol 133: 1158-1169.
26. Holtzapffel, R.C., Castelli, J., Finnegan, P.M., Millar, A.H., Whelan, J. and Day, D.A. (2003) A tomato alternative oxidase protein with altered regulatory properties. Biochim Biophys Acta. 1606: 153 – 162.
25. Djajanegara, I.N., Finnegan, P.M., Mathieu, C., McCabe, T., Whelan, J. and Day, D.A. (2002) Regulation of alternative oxidase gene expression in soybean. Plant Molecular Biology. 50: 735 – 742.
24. Holtzapffel,R.C., Finnegan, P.M., Millar, A.H., Badger, M.R. and Day, D.A. (2002) Mitochondrial protein expression in tomato fruit during on-vine ripening and cold storage. Functional Plant Biology. 29: 827 - 834.
23. Finnegan, P.M., Suzuki, S., Ludwig, M. and Burnell, J.N. (1999) Differential expression of four genes encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase in the C4 monocot Urochloa panicoides. Plant Physiology. 120: 1033-1041.
22. Tanudji, M., Djajanegara, I.N., Daley, D.O., McCabe, T.C., Finnegan, P.M., Day, D.A. and Whelan, J. (1999) The multiple alternative oxidase proteins of soybean. Australian Journal of Plant Physiology. 26: 337-344.
21. Djajanegara, I.N., Holtzapffel, R., Finnegan, P.M., Hoefnagel, M.H.N., Berthold, D.A. Wiskich, J.T., and Day, D.A. (1999) A single amino acid change in the plant alternative oxidase alters the specificity of organic acid activation. FEBS Letts. 454: 220-224.
20. Whelan, J., Smith,M.K., Finnegan, P.M. and Day, D.A. (1999) Cloning and Sequencing of a Genomic Clone for the Alternative Oxidase (Accession No. AF083880) from Soybean. (PGR99-072) Plant Physiology. 120: 633.
19. Finnegan, P.M., Wooding, A.R. and Day, D.A. (1999) An alternative oxidase monoclonal antibody recognises a highly conserved sequence among alternative oxidase subunits. FEBS Letter 447, 21-24.
18. McCabe, T., Finnegan, P.M., Millar, A.H., Day, D.A. and Whelan, J. (1998) Increased alternative oxidase activity during cotyledon development in soybean is caused by differential gene expression. Plant Physiology 118, 675-682.
17. Kaiser, B.N., Finnegan, P.M., Tyerman, S.D., Whitehead, L.F., Day, D.A. and Udvardi, M.K. (1998) Identification and characterisation of a novel ammonium transport protein from soybean nodules. Science 281, 1202-1206.
16. Finnegan, P.M., Djajanegara, I.N., Schuller, L.J., Smith, M.K., Whelan, J. and Day, D.A. (1998) Analysis of the antimycin A-inducible promoter region of soybean GmAOX1. In Møller, I.M., Gardeström, P., Glimelius, K., and Glaser, E. eds., Plant Mitochondria: From Gene to Function. Backhuys, Leiden 449-453.
15. Day, D.A., Whelan, J., McCabe, T.C., Millar, A.H., Atkin, O.K., Djajanegara, I.N., Schuller, L.J. and Finnegan, P.M. (1998) Developmental and environmental regulation of alternative oxidase expression in soybean. In Møller, I.M., Gardeström, P., Glimelius, K., and Glaser, E. eds., Plant Mitochondria: From Gene to Function. Backhuys, Leiden 429-440.
14. Holtzapffel, R.C., Finnegan, P.M., Millar, A.H., Dutilh, B., Badger, M.R. and Day, D.A. (1998) Purification and properties of mitochondria from tomato. In Møller, I.M., Gardeström, P., Glimelius, K., and Glaser, E. eds., Plant Mitochondria: From Gene to Function. Backhuys, Leiden 469-474.
13. Tanudji, M., Daley, D.O., McCabe, T.C., Finnegan, P.M., Djajanegara, I.N, Day, D.A. and Whelan, J. (1998) Alternative oxidase proteins of soybean mitochondria: Identification of the multiple proteins in soybean tissues.In Møller, I.M., Gardeström, P., Glimelius, K., and Glaser, E. eds., Plant Mitochondria: From Gene to Function. Backhuys, Leiden 525-530.
12. Millar, A.H., Finnegan, P.M., Whelan, J., Drevon, J.J. and Day, D.A. (1997) Expresion and kinetics of the mitochondrial alternative oxidase in nitrogen-fixing nodules of soybean roots. Plant, Cell and Environment. 20, 1273-1282.
11. Finnegan, P.M., Whelan, J., Millar, A.H., Zhang, Q., Smith, M.K., Wiskich, J.T. and Day, D.A. (1997) Differential expression of the multigene family encoding the soybean mitochondrial alternative oxidase. Plant Physiol. 114, 455-466.
10. Finnegan, P.M., Ellis, T.P., Nagley, P. and Lukins, H.B. (1995) The mature AEP2 gene product of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, required for the expression of subunit 9 of ATP synthase, is a 58 kDa mitochondrial protein. FEBS Lett. 368, 505-508.
9. Finnegan, P.M. and Burnell, J.N. (1995) Isolation and sequence analysis of cDNAs encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase from the PCK-type C4 grass Urochloa panicoides. Plant Mol. Biol. 27, 365-376.
8. Nagley, P., Devenish, R.J. and Finnegan, P.M. (1994) Gene Expression. In Knox, B., Ladiges, P., Evans, B. eds., Biology. McGraw Hill, Sydney, Chapter 11.
7. Payne, M.J., Finnegan, P.M., Smooker, P.M. and Lukins, H.B. (1993) Characterisation of a second nuclear gene, AEP1, required for expression of the mitochondrial oli1 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Curr. Genet. 24, 126-135.
6. Finnegan, P.M., Payne, M.J., Keramidaris, E. and Lukins, H.B. (1991) Characterisation of a yeast nuclear gene, AEP2, required for accumulation of mitochondrial mRNA encoding subunit 9 of the ATP synthase. Curr. Genet. 20, 53-61.
5. Gray, R.E., Grasso, D.G., Maxwell, R.J., Finnegan, P.M., Nagley, P. and Devenish, R.J. (1990) Identification of a 66 kDa protein associated with yeast mitochondrial ATP synthase as heat shock protein hsp60. FEBS Lett. 268, 265-268.
4. Brown, G.G. and Finnegan, P.M. (1989) RNA Plasmids. Int. Rev. Cytol. 117, 1-56.
3. Finnegan, P.M. and Brown, G.G. (1990) Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of RNA levels in maize mitochondria. The Plant Cell 2, 71-83.
2. Finnegan, P.M. and Brown, G.G. (1987) In organello transcription in maize mitochondria and its sensitivity to inhibitors of RNA synthesis. Plant Physiol. 85, 304-309.
1. Finnegan, P.M. and Brown, G.G. (1986) Autonomously replicating RNA in mitochondria of maize plants with S-type cytoplasm. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 83, 5175-5179.
Roles, responsibilities and expertise
Teaching
FNAS Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning)
Coordinator Honours (Botany) and Honours (Conservation Biology)
Unit Coordination, Lecturer in BIOL1130 Core Concepts in Biology
Lecturer in PLNT2201 Plant Physiology: Plants in Action
Lecture in PLNT3301 Plant Physiolgical Ecology
• Organelle evolution
• Evolution of protein-coding genes
FNAS Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning)
Coordinator Honours (Botany) and Honours (Conservation Biology)
Unit Coordination, Lecturer in BIOL1130 Core Concepts in Biology
Lecturer in PLNT2201 Plant Physiology: Plants in Action
Lecture in PLNT3301 Plant Physiolgical Ecology
• Organelle evolution
• Evolution of protein-coding genes
Funding received
ARC Linkage Project Grant 2008 - 2011
ARC Discovery Project Grant 2006 - 2008
ARC Discovery Project Grant 2003 - 2005
ARC Discovery Project Grant 2006 - 2008
ARC Discovery Project Grant 2003 - 2005
Languages
English
Memberships
Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Australian Society of Plant Scientists
Australian Society of Plant Scientists
Previous positions
Lecturer: University of Western Sydney
Post-doctoral Researcher: Macquarie University, Australian National University, Queensland University of Technology, Monash University
Post-doctoral Researcher: Macquarie University, Australian National University, Queensland University of Technology, Monash University
Teaching
I enjoy interacting with students at all levels, so I teach in 1st, 2nd and 3rd level units and supervise 4th-year Project, Honours, Masters and PhD students. I am the coordinator of level one unit Core Concepts in Biology (BIOL1130) and teach aspects of biological diversity, cell structure and function, and molecular biology. At 2nd level, I lecture on the physiological impacts of photosynthesis and respiration (oxygen consumption) on plants in Plant Physiology: Plants in Action (PLNT2201). In the level 3 unit Plant Physiological Ecology (PLNT3301), I teach about the responses of plants to abiotic stress and the establishment of nitrogen fixing plant symbioses.
Useful links
Prof Hans Lambers (UWA) (http://www.uwa.edu.au/people/hans.lambers)
Current projects
I am happy to supervise domestic and international students at the 4th-year, Honours, Masters and PhD levels in any of my research areas. I investigate the nuclear control of mitochondrial biogenesis, in collaboration with Prof Harvey Millar (UWA node ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology) and Prof David Day (University of Sydney node - ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology). My group uses a number of targeted and non-targeted approaches to understand the gene regulatory pathways that control changes to mitochondrial protein gene expression during plant development and under various environmental conditions. I am also interested in the structure / function relationships of the alternative oxidase, the enzyme responsible for cyanide-resistant respiration in plant mitochondria. Several projects in collaboration with Prof Hans Lambers (Plant Biology), Dr Martha Ludwig (Plant Biology and BCS)investigate the molecular structure of various ion transporters in plants and the expression of the corresponding genes. Of particular interest is the mechanism which allows some native species but not others to tolerate soil phosphorus.
Research profile
