Project

Diana Zuluaga - Design of a decision matrix to assess GM crop impact on the detrital food web

Brassica crops and their main glucosinolate (GSL) hydrolysis products (Isothiocyanates) are being used for biofumigation as an alternative to chemical fumigation to reduce the occurrence of soil-borne plant pathogens. I am focusing on increasing the production of particular GSLs toxic for invertebrates that are vital to soil ecosystem functioning.

To achieve this goal I am studying the Aliphatic Glucosinolate Pathway in B. oleracea plants and targeting several genes that need to be over-expressed or silenced to increase the GSL production in cruciferous plants. The high-GSL plants will be in contact with the soil organisms for the development of a tool based on the data collecting from their survival, reproduction and transcriptional markers. Such a tool will be useful in agricultural policy as a decision matrix to determine what GM or not-GM crops could be grown without affecting soil ecosystem processes.

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Master students interested in this project are welcome to contact me.

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Diana Lucia Zuluaga
Postdoc Researcher Plant Genetics
Ph.D. in 2009, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy)

Email: Diana Zuluaga

Phone. +31 317 483149

Fax.     +31 317 48316





Work experience

  • May 2009 – Ongoing: NWO-Postdoc, based at the Laboratory of Genetics, Plant Sciences Group, Wageningen University.
  • Feb 2009 – May 2009: Contributing to the project “Mapping of morphological traits in barley using genome-wide scans”. National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), Cambridge, UK.
  • 2002 – 2005: Part-time lecturer at the Biology Institute. University of Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia.
  • 2000 – 2002: Teaching undergraduate students the following courses: Genetic Engineering (Lecture and/or Laboratory), General Microbiology (Lecture and/or Laboratory) and General Botany (Laboratory). University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.
  • 1999 – 2001: Contributing to the projects “Cytogenetic Analysis in the Worker Population with Exposed to Aromatics Compounds in the GCB-Ecopetrol, Santander, Colombia”, “Value of Occupational Risk in Workers from Cerro Matoso S.A., Córdoba, Colombia”. University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.
  • 1999 – 2001: Teaching assistant at the Biology Institute and School of Dentistry. University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.

Education and Training

  • 2006 – 2009: Ph.D. International Doctoral Program in Agrobiodiversity. Sant´Anna School of Advanced Studies. Pisa, Italy.
  • 2003 – 2005: M.Sc. with emphasis in Biotechnology. University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.
  • 1996 – 2002: Biologist (Bachelor’s degree). University of Antioquia. Medellín, Colombia.

Publications

Cockram, J., White, J., Zuluaga, D.L., et al. 2010. Genome-wide association mapping to candidate polymorphism resolution in the un-sequenced barley genome. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 107: 21611-21616.

Diana Lucia Zuluaga, Silvia Gonzali, Elena Loreti, Chiara Pucciariello, Elena Degl'Innocenti, Lucia Guidi, Amedeo Alpi and Pierdomenico Perata. Arabidopsis thaliana MYB75/PAP1 Transcription Factor induces Anthocyanin Production in Transgenic Tomato Plants. Functional Plant Biology. 35(7): 606-618.

D. Zuluaga, S. Gonzali, E. Loreti, C.  Pucciariello, E.  Degl'Innocenti, L. Guidi, A. Alpi and P. Perata. Arabidopsis thaliana MYB75/PAP1 Transcription Factor induces Anthocyanin Production in Transgenic Tomato Plants. Abstracts Memoris FESPB 2008. Physiologia Plantarum. 133(3).

Castaño-Molina E, Camargo M, Santacoloma M, Arango L, Villegas CR, Zuluaga D, Arcos-Burgos M. GSTT1 and Not GSTM1 is Associated with Gastric Cancer Incidence in Paisa Community (Colombia). Environmental and Molecular Mutagenesis. ISSN 0893-6692. 41(3): 167.

Congress presentations

Diana Zuluaga, Elaine Ommen Kloeke, Jacintha Ellers, Dick Roelofs and Mark Aarts. Risk assesment of Brassica oleracea glucosinolate biosynthesis on the soil detritus food web. 17th Crucifer Genetics Workshop, BRASSICA 2010. 5-9th Sept 2010. Saskatoon, Canada.

Cockram, J., White, J., Zuluaga, D., Luo, Z., Kearsey, M., Comadran, J., Marshall, D., Ramsay, L.,   Thomas, B., Harrap, D., Werner, P., AGOUEB, Mackay, I., Waugh, R., O’Sullivan, D.M. Genome-wide association mapping of multiple morphological traits in barley. Eucarpia Cereal Section Meeting, 6-8th April 2010, Cambridge, UK (T).

Cockram, J., White, J., Zuluaga, D., Mackay, I., Luo, Z., Kearsey, M., Comadran, J., Marshall, D., Ramsay, L., Thomas, B., Harrap, D., Werner, P., Tapsell, C., Balding, D.J., AGOUEB, Waugh, R., O’Sullivan, D. Genome-wide association mapping in barley: from simulations to fine-mapping. Plant and Animal Genomes XVIII Conference, 9-13th January 2009, San Diego, USA (P).

James Cockram, Jon White, Diana Zuluaga, Ian Mackay, Jordi Comadran, Luke Ramsay, David Marshall, Zewei Luo, Mike Kearsey, Bill Thomas, Robbie Waugh, Donal M. O’Sullivan. Association mapping of morphological traits in barley using genome-wide scans. Poster at the Monogram meeting in Bristol, UK.

D. Zuluaga. Arabidopsis thaliana MYB75/PAP1 Transcription Factor induces Anthocyanin Production in Transgenic Tomato Plants. Oral presentation at the Plant Biotechnology Session. XVI Congress of the Federation of European Societies of Plant Biology (FESPB). Tampere-Finland. 17-22 Aug 2008.

D. Zuluaga, S. Gonzali, E. Loreti, C.  Pucciariello, E.  Degl'Innocenti, L. Guidi, A. Alpi and P. Perata. Arabidopsis thaliana MYB75/PAP1 Transcription Factor induces Anthocyanin Production in Transgenic Tomato Plants. Oral and Poster presentation in the XLVII (SIFV) Congresso della Società Italiana di Fisiologia Vegetale. Scuola Superiore Sant’ Anna. Pisa-Italy, 30 Jun-2 Jul 2008.

D. Zuluaga, S. Gonzali, E. Loreti, C.  Pucciariello, E.  Degl'Innocenti, L. Guidi, A. Alpi and P. Perata. Arabidopsis thaliana MYB75/PAP1 Transcription Factor induces Anthocyanin Production in Transgenic Tomato Plants. Oral presentation in the Genetica e Genomica del Pomodoro. Il contributo italiano. Università degli studi della Tuscia. Viterbo-Italy, 29-30 May 2008.

Zuluaga DL, Monsalve ZI, Urrea A. Stevia rebaudiana Transitory Regeneration and Transformation Mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Oral presentation in the XX Congreso Nacional de Citogenética. Toluca-Mexico, 19-24 Sept 2004.

Zuluaga DL, Castaño CE, Camargo M. Genotipification of Molecular Polymorphism in CYP2E1, GSTM1 y GSTT1 Genes to Evaluating Susceptibility to Gastrointestinal Cancer in a Paisa Population. Oral presentation in the II Congreso International de Genética. Bogotá-Colombia. 23-26 April 2002.