Associate Professor School of Biological Sciences Washington State University Pullman, WA 99164-4236   Phone: 509-335-7545 FAX: 509-335-3184 E-mail: tegeder@wsu.edu Ph.D., 1996 Institute for Applied Genetics, Free University Berlin, Germany RESEARCH INTERESTS: Plant Reproduction RESEARCH SUMMARY: Dr. Tegeder's work deals with identification, characterization, and molecular genetic manipulation of key transport processes controlling partitioning of nutrients, e.g. amino acids and sugars, in plant organs. These transport processes are control points in plant reproduction and nutritional quality of seeds and other edible plant parts. Her most recent work uses a combination of molecular, biochemical, cell biological, physiological and genetic tools to understand mechanisms regulating amino acid transport into sink organs such as developing reproductive structures and seeds. She has cloned and characterized a number of amino acid transporters and is expanding her work to a broad range of transporters from different nutrient transporter families. These genes are being used to manipulate transport patterns and efficiency by molecular genetic techniques. While Arabidopsis has served as a model system, she has extended her efforts into the engineering of legumes for improved reproductive success/productivity and nutritional quality. REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS: Koch W., Kwart M., Laubner M. , Heineke D., Stransky H., Frommer W.B. and Tegeder M. (2003) Reduced amino acid content in transgenic potato tubers due to antisense inhibition of the leaf H+/amino acid symporter StAAP1. Plant J 33, 211-20. Lalonde S., Tegeder M., Thorne-Holst M., Frommer W.B. and Patrick J.W. (2003) Phloem loading and unloading of sugars and amino acids. Plant Cell and Environment 25 Okumoto S, Schmidt R, Tegeder M, Fischer WN, Rentsch D, Frommer WB, Koch W. (2002) High affinity amino acid transporters specifically expressed in xylem parenchyma and developing seeds of Arabidopsis. J Biol Chem. 277(47):45338-46. Wipf D., Ludewig U., Tegeder M., Rentsch D., Koch W. and Frommer W.B. (2002) Amino acid/neurotransmitter transporters are highly conserved between fungi, plants, and animals. Trends Biochem. Sci 27, 139-47.