Agrisera News

Interview with Prof. Martha Ludwig

Prof. Martha Ludwig

In celebration of Agrisera’s 40th anniversary in 2025, we have conducted a series of short interviews with scientists, who have shared their knowledge, ideas and laboratory experience, contributing to the development of Agrisera's antibody collection for plant and algal science. The aim is to honor their contributions to the field, as well as inspire others to venture into plant science, with the support of Agrisera antibodies.

Martha Ludwig

Dr. Martha Ludwig earned a BA in Biological Sciences from Smith College, and a PhD from McGill University, studying chloroplast evolution. After postdoctoral research on algal surface antigens and CO₂-concentrating mechanisms, she became a lecturer at Australian National University and Macquarie University before joining University of Western Australia in 2003. Her research focuses on the molecular evolution, biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics of C₄ photosynthesis in monocots and dicots.


- Please tell us about yourself and your research/institution.

I am a plant cell and molecular biologist with a focus on the evolution of C₄ photosynthesis. I did my PhD at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, on the evolution of some algal chloroplasts from eukaryotic endosymbionts. I then moved to Australia and did postdoctoral work on algal cell surface proteins, cyanobacterial CO₂ concentrating mechanisms, and C₄ photosynthesis evolution. I am currently at the University of Western Australia in Perth, Western Australia, in the School of Molecular Sciences.
 

- What motivated you to get into plant science?

I had a fantastic mentor for my final year Special Studies project, which looked at stress response proteins in pea, at Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA. He knew algal and land plant cell biology and made research both challenging and fun. I also grew up on a dairy farm, so knowing the land and the crops it would support were part of life.
 

- How have you used (Agrisera) antibodies in your research?

The work in my lab uses groups of plants with closely related species that do ancestral C₃ photosynthesis, the evolutionarily derived C₄ pathway, or forms of C₃-C₄ intermediate photosynthesis. We use Agrisera antibodies to label photosynthetic and photorespiratory proteins on leaf sections of these plants at the light and electron microscope levels. These studies allow us to identify changes in the inter- and intracellular location of the proteins in plants that represent the C₃ to C₄ evolutionary continuum.


- Any further comments?

It is a pleasure working with Agrisera! The team is responsive, supportive, and want to progress plant science.


Links

• Prof. Martha Ludwig, University of Western Australia
• Agrisera Photosynthesis Antibodies
• Agrisera antibodies to proteins involved in plant stress response

Read more 2025-03-19

Agrisera supports Annual Congress of Young Researchers (ACYR 2025)

Agrisera supported The Annual Congress of Young Researchers, ACYR 2025, which took place between the 10th and 13th of March, at CRAG, Spain.

Conference topics included:  
  • Plant responses to stress
  • Animal and plant genomics
  • Plant synthetic biology and metabolic engineering
  • Plant development and signal transduction

Free Agrisera antibody was awarded to the winner of an online quiz conducted during the congress. 

 ACYR 2025

 


 

Read more 2025-03-14

Interview with Prof. Rebecca Roston

Prof. Rebecca Roston

In celebration of Agrisera’s 40th anniversary in 2025, we have conducted a series of short interviews with scientists, who have shared their knowledge, ideas and laboratory experience, contributing to the development of Agrisera's antibody collection for plant and algal science. The aim is to honor their contributions to the field, as well as inspire others to venture into plant science, with the support of Agrisera antibodies.

Rebecca Roston

Dr. Rebecca Roston is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she leads a research team investigating how plant membranes adapt to environmental stresses, particularly cold and freezing conditions. Her lab explores the molecular and biophysical mechanisms of membrane lipid remodeling and protein interactions, focusing on their roles in plant growth and photosynthesis.


- Please tell us about yourself and your research/institution.

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I lead a research team focusing on the molecular and biophysical mechanisms underpinning plant membrane adaptation to environmental stresses, particularly cold and freezing conditions. We investigate the dynamic processes of membrane lipid remodeling, protein interactions, and their roles in plant growth and photosynthetic efficiency. Using advanced microscopy, molecular biology, and biochemical techniques, our work spans model systems like Arabidopsis thaliana and diverse grasses to uncover conserved stress responses and improve plant resilience. Beyond research, I am committed to education and mentorship, teaching and advising the student and post-doc organization CROPS.
 

- What motivated you to get into plant science?

I had been doing research as an undergraduate in the Neurology department at UC Davis. Interviewing for graduate schools, I had an influential conversation with Dr. Steven Theg who said that if I was interested in activated membranes, I should be working on chloroplasts. I then rotated with two plant science labs, and the rest is history! The extreme flexibility in plant systems to approach a problem simultaneously using biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology, and physiology was simply too attractive. In my opinion, plant research has the potential to answer questions more thoroughly than most other fields.
 

- How have you used (Agrisera) antibodies in your research?

Agrisera's verified plant antibodies have been absolutely essential throughout my career. As a graduate student with Kentaro Inoue, I used them to help me characterize fractions of the chloroplast, unequivocally locating my protein of interest for the first time in two of them. As a post-doctoral researcher with Christoph Benning, they were once again critical in identifying the right membrane fractions responsible for a variety of lipid biosynthetic functions. Finally, as a lab leader, they have been the trusted resource for all of our subcellular fractionation needs. I only ask for more of them!
 


Links

Prof. Rebecca Roston, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Agrisera Compartment Marker Antibodies
Agrisera antibodies to proteins involved in plant stress response



Read more 2025-03-05
 Agrisera News

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