Profile: Christine Faulkner

Christine is engrossed in her honours year in Plant Cell Physiology, where she is using molecular biology techniques to identify proteins that are specific to plasmodesmata, the intricate gateways that link plant cells together.

Plasmodesmata were first described over one hundred years ago, but despite extensive research, their exact structure has remained a mystery. Christine hopes that by identifying and sequencing the proteins and then working backwards to identify the gene, they will be able to manipulate the genes involved to find out more about how plasmodesmata work.

"I really like the mix of using molecular biology techniques to answer cell biology questions", explains Christine, "It's amazing what molecular biology can uncover, and I think its application at a cellular level is what makes it really fascinating."