Gustavo Caetano-Anollés
Associate Professor
Department of Crop Sciences
University of Illinois
Urbana, IL 61801, USA
Tel.: 217-333-8172
Fax: 217-333-8046
e-mail: gca@illinois.edu

Academic overview: Born in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1955. B.Sc. in Chemistry and M.Sc. in Biochemical Sciences from the National University of La Plata, Argentina in 1978 and 1979. Ph.D. in Biochemical Sciences from the National University of La Plata in 1986. Post-doctoral studies in the Department of Agronomy at Ohio State University and in Plant Molecular Genetics at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Became a Research Assistant Professor in Plant Molecular Genetics and in the Department of Ornamental Horticulture and Landscape Design at the University of Tennessee in 1991 and 1996, respectively. Became a member of the faculty of the Department of Biology at the University of Oslo in 1998. Directed the DNA laboratory at the University of Oslo, a teaching and research outfit that focuses on molecular ecology and evolution. Current appointment is at the Department of Crop Sciences,University of Illinois (2003). Academic awards include the Award of Merit from Gamma Sigma Delta, The Honor Society of Agriculture (1997) and the Chancellor's Award for Research and Creative Achievement from The University of Tennessee (1993). He also received the Zuckerkandl Prize from the International Society of Molecular Evolution.

Initial research (predoctoral and postdoctoral years) focused on the role of attachment, chemotaxis and extracellular bacterial signals in plant-microbe symbiotic interactions. Subsequent work centered on the plant and involved studies in plant physiology, genetics, and molecular biology. One aspect of research involved the positional cloning of a developmental gene in soybean, and general organismal DNA fingerprinting as an identification tool and for genome analysis. Co-invented the technique of DNA amplification with arbitrary primers which encompasses the DAF, RAPD and AP-PCR methods. This constitutes a simple approach for the general fingerprinting of nucleic acids that generates molecular markers for genome mapping and molecular ecology and evolution endeavors. These markers have started a revolution in molecular plant breeding and systematics. A first patent on this technique has issued in the US, and several more have been allowed (see Patents). Genome analysis studies have interfaced with genetic and physical mapping, ecology, epidemiology, systematics and evolution. Arbitrarily-primed amplification has recently been coupled successfully with the use of oligonucleotide arrays to quickly access DNA sequence. The procedure was used in a detailed epidemiological study of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli bacteria. Recent research includes the study of the dogwood-anthracnose fungal pathogen Discula destructiva both at the phylogenetic and population levels and initial efforts to generate genetic maps in dogwood with which to facilitate marker-assisted breeding of anthracnose resistant dogwoods. Current research centers on the search for new approaches to functional genomics, and involve the study of transcript networks, nucleic acid evolution and biodiversity at the RNA and DNA levels (see Research). Research endeavors resulted in the publication of over 130 papers, most of them in primary journals (see Publications), and contributions to many national and international meetings. Research abilities are centered around a molecular biology, plant science and microbiology laboratory, with a general background and expertise in bioinformatics, microbiology, biochemistry, plant physiology, and molecular biology.