Associate Professor Chris Cazzonelli

Associate Professor in Plant Molecular Biology,
Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Biography
Contact
Publications
Projects
Supervision
Teaching
Media

Biography

Dr. Chris Cazzonelli is an Associate Professor in Plant Molecular Biology at Western Sydney University. He completed his Bachelor of Science (Honours Class I) at the University of Queensland and won an Australian Postgraduate Award to study the regulation of cell vibrations on plant mechanical stress acclimation receiving a PhD in plant molecular biology and plant genetic engineering from the University of Queensland in 2002. He subsequently won a prestigious United States Department of Agriculture Postdoctoral Fellowship to investigate the molecular nature of gene activation, gene silencing and remote sensing of plant stress events in plants. In 2006, Dr. Cazzonelli was recruited by the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plant Energy Biology at the Australian National University to investigate what regulates the production of health promoting carotenoid metabolites in plants. He was awarded the prestigious Goldacre Medal by the Australian Society of Plant Biologists in 2010. He now leads the Environmental Epigenetics Laboratory to discover the molecular and physiological mechanisms facilitating metabolic/cellular homeostasis, and that prime plant stress acclimation and genetic adaptation to changes in the environment (e.g. light quality, CO2, mechanical stress, acoustic vibration, and heatwaves). Our lab links genetic memory forming processes to metabolite signalling and the production of micronutrients; that have follow-on benefits for human and animal health. We promote education and innovate new knowledge in horticultural protected cropping, tree genomics, crop nutrition, and environmental sustainability.

This information has been contributed by Associate Professor Cazzonelli.

Qualifications

PhD University of Queensland
BSc Hons University of Queensland
BSc University of Queensland

Professional Memberships

Australian Society of Horticultural Science (2018)
International Society of Carotenoids (2014)
American Society of Plant Biologists (2000)
Australian Epigenetics Alliance (2012)
MDPI Editorial Board (2021 - 2021)

Awards

Australian Postgraduate Award 1996-01-01
ASPS Peter Goldacre Medal 2010-09-29

Interests

Epigenetics
Agriculture and the Environment
Botany
Climate Change
Genetics
Horticultural Crop Growth and Development
Plant Biology
Plant Biotechnology
Plant Genomics
Plant Nutrition
Plant Physiology
Plant Stress and Hormone Biology
Plant-microbe Interactions
Postharvest Horticulture

Organisational Unit (School / Division)

Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment

Committees

Next Generation Sequencing Committee
Biological and Radiation Safety Committee

Contact

Email:	C.Cazzonelli@westernsydney.edu.au
Phone:	(02) 4570 1752
Mobile:	0458536019
Location:	L9.G.30 Hawkesbury

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Teaching

Previous Teaching Areas

300623 Genetics, 2021
300865 Plant Physiology, 2021
300869 Postharvest, 2021
301097 Greenhouse Technology for Food Sustainability, 2021
301272 Plant Science, 2022
301447 Plant Production, 2022
301448 Protected Cropping Technology, 2022

Publications

Chapters in Books

Alagoz, Y., Dhami, N., Mitchell, C. and Cazzonelli, C. (2020), 'cis/trans carotenoid extraction, purification, detection, quantification and profiling in plant tissues', Plant and Food Carotenoids: Methods and Protocols, Springer 9781493999514.
Baranski, R. and Cazzonelli, C. (2016), 'Carotenoid biosynthesis and regulation in plants', Carotenoids: Nutrition, Analysis and Technology, Wiley-Blackwell 9781118622261.
Cuttriss, A., Cazzonelli, C., Wurtzel, E. and Pogson, B. (2011), 'Carotenoids', Biosynthesis of Vitamins in Plants. Part A. Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, Academic Press 9780123864796.
Cazzonelli, C., Nisar, N., Hussain, D., Carmody, M. and Pogson, B. (2010), 'Biosynthesis and regulation of carotenoids in plants-micronutrients, vitamins and health benefits', Plant Developmental Biology: Biotechnological Perspectives. Volume 2, Springer 9783642046698.

Journal Articles

Hou, X., Alagoz, Y., Welsch, R., Mortimer, M., Pogson, B. and Cazzonelli, C. (2024), 'Reducing PHYTOENE SYNTHASE activity fine-tunes the abundance of a cis-carotene-derived signal that regulates the PIF3/HY5 module and plastid biogenesis', Journal of Experimental Botany, vol 75, no 4 , pp 1187 - 1204.
Babla, M., Mak, M., Donovan-Mak, M., Cazzonelli, C., Tissue, D. and Chen, Z. (2023), 'Linking high light-induced cellular ionic and oxidative responses in leaves to fruit quality in tomato', Plant Growth Regulation, vol 101, no 1 , pp 267 - 284.
Chavan, S., He, X., Maier, C., Alagoz, Y., Anwar, S., Chen, Z., Ghannoum, O., Cazzonelli, C. and Tissue, D. (2023), 'An energy-saving glasshouse film reduces seasonal, and cultivar dependent Capsicum yield due to light limited photosynthesis', Annals of Agricultural Sciences, vol 68, no 1 , pp 21 - 35.
He, X., Solis, C., Chavan, S., Maier, C., Wang, Y., Liang, W., Klause, N., Ghannoum, O., Cazzonelli, C., Tissue, D. and Chen, Z. (2023), 'Novel transcriptome networks are associated with adaptation of capsicum fruit development to a light-blocking glasshouse film', Frontiers in Plant Science, vol 14 .
Biru, F., Cazzonelli, C., Elbaum, R. and Johnson, S. (2023), 'Silicon-mediated herbivore defence in a pasture grass under reduced and anthropocene levels of CO2', Frontiers in Plant Science, vol 14 .
Maier, C., Chavan, S., Klause, N., Liang, W., Cazzonelli, C., Ghannoum, O., Chen, Z. and Tissue, D. (2023), 'Light blocking film in a glasshouse impacts Capsicum annuum L. yield differentially across planting season', Frontiers in Plant Science, vol 14 .
Hill, R., Wong-Bajracharya, J., Anwar, S., Coles, D., Wang, M., Lipzen, A., Ng, V., Grigoriev, I., Martin, F., Anderson, I., Cazzonelli, C., Jeffries, T., Plett, K. and Plett, J. (2022), 'Abscisic acid supports colonization of Eucalyptus grandis roots by the mutualistic ectomycorrhizal fungus Pisolithus microcarpus', New Phytologist, vol 233, no 2 , pp 966 - 982.
Dingley, A., Anwar, S., Kristiansen, P., Warwick, N., Wang, C., Sindel, B. and Cazzonelli, C. (2022), 'Precision pollination strategies for advancing horticultural tomato crop production', Agronomy, vol 12, no 2 .
Dhami, N., Pogson, B., Tissue, D. and Cazzonelli, C. (2022), 'A foliar pigment-based bioassay for interrogating chloroplast signalling revealed that carotenoid isomerisation regulates chlorophyll abundance', Plant Methods, vol 18, no 1 .
Chavan, S., Chen, Z., Ghannoum, O., Cazzonelli , C. and Tissue , D. (2022), 'Current technologies and target crops : a review on Australian protected cropping', Crops, vol 2, no 2 , pp 172 - 185.
Lin, T., Goldsworthy, M., Chavan, S., Liang, W., Maier, C., Ghannoum, O., Cazzonelli, C., Tissue, D., Lan, Y., Sethuvenkatraman, S., Lin, H., Jia, B. and Chen, Z. (2022), 'A novel cover material improves cooling energy and fertigation efficiency for glasshouse eggplant production', Energy, vol 251 .
He, X., Chavan, S., Hamoui, Z., Maier, C., Ghannoum, O., Chen, Z., Tissue, D. and Cazzonelli, C. (2022), 'Smart glass film reduced ascorbic acid in red and orange capsicum fruit cultivars without impacting shelf life', Plants, vol 11, no 7 .
Paudel, L., Kerr, S., Prentis, P., Tanurd?ic, M., Papanicolaou, A., Plett, J. and Cazzonelli, C. (2022), 'Horticultural innovation by viral-induced gene regulation of carotenogenesis', Horticulture Research, vol 9 .
Nayak, J., Anwar, S., Krishna , P., Chen, Z., Plett, J., Foo, E. and Cazzonelli, C. (2022), 'Tangerine tomato roots show increased accumulation of acyclic carotenoids, less abscisic acid, drought sensitivity, and impaired endomycorrhizal colonization', Plant Science, vol 321 .
Maier , C., Chen, Z., Cazzonelli , C., Tissue , D. and Ghannoum , O. (2022), 'Precise phenotyping for improved crop quality and management in protected cropping : a review', Crops, vol 2, no 4 , pp 336 - 350.
Anwar, S., Nayak, J., Alagoz, Y., Wojtalewicz, D. and Cazzonelli, C. (2022), 'Purification and use of carotenoid standards to quantify cis-trans geometrical carotenoid isomers in plant tissues', Methods in Enzymology, vol 670 , pp 57 - 85.
Brenya, E., Pervin, M., Chen, Z., Tissue, D., Johnson, S., Braam, J. and Cazzonelli, C. (2022), 'Mechanical stress acclimation in plants : linking hormones and somatic memory to thigmomorphogenesis', Plant, Cell and Environment, vol 45, no 4 , pp 989 - 1010.
Biru, F., Cazzonelli, C., Elbaum, R. and Johnson, S. (2022), 'Contrasting impacts of herbivore induction and elevated atmospheric CO2 on silicon defences and consequences for subsequent herbivores', Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, vol 170, no 8 , pp 681 - 688.
Waterman, J., Hall, C., Mikhael, M., Cazzonelli, C., Hartley, S. and Johnson, S. (2021), 'Short-term resistance that persists : rapidly induced silicon anti-herbivore defence affects carbon-based plant defences', Functional Ecology, vol 35, no 1 , pp 82 - 92.
Biru, F., Islam, T., Cibils-Stewart, X., Cazzonelli, C., Elbaum, R. and Johnson, S. (2021), 'Anti-herbivore silicon defences in a model grass are greatest under Miocene levels of atmospheric CO2', Global Change Biology, vol 27, no 12 , pp 2959 - 2969.
Anwar, S., Brenya, E., Alagoz, Y. and Cazzonelli, C. (2021), 'Epigenetic control of carotenogenesis during plant development', Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences, vol 40, no 1 , pp 23 - 48.
Dhami, N. and Cazzonelli, C. (2021), 'Short photoperiod attenuates CO2 fertilization effect on shoot biomass in Arabidopsis thaliana', Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, vol 27, no 4 , pp 825 - 834.
Zhao, C., Chavan, S., He, X., Zhou, M., Cazzonelli, C., Chen, Z., Tissue, D. and Ghannoum, O. (2021), 'Smart glass impacts stomatal sensitivity of greenhouse Capsicum through altered light', Journal of Experimental Botany, vol 72, no 8 , pp 3235 - 3248.
Waterman, J., Cibils-Stewart, X., Cazzonelli, C., Hartley, S. and Johnson, S. (2021), 'Short-term exposure to silicon rapidly enhances plant resistance to herbivory', Ecology, vol 102, no 9 .
He, X., Maier, C., Chavan, S., Zhao, C., Alagoz, Y., Cazzonelli, C., Ghannoum, O., Tissue, D. and Chen, Z. (2021), 'Light-altering cover materials and sustainable greenhouse production of vegetables : a review', Plant Growth Regulation, vol 95, no 1 , pp 1 - 17.
Dhami, N., Drake, J., Tjoelker, M., Tissue, D. and Cazzonelli, C. (2020), 'An extreme heatwave enhanced the xanthophyll de-epoxidation state in leaves of Eucalyptus trees grown in the field', Physiology and Molecular Biology of Plants, vol 26, no 2 , pp 211 - 218.
Cazzonelli, C., Hou, X., Alagoz, Y., Rivers, J., Dhami, N., Lee, J., Marri, S. and Pogson, B. (2020), 'A cis-carotene derived apocarotenoid regulates etioplast and chloroplast development', eLife, vol 9 .
Waterman, J., Mann, T., Cazzonelli, C., Hartley, S. and Johnson, S. (2020), 'Microbes in Helicoverpa armigera oral secretions contribute to increased senescence around plant wounds', Ecological Entomology, vol 45, no 5 , pp 1224 - 1229.
Dhami, N. and Cazzonelli, C. (2020), 'Prolonged cold exposure to Arabidopsis juvenile seedlings extends vegetative growth and increases the number of shoot branches', Plant Signaling and Behavior, vol 15, no 9 .
Biru, F., Cazzonelli, C., Elbaum, R. and Johnson, S. (2020), 'Contrasting effects of Miocene and Anthropocene levels of atmospheric CO2 on silicon accumulation in a model grass', Biology Letters, vol 16, no 11 .
Brenya, E., Chen, Z., Tissue, D., Papanicolaou, A. and Cazzonelli, C. (2020), 'Prior exposure of Arabidopsis seedlings to mechanical stress heightens jasmonic acid-mediated defense against necrotrophic pathogens', BMC Plant Biology, vol 20, no 1 .
Chavan, S., Maier, C., Alagoz, Y., Filipe, J., Warren, C., Lin, H., Jia, B., Loik, M., Cazzonelli, C., Chen, Z., Ghannoum, O. and Tissue, D. (2020), 'Light-limited photosynthesis under energy-saving film decreases eggplant yield', Food and Energy Security, vol 9, no 4 .
Dhami, N. and Cazzonelli, C. (2020), 'Environmental impacts on carotenoid metabolism in leaves', Plant Growth Regulation, vol 92, no 3 , pp 455 - 477.
Babla, M., Tissue, D., Cazzonelli, C. and Chen, Z. (2020), 'Effect of high light on canopy-level photosynthesis and leaf mesophyll ion flux in tomato', Planta, vol 252, no 5 .
Waterman, J., Cazzonelli, C., Hartley, S. and Johnson, S. (2019), 'Simulated herbivory : the key to disentangling plant defence responses', Trends in Ecology and Evolution, vol 34, no 5 , pp 447 - 458.
Babla, M., Cai, S., Chen, G., Tissue, D., Cazzonelli, C. and Chen, Z. (2019), 'Molecular evolution and interaction of membrane transport and photoreception in plants', Frontiers in Genetics, vol 10 .
Khan, M., Cazzonelli, C., Kurata, H., Li, C., Badsha, M., Muench, G. and Majid, A. (2019), 'Advancing herbal medicine through metabolic pathway analysis in plants and animals for routine pharmacological assessments', Advances in Integrative Medicine, vol 6, no Suppl. 1 , pp 106 - 107.
Khan, M., Cazzonelli, C., Kurata, H., Badsha, M., Li, C., Muench, G. and Majid, A. (2019), 'Metabolic similarity of plant and human : implications for efficacy and regulatory compliance of herbal therapies', Australian Herbal Insight, vol 2, no 1 , pp 028 - 037.
Schaub, P., Rodriguez-Franco, M., Cazzonelli, C., Alvarez, D., Wust, F. and Welsch, R. (2018), 'Establishment of an Arabidopsis callus system to study the interrelations of biosynthesis, degradation and accumulation of carotenoids', PLoS One, vol 13, no 2 .
Dhami, N., Tissue, D. and Cazzonelli, C. (2018), 'Leaf-age dependent response of carotenoid accumulation to elevated CO2 in Arabidopsis', Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, vol 647 , pp 67 - 75.
Alagoz, Y., Nayak, P., Dhami, N. and Cazzonelli, C. (2018), 'cis-carotene biosynthesis, evolution and regulation in plants : the emergence of novel signaling metabolites', Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, vol 654 , pp 172 - 184.
Pornsiriwong, W., Estavillo, G., Chan, K., Tee, E., Ganguly, D., Crisp, P., Phua, S., Zhao, C., Qiu, J., Park, J., Yong, D., Nisar, N., Yadav, A., Schwessinger, B., Rathjen, J., Cazzonelli, C., Wilson, P., Gilliham, M., Chen, Z. and Pogson, B. (2017), 'A chloroplast retrograde signal, 3'-phosphoadenosine 5'-phosphate, acts as a secondary messenger in abscisic acid signaling in stomatal closure and germination', eLife, vol 6 .
Van Norman, J., Zhang, J., Cazzonelli, C., Pogson, B., Harrison, P., Bugg, T., Chan, K., Thompson, A. and Benfey, P. (2014), 'Periodic root branching in Arabidopsis requires synthesis of an uncharacterized carotenoid derivative', Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol 111, no 13 , pp 1300 - 1309.
Nisar, N., Cuttriss, A., Pogson, B. and Cazzonelli, C. (2014), 'The promoter of the Arabidopsis PIN6 auxin transporter enabled strong expression in the vasculature of roots, leaves, floral stems and reproductive organs', Plant Signaling and Behavior, vol 9 .
Avenda?o-Vazquez, A., Cordoba, E., Llamas, E., San Roman, C., Nisar, N., Torre, S., Ramos-Vega, M., Luz Gutierrez-Nava, M., Cazzonelli, C., Pogson, B. and Leon, P. (2014), 'An uncharacterized apocarotenoid-derived signal generated in carotene desaturase mutants regulates leaf development and the expression of chloroplast and nuclear genes in Arabidopsis', Plant Cell, vol 26, no 6 , pp 2524 - 2537.
Cazzonelli, C., Nizar, N., Roberts, A., Murray, K., Borevitz, J. and Pogson, B. (2014), 'A chromatin modifying enzyme, SDG8, is involved in morphological, gene expression, and epigenetic responses to mechanical stimulation', Frontiers in Plant Science, vol 5 .
Zhang, B., Aken, O., Thatcher, L., Clercq, I., Duncan, O., Law, S., Murcha, M., Van der Merwe, M., Seifi, H., Carrie, C., Cazzonelli, C., Radomiljac, J., Hofte, M., Singh, K., Breusegem, F. and Whelan, J. (2014), 'The mitochondrial outer membrane AAA ATPase AtOM66 affects cell death and pathogen resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana', Plant Journal, vol 80, no 4 , pp 709 - 727.
Cazzonelli, C., Vanstraelen, M., Simon, S., Yin, K., Carron-Arthur, A., Nisar, N., Tarle, G., Cuttriss, A., Searle, I., Benkova, E., Mathesius, U., Masle, J., Friml, J. and Pogson, B. (2013), 'Role of the Arabidopsis PIN6 auxin transporter in auxin homeostasis and auxin-mediated development', PLoS One, vol 8, no 7 .
Velten, J., Cakir, C., Youn, E., Chen, J. and Cazzonelli, C. (2012), 'Transgene silencing and transgene-derived siRNA production in tobacco plants homozygous for an introduced AtMYB90 construct', PLoS One, vol 7, no 2 .
Nisar, N., Verma, S., Pogson, B. and Cazzonelli, C. (2012), 'Inflorescence stem grafting made easy in Arabidopsis', Plant Methods, vol 8, no 1 .
Cazzonelli, C. (2011), 'Carotenoids in nature : insights from plants and beyond', Functional Plant Biology, vol 38, no 11 , pp 833 - 847.
Cazzonelli, C., Roberts, A., Carmody, M. and Pogson, B. (2010), 'Transcriptional control of Set Domain Group 8 and carotenoid isomerase during Arabidopsis development', Molecular Plant, vol 3, no 1 , pp 174 - 191.
Velten, J., Cakir, C. and Cazzonelli, C. (2010), 'A spontaneous dominant-negative mutation within a 35S::AtMYB90 transgene inhibits flower pigment production in tobacco', PLoS One, vol 5, no 3 .
Cazzonelli, C. and Pogson, B. (2010), 'Source to sink : regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis in plants', Trends in Plant Science, vol 15, no 5 , pp 266 - 274.
Wever, W., McCallum, E., Chakravorty, D., Cazzonelli, C. and Botella, J. (2010), 'The 5' untranslated region of the VR-ACS1 mRNA acts as a strong translational enhancer in plants', Transgenic Research, vol 19, no 4 , pp 667 - 674.
Cazzonelli, C., Yin, K. and Pogson, B. (2009), 'Potential implications for epigenetic regulation of carotenoid biosynthesis during root and shoot development', Plant Signaling and Behavior, vol 4, no 4 , pp 339 - 341.
Cazzonelli, C., Cuttriss, A., Cossetto, S., Pye, W., Crisp, P., Whelan, J., Finnegan, E., Turnbull, C. and Pogson, B. (2009), 'Regulation of carotenoid composition and shoot branching in Arabidopsis by a chromatin modifying histone methyltransferase, SDG8', Plant Cell, vol 21, no 1 , pp 39 - 53.
Howitt, C., Cavanagh, C., Bowerman, A., Cazzonelli, C., Rampling, L., Mimica, J. and Pogson, B. (2009), 'Alternative splicing, activation of cryptic exons and amino acid substitutions in carotenoid biosynthetic genes are associated with lutein accumulation in wheat endosperm', Functional and Integrative Genomics, vol 9, no 3 , pp 363 - 376.
Cazzonelli, C., Millar, T., Finnegan, E. and Pogson, B. (2009), 'Promoting gene expression in plants by permissive histone lysine methylation', Plant Signaling and Behavior, vol 4, no 6 , pp 484 - 488.
Velten, J., Pogson, B. and Cazzonelli, C. (2008), 'Luciferase as a reporter of gene activity in plants', Transgenic Plant Journal, vol 2, no 2 .
Cazzonelli, C. and Velten, J. (2008), 'In vivo characterization of plant promoter element interaction using synthetic promoters', Transgenic Research, vol 17, no 3 , pp 437 - 457.

Student research projects are available for enthusiastic and talented students wishing to further develop skills and knowledge in plant biology, environmental science and horticulture crop genomics. Research projects offer experience in technologies related to next generation sequencing, molecular biology, functional genomics, genetic engineering, synthetic biotechnology, viral gene editing, metabolite quantification, developmental and physiological characterisation, plant phenotyping, cell microscopy, postharvest quality analysis, and environmental plant growth strategies. We address fundamental questions and hypotheses relating to the impacts of environmental change on agricultural production. Our goal is to understand how changing environments (heatwaves, elevated CO2, light, drought and mechanical stress) influence health promoting micronutrient accumulation, growth, development and yield of plants. We investigate how the environment trains memory forming processes and primes stress acclimation to climate change.

HUNTING FOR GENETIC AND METABOLIC REGULATORY SWITCHES IN PLANTS

Bacteria and plants are natural chemical factories producing micronutrient metabolites (e.g. vitamins and antioxidants such as carotenoid pigments) that promote animal health, cellular communication and regulate gene expression. We are discovering light and metabolite sensitive switches in plants that facilitate metabolic and cellular homeostasis, as well as control gene expression or protein levels. A translational goal will be to develop this new knowledge into synthetic biotechnology innovations.

ELUCIDATING CAROTENOID SIGNALS THAT PROMOTE PLANT GROWTH

Environmental and development conditions affect the temporal and spatial variation of plant carotenoid secondary metabolites that provide pharmaceutical and animal nutritional benefits. We are discovering carotenoid-derived metabolites that control root architecture, cellular signalling, nuclear gene expression, and that promote symbiotic microbial associations that enhance nutrient exchange and plant growth. A translation goal is to develop carotenoid derivatives as plant growth regulators that can innovate agricultural sustainability under extreme environments.

DECIPHERING HOW PLANTS ACCLIMATE TO MECHANICAL STRESS

Plants sense and respond to touch, acoustic vibration, wind, rain, herbivory and hence mechanical stress. Plants forget a single event of mechanical stress, yet remember prolonged mechanical stress that alters plant morphology; a phenomenon called thigmomorphogenesis. Our team investigates the physiological, molecular, and epigenetic forming processes that enable acclimation to plant mechanical stress events. We decipher how mechanical stress primes transcriptional memory and programs somatic stress acclimation to make a hardier plant. We are discovering how different events, intensities, and frequencies of mechanical stress alter plant growth, pollination, reproduction and acclimation to biotic as well as abiotic stress.

DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGIES TO ENHANCE AUSTRALIAN HORTICULTURE

Smart glass films, photovoltaic shade coverings, advanced fertigation strategies, breeding for elite genetic verities, and viral induced genome editing, are technologies used to advance protected cropping energy efficiency, promote early flowering of tree crops, redesign plant architecture, and speed up plant breeding programs.