Richard Meilan

Associate Professor of Molecular Tree Physiology
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources

Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center

Associate Director, NSF I/UCRC Center for Tree Genetics
Pfendler Hall, room G021E
715 W. State Street
Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN  47907-2061
tel: 765-496-2287
fax: 765-494-9461
e-mail: rmeilan@purdue.edu

CURRICULUM VITAE

Transformation technician position available (reference posting number 0700708)

Research Interests

• Regulation of the transition to heartwood formation in hardwoods
• Genes involved in controlling the production of figure wood
• Genetically engineered pest resistance
• Flowering control
• Phytoremediation
• Biofuels

Recent Publications

• Busov, V., Illangasinghe, G., Meilan, R., Joshi, R., Ma, C., and Strauss, S. 2008. Activation tagging for functional gene discovery in Populus. Plant Journal (in press).
• Li, J., Brunner, A.M., Meilan, R., and Strauss, S.H. 2008. MAR elements act as buffers against T-DNA truncation and promote coordinated transgene expression in Populus. Plant Biotechnology Journal (submitted).
• Li, J., Brunner, A.M., Shevchenko, O., Meilan, R., DiFazio, S.P., Skinner, J.S., and Strauss, S.H. 2008. Efficient and stable transgene suppression via RNAi in field-grown poplars. Transgenic Research (submitted).
• Li, J., Meilan, R.,. Ma, C., Barish, M., and Strauss, S.H. 2008. Stability of herbicide resistance over 8 years of coppice in field-grown, genetically engineered poplars. Western Journal of Applied Forestry 23(2):89-93.
• Michler, C.H., Pijut, P.M., Meilan, R., Smagh, G., Liang, X., and Woeste, K.E. 2007. Black Walnut. In: A Compendium of Transgenic Crop Plants, vol. 9. C. Kole and T.C. Hall, eds. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, U.K.
• Chapple, C., Ladisch, M., and Meilan, R. 2007. Loosening lingin's grip on biofuel production. Nature Biotechnology 25(7):746-748.
• Doty, S.L., James, C.A., Moore, A.L., Vajzovic, A., Singleton, G.L., Ma, C., Khan, Z., Xin, G., Kang, J.W., Park, J.Y., Meilan, R., Strauss, S.H., and Strand, S.E. 2007. Phytoremediation of volatile environmental pollutants with transgenic trees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 104(43):16816-16821.
• Farnum, P., Lucier, A., and Meilan, R. 2007. Ecological and population genetics research imperatives for transgenic trees. Tree Genetics and Genomes 3(2):119-133.
• Meilan, R. 2006. Challenges to commercial use o f transgenic plants. Journal of Crop Improvement 18(1/2):433-450.
• Wei, H., Meilan, R., Brunner, A.M., Skinnner, J.S., Ma, C., Gandhi, H., and Strauss, S.H. 2006. Field trial detects incomplete barstar attentuation of vegetative cytotoxicity in Populus trees containing a poplar LEAFY promoter::barnase sterility transgene. Molecular Breeding 19(1):69-85.
• Busov, V.B., Meilan, R., Pearce, D.W., Rood, S.B., Ma, C., Tschaplinski, T.J., and Strauss, S.H. 2006. Transgenic modification of gai and rgl1 causes dwarfing and alters gibberellins. root growth, and metabolite profiles in Populus. Planta 224(2):288-299.
• Filichkin, S.A., Wu, Q., Busov, V.B., Meilan, R., Lanz-Garcia, C., Groover, A.T., Goldfarb, B., Ma, C., Dharmawardhana, P., Brunner A.M., and Strauss, S.H. 2006. Enhancer trapping in woody plants: isolation of a putative AT-hook motif transcription factor ET304 and characterization of the expression patterns conferred by its promoter in transgenic Populus and Arabidopsis. Plant Science 171:206-216.
• Filichkin, S.A., Meilan, R., Busov, V.B., Ma, C., Brunner, A.M., and Strauss, S.H. 2006. Alcohol-inducible gene expression in transgenic Populus. Plant Cell Reports 25:660-667.
• Meilan, R. and Ma, C. 2006. Populus. Pages 143-151 in: Methods in Molecular Biology, vol. 344: Agrobacterium Protocols, 2nd edn., K. Wang, ed. Humana Press.

• Stettler, R.F. and Meilan, R. 2006. Target Traits, Chapter 6, State of Knowledge Report on Genetically Modified Forest Trees, IUFRO Task Force (in press).

• Davis, M.F., Tuskan, G.A., Payne, P., Tschaplinski, T.J., and Meilan, R. 2006. Assessment of Populus wood chemistry following the introduction of a Bt toxin gene. Tree Physiology 6:557-564.
• Busov, V.B., Brunner, A.M., Meilan, R. , Flichkin, S., Ganio, L., Gandhi, S., and Strauss, S.H. 2005. Genetic transformation: A powerful tool for ecological genomics of trees. New Phytologist 167(1):9-18.
• Michler, C.H., Pijut, P.M., Jacobs, D.F., Meilan, R., Woeste, K.E., and Ostry , M.E. 2005. Improving disease resistance of butternut (Juglans cinerea), a threatened fine hardwood: A case for single-tree selection through genetic improvement and deployment. Tree Physiology 26:121-128.
• Michler, C.H., Meilan, R., Woeste, K.E., Pijut, P.M., Jacobos, D., Aldrich, P., Glaubitz, J. 2005. Hardwood Genetics and Tree Improvement: A Midwest USA Perspective. Pages 69-74 in: S.J. Colombo, comp., The Thin Green Line: A symposium on the state-of-the-art in reforestation. For Res. Inf. Pap. No. 160. Ont. For. Res., Inst., Ont. Min. Nat. Res., Sault Ste. Marie, ON. 169 p.
• Strauss, S.H., Brunner, A.M., Busov, V.B., Ma, C., and Meilan, R. 2005. Genetic engineering and biosafety: Ten lessons from 15 years of transgenic Populus research. Forestry 77(5):455-465.
• Wang, Y., Wisniewski, M., Meilan, R ., Boyer, C., and Fuchigami, L. 2005. Overexpression of cytosolic ascorbate peroxidase in tomato confers tolerance to chilling and salt stress. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science 130(2):167-173.
• Wei, H., Meilan, R., Brunner, A.M., Skinner, J.S., Ma, C., and Strauss, S.H. 2005. Transgenic sterility in Populus: Expression properties of the poplar PTLF, Agrobacterium NOS, and two minimal 35S promoters in vegetative tissues. Tree Physiology 26:401-410.

• Ma, C., Strauss, S.H., and Meilan, R. 2004. Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of the genome-sequenced poplar clone, 'Nisqually-1' (Populus trichocarpa). Plant Molecular Biology Reporter 22:311-12.

• Meilan, R., Ellis, D., Pilate, G., Brunner, A., and Skinner, J. 2004. Accomplishments and challenges in genetic engineering of forest trees: Reflections on 15 years of steady progress.  Pages 36-51 in: Forest Biotechnology: Scientific Opportunities and Social Challenges. S.H. Strauss and H.D. Bradshaw, editors. Resources for the Future Press, Washington, D.C.

• Meilan, R. 2004. Molecular Biology of Forest Trees. Pages 229-236 in: Encyclopedia of Forest Sciences. Academic Press, Oxford, U.K.
• Groover, A., Fontana , J., Dupper, G., Ma, C., Martienssen, R., Strauss, S., and Meilan, R. 2004. Gene and enhancer trap tagging of vascular-expressed genes in poplar trees. Plant Physiology 134:1742-1751.

• Meilan, R., Sabatti, M., Ma, C., and Kuzminsk, E. 2004. An early-flowering genotype of Populus. Journal of Plant Biology 47(1):52-56.

• Busov, V.B., Meilan, R., Strauss, S.H. 2003. A short route to gene discovery in trees: Control of stature through gibberellin catabolism. ISB News Report (September issue).
• Skinner, J.S., Meilan, R., Ma, C., and Strauss, S.H. 2003. The Populus PTD promoter imparts floral-predominant expression and enables high levels of floral-organ ablation in Populus, Nicotiana and Arabidopsis. Molecular Breeding 12(2):119-132.
• Busov, V.B., Meilan, R., Pearce, D.W., Ma C., Rood, S.B., and Strauss, S.H. 2003. Activation tagging of a dominant gibberellin catabolism gene (GA 2-oxidase) from poplar that regulates tree stature. Plant Physiology 132(3):1283-1291.
• Meilan, R., Han, K.-H., Ma, C., DiFazio, S.P., Eaton, J.A., Hoien, E., Stanton, B.J., Crockett, R.P., Taylor, M.L., James, R.R., Skinner, J.S., Jouanin, L., Pilate, G., and Strauss, S.H. 2002. The CP4 transgene provides high levels of tolerance to Roundup® herbicide in field-grown hybrid poplars. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 32:967-976.
• Meilan, R., Auerbach, D.J., Ma, C., DiFazio, S.P., and Strauss, S.H. 2002. Stability of herbicide resistance and GUS expression in transgenic hybrid poplars (Populus sp.) during several years of field trials and vegetative propagation. HortScience 37(2):277-280.
• Mohamed, R., Meilan, R., and Strauss, S.H. 2001. Complex behavior of a copper-inducible gene expression system in transgenic poplar. Forest Genetics 8(1):69-72.
• Strauss, S.H., DiFazio, S.P., and Meilan, R. 2001. Genetically modified poplars in context. Forestry Chronicle 77(2):1-9.
• Mohamed, R., Meilan, R., Ostry , M.E. , Michler, C.H., and Strauss, S.H. 2001. Bacterio-opsin gene over-expression fails to elevate fungal disease resistance in transgenic poplar . Canadian Journal of Forest Research 31:1-8.
• Meilan, R., Brunner, A., Skinner, J., and Strauss, S. 2001. Modification of Flowering in Transgenic Trees. Pages 247-256 in: Molecular Breeding of Woody Plants. Progress in Biotechnology series.  A. Komamine and N. Morohoshi , editors. Elsevier Science BV , Amsterdam .
• Meilan, R., Ma, C., Cheng, S., Eaton, J.A., Miller, L.K., Crockett, R.P., DiFazio, S.P., and Strauss, S.H. 2000. High levels of Roundup® and leaf-beetle resistance in genetically engineered hybrid cottonwoods. Pages 29-38 in : K.A. Blatner, J.D. Johnson, and D.M. Baumgartner, eds., Hybrid Poplars in the Pacific Northwest : Culture, Commerce and Capability. Washington State University Cooperative Extension Bulletin MISC0272, Pullman, WA.
• Skinner, J.S., Meilan, R., Brunner, A.M., and Strauss, S.H. 2000. Options for Genetic Engineering of Floral Sterility in Forest Trees. Pages 135-153 in : S.M. Jain and S.C. Minocha, eds., Molecular Biology of Woody Plants. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht , The Netherlands.

Recent Grants

• DOE, Plant Feedstock Genomics for Bioenergy; "Manipulation of lignin biosynthesis to maximize ethanol production from Populus feedstocks" ; C.C.S. Chapple, M.R. Ladisch, and R. Meilan; 11/01/06-10/31/09; $1,400,000.

• Energy Center , Discovery Park ; "Engineering of Poplar for Bio-ethanol Production: An Integrated Approach"; C.C.S. Chapple, M.R. Ladisch, and R. Meilan; 06/01/06-05/31/07; $50,000.

• DOE Poplar Genome-based Research for Carbon Sequestration in Terrestrial Ecosystems program; "Genome-enabled Modification of Poplar Root Development for Increased Carbon Sequestration"; R. Meilan, V.B. Busov, T.J. Tschaplinski; 08/01/05-07/31/08; $1,219,940.

• Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research; "Development of Herbicide-tolerant Hardwoods"; R. Meilan, C.H. Michler, P.M. Pijut, and J.R. Seifert; 07/05 to 06/07; $81,000.

• National Science Foundation; "Center for Tree Genetics: The Formation of a Joint NSF I/UCRC between Purdue University and Oregon State University"; C.H. Michler and R. Meilan; $399,999.

• Voluntary support for investigating the genetic and phenotypic basis for figured wood in poplar; $20,000.
• Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research (CPBR); “Modification of gibberellin metabolism to enhance productivity, wood quality, and biosafety”; R. Meilan (PI), V.B. Busov, and S.H. Strauss; 01/04 12/05; $71,990.
• USDA Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program (BRARGP); “Field tests of transgene confinement strategies in trees: Evaluation of ablation, gene suppression, and flowering onset genes in poplar”; R. Meilan (PI), A.M. Brunner, and S.H. Strauss; $358,000; 9/03-8/06.
• U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration; “Genome-Enabled Discovery of Carbon Sequestration Genes in Populus”; S.H. Strauss, R. Meilan, and A.M. Brunner; $1,180,386.
• College of Forestry Innovative Grant, “Douglas-fir Genomics in Interdisciplinary Research in Forest Science”; A. Brunner, G. Howe, B. Bond, R. Meilan, S. Strauss; $60,000; FY02-03.
• USDA-CSREES, “Phase Change and Seasonal Floral Initiation in Populus” A.M. Brunner and R. Meilan, $115,300; 8/1/02-7/31/04.
• Consortium for Plant Biotechnology Research (CPBR); “Genetic Engineering to Maintain High biomass Productivity in Transgenic Sterile Trees”; R. Meilan (PI), S.H. Strauss, and A.M. Brunner; $52,500; 7/02-6/04.
• CPBR; “Identification of Major Genes via Activation Tagging in Populus; S.H. Strauss, A.M. Brunner, R. Meilan; $37,500; 7/02-6/04.
• DOE; “Accelerated Domestication of Populus”; S.H. Strauss and R. Meilan; $50,000; 3/02-3/10.
• DOE/Agenda 2020; “Development and validation of sterility systems for trees”; A.M. Brunner, S.H. Strauss, and R. Meilan; $587,893; 10/01-9/04.

Proposals Pending

• CPBR; Improving water relations of Populus for use as a bioenergy crop; R. Meilan and C. Chapple, $124,804.
• Weston Solutions; Transgenic poplars for remediation of a wide range of environmental pollutants; R. Meilan; $313,071.
• Russell Foundation; Assessing potential poplar and Paulownia productivity in Indiana; R. Meilan; $588,355.

Expectations for Ph.D. Students

A student completing a Ph.D. program should:

1. Have personal motivation, curiosity, and enthusiasm for becoming a scientist;

2. Have a broad knowledge of the philosophy, history, and current state of science;
3. Be competent in major techniques used in molecular biology research, including statistical, field, and laboratory methods;
4. Be able to think clearly, critically, and creatively-beyond the level expected for students seeking an M.S. degree;
5. Routinely read the scientific literature in general, and be fully informed regarding the state of science within your chosen field of study;
6. Be able to communicate clearly and effectively, in written and oral presentations (N.B., We have a one-year probationary period during which Ph.D. students must write a research article or a research proposal (in English) to demonstrate that they are capable of successfully completing their program of study); and
7. Reach the following milestones:

• Coursework plan developed by end of first semester;
• Research plan developed by end of second semester;
• Steady progress on research (frequent meetings with the student will be used to gauge progress); and
• Submission of at least one original research paper before graduation, and at least two more papers ready for submission near the time of graduation. The total number of papers will vary by project, and allowances will be made for cases in which large (monograph) papers are prepared. (N.B., People who successfully compete for good jobs after graduation tend to exceed this level of productivity by 50-100% during their Ph.D. programs.)

Useful Links

Local

• Hardwood Tree Improvement and Regeneration Center
• Department of Forestry and Natural Resouces at Purdue
   

Tree Biotechnology Resources

• Institute of Forest Genetics Dendrome Project
• Forest Genetics/Breeding Resource Web Page
• Tree Genetic Engineering Research Cooperative
• Poplar Genome Sequence
• Tissue Culture and Transformation section of the Science Plan for the International Populus Genome Consortium

Agricultural Biotechnology Resources

• Agbiotech Online
• USDA, APHIS, BSS Biotechnology and Scientific Services
• USDA Agricultural Biotechnology
• Institute for Biotechnology Information 
• National Agriculture Biotechnology Council 
• Biotechnology Industry Organization 
• CAMBIA - Center for the Application of Molecular Biology to International Agriculture
• The Biotechnology Institute

Sequence Databases

• Information Systems for Biotechnology
• National Center for Biotechnology Information
• BLAST searches
• Pedro's Molecular Biology Tools 
• GenomeNet and HGP (Japanese)
• IUBio
• UMBI Biological Sciences
• EMBL
• Promoter Scan II
• Advanced Biosciences Computing Center
• Operon

Biosafety and Regulation Resources

• U.N.  Biosafety Information Network and Advisory Service
• U.S. Federal Biotechnology Documents
• Belgian Biosafety Server
• Information Systems for Biotechnology
• Virtual Center of Biotechnology for the Americas 
• Genetically Modified Food
• GM Food