Oral Presentation at 3rd International Plant Proteomics Organization (INPPO) World Congress 2018, Padua, Italy.
Abstract
The purpose of this travel was to present my research as an oral presentation at the 3rd International Plant Proteomics Organisation World Congress (INPPO 2018) held at the University of Padua, Italy. The conference was attended by approximately 200 delegates from 28 different countries. About 20% of the participants were students and others included early career researchers and academics from countries including Italy, France, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Austria, Greece, India and Brazil. I was invited to present my research titled ‘Shotgun Proteomic Analysis of Photoperiod Regulated Dormancy Induction in Grapevine’ as an oral talk. I was given complimentary registration for the conference.
My presentation reported the protein analysis of photoperiod regulated dormancy induction in grapevines exposed to different photoperiods. This research reports the protein changes that were identified and quantified in two different genotypes of Vitis exposed to two different photoperiods of long and short day length, and harvested at two different time points in shoot growth and axillary bud development. The primary aim of protein identification and quantification was to enhance our understanding of signalling networks associated with dormancy induction and growth cessation. This research was a part of my PhD project which investigated the proteomic analysis of the effect of climate change on different grapevine varieties. My PhD thesis is titled ‘Proteomic analysis of environmental stress responses in grapevine’ and the research objectives were to improve the taste and flavour of wine and increase the yield of grape crops in future by research inputs in marker assisted breeding. My PhD thesis was recognised by the Vice Chancellor of Macquarie University with a Certificate of Commendation for being of an exceptionally high standard and was also acknowledged as ‘highly commended’ at the 2017 Macquarie University Research Awards.
Oral sessions at the INPPO 2018 World Congress were well patronised and I received positive feedback and comments from the delegates. The conference provided very useful insights into my research. I was also elected as a Young Scientist Core Member of the INPPO Committee to promote research collaborations and network among young and early career researchers. The election was held during the INPPO Meeting on Monday 10 September 2018. My principal supervisor during PhD, Professor Paul Haynes, is one of the founding members of INPPO and this was an added advantage of my attendance at the conference. Attending the conference gave me an opportunity to meet and discuss my work with several researchers from all over the world who work on plant proteomics, thus exposing my research project to an international forum.
Summary
The 3rd International Plant Proteomics Organisation World Congress (INPPO 2018) was held at Padua, in north-east Italy, close to Venice and other cities known worldwide for their historical and cultural value. INPPO 2018 was hosted by the University of Padua, the second oldest university in the world established in 1222, in the fascinating location of the Botanical Garden, the oldest University Botanical Garden in the world and UNESCO Heritage, founded in 1545. INPPO 2018 was held during 9-12 September 2018 and was attended by around 200 participants spanning American, European and Asian countries, including Australia, USA, Canada, Poland, Austria, Greece, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, Nepal, Malaysia, Japan and India.
The goal of the conference was to bring together leading experts in plant proteomics from all over the world and provide a critical mass in proteomics technologies and applications on all aspects of plant proteomics.
The opening talk was delivered by Dr Antonio Masi, Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padua, who was Chair of the Organising Committee INPPO 2018, followed by Professor Dominque Job, Emeritus CNRS Research Director, Bayer Crop Science, France, who is also one of the founding members of INPPO.
The opening key lecture on ‘Chloroplast protein homeostasis; complexities of N-terminal protein maturation, the N-end rule and protease networks’ was delivered by Professor Klaas van Wijk from the School of Integrative Plant Sciences (SIPS) at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA. Other keynote addresses included Professor Hirofumi Nakagami’s talk on ‘Ordinary proteomics with something extra to dissect plant immune system’, Group Leader of Basic Immune System of Plants and Protein Mass Spectrometry at Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Germany; Dr Bhakti Prinsi’s talk on ‘Contribution of proteomics to the study of physiological aspects related to fruit tree productivity’, Researcher, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Researcher at the DiSAA-University of Milan, Italy; Professor Wolfram Weckwerth’s talk on ‘Stress signaling networks in algae and plants’, Head of Department, University of Vienna, Austria; Professor Marco Aurelio Zezzi’s talk on ‘Plant science and metallomics: the perfect couple’, Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Campinas Brazil; and Associate Professor Bronwyn Barkla’s talk on ‘Omics approaches to understand the morphology and function of modified trichomes in plant salt tolerance’, Southern Cross University in Australia where she heads the Plant Biochemistry group.
The eight session topics covered in the conference were:
- Cellular proteomics
- Physiology and metabolism
- Plant adaptation to the environment
- Abiotic stress
- Systems biology
- Technical and methodological advances
- Fruit tree proteomics
- Biotic Stress
For each of the topics, four or five speakers presented a 20-minute seminar on their research. The talks were highly dynamic, enlightening and informative. Each research presentation concluded with a five-minute time-slot for questions and open discussion. Scientific posters were displayed throughout the conference. The first session displayed odd number posters and was held on Monday 10 September 2018 and it ended with wine and cheese. The second session displayed even number posters and was held on Tuesday 11 September 2018.
Three social events were organised during INPPO 2018; a welcome reception at the Padua Botanical Garden with a private garden tour, gala congress dinner at Restaurant Zairo and the last day lunch farewell where participants were welcome to share some traditional food from their own country.
The conference also had breakout sessions to facilitate discussion about mass spectrometry, plant proteomics and international organisation initiatives, gel-based methods and INPPO perspectives for the future. The INPPO meeting to elect the new president, vice-president and committee members was held on Monday 10 September 2018. The concluding remarks and closing ceremony with the participation of the pro-Rector of the University of Padua, Professor Dietelmo Pievani, occurred on the final day of the conference.