Staff Profile

Dr Erik Rikkerink
Science Group Leader, Bioprotection Technologies
Bioprotection

More information about our Bioprotection research

Dr Erik Rikkerink

Qualifications

BSc (Hons), Biochemistry, University of Otago, New Zealand
PhD, Genetics, University of Otago, New Zealand

Research Interests & Activities

Molecular genetics of host-pathogen interactions, including mapping, positional cloning of disease resistance genes, bioinformatics, analysing fungal and bacterial effectors and their plant host targets and linking this information to breeding strategies. A key focus currently is research to understand the virulence of a new outbreak of Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae that is responsible for worldwide devastation of kiwifruit orchards.

International Collaboration

Dr John (Jay) Norelli, USDA-ARS, Appalachian Fruit Research Station, Kearneysville, WV, USA

Honours & Awards

1983 Otago University Post-graduate Scholar, Medical Research Council of New Zealand

Professional Memberships

Member, New Zealand Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Member, MapNet

Key Publications

Sun X, Jones WT & Rikkerink EHA (2012). GRAS proteins: The versatile roles of intrinsically disordered proteins in plant signalling. Biochemical Journal. 442: 1-12
Bus VGM, Rikkerink EHA, Caffier V, Durel CE & Plummer KM (2011). Revision of Nomenclature of the Differential Host-Pathogen Interactions of Venturia inaequalis and Malus. Annual Review of Phytopathology 49:391-413.
Sun, X, Xue, B, Jones, W T, Rikkerink, E, Dunker, A K and Uversky, V N (2011) A functionally required unfoldome from the plant kingdom: intrinsically disordered N-terminal domains of GRAS proteins are involved in molecular recognition during plant development. Plant Mol.Biol., 773: 205-223
Rikkerink EHA et al. 2009. Resistance gene and uses thereof. PCT Application NZ2008/000284
Kucheryava N, Bowen JK, Sutherland PW, Conolly JJ, Mesarich CH, Rikkerink EHA et al. 2008. Two novel Venturia inaequalis genes induced upon morphogenetic differentiation during infection and in vitro growth on cellophane. Fungal Genetics and Biology, 45: 1329-1339. Cover article
Association mapping in Plants Oraguzie NC, Rikkerink EHA et al. (2007), Editors, Springer.
Newcomb RD, Crowhurst RN, Gleave AP, Rikkerink EHA et al. (2006). Analyses of Expressed Sequence Tags from Apple. Plant Physiology. 141:1-20