Adrienne Elizabeth Clarke

Research has focussed on the molecular basis of self-incompatibility (SI) in plants. The research team cloned the gene that controls SI in the female tissues of the Solanaceae and discovered that it encodes a ribonuclease. She has also studied a group of complex plant proteoglycans, the arabinogalactan-proteins, which are components of plant gums. She led the team that cloned the genes encoding the protein backbones (s) of these molecules. Her present interest include Government policies in plant biotechnology including GM foods.