Researcher
I am a Researcher in Prof. Noëlani van den Berg’s Avocado Research Programme (ARP) since May 2024. My research will be focussing on the prediction and functional characterisation of the pathogenicity genes of Dematophora necatrix, the causal agent of white root rot on many important crops including avocado. I am also involved with student mentorship as well as providing support on the molecular biology aspects of current projects.
I hold a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Cape Town and obtained a MSc Agric (cum laude) from Stellenbosch University. Some of my previous research positions include being a Post-Doctoral Researcher in Prof. Dave Berger’s Molecular Plant Pathogen Interactions (MPPI) group as well as a Research Associate at Imperial College London.
Christie N, Myburg AA, Joubert F, Murray SL, Carstens M, Lin Y-C, Meyer J, Crampton BG, Christensen SA, Ntuli JF, Wighard SS, Van de Peer Y, Berger DK. (2017) Systems genetics reveals a transcriptional network associated with susceptibility in the maize-gray leaf spot pathosystem. The Plant Journal 10.1111/tpj.13419
Carstens M, McCrindle TK, Adams N, Diener A, Guzha DT, Murray SL, Parker JE, Denby KJ, Ingle RA. (2014) Increased Resistance to Biotrophic Pathogens in the Arabidopsis Constitutive Induced Resistance 1 Mutant Is EDS1 and PAD4-Dependent and Modulated by Environmental Temperature. PLoS ONE 10.1371/journal.pone.0109853
Berger DK, Carstens M, Korsman JN, Middleton F, Kloppers FJ, Tongoona P, Myburg AA. (2014) Mapping QTL conferring resistance in maize to gray leaf spot disease caused by Cercospora zeina. BMC Genetics 10.1186/1471-2156-15-60
Nola S, Daigaku R, Smolarczyk K, Carstens M, Martin-Martin B, Longmore G, Bailly M, Braga VMM. (2011) Ajuba is required for Rac activation and maintenance of E-cadherin adhesion. The Journal of Cell Biology
Ingle RA, Carstens M, Denby KJ. (2006) PAMP recognition and the plant–pathogen arms race. BioEssays
Carstens M, Vivier MA, Van Rensburg P, Pretorius IS. (2003) Overexpression, secretion and antifungal activity of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae chitinase. Annals of Microbiology
Carstens M, Vivier MA, Pretorius IS. (2003) The Saccharomyces cerevisiae chitinase, encoded by the CTS1-2 gene, confers antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea to transgenic tobacco. Transgenic Research