Glucocorticoids (GC) are the primary steroids that regulate inflammation and have been exploited therapeutically in inflammatory skin diseases. Despite the broad-spectrum therapeutic use of GC, the biochemical rationale for locally treating inflammatory skin conditions is poorly understood, as systemic GC production remains largely functional in these patients. GC synthesis has been well characterized in healthy skin, but the pathological consequence has not been examined. Here we show de novo GC synthesis, and GC receptor expression is dysfunctional in both nonlesional and lesional psoriatic skin. Use of GC receptor epidermal knockout mice with adrenalectomy allowed for the distinction between local (keratinocyte) and systemic GC activity. Compensation exhibited by adult GC receptor epidermal knockout mice demonstrated that keratinocyte-derived GC synthesis protected skin from topical phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced inflammatory assault. Thus, localized de novo GC synthesis in skin is essential for controlling inflammation, and loss of the GC pathway in psoriatic skin represents an additional pathological process in this complex inflammatory skin disease.

Differences in knotted1-like (knox) gene expression may account for some of the diversity of leaf forms seen in nature. Class 1 knox genes are expressed in the compound leaf primordia of tomato but not in the simple leaf primordia of a range of species examined so far. In order to test the hypothesis that all compound leaves differ from simple leaves in this way, we isolated a class 1 knox cDNA from pea, Pskn1 (Pisum sativum knotted1) and examined its expression pattern. The encoded homeodomain of Pskn1 shares 88% identical residues with KNOTTED1 from maize and an adjacent ELK domain is present. The protein sequence of PSKN1 is 69% identical to TKN2, its nearest related sequence in tomato. Unlike TKn2, Pskn1 was not expressed in newly initiated compound leaves. The expression pattern of Pskn1 resembled those of other class 1 knox genes described in maize and Arabidopsis. Transcripts were detected in the shoot apical meristem and developing vasculature of the vegetative shoot, but expression was not detected in newly initiated and developing compound leaf primordia. The same pattern of expression was observed in the afila mutant, which is characterised by highly ramified compound leaves. Our results suggest that tomato and pea use different developmental processes in the generation of their compound leaves.

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-Our research is focused on developing an ecoinformatics platform to support climate change adaptation in Victoria. A multidisciplinary, cross-organisational approach is taken in developing adaptation strategies to deal with the 'diabolical' policy problem of climate change.The platform comprises a number of components including: (i) a metadata discovery tool to support modelling, (ii) a workflow engine for connecting climate change models, (iii) geographical visualisation tools for communicating landscape and farm impacts, (iv) a landscape object library for storing and sharing digital models, and (v) a landscape constructor tool to support participatory decision-making, and (vi) a virtual organisation for collaboration and sharing information.In this paper we will discuss the platform as it has been developed to support collaborative research and to inform stakeholders of the likely impacts of climate change in South West Victoria, Australia. We will discuss some of the drivers for research in developing the ecoinformatics platform and its components. The paper concludes by identifying some future research directions in better connecting researchers and communicating science outcomes associated with climate change impact and adaptation.

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