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Background: Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus species such as S. aureus (MRSA) and S. pseudintermedius (MRSP) can be involved in life-threatening multidrug resistant infections in companion animals. Knowledge of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) carriage and factors influencing carriage in companion animals from South East Queensland is limited. Nasal and rectal swab samples were collected from dogs, cats and horses upon admission or within 24 hours of hospitalisation to several primary accession and referral veterinary practices between November 2015 and December 2017. MRSA and MRSP were identified using standard microbiological (Brilliance selective medium) and molecular (mecA gene PCR) methods. Risk factors associated with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus (MRS) carriage were quantified using Bernoulli logistic regression models. A Bayesian geostatistical model was developed to predict the probability of MRS carriage in Brisbane and surrounding areas. Results: Our results indicated that while the prevalence of MRSP carriage in dogs was 8.7% (35/402) no MRSP was isolated from cats (0/69) and horses (0/60); no MRSA was isolated in any species. MRSP carriage in dogs was significantly associated with previous hospitalisation, previous bacterial infection, consultation type, average precipitation, and human population density. Our predictive map of MRSP carriage indicated that the probability of carriage was highest along the coastal areas of Greater Brisbane, particularly Brisbane city, Sunshine Coast and Gympie areas. Conclusions: This study determined that MRSP carriage in dog populations from South East Queensland is geographically clustered and associated with both clinical and environmental factors.

In previous studies it has been established that resistance to superoxide by Neisseria gonorrhoeae is dependent on the accumulation of Mn(II) ions involving the ABC transporter, MntABC. A mutant strain lacking the periplasmic binding protein component (MntC) of this transport system is hypersensitive to killing by superoxide anion. In this study the mntC mutant was found to be more sensitive to H2O2 killing than the wild-type. Analysis of regulation of MntC expression revealed that it was de-repressed under low Mn(II) conditions. The N. gonorrhoeae mntABC locus lacks the mntR repressor typically found associated with this locus in other organisms. A search for a candidate regulator of mntABC expression revealed a homologue of PerR, a Mn-dependent peroxide-responsive regulator found in Gram-positive organisms. A perR mutant expressed more MntC protein than wild-type, and expression was independent of Mn(II), consistent with a role for PerR as a repressor of mntABC expression. The PerR regulon of N. gonorrhoeae was defined by microarray analysis and includes ribosomal proteins, TonB-dependent receptors and an alcohol dehydrogenase. Both the mntC and perR mutants had reduced intracellular survival in a human cervical epithelial cell model.

Several host-adapted bacterial pathogens contain methyltransferases associated with type III restriction-modification (R-M) systems that are subject to reversible, high-frequency on/off switching of expression (phase variation). To investigate the role of phase-variable expression of R-M systems, we made a mutant strain lacking the methyltransferase ( mod ) associated with a type III R-M system of Haemophilus influenzae and analyzed its phenotype. By microarray analysis, we identified a number of genes that were either up- or down-regulated in the mod mutant strain. This system reports the coordinated random switching of a set of genes in a bacterial pathogen and may represent a widely used mechanism.

Solid tumours display elevated resistance to chemo- and radiotherapies compared to individual tumour derived cells. This so-called multicellular resistance (MCR) phenomenon can only be partly explained by reduced diffusion and altered cell cycle status; even fast growing cells on the surface of solid tumours display MCR. Multicellular spheroids (MCS) recapture this phenomenon ex vivo and here we compare gene expression in exponentially growing MCS with gene expression in monolayer culture. Using an 18,664 gene microarray, we identified 42 differentially expressed genes and three of these genes can be linked to potential mechanisms of MCR. A group of interferon response genes were also up-regulated in MCS, as were a number of genes that that are indicative of greater differentiation in three-dimensional cultures.

We have constructed cDNA microarrays for soybean (Glycine max L. Merrill), containing approximately 4,100 Unigene ESTs derived from axenic roots, to evaluate their application and utility for functional genomics of organ differentiation in legumes. We assessed microarray technology by conducting studies to evaluate the accuracy of microarray data and have found them to be both reliable and reproducible in repeat hybridisations. Several ESTs showed high levels (>50 fold) of differential expression in either root or shoot tissue of soybean. A small number of physiologically interesting, and differentially expressed sequences found by microarray analysis were verified by both quantitative real-time RT-PCR and Northern blot analysis. There was a linear correlation (r(2) = 0.99, over 5 orders of magnitude) between microarray and quantitative real-time RT-PCR data. Microarray analysis of soybean has enormous potential not only for the discovery of new genes involved in tissue differentiation and function, but also to study the expression of previously characterised genes, gene networks and gene interactions in wild-type, mutant or transgenic; plants.

Torg and Winchester syndromes and patients reported by Al-AqeelSawairi as well as nodulosis-arthropathy-osteolysis (NAO) patients, patients with multicentric NAO share autosomal recessive inheritance. The common presenting symptomatology includes progressive osteolysis chiefly affecting the carpal, tarsal and interphalangeal joints. Here, we report a patient with Torg syndrome. Torg syndrome is caused by homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in the matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) gene. MMP2 codes for a gelatinase that cleaves type IV collagen, a major component of basement membrane. The clinical presentation of our patient included moderate osteolysis of the small joints of the hands and knees, hirsutism, nodulosis sparing the palms and soles, corneal opacities and mild facial dysmorphism without gum hypertrophy. Genetic analysis showed that the patient was homozygous for a novel base variant c538 G>A (p.D180N) in the MMP2 gene. Both parents were carriers of the same mutated variant. Our patient had some previously unreported endocrine manifestations such as premature thelarche and elevated follicle-stimulating hormone levels.

The level of genetic variation throughout the entire worldwide range of the mangrove species Avicennia marina (Forsk.) Vierh. was examined using microsatellite markers. Three microsatellite loci detected high levels of allelic diversity (70 alleles in total), essential for an accurate estimation of population genetic parameters. The informativeness of the microsatellite loci tended to increase with increasing average number of repeats. The levels of heterozygosity detected for each population, over all loci, ranged from 0.0 to 0.8, with an average of 0.407, indicating that some populations had little or no genetic variation, whereas others had a large amount. Populations at the extremes of the distribution range showed reduced levels of heterozygosity, and significant levels of inbreeding. This is not unexpected as these populations may be subject to founder effects and environmental constraints. The presence of genetic structure was tested in A. marina populations using three models: (i) a single panmictic model; (ii) the discrete subpopulation model; and (iii) the isolation by distance model. The discrete subpopulations model was supported by the overall measures of population differentiation based on the infinite alleles model (F-statistics), and the stepwise mutation model (R statistics). In addition, an analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA), using both theoretical models, found that most of the variation was between populations (41-71%), and within individuals in the total population (31-49%). There was little variation among individuals within populations (0-10%). There was no significant isolation by distance. The high levels of genetic differentiation observed among populations of A. marina may be due to environmental and ecological factors, particularly past sea level and climatic changes.

An enriched microsatellite library of the mangrove species Avicennia marina was constructed, in which 85.8% of the clones contained microsatellite sequences. Of the microsatellite repeat sequences isolated, 55.0% were di-nucleotides, 34.2% were tri-nucleotides, 50.0% were perfect, 24.2% were imperfect, and 15.0% were compound. Four different di-nucleotide repeats were isolated with repeat lengths ranging from 5 to 33; ten different tri-nucleotide repeats were isolated with repeat lengths ranging from 3 to 25. The most common di-nucleotide was the AC/TG repeat; the most common tri-nucleotide was the CCG/GGC repeat. Sixteen microsatellite sequences were selected for primer design, and 6 primers were selected to investigate the polymorphism detected among 15 individuals of A. marina from three natural populations in Australia. A total of 40 alleles were detected at 6 microsatellite loci. The number of alleles per microsatellite locus ranged from 5 to 13. On average, 7 alleles were detected per locus. All microsatellite loci showed high levels of gene diversity (heterozygosity), with values ranging from 0.53 to 0.88; the mean value of gene diversity was 0.70. Microsatellite loci were also tested for conservation across Avicennia species. There was a decline in amplification success with increasing divergence between Avicennia species. The results indicate that microsatellites are abundant in the Avicennia genome and can be valuable genetic markers for assessing the effects of deforestation and forest fragmentation in mangrove communities, which is an important issue for mangrove conservation and afforestation schemes.

The tropical Indo-Pacific genus Excoecaria L. (Euphorbiaceae) has several closely related species in Australia whose taxonomic relationships are unclear. The most widely reported species in Australia is the mangrove species Excoecaria agallocha L. (type species), whose taxonomic and geographic limits are difficult to define from its closely related species or sub-species. Two additional taxa have also been described but not clearly differentiated from the type species: Excoecaria dallachyana Baillon and Excoecaria ovalis Endl. This project aimed to determine the taxonomic relationships of the Australian Excoecaria species using both leaf morphological data and DNA sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of ribosomal genes. The nucleotide differences in the examined ITS1 region show that E. agallocha from eastern Australia and E. ovalis from Western Australia respectively, are genetically uniform within species but differ from each other consistently, thus supporting species status. The leaf morphological data also support this view: single factor analysis of variance consistently separated E. ovalis from E. agallocha on the basis of leaf width, leaf length and length of petiole. In contrast, E. ovalis from the Gulf of Carpentaria differs only slightly from E. ovalis in Western Australia, but no evidence was found to suggest any leaf morphological differentiation within this species. The analysis also suggests that E. dallachyana is not closely related to either mangrove species E. agallocha or E. ovalis, despite superficial morphological similarities.

The sequencing of 831 clones from an enriched microsatellite library of Melaleuca alternifolia (Myrtaceae) yielded 715 inserts containing repeat motifs. The majority of these (98%) were dinucleotide repeats or trinucleotide repeats averaging 22 and 8 repeat motifs respectively. The AG/GA motif was the most common, accounting for 43% of all microsatellites. From a total of 139 primer pairs designed, 102 produced markers within the expected size range. The majority of these (93) were polymorphic. Primer pairs were tested on five selected M. alternifolia genotypes. Loci based on dinucleotide repeats detected on average a greater number of alleles (4.2) than those based on trinucleotide repeats (2.9). The loci described will provide a large pool of polymorphisms useful for population studies, genetic mapping, and possibly application in other Myrtaceae.

The creation of enriched microsatellite libraries can ensure an abundant supply of microsatellite sequences at a considerably reduced cost. We report here the modification to an existing enrichment protocol and the optimisation of this technique for use on specific plant species, in this case, sugarcane. Using this optimised protocol, we achieved a 40% increase in the level of enrichment.

Microsatellites are PCR based markers widely applicable in many plant species. Although the discovery and development of new microsatellites is a costly and technically demanding process, they are widely used in many plant systems. In coniferous tree species, the large genome size and repetitive DNA regions further aggravate the process, often resulting in libraries with very low enrichment efficiencies. Such species have proven intractable to efficient microsatellite discovery. For example, enriched microsatellite libraries produced for seven angiosperm species had enrichment efficiencies up to 50%, whereas libraries for three conifers, generated concurrently, under identical conditions, all had enrichment efficiencies below 10%. This report describes a simple strategy for recovering useful microsatellites from two of these conifer libraries, Pinus elliottii and Araucaria cuninghamii. Enrichment efficiencies increased from 0% to 100% and 1.5% to 98%, respectively. The strategy utilised DIG labelled oligo probes to identify clones containing microsatellite inserts. The technique is cost effective and rapid, utilising basic techniques and equipment that are widely available.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were investigated as a tool for estimating genetic diversity within 33 species of Banksia and three species of Dryandra. Three primers were used on DNA from 10 seeds per species, and band data were pooled to give between 52 and 89 bands per species, most of which were polymorphic. Genetic diversity was calculated using six published metrics on three species, for which allozyme data were also available. Based on between-method consistency, three metrics were chosen for analysis of the full data set. Levels of genetic diversity in Banksia and Dryandra ranged from 0.59 to 0.90. Based on this information, a detailed study was conducted on all 10 known populations of B. cuneata, a rare and endangered species, with a restricted geographical distribution in south-western Australia. Estimates of genetic diversity ranged from 0.65 to 0.74, which is high for a rare and endangered species. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) was used to partition RAPD variation within and between populations. Nearly all of the variation was attributable to individuals within populations, indicating a lack of population divergence. It is suggested that the combination of bird pollination and high outcrossing rates in B. cuneata maintain genetic diversity and cohesion between the populations.

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) and chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) markers were used to study interspecific and intergeneric relationships of Banksia (Proteaceae) to aid breeding of the genus for cut flower production. The accepted morphological phylogeny of Banksia, with two subgenera, two sections and 13 series, is unclear regarding the relationships of the commercial cut flower species B. coccinea. Fifteen RAPD primers and a non-coding cpDNA sequence between the trnL (UAA) and trnF (GAA) gene were applied to species of Banksia, the related genus Dryandra, and to Musgravea heterophylla as the outgroup, with cluster analysis applied to the results. The two methods were in broad agreement with each other, and with the accepted taxonomy, with closely related species pairs and groups clustering together, but RAPDs were not informative between distantly related species or species pairs. Banksia coccinea clustered with Dryandra and formed a polytomy with 2 Dryandra species and the two sections of subgenus Banksia. Subgenus Isostylis formed a polytomy with D. formosa, basal to subgenus Banksia, but with B. cuneata and B. illicifolia (both in subgenus Isostylis) polyphyletic. Dryandra did not separate as a clade and fell within Banksia, raising questions about the currently accepted view of the two as sister genera with parallel morphological development. The results indicate that interspecific and intergeneric hybridisation with genus Dryandra and subgenus Banksia may be possible routes for improvement of the commercial species B. coccinea.

This paper describes rapid and efficient DNA extraction methods for mature leaves, resting buds and seedling leaves of genera in the family Proteaceae. The procedures combine and modify previously published techniques. The DNA can be digested by restriction endonucleases and is suitable for subsequent PCR amplification.

Corymbia variegata (spotted gum) is an important commercial hardwood timber species in Australia. Fourteen polymorphic microsatellite loci were isolated from C. variegata, with 3-5 alleles amplified in three individuals examined. Cross-species amplification in Corymbia was successful for all primer pairs, while 10 loci (71%) were successfully transferred to at least one species in the closely related genus Eucalyptus.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae has evolved a complex and novel network of oxidative stress responses, including defence mechanisms that are dependent on manganese (Mn). We performed systematic analyses at the transcriptomic and proteomic (1D SDS-PAGE and Isotope-Coded Affinity Tag [ICAT]) levels to investigate the global expression changes that take place in a high Mn environment, which results in a Mn-dependent oxidative stress resistance phenotype. These studies revealed that there were proteins regulated at the post-transcriptional level under conditions of increased Mn concentration, including proteins involved in virulence (e.g., pilin, a key adhesin), oxidative stress defence (e.g., superoxide dismutase), cellular metabolism, protein synthesis, RNA processing and cell division. Mn regulation of inorganic pyrophosphatase (Ppa) indicated the potential involvement of phosphate metabolism in the Mn-dependent oxidative stress defence. A detailed analysis of the role of Ppa and polyphosphate kinase (Ppk) in the gonococcal oxidative stress response revealed that ppk and ppa mutant strains showed increased resistance to oxidative stress. Investigation of these mutants grown with high Mn suggests that phosphate and pyrophosphate are involved in Mn-dependent oxidative stress resistance.

OxyR regulates the expression of the majority of H(2)O(2) responses in Gram-negative organisms. In a previous study we reported the OxyR-dependent derepression of catalase expression in the human pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae. In the present study we used microarray expression profiling of N. gonorrhoeae wild-type strain 1291 and an oxyR mutant strain to define the OxyR regulon. In addition to katA (encoding catalase), only one other locus displayed a greater than two-fold difference in expression in the wild type : oxyR comparison. This locus encodes an operon of two genes, a putative peroxiredoxin/glutaredoxin (Prx) and a putative glutathione oxidoreductase (Gor). Mutant strains were constructed in which each of these genes was inactivated. A previous biochemical study in Neisseria meningitidis had confirmed function of the glutaredoxin/peroxiredoxin. Assay of the wild-type 1291 cell free extract confirmed Gor activity, which was lost in the gor mutant strain. Phenotypic analysis of the prx mutant strain in H(2)O(2) killing assays revealed increased resistance, presumably due to upregulation of alternative defence mechanisms. The oxyR, prx and gor mutant strains were deficient in biofilm formation, and the oxyR and prx strains had decreased survival in cervical epithelial cells, indicating a key role for the OxyR regulon in these processes.

Avicennia marina is an important mangrove species with a wide geographical and climatic distribution which suggests that large amounts of genetic diversity are available for conservation and breeding programs. In this study we compare the informativeness of AFLPs and SSRs for assessing genetic diversity within and among individuals, populations and subspecies of A. marina in Australia. Our comparison utilized three SSR loci and three AFLP primer sets that were known to be polymorphic, and could be run in a single analysis on a capillary electrophoresis system, using different- colored fluorescent dyes. A total of 120 individuals representing six populations and three subspecies were sampled. At the locus level, SSRs were considerably more variable than AFLPs, with a total of 52 alleles and an average heterozygosity of 0.78. Average heterozygosity for AFLPs was 0.193, but all of the 918 bands scored were polymorphic. Thus, AFLPs were considerably more efficient at revealing polymorphic loci than SSRs despite lower average heterozygosities. SSRs detected more genetic differentiation between populations (19 vs 9%) and subspecies (35 vs 11%) than AFLPs. Principal co-ordinate analysis revealed congruent patterns of genetic relationships at the individual, population and subspecific levels for both data sets. Mantel testing confirmed congruence between AFLP and SSR genetic distances among, but not within, population comparisons, indicating that the markers were segregating independently but that evolutionary groups (populations and subspecies) were similar. Three genetic criteria of importance for defining priorities for ex situ collections or in situ conservation programs (number of alleles, number of locally common alleles and number of private alleles) were correlated between the AFLP and SSR data sets. The congruence between AFLP and SSR data sets suggest that either method, or a combination, is applicable to expanded genetic studies of mangroves. The codominant nature of SSRs makes them ideal for further population-based investigations, such as mating-system analyses, for which the dominant AFLP markers are less well suited. AFLPs may be particularly useful for monitoring propagation programs and identifying duplicates within collections, since a single PCR assay can reveal many loci at once.

Microsatellites are difficult to recover from large plant genomes so cross-specific utilisation is an important source of markers. Fifty microsatellites were tested for cross-specific amplification and polymorphism to two New World hard pine species, slash pine ( Pinus elliottii var. elliottii) and Caribbean pine ( P. caribaea var. hondurensis). Twenty-nine (58%) markers amplified in both hard pine species, and 23 of these 29 were polymorphic. Soft pine (subgenus Strobus) microsatellite markers did amplify, but none were polymorphic. Pinus elliottii var. elliottii and P. caribaea var. hondurensis showed mutational changes in the flanking regions and the repeat motif that were informative for Pinus spp. phylogenetic relationships. Most allele length variation could be attributed to variability in repeat unit number. There was no evidence for ascertainment bias.

Recent advances of high throughput DNA sequencing, bioinformatics robotics, BAC libraries, microarrays, insertional mutagenesis as well as promoter trapping open the opportunity for an integrated function and structure analysis of the genomes of soybean (Glycine max) and the model legume Lotus japonicus. We are specifically interested in the plant’s role during the establishment of nodule morphogenesis, and the genes shared during seemingly related developmental programs leading either to nodule or lateral root formation. Additionally our research seeks to elucidate plant genetic controls over plant-microbe interactions and symbiotic signaling of both Rhizobium and mycorrhizal symbioses. Nodulation in legumes involves the complex interaction of bacterial genes and their products with plant developmental processes governing mitogenic signal perception, signal transduction and morphogenesis. The challenge is to understand the plant’s genetic contribution to this symbiosis with the aim to improve natural associations of benefit for agriculture and the environment. Plant mutations were induced using EMS, fast neutron deletion as well as insertion mutagenesis. Single recessive loci were mapped using molecular markers, which were used to isolate soybean BAC clones to generate contigs spanning mutant deletions. Special emphasis was given to the Nts-1 locus of soybean that governs autoregulation of nodulation. If mutated, this locus leads to abundant nodulation (supernodulation) as well as nitrate tolerance in nodulation. Expression analysis of nodulation events using 4,200 micro-arrayed root ESTs was initiated to detect gene products temporarily expressed during early nodulation. Lotus japonicus as compared to soybean facilitates high throughput insertional mutagenesis and promoter trapping. Insertion of a promoter-less gus-reporter gene allowed the isolation of activated plant lines that showed development specific gus-gene expression. Isolation of flanking DNA sequences provided information of potential promoters and gene function as well as providing a link between structural and functional elements of nodulation-related genes. Evidence suggests that many nodule initiation functions evolved or are shared with lateral root related processes. The possibility exists that several non-legumes share such genes.

Ninety-four putative positive recombinants were pickedfrom agar plates, individually suspended in 100 µ L of 10 m m Tris (pH 8.0), and boiled for 5 min to lyse the cells andrelease the DNA. Following settling of the cell debris, 1 µ Lof supernatant was used as template for PCR amplificationusing universal M13 forward (5 ′ -CGCCAGGGTTTTCCCAG-TCACGAC-3 ′ ) and reverse (5 ′ -AGCGGATAACAATTTCACA-CAGGA-3 ′ ) primers (Pacific Oligos).PCR reaction mixtures contained 1 µ L of clone DNA,50 m m KCl, 10 m m Tris (pH 8.0), 0.25 units of

Storage of Banksia menziesii pollen was assessed at 20, 4, –20, –80, and –196 °C using a semisolid medium of 1% agar, 15% sucrose, 0.01% boric acid, 0.03% calcium nitrate, 0.02% magnesium sulfate, 0.01% potassium nitrate, and an incubation temperature of 25 °C. The germination percentage remained constant at ≈70% in all treatments except for pollen stored at 20 °C, which exhibited only 25% germination after 6 months. Pollen viability was assessed using fluorescein diacetate (FDA), but the results did not reflect the loss of germinability at 20 °C and correlation with in vitro results was variable. Floret position on the inflorescence did not affect germination, but pollen viability varied over the flowering period with maximum germination at midseason.

Erythroid Kruppel-like factor (EKLF or Klf1) is an erythroid specific C2H2 zinc-finger transcription factor which is essential for definitive erythropoiesis and β-globin gene expression. The absence of EKLF results in fatal anaemia but correction of globin chain imbalance does result in rescue, suggesting the existence of additional EKLF target genes. The aim of this study was to search for such genes by expression profiling. We performed profiling on fetal livers from wild-type versus EKLF null litter mates, and also EKLF null erythroid cell lines containing an inducible EKLF-ERTM fusion construct. Hybridisations were performed on microarray slides printed with a 23K oligo library from Compugen. Target gene validation was performed by real-time RT-PCR, chromatin immuno-precipitation (ChIP) and promoter-reporter assays. A large number of genes were down regulated in the absence of EKLF but few were up regulated, suggesting EKLF acts primarily as a transcriptional activator in vivo. One hundred genes were EKLF dependent in both systems. These include heme synthesis enzymes, red cell surface proteins including Rh and the transferrin receptor, and erythroid transcription factors. Two interesting highly EKLF-dependent genes are α-haemoglobin stabilising protein (AHSP), a key chaperone for free a-globin chains, and dematin (band 4.9) which links the cytoskeleton to the red cell membrane. A search for EKLF binding sites within the dematin and AHSP genes demonstrated a number of phylogenetically conserved CACC sites, and ChIP demonstrated in vivo EKLF occupancy at some but not all of these. Promoter-reporter assays showed EKLF directly activates dematin gene transcription through two promoters containing these sites. Lastly, investigation of EKLF target genes in the yolk sac lead to the discovery of unexpected defects in the embryonic red cell membrane and cytoskeleton. In conclusion, EKLF regulates global erythroid gene expression which is critical for development of primitive as well as definitive red cells.

Interspecific and intergeneric pollen-tube growth was investigated using controlled hand pollinations of Banksia coccinea R.Br., 35 species of Banksia L.f., and three species of the related genus Dryandra R.Br. Currently, the relationship between B. coccinea and other species groups within Banksia is unclear. Some species supported no germination of B. coccinea pollen, some supported normal pollen-tube growth and others produced pollen-tube abnormalities including thickened walls, bulbous swellings, directionless growth, burst tips and branched tubes. Control of pollen-tube growth in the pistil was imposed in the pollen presenter and upper style. There was no significant reciprocal effect on pollination success in the lower style. The results of pollen-tube compatability in the lower style indicated that B. coccinea has a closer affinity to the section Oncostylis, than the section Banksia where it is currently placed. Intergeneric crosses of B. coccinea with Dryandra species resulted in some compatibility, with one cross having low numbers of pollen-tubes in the pollen presenter and upper style region. These results indicate a close relationship between Banksia and Dryandra, which are sister genera in the tribe Banksiae, family Proteaceae.

A new section of Banksia, sect. Coccinea (A.S.George) T.L.Maguire, M.Sedgley & J.G.Conran, is described to include the single, but phylogenetically isolated species, Banksia coccinea R.Br. Sectional classification is based on the distinct morphological features of B. coccinea and its pollen–pistil compatibility to other species of Banksia. Interspecific pollination shows lower style compatibility with species of sect. Oncostylis, rather than sect. Banksia, where B. coccinea is currently placed. Due to the lack of lower style compatibility with sect. Banksia and B. coccinea's distinctive morphology, it is proposed to erect a new monotypic section as sister to sect. Oncostylis.