ORCID Profile
0000-0001-5989-6989
Current Organisation
University of Birmingham
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Plant Developmental and Reproductive Biology | Oenology and Viticulture | Agricultural Biotechnology | Plant Biology | Plant Physiology | Genetically Modified Horticulture Plants
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Related Links
Publications
Unravelling how plants benefit from ROS and NO reactions, while resisting oxidative stress
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-2015
DOI: 10.1093/AOB/MCV153
Abstract: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS), such as nitric oxide (NO), play crucial roles in the signal transduction pathways that regulate plant growth, development and defence responses, providing a nexus of reduction/oxidation (redox) control that impacts on nearly every aspect of plant biology. Here we summarize current knowledge and concepts that lay the foundations of a new vision for ROS/RNS functions – particularly through signalling hubs – for the next decade. Plants have mastered the art of redox control using ROS and RNS as secondary messengers to regulate a erse range of protein functions through redox-based, post-translational modifications that act as regulators of molecular master-switches. Much current focus concerns the impact of this regulation on local and systemic signalling pathways, as well as understanding how such reactive molecules can be effectively used in the control of plant growth and stress responses. The spectre of oxidative stress still overshadows much of our current philosophy and understanding of ROS and RNS functions. While many questions remain to be addressed – for ex le regarding inter-organellar regulation and communication, the control of hypoxia and how ROS/RNS signalling is used in plant cells, not only to trigger acclimation responses but also to create molecular memories of stress – it is clear that ROS and RNS function as vital signals of living cells.
Models can enhance science–policy–society alignments for climate change mitigation
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 19-07-2023
Gaining Acceptance of Novel Plant Breeding Technologies
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 06-2021
Evolution and Function of the Sucrose-Phosphate Synthase Gene Families in Wheat and Other Grasses
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 07-2004
Abstract: Suc-phosphate synthase (SPS) is a key regulatory enzyme in the pathway of Suc biosynthesis and has been linked to quantitative trait loci controlling plant growth and yield. In dicotyledonous plants there are three SPS gene families: A, B, and C. Here we report the finding of five families of SPS genes in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and other monocotyledonous plants from the family Poaceae (grasses). Three of these form separate subfamilies within the previously described A, B, and C gene families, but the other two form a novel and distinctive D family, which on present evidence is only found in the Poaceae. The D-type SPS proteins lack the phosphorylation sites associated with 14-3-3 protein binding and osmotic stress activation, and the linker region between the N-terminal catalytic glucosyltransferase domain and the C-terminal Suc-phosphatase-like domain is 80 to 90 amino acid residues shorter than in the A, B, or C types. The D family appears to have arisen after the ergence of mono- and dicotyledonous plants, with a later duplication event resulting in the two D-type subfamilies. Each of the SPS gene families in wheat showed different, but overlapping, spatial and temporal expression patterns, and in most organs at least two different SPS genes are expressed. Analysis of expressed sequence tags indicated similar expression patterns to wheat for each SPS gene family in barley (Hordeum vulgare) but not in more distantly related grasses. We identified an expressed sequence tag from rice (Oryza sativa) that appears to be derived from an endogenous antisense SPS gene, and this might account for the apparently low level of expression of the related OsSPS11 sense gene, adding to the already extensive list of mechanisms for regulating the activity of SPS in plants.
Strigolactones positively regulate chilling tolerance in pea and in Arabidopsis
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 08-03-2018
DOI: 10.1111/PCE.13147
Abstract: Strigolactones (SL) fulfil important roles in plant development and stress tolerance. Here, we characterized the role of SL in the dark chilling tolerance of pea and Arabidopsis by analysis of mutants that are defective in either SL synthesis or signalling. Pea mutants (rms3, rms4, and rms5) had significantly greater shoot branching with higher leaf chlorophyll a/b ratios and carotenoid contents than the wild type. Exposure to dark chilling significantly decreased shoot fresh weights but increased leaf numbers in all lines. Moreover, dark chilling treatments decreased biomass (dry weight) accumulation only in rms3 and rms5 shoots. Unlike the wild type plants, chilling-induced inhibition of photosynthetic carbon assimilation was observed in the rms lines and also in the Arabidopsis max3-9, max4-1, and max2-1 mutants that are defective in SL synthesis or signalling. When grown on agar plates, the max mutant rosettes accumulated less biomass than the wild type. The synthetic SL, GR24, decreased leaf area in the wild type, max3-9, and max4-1 mutants but not in max2-1 in the absence of stress. In addition, a chilling-induced decrease in leaf area was observed in all the lines in the presence of GR24. We conclude that SL plays an important role in the control of dark chilling tolerance.
Modelling predicts that soybean is poised to dominate crop production across A frica
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-11-2018
DOI: 10.1111/PCE.13466
Abstract: The superior agronomic and human nutritional properties of grain legumes (pulses) make them an ideal foundation for future sustainable agriculture. Legume-based farming is particularly important in Africa, where small-scale agricultural systems dominate the food production landscape. Legumes provide an inexpensive source of protein and nutrients to African households as well as natural fertilization for the soil. Although the consumption of traditionally grown legumes has started to decline, the production of soybeans (Glycine max Merr.) is spreading fast, especially across southern Africa. Predictions of future land-use allocation and production show that the soybean is poised to dominate future production across Africa. Land use models project an expansion of harvest area, whereas crop models project possible yield increases. Moreover, a seed change in farming strategy is underway. This is being driven largely by the combined cash crop value of products such as oils and the high nutritional benefits of soybean as an animal feed. Intensification of soybean production has the potential to reduce the dependence of Africa on soybean imports. However, a successful "soybean bonanza" across Africa necessitates an intensive research, development, extension, and policy agenda to ensure that soybean genetic improvements and production technology meet future demands for sustainable production.
Developmental control of hypoxia during bud burst in grapevine.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-02-2018
DOI: 10.1111/PCE.13141
Abstract: Dormant or quiescent buds of woody perennials are often dense and in the case of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) have a low tissue oxygen status. The precise timing of the decision to resume growth is difficult to predict, but once committed, the increase in tissue oxygen status is rapid and developmentally regulated. Here, we show that more than a third of the grapevine homologues of widely conserved hypoxia-responsive genes and nearly a fifth of all grapevine genes possessing a plant hypoxia-responsive promoter element were differentially regulated during bud burst, in apparent harmony with resumption of meristem identity and cell-cycle gene regulation. We then investigated the molecular and biochemical properties of the grapevine ERF-VII homologues, which in other species are oxygen labile and function in transcriptional regulation of hypoxia-responsive genes. Each of the 3 VvERF-VIIs were substrates for oxygen-dependent proteolysis in vitro, as a function of the N-terminal cysteine. Collectively, these data support an important developmental function of oxygen-dependent signalling in determining the timing and effective coordination bud burst in grapevine. In addition, novel regulators, including GASA-, TCP-, MYB3R-, PLT-, and WUS-like transcription factors, were identified as hallmarks of the orderly and functional resumption of growth following quiescence in buds.
Regulation of sucrose-phosphate synthase in wheat (Triticum aestivum) leaves
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2004
DOI: 10.1071/FP04038
Abstract: The regulation of sucrose-phosphate synthase (SPS, E.C. 2.4.1.14), a key enzyme of sucrose synthesis, was investigated in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) leaves. Wheat SPS was activated in the light, with an increased affinity for its substrates and the activator glucose-6-phosphate, reduced sensitivity to inhibition by Pi, but no change in maximum catalytic activity. Based on these properties, assays to measure the total activity and activation state of the enzyme were established and validated using several different wheat cultivars, grown under different environmental conditions. As found in previous studies on other species, e.g. spinach, activation appeared to be linked to the prevailing rate of photosynthesis rather than light per se. Long-term exposure to higher light levels increased total SPS activity in the leaves, and some experiments indicated that this response could occur within 1 h of exposure of low-light-grown plants to high light. However, activation of pre-existing enzyme was a more common short-term response to high light. Wheat, like many important cereal species, stores a large amount of sucrose in its leaves. In contrast with spinach, which stores more starch in its leaves, accumulation of sucrose in wheat leaves did not lead to inactivation of SPS or inhibition of sucrose synthesis. In conclusion, the mechanisms linking the rates of sucrose synthesis and photosynthetic CO2 fixation in wheat leaves appear to be similar to those in other species, but the mechanisms involved in short-term feedback inhibition of sucrose synthesis by sucrose, found in starch-storing species, are lacking in wheat.
Interactions between 2-Cys peroxiredoxins and ascorbate in autophagosome formation during the heat stress response inSolanum lycopersicum
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 31-01-2016
DOI: 10.1093/JXB/ERW013
Redox Regulation of Plant Development
Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert Inc
Date: 20-09-2014
Metabolic responses to sulfur dioxide in grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.): photosynthetic tissues and berries
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 20-02-2015
The Effects of High CO2 and Strigolactones on Shoot Branching and Aphid–Plant Compatibility Control in Pea
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-10-2022
Abstract: Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations (eCO2) regulate plant architecture and susceptibility to insects. We explored the mechanisms underpinning these responses in wild type (WT) peas and mutants defective in either strigolactone (SL) synthesis or signaling. All genotypes had increased shoot height and branching, dry weights and carbohydrate levels under eCO2, demonstrating that SLs are not required for shoot acclimation to eCO2. Since shoot levels of jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA) tended to be lower in SL signaling mutants than the WT under ambient conditions, we compared pea aphid performance on these lines under both CO2 conditions. Aphid fecundity was increased in the SL mutants compared to the WT under both ambient and eCO2 conditions. Aphid infestation significantly decreased levels of JA, isopentenyladenine, trans-zeatin and gibberellin A4 and increased ethylene precursor ACC, gibberellin A1, gibberellic acid (GA3) and SA accumulation in all lines. However, GA3 levels were increased less in the SL signaling mutants than the WT. These studies provide new insights into phytohormone responses in this specific aphid/host interaction and suggest that SLs and gibberellins are part of the network of phytohormones that participate in host susceptibility.
Redox Changes During the Cell Cycle in the Embryonic Root Meristem ofArabidopsis thaliana
Publisher: Mary Ann Liebert Inc
Date: 20-12-2017
Oxygen and reactive oxygen species-dependent regulation of plant growth and development
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-12-2020
Abstract: Oxygen and reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been co-opted during evolution into the regulation of plant growth, development, and differentiation. ROS and oxidative signals arising from metabolism or phytohormone-mediated processes control almost every aspect of plant development from seed and bud dormancy, liberation of meristematic cells from the quiescent state, root and shoot growth, and architecture, to flowering and seed production. Moreover, the phytochrome and phytohormone-dependent transmissions of ROS waves are central to the systemic whole plant signaling pathways that integrate root and shoot growth. The sensing of oxygen availability through the PROTEOLYSIS 6 (PRT6) N-degron pathway functions alongside ROS production and signaling but how these pathways interact in developing organs remains poorly understood. Considerable progress has been made in our understanding of the nature of hydrogen peroxide sensors and the role of thiol-dependent signaling networks in the transmission of ROS signals. Reduction/oxidation (redox) changes in the glutathione (GSH) pool, glutaredoxins (GRXs), and thioredoxins (TRXs) are important in the control of growth mediated by phytohormone pathways. Although, it is clear that the redox states of proteins involved in plant growth and development are controlled by the NAD(P)H thioredoxin reductase (NTR)/TRX and reduced GSH/GRX systems of the cytosol, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and nucleus, we have only scratched the surface of this multilayered control and how redox-regulated processes interact with other cell signaling systems.
Trehalose: A sugar molecule involved in temperature stress management in plants
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2023
Neglecting legumes has compromised human health and sustainable food production
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 02-08-2016
Abstract: The United Nations declared 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (grain legumes) under the banner 'nutritious seeds for a sustainable future'. A second green revolution is required to ensure food and nutritional security in the face of global climate change. Grain legumes provide an unparalleled solution to this problem because of their inherent capacity for symbiotic atmospheric nitrogen fixation, which provides economically sustainable advantages for farming. In addition, a legume-rich diet has health benefits for humans and livestock alike. However, grain legumes form only a minor part of most current human diets, and legume crops are greatly under-used. Food security and soil fertility could be significantly improved by greater grain legume usage and increased improvement of a range of grain legumes. The current lack of coordinated focus on grain legumes has compromised human health, nutritional security and sustainable food production.
Mitochondrial Respiration and Oxygen Tension
Publisher: Springer New York
Date: 2017
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-7292-0_11
Abstract: Measurements of respiration and oxygen tension in plant organs allow a precise understanding of mitochondrial capacity and function within the context of cellular oxygen metabolism. Here we describe methods that can be routinely used for the isolation of intact mitochondria, and the determination of respiratory electron transport, together with techniques for in vivo determination of oxygen tension and measurement of respiration by both CO
Nonstomatal limitations are responsible for drought‐induced photosynthetic inhibition in four C4 grasses
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-07-2003
Roles for Light, Energy, and Oxygen in the Fate of Quiescent Axillary Buds
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-12-2017
DOI: 10.1104/PP.17.01479
Spatio-temporal relief from hypoxia and production of reactive oxygen species during bud burst in grapevine (Vitis vinifera)
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 09-2015
DOI: 10.1093/AOB/MCV123
Learning To Breathe: Developmental Phase Transitions in Oxygen Status
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2017
DOI: 10.1016/J.TPLANTS.2016.11.013
Abstract: Plants are developmentally disposed to significant changes in oxygen availability, but our understanding of the importance of hypoxia is almost entirely limited to stress biology. Differential patterns of the abundance of oxygen, nitric oxide (
Metabolic regulation of quiescence in plants
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 13-04-2023
DOI: 10.1111/TPJ.16216
Abstract: Quiescence is a crucial survival attribute in which cell ision is repressed in a reversible manner. Although quiescence has long been viewed as an inactive state, recent studies have shown that it is an actively monitored process that is influenced by environmental stimuli. Here, we provide a perspective of the quiescent state and discuss how this process is tuned by energy, nutrient and oxygen status, and the pathways that sense and transmit these signals. We not only highlight the governance of canonical regulators and signalling mechanisms that respond to changes in nutrient and energy status, but also consider the central significance of mitochondrial functions and cues as key regulators of nuclear gene expression. Furthermore, we discuss how reactive oxygen species and the associated redox processes, which are intrinsically linked to energy carbohydrate metabolism, also play a key role in the orchestration of quiescence.
Hydrogen Cyanamide Causes Reversible G2/M Cell Cycle Arrest Accompanied by Oxidation of the Nucleus and Cytosol
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 23-06-2023
Abstract: Hydrogen cyanamide (HC) has been widely used in horticulture to trigger bud burst following dormancy. Its use has been banned in some countries due to human health concerns, however the search for effective safe alternatives is delayed by lack of knowledge of the mechanism of HC action. Earlier studies demonstrate that HC stimulates the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and alters the rate of cell ision. However, the relationships between HC effects on ROS, redox (reduction/oxidation) homeostasis and cell ision are unknown. This study used Arabidopsis thaliana ((L.) Heynh.) seedlings expressing the redox reporter roGFP2 to measure the oxidation states of the nuclei and cytosol in response to HC treatment. The Cytrap dual cell cycle phase marker system and flow cytometry were used to study associated changes in cell proliferation. HC (1.5 mM) reversibly inhibited root growth during a 24 h treatment. Higher concentrations were not reversible. HC did not synchronise the cell cycle, in contrast to hydroxyurea. Rather, HC caused a gradual accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase and decline of G1/S phase cells, 16 to 24 h post-treatment. This was accompanied by increased oxidation of both the nuclei and cytosol. Taken together, these findings show that HC impairs proliferation of embryonic root meristem cells in a reversible manner through restriction of G2/M transition accompanied by increased cellular oxidation.
High atmospheric carbon dioxide-dependent alleviation of salt stress is linked to RESPIRATORY BURST OXIDASE 1 (RBOH1)-dependent H2O2production in tomato (Solanum lycope
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 28-09-2015
DOI: 10.1093/JXB/ERV435
Control of Ascorbate Synthesis by Respiration and Its Implications for Stress Responses
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 10-2003
The seasonal dynamics of bud dormancy in grapevine suggest a regulated checkpoint prior to acclimation
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 10-02-2021
DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.09.430520
Abstract: Grapevine ( Vitis vinifera L.) displays wide plasticity to climate and seasonality, ranging from strongly deciduous to evergreen. Understanding the physiology of decisions to grow or quiesce is critical for improved crop management, prediction, and the adaptability of production to alternative climate scenarios. The perenniating bud (N+2) is a major economic unit and focus of study. Here we investigated the physiology and transcriptome of cv. Merlot buds grown in a temperate maritime climate from summer to spring in two consecutive years. The changes in bud respiration, hydration and internal tissue oxygen data were consistent with the transcriptome data. ABA-responsive gene processes prevailed upon the transition to a deep metabolic and cellular quiescence in the bud during autumn. Light, together with hypoxia and redox signalling presided over the resumption of nuclear and cellular growth in the transition to spring. Comparisons with transcriptome data from bud burst studies revealed a number of regulatory candidates for the orderly resumption of growth in spring, including components that may integrate light and temperature signalling. Importantly however, the bud burst forcing data, which is widely used as a measure of bud dormancy, were not consistent with the physiological and transcription data. We hypothesise the existence of a physiological checkpoint following bud set in summer, which if not met results in extreme quiescence. Collectively this is the most integrated developmental dataset of the latent bud of cultivated grapevine, and establishes a platform for systems approaches to study seasonal plasticity. Physiology and transcriptome data provide strong evidence of a regulatory checkpoint prior to acclimation and dormancy in latent grapevine buds.
Nature’s pulse power: legumes, food security and climate change
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 04-2017
DOI: 10.1093/JXB/ERX099
Related Organisations
University Of Birmingham
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Related Funding Activities
Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP150103211
Start Date: 2015
End Date: 03-2019
Amount: $384,900.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP210102178
Start Date: 01-2022
End Date: 01-2026
Amount: $270,304.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity