School of Biosciences

Research Overview

Research in my lab focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling stress and senescence in plants and fungi. Using transcriptomic analyses we have identified genes associated with plant organ senescence and are exploring interactions between stress and senescence. Focussing on petal senescence we have identified an overlap in gene expression between developmental and stress-induced senescence, and we are investigating the role of reactive oxygen species. In leaves we have been studying the role of genes that are involved both in stress responses and in senescence and are asking how their expression is regulated. A recent development of our work is in the analysis of volatile emissions (VOCs) associated with post harvest senescence, linking VOCs with gene expression.

We are also investigating cell death processes and responses to abiotic stress using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and tobacco BY2 cell cultures and asking questions about the signals that regulate the decision between cell death and cell division. Our cell cycle work focuses on the genes regulating entry into mitosis in plant cells both during normal cell division and during stress. We are uncovering a network of interacting proteins which may play an important role in this process.
Interactions between fungi can also be seen as a form of stress response and we are using microarray technology as well as fluorescent protein markers to better understand signalling systems in competing saprotrophic basidiomycete fungi. We have identified a number of candidate genes which are up-regulated during interactions between competing mycelia and are investigating their temporal and spatial expression.

Research Division

Molecular Biosciences