A5080234864- Plant Reproductive Biology
- Plant Molecular Biology Research
- Biofuel production and bioconversion
- Polysaccharides and Plant Cell Walls
- Bioenergy crop production and management
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Plant and animal studies
- Lignin and Wood Chemistry
- Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance
- Tree Root and Stability Studies
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism
- Plant biochemistry and biosynthesis
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity
- Seed Germination and Physiology
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Magnetic and Electromagnetic Effects
- Genetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals
- Leaf Properties and Growth Measurement
- Plant tissue culture and regeneration
- Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life Management
- Plant Gene Expression Analysis
- Plant responses to water stress
- Enzyme-mediated dye degradation
- Catalysis for Biomass Conversion
Aberystwyth University
2016-2025
Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences
2016-2025
University of Birmingham
2005-2015
Radboud University Nijmegen
2000-2015
University of Exeter
2011
Radboud University Medical Center
2009-2010
University Hospital Heidelberg
2009
Heidelberg University
2009
University of Alabama at Birmingham
2008
University of Massachusetts Amherst
2003-2005
Abstract The apical wall of growing pollen tubes must be strong enough to withstand the internal turgor pressure, but plastic allow incorporation new membrane and cell material support polarized tip growth. These essential rheological properties appear controlled by pectins, which constitute principal component wall. Pectins are secreted as methylesters subsequently deesterified enzyme pectin methylesterase (PME) in a process that exposes acidic residues. carboxyls can cross-linked calcium,...
Pectic polysaccharides are an essential component of the primary plant cell wall. They particularly prominent in pollen tubes, where they control structure and yielding characteristics wall at growing apex these rapidly expanding cells. The properties pectin meshworks,
Abstract We examined exocytosis during oscillatory growth in lily (Lilium formosanum and Lilium longiflorum) tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) pollen tubes using three markers: (1) changes cell wall thickness by Nomarski differential interference contrast (DIC), (2) apical fluorescence cells stained with propidium iodide (PI), (3) expressing pectin methyl esterase fused to green fluorescent protein (PME-GFP). Using PI fluorescence, we quantified the amount of material from both tubes. Measurement...
Pollen-pistil interactions are critical early events regulating pollination and fertilization. Self-incompatibility (SI) is an important mechanism to prevent self-fertilization inbreeding in higher plants. Although data implicate the involvement of reactive oxygen species (ROS) nitric oxide (NO) pollen-pistil regulation pollen tube growth, there has been a lack studies investigating ROS NO signaling tubes response defined, physiologically relevant stimuli. We have used live-cell imaging...
Despite the economic importance of grasses as food, feed, and energy crops, little is known about genes that control their cell wall synthesis, assembly, remodelling. Here a detailed transcriptome analysis allowed identification involved in grass biogenesis provided. Differential gene expression profiling, using maize oligonucleotide arrays, was used to identify differentially expressed between an elongating internode, containing cells exhibiting primary internode had just ceased elongation...
• Increasing demands for food and energy require a step change in the effectiveness, speed flexibility of crop breeding. Therefore, aim this study was to assess potential genome-wide association studies (GWASs) genomic selection (i.e. phenotype prediction from set markers) guide fundamental plant science accelerate breeding grass Miscanthus. We generated over 100,000 single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) by sequencing restriction site-associated DNA (RAD) tags 138 Micanthus sinensis genotypes,...
This study investigated pilot-scale production of xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) and fermentable sugars from Miscanthus using steam explosion (SE) pretreatment. SE conditions (200 °C; 15 bar; 10 min) led to XOS yields up 52 % (w/w initial xylan) in the hydrolysate. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry demonstrated that solubilised contained bound acetyl- hydroxycinnamate residues, physicochemical properties known for high prebiotic effects anti-oxidant activity nutraceutical foods. Enzymatic...
Caspase-like proteases are universal mediators of programmed cell death (PCD). Because plants have no caspase homologs, establishing the nature their caspase-like activities is considerable importance to our understanding PCD in plants. Caspase-3, displaying DEVD specificity, a key executioner animal cells. Self-incompatibility (SI) an important mechanism prevent self-fertilization and inbreeding higher by inhibiting incompatible pollen. In Papaver rhoeas, SI activates caspase-3-like/DEVDase...
High yielding perennial biomass crops of the species Miscanthus are widely recognized as one most promising lignocellulosic feedstocks for production bioenergy and bioproducts. is a C4 grass thus has relatively high water use efficiency. Cultivated comprises primarily single clone, x giganteus, sterile hybrid between M. sacchariflorus sinensis. giganteus expresses desirable combinations many traits present in two parental types; however, it responds poorly to low availability. To identify...
Abstract Self-incompatibility (SI) is an important genetically controlled mechanism to prevent inbreeding in higher plants. SI involves highly specific interactions during pollination, resulting the rejection of incompatible (self) pollen. Programmed cell death (PCD) for destroying cells a precisely regulated manner. field poppy (Papaver rhoeas) triggers PCD During SI-induced PCD, we previously observed major acidification pollen cytosol. Here, present measurements temporal alterations...
Pretreatment strategies are fundamental to effectively deconstruct lignocellulosic biomass and economically produce biofuels, biomaterials bio-based chemicals. This study evaluated individual combinatorial steam explosion (SE) ionic liquid (IL) pretreatments for production of high-value oligosaccharides from a novel seed-based Miscanthus hybrid (Mx2779). The two ILs used pretreatment were triethylammonium hydrogen sulphate [TEA][HSO4] 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate [C2mim][OAc]. results...
Summary Programmed cell death (PCD) is fundamentally important for plant development, abiotic stress responses and immunity, but our understanding of its regulation remains fragmented. Building a stronger research community required to accelerate progress in this area through knowledge exchange constructive debate. In Viewpoint, we aim initiate collective effort integrate data across diverse set experimental models facilitate characterisation the fundamental mechanisms underlying PCD...
Species and hybrids of the genus Miscanthus contain attributes that make them front-runners among current selections dedicated bioenergy crops. A key trait for plant biomass conversion to biofuels biomaterials is cell-wall quality; however, knowledge composition biology in species limited. This study presents data on compositional changes as a function development tissue type across selected genotypes, considers implications miscanthus sustainable renewable feedstock.Cell-wall was analysed...
The gold standard for evaluating cognitive impairments in HIV-infected patients is to administer an extensive neuropsychological assessment. This may, however, be time-consuming and hence not always feasible the clinic. Therefore, several brief screening tools have been developed. study determined validity of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) HIV Dementia Scale (HDS) detecting impairment using both Frascati impairment, no dementia (CIND) criteria classify HIV-1 infected patients. MoCA,...
Summary Miscanthus spp. are promising lignocellulosic energy crops, but cell wall recalcitrance to deconstruction still hinders their widespread use as bioenergy and biomaterial feedstocks. Identification of characteristics desirable for biorefining applications is crucial biomass improvement. However, the task scoring quality often complicated by lack a reference given feedstock. A multidimensional analysis was performed generate profile leaf stem from several miscanthus genotypes harvested...
Lignocellulosic biomass from dedicated energy crops such as Miscanthus spp. is an important tool to combat anthropogenic climate change. However, we still do not exactly understand the sources of cell wall recalcitrance deconstruction, which hinders efficient biorefining plant into biofuels and bioproducts.We combined detailed phenotyping, correlation studies discriminant analyses, identify key significantly distinct variables between miscanthus organs, genotypes most importantly,...
Self-incompatibility (SI) is a prezygotic mechanism that prevents self-pollination in flowering plants by distinguishing between nonself- and self-pollen. It controls sexual reproduction promoting outcrossing avoiding inbreeding. For thousands of years, this trait has been effectively exploited breeders growers as tool to manipulate domesticated crops. However, efforts spell out the molecular features SI have begun only during past thirty years. need produce homozygous lines, undesirable....
The pollen coat is the outermost domain of grain and largely derived from anther tapetum, which a secretory tissue that degenerates late in development. By being localised at interface pollen–stigma interaction, plays central role mediating early pollination events, including molecular recognition. Amongst species Brassicaceae, growing body data has revealed carries range proteins, with number small cysteine-rich proteins (CRPs) identified as important regulators interaction. utilising...