Department of Plant Sciences

Doug Bailey

2012-01-19T08:57:00.002Z

I’m sorry to have to tell you that Doug Bailey died peacefully at his home on Monday (16th Jan) after a long battle with cancer. Doug was a Director of Research at INRA and was seconded as an INRA Visiting Fellow to work in the Department in the Epidemiology & Modelling Group.

Those who knew Doug well will remember him as a kind and generous colleague. He was an accomplished researcher with a remarkable ability to communicate the excitement and value of epidemiological research to experimenters, theoreticians, farmers and regulators. Others in the Department may not know much about Doug’s background and his contributions to research and I add an all too brief summary below. We shall miss him dearly.

Doug began his career in the University as a technical assistant in my group in the Dept of Applied Biology, transferring to Botany/Plant Sciences in 1989. He had previously worked at the Plant Breeding Institute and before that as a tractor driver for Pemberton Farms. Doug was an accomplished and much sought-after footballer with opportunities to play for major clubs but he decided instead to concentrate on a career in science, reading for a part-time degree at Anglia, from which he graduated with a first. This was followed by a part-time PhD with the Open University while continuing to work in the Epidemiology Group. Doug then completed several successful postdoc positions with us before being head-hunted by INRA to establish epidemiological programmes first on vine diseases in Bordeaux and then on soil-borne diseases in Rennes.

Doug was a remarkable experimenter with the rare gift of understanding how to interface experimentation with mathematical models in order to gain insight into the mechanisms of how diseases spread and to test that insight rigorously in both microcosms and in extensive field experiments. Doug produced seminal work on the roles of primary and secondary infection in the spread of disease. He pioneered research on disease-induced host growth, in which he showed how low levels of infection stimulate plants to over-compensate for infection by producing more leaves or roots that act as ‘stepping-stones’ to favour disease spread. He also carried out a series of elegant experiments on scaling from individual to population behaviour in epidemics. These experiments led to the first successful experimental test of percolation theory to predict disease invasion. Doug’s microcosm experiments in which he could study not only epidemiological mechanisms but the variability amongst replicate epidemics also led to new insights into how to improve the effectiveness of biological control of soil-borne pathogens by exploiting knowledge of the mechanisms and potential for variability. Doug’s research on primary and secondary infection in take-all of wheat was adopted by the Home Grown Cereals to explain the much–studied phenomenon of take-all decline in cereals, with related work impacting on sugar-beet diseases.

Doug’s work, matched with his enthusiasm and ever-friendly and helpful support, have endeared him to many and left a lasting legacy in laboratories here and in France and amongst many colleagues around the world.

Chris Gilligan

BBC Horizon covers Cambridge iGEM2012

2012-01-17T15:52:00.006Z

Adam Rutherford meets the Cambridge iGEM2011 team, and Cat McMurran describes the use of squid reflectins as a biological source of iridescence. The iGEM team built reflectin biobricks for expression of the protein and production of iridescent films that response dynamically to changes in hydration. A video clip of the interview can be found here at the BBC website. The full programme is broadcast on Feb 17th at 9:30pm on BBC2, or can be played back on the BBC iPlayer. More information about the iGEM competition at the University of Cambridge can be found at: http://www.synbio.org.uk/cambridge/cambridge-igem-teams.html.

iGEM2011 wiki - iGEM2011 team wiki for Cambridge - Engineering iridescence.

iGEM2011 overview - Summary of iGEM2011 team and their research efforts.

Video:.

Extraordinary transgressive phenotypes of hybrid tomato are influenced by epigenetics and small silencing RNAs

2011-12-20T13:59:00.004Z

New research from Dr Shivaprasad in the Baulcombe group explains why hybrid plants are sometimes much more vigorous or much weaker than the parents. Their findings that have been published recently in the EMBO Journal (http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/emboj.2011.458) will influence thinking about evolutionary mechanisms and the use of hybrid plants in agriculture.

Scientists discover why buttercups reflect yellow on chins – and it doesn’t have anything to do with whether you like butter

2011-12-14T07:45:00.003Z

New research sheds light on children's game and provides insight into pollination

Scientists have found that the distinctive glossiness of the buttercup flower (Ranunculus repens), which children like to shine under the chin to test whether their friends like butter, is related to its unique anatomical structure. Their findings were published today, 14 December, in the Royal Society journal Interface.

The researchers discovered that the buttercup petal's unique bright and glossy appearance is the result of the interplay between its different layers. In particular, the strong yellow reflection responsible for the chin illumination is mainly due to the epidermal layer of the petal that reflects yellow light with an intensity that is comparable to glass.

Scientists have been interested in how the buttercup flower works for over a century. They have previously shown that the reflected colour is yellow due to the absorption of the colours in the blue-green region of the spectrum by the carotenoid pigment in the petals. As the blue-green light is absorbed, the light in the other spectral regions (in this case, primarily yellow) is reflected. It has also been known for many years that the epidermal layer of the petals is composed of very flat cells, providing strong reflection.

This new study shows how the buttercup's exceptionally bright appearance is a result of a special feature of the petal structure. The epidermal layer of cells has not one but two extremely flat surfaces from which light is reflected. One is the top of the cells, the other exists because the epidermis is separated from the lower layers of the petal by an air gap. Reflection of light by the smooth surface of the cells and by the air layer effectively doubles the gloss of the petal, explaining why buttercups are so much better at reflecting light under your chin than any other flower.

The researchers also found that the buttercup reflects a significant amount of UV light. As many pollinators, including bees, have eyes sensitive in the UV region, this provides insight into how the buttercup uses its unique appearance to attract insects.

Dr Silvia Vignolini, from the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physics (Cavendish Laboratory), explained the importance of the buttercup’s unique appearance: "Although many different factors, such as scent and temperature, influence the relationships between pollinators and flowers, the visual appearance of flowers is one of the most important factors in this communication. Flowers develop brilliant colour, or additional cues, such as glossiness - in the case of the buttercup - that contribute to make the optical response of the flower unique. Moreover, the glossiness might also mimic the presence of nectar droplets on the petals, making them that much more attractive."

Dr Beverley Glover, Department of Plant Sciences, said: "This phenomenon has intrigued scientists and laymen alike for centuries. Our research provides exciting insight into not only a children’s game but also into the lengths to which flowers will go to attract pollinators."

Professor Ulli Steiner, from the Nanophotonics Centre at the Cavendish Laboratory, the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physics, said: "It is fun to revisit a problem that is more than one century old and, using modern methods, discover something new. The strong collaboration between Physics and the Plant Sciences has enabled this."

The paper ‘Directional scattering from the glossy flower of Ranunculus: how the buttercup lights up your chin’ will be published in the 14 December edition of the Royal Society journal Interface.

Study highlights how litterfall could lead to a release of stored carbon from the soil

2011-09-05T13:20:00.003+01:00

A new study shows that as climate change enhances tree growth in tropical forests, the resulting increase in litterfall could stimulate soil micro-organisms, leading to a release of stored soil carbon.

Read more.

Food Security in Research Horizons magazine

2011-07-06T13:53:00.003+01:00

The challenge of global food security features in much of the research and teaching in the Department of Plant Sciences. A recent issue of "Research Horizons" features three projects from the Department and one from the Sainsbury Laboratory - read online here.

There are also other articles addressing the broader context of the food security challenge that illustrate how Cambridge University can provide multidisciplinary solutions to this complex problem.

You can ask experts including Department members about food security in an online dialogue here: Your chance to ask the experts

How flowers use a touch of bling to woo the bees

2011-07-04T08:59:00.007+01:00

Beetles use it, birds use it. Plants use it too. Iridescence is the shimmery colour effect that makes things eye-catching. Tilt a CD in your hands and you will see it change through all the colours of the rainbow. CDs are clear plastic: they appear brightly coloured because the tiny data grooves on their surface reflect different wavelengths of light at different angles. This type of colour is called structural colour to distinguish it from pigment colour, colour created by chemicals that absorb light.

At Science Live, the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London this week (5-10 July), a team of researchers from the University of Cambridge will present some of the latest research into structural colours in flowers. This phenomenon was only identified in 2009 when hibiscus flowers were shown to use the same trick as CDs. Plant scientists have collaborated with physicists to create a series of interactive displays. How nature dresses to impress explores the science of colour in plants, and shows in particular how some flowers use structural colour to give them the edge in attracting pollinators.

Plants use animals, such as bees, to carry pollen from one flower to another so that fertilisation can take place. To attract pollinators, flowers offer a reward such as sugary nectar. The bright colours of flowers act as adverts, making them visible against a green background. Structural colour can be very intense, and makes flowers even more vivid and irresistible to pollinators. Visitors to Science Live will be able to watch a colony of live bumble bees explore different objects, and observe how they select between varying colour effects.

It used to be thought that plants with structural colours were exotic rarities. But some of our best-known garden flowers, such as tulips, are now known to have them. They use nanostructures – surface grooves or layers of different materials - that cause interference and allow some colours of light to be reflected while others pass through the flower. Only some of the colours produced by these nanostructures are visible to the human eye, which explains why scientists have only just begun to investigate them: until quite recently they were simply not known to exist.

Presenting their research to the public in the highly interactive environment of Science Live will be plant scientists from the University of Cambridge led by Dr Beverley Glover, who heads the Evolution and Development lab in the Department of Plant Sciences. She and her team have worked with Professors Ulli Steiner and Jeremy Baumberg from the Nanophotonics Centre at the Cavendish Laboratory to illustrate the interaction between flower colours and the physics of light. "We're really keen to show the public, and school students in particular, how biology and physics interact and how exciting it is to explore the ways that plants and animals play tricks with the light." The exhibit also includes collaborative work from Professor Pete Vukusic from the University of Exeter and Dr Lucas Joppa from Microsoft Research Cambridge.

Visitors to Science Live will be able to test their skills in a specially-devised "Nanoblocks" game which will allow them to design their own nanostructure and see what colours it would produce to the human eye and to a bee’s eye. Every hour, one of the Cambridge University scientists taking part in the exhibition will perform an "interference dance" with bubbles – devised to show how interactions between different wavelengths of light can result in spectacular colours. Beverley says "We hope that people will find this a fun way of learning about the physics of colour - I certainly enjoy watching my physicist colleagues dancing!".

How nature dresses to impress is one of 22 displays at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition in London, open to the public 5-10 July, no charge. For full details go to http://royalsociety.org/summer-science/2011/

How nature dresses to impress has its own website at http://www.colours.phy.cam.ac.uk/

Board of the Natural History Museum

2011-06-30T14:47:00.000+01:00

The Prime Minister has appointed Professor Christopher Gilligan to the Board of the Natural History Museum for a period of four years from 18 May.

Professor Christopher Gilligan
Professor Gilligan is a Mathematical Biologist and Head of the School of Biological Sciences at University of Cambridge. He has a range of senior experience at national and international levels including as an ad hoc advisor to UK Government Departments and to International Government Organisations.

The Museum was looking for for a person with broad expertise in natural sciences.

The Natural History Museum is a scientific research institution and a major cultural attraction that welcomes nearly 5 million visitors a year, at the heart of which is the national collection of 70 million specimens from the natural world and 6 million rare books and manuscripts. These collections are of international significance and are regarded as an important part of the UK’s science infrastructure. The Natural History Museum comprises the main site at South Kensington, a small museum based on Walter Rothschild’s former home at Tring and a storage centre at Wandsworth.

Alex Webb promoted to Reader

2011-06-08T09:58:00.001+01:00

Dr Alex Webb has been promoted to Reader in Cell Signalling as from the start of the next academic year.

This is a very well deserved promotion for one of the young(ish) stars of the department and I am sure that, like me, you will want to offer your best congratulations.

David Baulcombe

Independent and Parallel Recruitment of Preexisting Mechanisms Underlying C4 Photosynthesis

2011-04-01T14:23:00.001+01:00

Work conducted by Naomi Brown and others in Julian Hibberd's lab (including two former Part II students) is published in Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.1201248). Naomi provided the first evidence that multiple genes important in the C4 pathway share a common regulatory mechanism. The work also shows that genes in phylogenetically distant C3 plants are primed to be recruited into the C4 pathway, and so offers major insight into the origins of the C4 pathway. When Naomi returns from maternity leave she will investigate the importance of these new findings on a recently funded grant by the BBSRC.

Possible loss of website

2011-03-30T11:03:00.001+01:00

There is a possibility of the Plant Sciences website (http://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/) going down this weekend as power on the Downing Site is interrupted

Beverley Glover awarded the William Bate Hardy Prize

2011-03-30T10:57:00.001+01:00

The Council of the Cambridge Philosophical Society unanimously agreed with its nominating committee that Dr Beverley Glover, jointly with Dr Peter Forster, should be awarded the William Bate Hardy Prize for 2010.

The Prize is founded in memory of Sir William Bate Hardy (1864-1934) who was a Fellow of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. It is awarded once in three years “for the best original memoir, investigation or discovery by a member of the University of Cambridge in connection with Biological Science that may have been published during the three years immediately preceding”.

Since the awards began in 1965, five of the twenty-two previous prize winners have gone on to win Nobel Prizes in either chemistry or physiology and medicine.

Cambridge Scientists win major component of $4 Million joint funding initiative

2011-03-29T15:58:00.002+01:00

Cambridge Scientists win major component of $4 Million joint funding initiative funded jointly by BBSRC (UK) and NSF (US)

Plants really matter, and for the next generation, plant and microbial productivity will become the focus of key global issues: the basis for feeding an additional 2-3 billion mouths, to drive forward an economy currently trading on past sunlight, and maintain biodiversity in the face of climate change. The enzymatic powerhouse at the heart of these processes takes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and uses light energy to produce sugars and other building blocks of life. This enzyme, called Rubisco, is rather flawed and somewhat promiscuous: it engages with oxygen as well as carbon dioxide, to the detriment of potential plant productivity. Some plants have evolved mechanisms, which act like biological turbochargers, to concentrate CO2 around Rubisco and improve the enzyme’s operating efficiency. These carbon concentrating mechanisms have evolved in certain key crops, such as sugar cane and maize. Other plants, such as aquatic algae, have developed mechanism in parallel which actively concentrate bicarbonate as a source of CO2 for Rubisco.

An $8 million collaborative funding opportunity was recently offered by the UK BBSRC and the US NSF, with the challenge of surpassing these known pathways of carbon fixation, and maximising plant yield for the future. Selected scientists were pitched together to develop international consortia to develop novel ideas, prompted and guided by a scientific mentors and administrators. Four proposals were invited to be taken forward for development and funding, two of which involve scientists in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge. The Ideas Lab experience was likened by Prof Griffiths to be a combination of Big Brother, The Weakest Link and The Apprentice! Prof. Griffiths is the consortium leader for one of the joint proposals funded, which will be exploring the operation of an algal carbon concentrating mechanism, and the possibility for introducing components into higher plant cells. Dr Julian Hibberd is part of another consortium also supported by the BBSRC/NSF initiative, seeking to increase the efficiency of light harvesting by broadening the wavelengths of light, as used by bacteria, to power biophysical transport processes in higher plants.

This research support will consolidate a major Plant Sciences initiative at Cambridge, which is exploring the means to improve photosynthesis from the perspective of sustainable plant productivity and crop yields for the future. Additional work is also being undertaken by Dr Hibberd, investigating the potential introduction of C4 photosynthetic traits into crops such as rice. This programme is part of a broader sweep of strategic research relevant to sustainable crop development, involving RNAi, pathogen suppression and epidemiological controls to maintain yields in a changing climate.

Peter Barham, 1926-2011

2011-01-27T09:50:00.002Z

I am sorry to announce the recent death of Peter Barham on Sunday 23 January 2011. Peter started work at 14 years of age in the then Botany School in 1941 in the Plant Physiology section. After a period of National Service Peter graduated to Senior Technician. In 1965 together with Tom ap Rees Peter was instrumental in organizing the first Biology of Cells practicals which were held in the Elementary Lab (Teaching Lab) before being transferred to Zoology. In his time in Plant Physiology Peter trained many technicians, three of whom have remained in the department for the last forty years.

In 1971 Peter was promoted to Chief Technician, a post he held until his retirement in 1989. Peter’s funeral will be held at the Cambridge Crematorium West Chapel at 11-15AM on Friday 4th February 2011.

Glyn Jones

Seeding growth: plant sciences

2011-01-19T08:26:00.001Z

An article from Research Horizons Magazine:

The study of plants is blossoming in Cambridge, with new facilities, new research and soon a major new institute.

Increasingly, plants are recognised as being at the heart of sustainable solutions to many global concerns, whether it’s the need to secure food supplies, develop biofuels or tackle environmental issues. ‘Plant-related research is now much more prominent as a result of this new awareness,’ said Professor Sir David Baulcombe, Head of the Department of Plant Sciences and first incumbent of the newly created Regius Professorship of Botany. ‘We want to be in a position in Cambridge to step up to the mark and generate the understanding and applications needed to meet these challenges.’

Read more online

HE Woodman Prize

2010-11-23T13:14:00.001Z

PhD supervisors are invited to submit nominations for the HE Woodman Prize for the best PhD or MPhil thesis submitted to the University of Cambridge in 2010 that is relevant to the chemistry of foods. Nominations should include a copy of the thesis abstract, a list of publications based on the work described in the thesis and a statement - 400 words or less - describing the impact of the thesis work and the basis of its relevance to the chemistry of foods. The value of the prize will be around £300 or any other value thought appropriate that is equal to or less than the spendable income and capital of the fund. The Prize is awarded by the Professors of Botany and Genetics and nominations by supervisors should be sent to Ombretta Orsini (oo203) in the Department of Plant Sciences by midnight on 18 January 2011.

David Baulcombe among most important figures in British science

2010-10-08T08:23:00.002+01:00

Professor Sir David Baulcombe has been named among most important figures in British science in a list by the Times newspaper.

The Cambridge University news article.

Tom ap Rees Trust Fund: Invitation for Applications

2010-09-28T09:55:00.001+01:00

The Department’s Tom ap Rees Fund was established in memory of Professor Tom ap Rees, former Head of Department and Professor of Botany. The income is used to make small grants to students in the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, both undergraduates and postgraduates, who are in need of financial assistance in connection with their studies.

Applications to the Fund are invited twice a year, in April and September (with urgent applications being considered at other times if funds are available) To apply, please write a supporting case stating the amount requested and forward to Ombretta Orsini (oo203@cam.ac.uk) by 8 October for circulation to the Fund Managers.

Dr Julia Davies to be awarded University Pilkington Prize for excellence in teaching

2010-06-16T14:27:00.002+01:00

On June 29th Dr Julia Davies will be awarded a University Pilkington prize for excellence in teaching.

The Pilkington Prizes were set up by the late Sir Alastair Pilkington, former Chairman of the Cambridge Foundation. The Prizes are supported by Cambridge University Press, and are awarded annually by the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Alison Richard.

Professor Howard Griffiths says:

“Julia joined the Department of Plant Sciences in January 1997 as a lecturer (Senior Lecturer in 2003) and has consistently delivered excellent teaching across a broad subject range. Her lectures in membrane biology, microbiology and plant biology are met enthusiastically by students. She has modernized curriculum content and outreach activities, set an excellent standard in pastoral care and rejuvenated plant sciences graduate education. If one were to describe Julia’s lecturing style, words utilized would include: ‘calm, authoritative, logical and well-organized’, with her delivery leavened by subtle humour and laced with compelling insights. Each year she receives tremendously complimentary feedback from students at IA, IB and Part II, and her care and interest in each student she teaches is clear for all to appreciate. She is an outstanding asset to the Department.”

Bicentenary Medal for plant scientist

2010-05-26T08:46:00.002+01:00

Dr Beverley Glover has been awarded the Linnean Society Bicentenary Medal in recognition of the exceptional quality of her contributions to botany.

More information

In addition, from October 1st Dr Glover will be promoted to Reader.

Plant Sciences Exhibit at Royal Society Festival of Science and Arts: Meet the Algae: Diversity, Biology and Energy (25 June - 4 July)

2010-05-14T13:43:00.005+01:00

The Department will be heavily involved with an exhibition located in the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre which takes place from Friday 25 June to Sunday 4 July 2010.

This is the official website.

This is the Plant Sciences Meet The Algae website.

The contact at Plant Sciences is Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley bgs21@cam.ac.uk.

Prof. Sir David Baulcombe elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences

2010-05-04T15:56:00.001+01:00

Professor Sir David Baulcombe, Professor of Botany and Royal Society Research Professor, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge is one of forty new Fellows elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in April 2010. There are now 983 Fellows of the Academy.

The Academy of Medical Sciences

A new type of signal molecule in plants discovered

2010-04-26T16:08:00.008+01:00

Attila Molnar, Charles Melnyk and colleagues in the Baulcombe group have discovered a new type of signal molecule in plants. In a paper published online in Science (23/4/2010) they show that small RNA molecules, known as small interfering RNAs, can migrate long distances in plants and they can direct chemical modification of DNA in the recipient cells. This modification – DNA methylation – normally results in the silencing of gene expression that persists through cell divisions even if the mobile RNA is no longer present. The newly discovered signal could explain many mysterious phenomena in plant biology in which a local stimulus induces a long term and persistent effect in the recipient tissues.

"Small silencing RNAs in plants are mobile and they direct epigenetic modification in recipient cells"

Attila Molnar*, Charles W. Melnyk*, Andrew Bassett, Thomas J. Hardcastle, Ruth Dunn, David C. Baulcombe

The abstract and full text of the paper can be downloaded from
http://www.plantsci.cam.ac.uk/research/baulcombe/publications.html.

Image: Silencing of the GFP reporter gene in Arabidopsis roots by mobile small RNAs derived from GFP silenced shoots. Imaged using UV fluorescence, the green colour indicates non-silenced GFP fluorescing roots and red indicates silenced auto-fluorescencing tissue.

Tributes paid to Richard Savage

2010-04-23T09:07:00.004+01:00

From the Royston Weekly News 23rd April 2010:

Tributes have been paid to a Cambridge University librarian who died after being hit by a train.

Richard Savage, of Greville Road, off Mill Road, Cambridge, died at Royston station on Friday morning.

Read the full article.

Lewin-Fritsch Studentship Available (Algal Biology) in the Department! Application Deadline 30th April 2010

2010-03-19T09:07:00.004Z

This three year fully funded studentship is administered by The Department of Plant Sciences, Downing College and the British Phycological Society. Applicants must select a project (from those listed below), that addresses algal biology:

1. Iron-sulphur cluster assembly and bio-hydrogen production in algae
Project Supervisor: Dr Janneke Balk
Project outline:

The "iron-only" hydrogenases are enzymes that use exclusively iron and sulphide to catalyse the production of hydrogen. As such, they provide a cheap alternative to platinum electrodes currently used for the industrial production of hydrogen gas. Our laboratory is studying the assembly of these natural catalysts, or Fe-S cofactors, in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardti, a model organism for the production of bio-hydrogen. This project will focus on the role of alga-specific assembly factors that we have recently identified (Godman & Balk, Genetics 2008). Using a reverse genetics approach based on RNAi silencing (in collaboration with David Baulcombe's group) the importance of the candidate genes for hydrogen production will be assessed. In addition, the regulation of Fe-S cluster assembly during hydrogenase-inducing conditions (high light / low oxygen / low sulphur) will be investigated.

2. Ca2+-dependent signalling networks in Chlamydomonas
Project Supervisors: Drs Julia Davies and Alex Webb
Project outline:

Changes in cytosolic free Ca2+ ([Ca2+]cyt) play diverse signalling roles in eukaryote cells, from regulation of the cell cycle, the response to stress and in the maintenance of circadian rhythms. Ca2+-dependent signalling networks must therefore display specificity to coordinate these different cellular functions. Genome sequencing of the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas has indicated a surprising mix of plant- and animal-like Ca2+ transporters and receptors required for determining specificity in these Ca2+ signalling networks [1]. This alga therefore occupies an intriguing evolutionary position to inform us on the development of fundamental signalling processes in eukaryotes. The project will combine high resolution imaging of cytosolic Ca2+ in Chlamydomonas with a range of biochemical and molecular techniques. Candidate components of [Ca2+]cyt-dependent stress signalling pathways and the circadian clock [2] will be knocked down using RNAi to deduce their role. The project is a collaboration between the Cambridge Transport and Signalling Groups (Drs. Julia Davies and Alex Webb), Prof. Colin Brownlee (Marine Biological Association) and Dr. Glen Wheeler (Plymouth Marine Laboratory).

[1] TiPS 13: 506. [2] Science 318: 1789.

3. Iridescence In Algae: How & Why?
Supervisor: Dr Beverley Glover
Project outline:

Iridescence is the property of appearing different colours when viewed from different angles. It occurs when different wavelengths of light are reflected from a surface at different angles, and gives the vivid rainbow appearance to the feathers of peacocks and the wings of many butterflies and beetles. Iridescence in animals has been extensively investigated, and has a range of roles in intraspecific signalling. Iridescence is not isolated to the animal kingdom, but much less is known about it in photosynthetic organisms. Green and brown algae have been recorded as iridescent, but the phenomenon is most commonly found in red algae, where blue and green colours appear on the surface at certain stages of the lifecycle. The structural basis for this is unknown, and will be studied using a combination of microscopical and modelling approaches in the British species Chondria coerulescens and Drachiella spectabilis.

The function of algal iridescence is also unclear. Suggestions include a role in camouflage or a role in optimising photosynthesis by enhancing the absorption of useful wavelengths of light at the expense of increased reflection of other wavelengths. Optical analysis of the algae will be complemented by analysis of their photosynthetic capacity under different light regimes, to distinguish between these hypotheses.

4. Transcript analysis of the Coleochaete orbicularis algal genome.
Project Supervisor: Dr Jim Haseloff
Project outline:

Members of the genus Coleochaete are multicellular green algae, and exhibit some of the earliest and simplest features of multicellular plant growth. Haploid zoospores initiate the growth of discoid multicellular colonies. The colonies adhere to the substrate and grow as a cell monolayer. The circular morphology of the colonies is maintained by precisely coordinated sequences of anticlinal and periclinal divisions. Cultures are easy to maintain on agar plates and are ideal for microscopy. Coleochaete has been little studied as a developmental system, but shows unique promise for genetic studies. (i) High throughput sequencing approaches will be used to generate the first comprehensive description of expressed sequences in Coleochaete. (ii) A catalogue of predicted protein sequences will be generated and compared to that of higher plants and other algae. (iii) Predicted promoters will be isolated and used for gene expression studies.
http://www.synbio.org.uk

Reference:
Coordination of plant cell division and expansion in a simple morphogenetic system. Dupuy, L., Mackenzie, J. and Haseloff, J., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 107:2711-6, 2010.

5. RNA Silencing in Chlamydomonas
Supervisor: Prof Sir David Baulcombe
Project outline:

RNA silencing is a recently discovered genetic and epigenetic mechanism in growth, development, responses to environmental stimuli and in resistance against viruses. Recently, through work with higher plants, the small RNA species associated with RNA silencing have also been implicated in genome interactions associated with hybrid incompatibility, hybrid vigour and with transgressive segregation in which offspring exhibit phenotypes that are outside the range of the parents.

The proposed project is to investigate these effects in hybrids of North American and Japanese isolates of Chlamydomonas. The patterns of gene expression will be assessed in zygotes and derivative hybrid lines in order to identify molecular phenotypes that deviate from the mid parental value. Genetic and molecular analysis will be carried out in order to characterise the underlying mechanisms.

The mysterious phenotypes of hybrids are one of the big mysteries of modern biology. The project will help solve this mystery by taking advantage of the short time scale of hybridisation in a unicellular alga as compared to multicellular organisms. It will generate information that is relevant to the understanding of various aspects of evolution including mechanisms associated with speciation. There could also be an applied aspect of the project as the information could be used in the development of improved strains for production of biofuels and other chemicals. The project will introduce techniques in molecular biology and there will be a substantial bioinformatic component associated with the analysis of expression profiling data.

The Lewin-Fritsch Studentship supports a research studentship in phycology (algal biology). All College and University Fees will be paid on behalf of the student, who will receive, in addition, a living allowance and a contribution towards to the cost of his or her research. The value of the allowance and research contribution is determined annually by the Electors by reference to other similar studentships, notably the Wellcome Studentships and the Gatsby Awards, The Studentship is linked to Downing College, where the student will become a Graduate Member. Only specific projects (those listed above) are eligible for consideration.

Eligibility Criteria:
Full funding is available for UK residents and EU citizens who have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years.
The minimum qualification for Ph.D. studies is a Class 2.1 Honours Bachelors Degree, or a Masters degree (or equivalent).

To apply:
You must complete an online ‘Graduate Admission and Scholarship Application Form’ (GRADSAF). In addition to this you must send your supporting documentation: Two academic references, CV, Full Academic Transcript & Research Proposal to the:
Graduate Student Administrator
Department of Plant Sciences
Downing Street
Cambridge
CB2 3EA

by the closing date, which is 30th April 2010

Informal enquiries can be directed to reception@plantsci.cam.ac.uk.