Contact
Teaching Summary
I teach on a range of BSc and MSc modules based in the School of Biosciences
I co-convene a first year module "Genes and Cells" and convene a final year/MSc module "Sex, Flowers and Biotechnology"
I am External Examiner for undergraduate courses in Biology at the University of Technology, Kingston, Jamaica
Research Summary
The main area of research in my group is gametophytic self-incompatibility with a ribonuclease-based mechanism. This is one of the most widely distributed genetic mechanisms that prevents self… read more
Current Research
The main area of research in my group is gametophytic self-incompatibility with a ribonuclease-based mechanism. This is one of the most widely distributed genetic mechanisms that prevents self fertilization in angiosperms. Self pollen is rejected following a highly specific recognition between pollen and pistil. We study self-incompatibility in members of the Solanaceae (Petunia and Solanum) and Rosaceae (Prunus and Pyrus).
Self-incompatibility in the Solanaceae My research in the Solanaceae has involved using the model system of Petunia. The S-RNase has been cloned for three functional S-alleles. As part of a collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing) an F-box candidate for the pollen-S gene was identified (Qiao et al, 2004). Most cultivars of Petunia hybrida are self-compatible and we are also studying the molecular basis of self-compatibility which is associated with a particular S-RNase (So). A more recent area of research in the Solanaceae is a collaboration with Dr Glenn Bryan at the James Hutton Institute, Dundee on the allelic diversity of S-RNases in wild species of Solanum. This work was recently published (Dzidzienyo et al, 2016).
Self-incompatibility in the Rosaceae In collaborative projects with Ken Tobutt and colleagues at East Malling we have sequenced a wide range of S-RNases to study S-allele diversity in the genus Prunus. The study of a two self-compatible mutants in sweet cherry (Prunus avium) provided evidence confiming the role of S-linked F-box genes in self-incompatibility in the Rosaceae (Sonneveld et al, 2005). I have also collaborated with Dr Javier Sanzol and colleagues at CITA Zaragosa studying S-RNase diversity in the European pear (Pyrus communis).