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Biography
My research work at the University of Nottingham is focused on the role of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis in regulating plant growth and development, and response to environmental cues. my research has culminated in highlighting the role of the plant N-degron pathways as a regulator of plant abiotic stress, (Current Biology 2017, 2022) and its role in oxygen sensing and vernalization (Nature Communications, 2018) responses and its role in adaptation to altitude (Nature, 2022). My research has also highlighted the molecular mechanisms involved in the initial sensing of environmental stress (Nature Communications, 2023). In plants, hypoxia (low oxygen, which occurs during flooding and/or submergence) is directly sensed by the PCO branch of the N degron pathways of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, through oxygen-dependent degradation of group VII Ethylene Response Factor transcription factors (ERFVIIs). Using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we have shown that the N-degron pathways in plants regulate plant responses to multiple abiotic stresses, through the oxygen-dependent degradation of the ERFVIIs.
Research Summary
My research work at the University of Nottingham is focused on the role of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis in regulating plant growth and development, and response to environmental cues. my research… read more
Recent Publications
ZUBRYCKA, A., DAMBIRE, C., DALLE CARBONARE, L., SHARMA, G., BOECKX, T., SWARUP, K., STURROCK, C.J., ATKINSON, B.S., SWARUP, R., CORBINEAU, F., OLDHAM, N.J., MICHAEL J. HOLDSWORTH M.J., 2023. ERFVII action and modulation through oxygen-sensing in Arabidopsis thaliana Nature Communications. 14, 4665 KOZLIC AIDA, WINTER NIKOLA, TELSER THERESIA, REIMANN JAKOB, ROSE KATRIN, NEHLIN LILIAN, BERCKHAN SOPHIE, SHARMA GUNJAN, DAMBIRE CHARLENE,, BOECKX TINNE, HOLDSWORTH MICHAEL J and BACHMAIR ANDREAS, 2022. A Yeast-Based Functional Assay to Study Plant N-Degron – N-Recognin Interactions Frontiers in Plant Science.
Current Research
My research work at the University of Nottingham is focused on the role of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis in regulating plant growth and development, and response to environmental cues. my research has culminated in highlighting the role of the plant N-degron pathways as a regulator of plant abiotic stress, (Current Biology 2017, 2022) and its role in oxygen sensing and vernalization (Nature Communications, 2018) responses and its role in adaptation to altitude (Nature, 2022). My research has also highlighted the molecular mechanisms involved in the initial sensing of environmental stress (Nature Communications, 2023). In plants, hypoxia (low oxygen, which occurs during flooding and/or submergence) is directly sensed by the PCO branch of the N degron pathways of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, through oxygen-dependent degradation of group VII Ethylene Response Factor transcription factors (ERFVIIs). Using the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, we have shown that the N-degron pathways in plants regulate plant responses to multiple abiotic stresses, through the oxygen-dependent degradation of the ERFVIIs.
Past Research
I have also done research on cryptic speciation and its implications on conservation (Cladistics 2016). this research focused on Opisthopatus cinctipes, a velvet worm endemic to South Africa and widely distributed in isolated Afromontane and coastal forest patches throughout the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. The genetic variation observed within clades was not accompanied by morphological differences suggesting that the use of morphological characters had grossly underestimated species diversity within South African Opisthopatus. A robust taxonomic documentation of the species diversity within the O. cinctipes species complex was critical for the implementation of conservation management plans for this species complex. We recommend that highly sedentary taxa with limited dispersal abilities and specific habitat requirements which may be found in sympatry with velvet worms be prioritized for taxonomic revision as they may also harbor cryptic lineages.