Latest Publications

Vasthi Alonso Chávez, Nathan Brown, Stephen Parnell, Matt Coombes, Alison Dyke, Clare Hall, Berglind Karlsdóttir, Mariella Marzano, Joanne Morris, Liz O'Brien, David Williams, Alice E. Milne

• Across the world, emerging pests and diseases are increasing in number, range and co-occurring with other invasive biotic factors. Ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior L.; Oleaceae) in Great Britain face the potential invasion of the emerald ash borer (EAB; Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire; Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and the ongoing impact of ash dieback (ADB; Hymenoscyphus fraxineus T. Kowalski (Helotiales: Helotiaceae)). Surveillance and management strategies accounting for land manager behaviour are crucial for improved control.
• We developed a spatially explicit model that integrates (i) the estimated prevalence of ADB, (ii) the dynamics of EAB arrival and spread and (iii) a socio-dynamics model, based on a values-driven theory that simulates land manager decision-making in relation to surveillance and tree management. In the model, if EAB is detected, contingency measures—including tree felling and intensified monitoring—are enacted, with the potential to eradicate or slow its spread. We used the model to assess whether targeting high-risk sites with traps, using routine tree inspections by land managers, or encouraging volunteer surveillance (with or without subsidised trapping) could significantly slow EAB spread.
• Interviews (n=45), a survey (n=368), and three workshops (n=27) informed the socio-dynamics model's structure and parameterisation. The interaction between EAB and ADB is complex, with potential positive effects (e.g. increased perceived value of ash) and negative effects (e.g. belief that ash cannot be saved, misidentification of decline causes).
• Results showed that if land managers are made aware of EAB, health and safety inspections have a substantial role to play in slowing the spread but are unlikely to lead to eradication due to the pest's cryptic larval phase. Official trapping at a limited number of locations is similarly unlikely to succeed in early detection and eradication unless entry pathways are well-defined, and ash connectivity is low. Volunteer trapping is important for early detection and if this is subsidised, EAB eradication becomes more likely.
• Synthesis and applications. Tree-health policies must balance identifying likely entry points and deployment of traps, targeted information campaigns and surveillance subsidies for land managers. Our unique, cross-disciplinary approach can be applied to other pest/pathogen systems to inform tree-health plans and how to balance resources.

Journal of Applied Ecology, March 2026

Christopher James O’Grady, Sally Hilton, Emma Picot, Sebastien Raguideau 2, Christopher Quince, Christopher J. van der Gast, Hendrik Schaefer, Gary D. Bending

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) are formed by phototrophic organisms at the soil surface and play a key role in structuring microbial communities and biogeochemical processes in dryland ecosystems. Similar surface associated communities occur in temperate agricultural soils, but their development, assembly dynamics and functional significance remain poorly understood. We investigated the temporal development of the soil surface microbiome following tillage and during subsequent growth of a winter wheat crop, integrating multi-kingdom amplicon sequencing with metagenomic analysis to track phototrophic, bacterial, fungal and protist communities, together with co-amplified macroscopic phototrophs. Distinct surface communities of phototrophs, bacteria and protists established rapidly, within 4 weeks of tillage, and underwent marked succession from early dominance by yellow-green algae (Xanthophyceae) to cyanobacteria, charophytes and ultimately mosses. Across all taxonomic groups, community assembly at the soil surface increasingly shifted towards dispersal limitation over time, whereas bulk soil communities were predominantly shaped by ecological drift. By the end of the growing season, the soil surface had developed a functional profile distinct from bulk soil, characterised by a greater representation of photosynthetic processes, largely due to eukaryotic algal carbon fixation, alongside increased genetic potential for heterotrophic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur cycling. These functional shifts were associated with enrichment of Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. Our results demonstrate that the soil surface of temperate agricultural systems represents a dynamic and functionally differentiated microbial habitat, which shares key biological features with dryland BSCs while exhibiting distinct functional and successional trajectories, revealing an overlooked component of managed temperate ecosystems.

Soil Biology and Biochemistry, June 2026

Roisin Murphy, Julia A. Fairbairn, Becca W.A. Baileeves, Phillip J. Stansfeld, Timothy D.H. Bugg

A series of 4-aryl-2-imidazoles containing an ortho-substituted benzyl substituent were designed as a new peptidomimetic scaffold for an Arg-Trp-x-x-Trp motif used by lysis protein E from bacteriophage ϕX174 to target translocase MraY on the peptidoglycan biosynthesis pathway. The analogues showed antimicrobial activity against a panel of ESKAPE pathogens, with compound 9c (substituent CF₃) showing effective antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii 19606 (MIC 8 μg/mL) and Staphylococcus aureus MRSA USA300 (MIC 8 μg/mL). The analogues showed 33–47% inhibition of particulate E. coli MraY at 200 μM concentration, with highest enzyme inhibition shown by compound 9b (substituent F, IC₅₀ 210 μM). Docking against the structure of E. coli MraY revealed a possible binding site in the “elbow” of bent helix 9, close to Phe-288. This work identifies the MraY-protein E interaction site as a possible target for the antimicrobial activity of bromoageliferin, and establishes a new skeleton for design of non-nucleoside MraY inhibitors.

Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, July 2026

Gwendolyn V. Davis, Jan J. Pavlou, Patrick Li, Marija Smokvarska, Richard S. Smith, Emmanuelle Bayer, George W. Bassel

Cell-to-cell communication underpins pattern formation and organ function in multicellular organisms. Plant cells can communicate directly through cytoplasmic channels called plasmodesmata. The distribution, abundance, and density of plasmodesmata on plant cell interfaces impact the flow of molecules between plant cells; yet the extent to which these properties are genetically and dynamically regulated remains poorly understood at an organ scale. We developed a quantitative approach to map plasmodesmata pit fields across roots in 3D at cell type and cell interface-specific resolution. Multiple parameters are captured simultaneously, including plasmodesmata pit field abundance, density, and spatial distribution, enabling parallel multiscale analyses at cellular resolution across this organ. During root maturation, plasmodesmata abundance increases, with the greatest biogenesis occurring within the inner cell layers. This is coupled with changes in the degree of clustering of the pit fields on these inner cell layers: becoming more dispersed on specific cell interface types and more clustered on others. Significant differences in plasmodesmata pit field spatial patterning were detected at cell type-specific resolution in the BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1 mutant, demonstrating a role for this hormone pathway in channel patterning. The ability to quantify pit field abundance and patterning at cell type-specific resolution provides novel insight into the developmental and hormonal regulation of potential symplastic connectivity across plant organs, while providing a powerful tool toward the investigation of quantitative systems-level plasmodesmata distribution and macro-communication between cells in a complex multicellular system.

The Plant Journal, February 2026

Boltze J., Fisher M

Recanalization therapies for ischemic stroke, in particular endovascular thrombectomy, have revolutionized acute stroke management. Cytoprotective approaches were unsuccessfully tested in the pre-recanalization era but have seen a renaissance in translational research and early clinical trials as a potential intervention to augment the impact of recanalization therapies. The new clinical trial approaches in which cytoprotective therapies are now being applied require refinement of cytoprotective application strategies. This has a profound impact on both preclinical translational and clinical research. This review summarizes current cytoprotection concepts and explains their rationale based on ischemic stroke pathophysiology and provides an overview of cytoprotection approaches currently under clinical assessment. Preclinical assessment of novel cytoprotective paradigms will require advanced in vivo testing in models resembling human stroke patients as much as possible. The review therefore also describes ways to improve preclinical and translational research with respect to comorbidities and other aspects impacting stroke pathophysiology. Moreover, the role of modern brain imaging approaches is discussed including their use as potential biomarkers or patient selection tools. The review further provides detailed considerations of novel clinical trial design features for cytoprotection trials in the context of recanalization therapies and provides an outlook on potential future research approaches.

Advanced Science, February 2026

Ziyue Zeng, John W. Mansfield, Andrea Vadillo-Dieguez, John Connell, James Irvine, Michelle T. Hulin, Fernando Duarte Frutos, Mojgan Rabiey, Nastasiya F. Grinberg, Richard J. Harrison, Xiangming Xu, Robert W. Jackson

Plant surfaces host diverse microbial communities acting as reservoirs for pathogenic lineages, yet the ecological dynamics and evolutionary consequences of such reservoirs remain underexplored. We conducted landscape-scale genomic surveillance of Pseudomonas syringae on symptomless leaves of cultivated cherry in orchards and wild plant species in adjacent woodlands across the UK, aiming to understand how phyllosphere populations contribute to the emergence of bacterial canker. Whole genome sequencing of 540 isolates collected over two years and across four regions revealed 10 diverse P. syringae phylogroups (PGs) on symptomless leaves. Both orchard and woodland environments harboured a similar range of PGs, but recovery frequency was very different. PG2d strains dominated cherry orchards, whereas PGs 2b and 13a were prevalent in woodlands. Certain PG2d subclades, recovered from both environments, caused disease on cultivated and wild cherry leaves. Additional strains were found to be pathogenic to Phaseolus bean pods. The pathogens of cherry were characterised by the presence of genes encoding the synthesis of the pathotoxin syringolin A and a subset of effector proteins including HopAW1, AvrRpm1 and HopAR1. Resolution of subclades within PG2d provided insights into the emergence of virulent epiphytic strains that have not yet reached the mostly northerly sampling sites but are threats to both cultivated and environmental Prunus spp. Fine-scale analysis of subclade PG2d-3 revealed potential divergence between orchard and woodland populations, with 49 genes exclusive to a woodland lineage. Thirty-eight of these genes were found within prophages, indicating the potential role of bacteriophage-mediated horizontal gene transfer in adaptation to non-agricultural reservoirs.

Molecular Plant Pathology, February 2026