Molecular mechanisms of plant developmental plasticity
Molecular mechanisms of plant developmental plasticity
Lab lead: Prof. Miriam Gifford
Symbiotic nitrogen fixation
Legumes (such as peas and beans) are almost unique amongst plants in their ability to form symbiotic interactions with soil-dwelling bacteria called rhizobia. During this symbiosis (nodulation), legumes are physically colonised by rhizobia in specialised structured called root nodules in whichthe rhizobia fix atmospheric nitrogen into forms that can be used by the host plant for growth. Legumes therefore reduce agricultural dependency on expensive and environmentally costly nitrogen fertilisers.
If we understand the molecular regulation of nodulation, this could substantially improve food security, a major priority for UK research councils (UKRI).
Ongoing projects
We are investigating how nodulation is coordinated in space (reshaping of the composition of the rhizosphere and endosphere microbiome during nodulation) and time (control of nodulation imparted by the plant circadian clock).
Moderation of nodulation by plant circadian clockLink opens in a new window
Our lab previously showed that mutations in the key Medicago truncatula circadian regulator LHY is associated with reduced nodule formation, suggesting a role for the plant circadian clock in the control of nodule formation, nodule maintenance and/or symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Current work is investigating both plant and bacterial factors that may contribute to this in order to understand the importance of circadian rhythms during nodulation.
Interplay between root microbial communities and symbiotic nitrogen fixationLink opens in a new window
In previous work, we identified enrichment of certain bacterial taxa within the endosphere (bacterial physically colonising plant tissues) of Medicago truncatula roots, specifically in the case of efficient, ongoing nitrogen fixation. The recruitment of these bacteria to the endosphere was concomitant with enhanced plant nutrition beyond just nitrogen fixed in the nodules. Current work is focusing on isolating and studying these nitrogen fixation-associated microbiota to investigate their potential to enhance plant nutrition.
Join us
We are an inclusive and family-friendly lab that focus on enjoyment and career development in addition to scientific excellence.
Our lab is always on the lookout for motivated researchers who are highly interested in addressing the scientific challenges we work towards. See this pageLink opens in a new window for more information about opportunities to work in the Gifford Lab.
Other research interests
Additionally, our lab has previously supported and/or is interested in working in other areas of plant developmental biology and plant-microbe interactions in the future.
- Regulation of nodulation by CLE-family small peptides.
- Mechanisms of uptake of nanoparticles into plants.
- Regulation of nitrogen fixation in non-legumes.
- Using systems biology to understand memory of stress responses across organisms.
Gifford group members at work in the lab
See lab members for more information
| Group Leader |
Miriam.Gifford@warwick.ac.uk |
|
| Dr Liam Walker | Postdoctoral researcher |
L.Walker.6@warwick.ac.uk |
| Assistant Professor |
Sally.Adams@warwick.ac.uk | |
| Dr Emma Picot |
Associated researcher and Assistant Professor |
E.Picot@warwick.ac.uk |
| Yinying Yuan | Chancellor's PhD student | Yinying.Yuan@warwick.ac.uk |
| Rida Faizi | MIBTP Life Sciences PhD student | Rida.Faizi@warwick.ac.uk |
| Suzanna Dickson | MIBTP Life Sciences PhD student |
Suzanna.Dickson@warwick.ac.uk |
| Matthew Jolly |
MIBTP Life Sciences PhD student |
Matthew.Jolly@warwick.ac.uk |
| Hazel Marsden |
Warwick Industrial Fellowship - joint PhD with James Hutton Institute |
Hazel.Marsden@hutton.ac.uk |
| Cara Wharton |
CASE PhD studentship: MIBTP with Harper Adams and Syngenta |
Cara.Wharton@warwick.ac.uk |
Selected publications
- Achom, M., Roy, P., Lagunas, B., Picot, E., Richards, L., Bonyadi-Pour, R., Pardal, A. J., Baxter, L., Richmond, B. L., Aschauer, N., Fletcher, E. M., Rowson, M., Blackwell, J., Rich-Griffin, C., Mysore, K. S., Wen, J., Ott, S., Carré, I. A. and Gifford, M. L. (2022) 'Plant circadian clock control of Medicago truncatula nodulation via regulation of nodule cysteine-rich peptides', J Exp Bot, 73(7), pp. 2142-2156.
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Lagunas, B., Richards, L., Sergaki, C., Burgess, J., Pardal, A. J., Hussain, R. M. F., Richmond, B. L., Baxter, L., Roy, P., Pakidi, A., Stovold, G., Vázquez, S., Ott, S., Schäfer, P. and Gifford, M. L. (2023) 'Rhizobial nitrogen fixation efficiency shapes endosphere bacterial communities and Medicago truncatula host growth', Microbiome, 11(1), pp. 146.
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Lagunas, B., Achom, M., Bonyadi-Pour, R., Pardal, A. J., Richmond, B. L., Sergaki, C., Vázquez, S., Schäfer, P., Ott, S., Hammond, J. and Gifford, M. L. (2019) 'Regulation of Resource Partitioning Coordinates Nitrogen and Rhizobia Responses and Autoregulation of Nodulation in Medicago truncatula', Mol Plant, 12(6), pp. 833-846.
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Parkinson, S. J., Tungsirisurp, S., Joshi, C., Richmond, B. L., Gifford, M. L., Sikder, A., Lynch, I., O'Reilly, R. K. and Napier, R. M. (2022) 'Polymer nanoparticles pass the plant interface', Nat Commun, 13(1), pp. 7385.
Research in Plant and Agricultural BioscienceLink opens in a new window, Environment and EcologyLink opens in a new window, Quantitative Systems and Engineering BiologyLink opens in a new window
Lab Alumni (and first destinations):
PhDs:
Dr Tim Coker (Data Research Assistant, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; now at CRUK)
Dr Roxanna Bonyadi (Chancellor's International Scholarship PhD student)
Dr Anthony Carter (Statistician in the UK Civil Service)
Dr Jo Hulsmans (Cypress Diagnostics, Belgium)
Dr Matt Teft (Public Science Engagement, now Postdoctoral fellow, Sena Lab Imperial College UK)
Dr Mingkee Achom (Postdoctoral Fellow, Harvard University, USA)
Dr Peter Morrison (Technology and Management consultant, Actica Consulting, UK)
Dr Proyash Roy (Senior Scientist (R&D), Absolute Antibody, UK)
Dr Cantug Bar (Research assistant, Flow Cytometry Core Facility, Cancer Research, Cambridge, UK)
Dr Daire Carroll (Postdoctoral Researcher studying grey seals in the Baltic sea, Göteborg, Sweden)
Dr Helen Wilkinson (Postdoctoral Researcher with Prof. Lorenzo Frigerio, University of Warwick)
Dr Bethany Richmond (Trainee Clinical Scientist in Genomics)
Dr Alice Coppock (UK Civil Service)
Dr Monique Rowson (Researcher with the UK Plant GeneBank)
Dr Jamie Burgess (Postdoctoral researcher, Field Lab, University of Sheffield)
Dr Clare Hurst (Education & Public Engagement Officer, LEAF)
Research staff:
Dr Zennia Paniwynk (Defra Post-doc) - Scientist at Quanta Fluid Solutions (UK)
Dr Jesper Grønlund (BBSRC Post-doc) - Gene Discovery Manager at Advanced Technologies Cambridge (BAT, UK)
Dr Sajjad Awan (Defra Post-doc) - Post-doc with Prof. Bill Finch-Savage (Life Sciences, Warwick, UK)
Sanjeev Kumar (BBSRC Research technician) - Technician with Prof. David Twell (Leicester, UK), now at VWR
Dr Sally Adams (Post-doc) - Post-doc with Dr Andre Pires da Silva (Life Sciences, Warwick, UK)
Dr Ying Wang (BBSRC Post-doc) - Post-doc (Germany)
Dr. Dhaval Patel (BBSRC Post-doc) - Scientist at Azotic Technologies Ltd (Nottingham, UK)
Dr. Dafyd Jenkins (BBSRC Post-doc) - Data scientist at TATA (Coventry, UK)
Dr. Fraz Hussain (BBSRC Senior Technician) - Technician with Prof. Murray Grant (Warwick, UK)
