Biological Sciences, School of
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Investigating the role of sucrose in controlling lateral root formation in Arabidopsis thaliana
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-09-19)Sucrose is the major transported carbon in plants and its dual role as both a nutrient and a signal, enables it to promote diverse physiological processes in plants, both directly and indirectly. In Arabidopsis thaliana ... -
Is mutational meltdown a threat to the mega diverse genus Begonia?
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-09-19)Begonia is one of the most species-rich angiosperm genera, studied for its rapid species radiation in tropical regions, and high morphological diversity. Typical populations are isolated and many display characteristics ... -
Investigating the molecular mechanism of caffeine and antifungal resistance in Schizosaccharomyces pombe epimutants
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-08-15)Fungal pathogens are a growing threat to human health, food security and ecosystem biodiversity. Emergence of isolates resistant to the very limited antifungals render treatment of fungal infections increasingly ... -
Characterising the role of the SUMO E3-ligase PIAS in heterochromatin establishment in the Drosophila embryo
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-09-12)In Drosophila, position effect variegation (PEV) assays helped to uncover proteins involved in the establishment and maintenance of heterochromatin. One gene initially identified as a suppressor of variegation is Su(var)2-10 ... -
Epigenetic signatures of chronic inflammation and their relation to brain structure and function across the lifecourse
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-08-21)Chronic inflammation is considered a key contributor to individual differences in brain ageing. However, there remains conflicting evidence about the exact brain structural and functional consequences of chronic inflammation. ... -
Macroevolution of virulence shifts in human-infective RNA virus species
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023)Study Objectives: To determine the frequency and distribution of virulence shifts across 40 viral genera that include human-infective RNA virus species using evolutionary discrete trait models. Methods: An inhouse ... -
Viruses and microorganisms associated with a wild community of Gambian Drosophilidae
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-08-08)Drosophila melanogaster has its roots in the African continent and is estimated to have expanded from sub-Saharan Africa into Eurasia about 10,000 years. This was around the same time human commensalism of D. melanogaster ... -
Phenotyping single cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using an end-to-end analysis of high-content time-lapse microscopy
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-08-03)The field of systems biology has developed under the acknowledgement that quantitative approaches are necessary to fully understand the complexities that shape cells' structure and behaviour. The development of automated ... -
Biochemical characterisation of ZFR, a regulator of splicing and RNA editing
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-08-02)Eukaryotes use alternative splicing of pre-mRNA as a crucial mechanism to regulate their gene expression and expand the protein isoform repertoire. The essential human protein ZFR regulates alternative splicing and A-to-I ... -
Characterisation of a host receptor for Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocyte rosette formation
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-08-02)Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) rosetting, the binding of two or more uninfected erythrocytes to an infected erythrocyte, is a key virulence factor associated with severe malaria. Rosette formation is mediated ... -
Study of how catabolite repression and ribosome levels determine cell growth in batch cultures of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-25)In response to environmental changes, cells launch new programmes of gene expression. Here I address how cells with their finite proteomes regulate ribosomal levels as the environment changes in batch cultures and, given ... -
Investigating cell cycle control mechanisms in CD8+ effector T cells
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-24)CD8+ T cells have an important role in adaptive immunity. By possessing cytotoxic potential, CD8+ T cells are key effectors of the adaptive immune system, targeting diseased cells for destruction. CD8+ T cells are a key ... -
Speciation and sex-biased gene expression in the scarce swallowtails
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-24)Speciation is the process by which closely related populations of organisms differentiate following reductions in the effective rate of genetic exchange between them over time. For most speciation events, population genetic ... -
Exploring coherence and disorder: an analysis of spatial patterning within the neuromesodermal progenitor niche
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-20)How regulatory frameworks control cellular identity and organisation via cell-cell communication is a poorly understood yet fundamental process in development. Different signalling pathway regulatory mechanisms can create ... -
Non-canonical function of the spindle checkpoint protein Mad3 in meiosis
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-19)Accurate chromosome segregation in meiosis is essential for production of euploid gametes. The error correction and the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) pathways ensure homolog segregation to opposite poles during meiosis ... -
Monitoring and managing genetic diversity in Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.)
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-18)The British breeding programme (Programme) for Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) began in 1963 by selecting individual plus trees with superior characteristics for construction-grade timber. With the establishment ... -
Characterisation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii bestrophin-like proteins expressed in C3 land plants
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-13)Many photosynthetic species have evolved CO₂-concentrating mechanisms (CCMs) to improve the efficiency of CO₂ assimilation by Rubisco. C3 plants, which include major crops like wheat and rice, lack a CCM and thus, engineering ... -
Structural basis for PP2A-mediated regulation of accurate chromosome segregation
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-12)The dynamic crosstalk between kinases and phosphatases is essential to ensure faithful mitosis. Protein phosphatases PP2A(B55) and PP2A(B56), and the Chromosomal Passenger Complex -CPC, containing Aurora B kinase-, ... -
Understanding telomerase insufficiency at the single-cell level
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-11)Telomeres are the ends of linear eukaryotic chromosomes essential for their stable maintenance. The conventional replication machinery is not able to copy linear DNA molecules to the very end. To overcome “the end replication ... -
Modulation of host intestinal epithelium by gastrointestinal nematode secreted extracellular vesicles
(The University of Edinburgh, 2023-07-10)Helminths have co-evolved alongside their hosts for millions of years and haveadapted eloquent mechanisms that allow them to reside in the host withoutcausing significant pathology, or elimination. The ability of these ...