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Phylogeny, species delimitation and taxonomy in Polytrichum sect. Polytrichum (Polytrichaceae Schwagr.; Bryophyta)
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)The Polytrichaceae Schwägr. is a relatively a small, distinct family of mosses (Phylum Bryophyta) usually recognised in its own order and class, Polytrichales and Polytrichopsida. The presence of the characteristic ... -
Structural basis of pioneer factors in reprogramming to pluripotency
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)Induced pluripotent stem cells have been for the first time derived from human fibroblasts by ectopic expression of four transcription factors - OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and c-MYC (OSKM). To date, pluripotent reprogramming ... -
Transcription factors induce different stem cell states through distinct pioneer, collaborative and competitive interactions
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)Cell fate conversion requires the action of groups of transcription factors (TFs), but the underlying principles remain elusive. Here, I investigated how four TF combinations lead to different reprogramming outputs. ... -
Boron cross-linking of rhamnogalacturonan-II in vivo and in vitro: effects of pH and cationic chaperones.
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)Rhamnogalacturonan-II (RG-II) is a ~5 kDa pectic polysaccharide domain, which typically represents 1–4% of the total polysaccharide of the primary cell wall in dicots. It has a complex structure with a backbone of 8-10 ... -
Impact of nutrients and stress, including antifungal drugs, on growth and ribosomal content in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)Ribosomes are the machines that produce proteins in the cell. They are, with histones, the most expressed proteins, accounting together for almost half of the total gene expression. Ribosome number varies with growth rate, ... -
Disease-linked mutation in RNase MRP inhibits ribosome synthesis
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)RMRP is a nuclear gene that encodes the RNA component of the endoribonuclease complex RNase MRP. Mutations in human RMRP cause a spectrum of disorders characterised by skeletal defects, hair anomalies and immunodeficiency. ... -
Molecular insights into kinetochore-microtubule attachments in mitosis
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)During mitosis, cells must ensure that chromosomes are correctly segregated to both daughter cells. Chromosomes must attach microtubules from opposite spindle poles and congress to the metaphase plate. Once all the ... -
Generating novel molecular tools to manipulate gene regulation in cyanobacteria
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)Cyanobacteria are unique among prokaryotes in that they can conduct oxygenic photosynthesis. With just the addition of light, water and some trace minerals, cyanobacteria utilise carbon dioxide to synthesise the simple ... -
STING at the nuclear envelope: novel partners contribute to innate immune responses
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)The innate immune response (IIR) is the first line of defence against pathogen infection and relies on the recognition of pathogen associated molecules by host cell sensors. STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes) is the ... -
Evolutionary genomics of Chlamydomonas
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is one of the primary model organisms in plant and algal biology. Although the species is fundamental to several research areas, including the study of photosynthesis, ... -
Modular cell-based and cell-free systems with adaptable logic as core processing machinery
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)While Synthetic Biology represents a promising approach to solve real-world problems, the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO) is still a matter of legal and environmental concerns. Cell-free systems (CFS) are an ... -
Evolution of epiphytism in Solanaceae
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)Epiphytes are non-parasitic plants that live above the ground without a connection to the soil. Epiphytes comprise about 10% of the world's vascular flora and show various adaptations to living without access to soil ... -
Intein-assisted bisection mapping systematically splits proteins for Boolean logic and inducibility engineering
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)Split inteins are powerful tools for seamless ligation of synthetic split proteins. Yet, their use remains limited because the already intricate split site identification problem is often complicated by the requirement ... -
Towards a CRISPR-mediated therapy for Rett Syndrome
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disorder which is caused by mutations in the X-linked gene MECP2 (methyl-CpG binding protein 2). RTT-like symptoms can be reversed in Mecp2-null mice by restoring MeCP2 ... -
Virus discovery, dynamics, and disease in a wild Drosophila community
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-12-07)The fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster remains a key model system for the study of insect-virus interactions. Its tractable life history and associated genetic toolkit have aided in the discovery of many of the key ... -
Engineering novel CRISPR-enabled gene regulatory devices in bacteria
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is an adaptive immune system of prokaryotes. Due to its DNA/RNA recognition ability mediated by nucleic acid complementary pairing, the CRISPR systems ... -
Bi-parental inheritance of kinetoplast DNA following sexual reproduction maintains mitochondrial genome complexity in Trypanosoma and Leishmania parasites
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Kinetoplastids are a group of unicellular, protozoan flagellates. Within this group are the Trypanosomatidae family, obligate parasites infecting a wide variety of invertebrates, vertebrates and plants. Of note are the ... -
Epigenetic gene silencing by heterochromatin primes fungal resistance
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Genes embedded in H3 lysine 9 methylation (H3K9me)–dependent heterochromatin are transcriptionally silenced. In fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, H3K9me-mediated heterochromatin can be transmitted through ... -
Ubiquitin ligases regulate chromatin organisation during meiotic prophase in Drosophila melanogaster
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Meiosis creates genetic diversity by recombination and segregation of chromosomes. Meiotic errors can lead to chromosome missegregation and consequently infertility or birth defects. In Drosophila oocytes chromosomes undergo ... -
Crosstalk between the plant circadian clock and immunity
(The University of Edinburgh, 2021-07-31)Molecular circadian clocks are found across taxa to anticipate predictable daily changes in the external environment. In plants, the circadian clock is important to coordinate agriculturally significant processes that ...
