Interspecific hybridisation is a common mechanism of diversification in plants, unlike in animals, largely because plants can overcome hybrid sterility through chromosome doubling, resulting in polyploid plants. Hybridisation and polyploidisation trigger genome-wide instability and reprogramming, manifesting as extensive structural and epigenetic variation, a phenomenon known as “genomic shock”. 

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECMF) are a crucial yet often overlooked group of organisms that play a key role in the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. 

These fungi form symbiotic associations with plant root systems, where plants supply sugars to their fungal partners and, in return, ECMF provide essential nutrients and confer additional benefits, such as enhanced tolerance to drought and salinity. In the face of rapid environmental change, understanding how different organisms respond to shifting conditions is more important than ever. 

Recent technological advances allow us to design and construct entire chromosomes, allowing unprecedented potential for the creation of cellular machines.

These synthetic designer de novo chromosomes allow us to address fundamental biological questions, systematically re-engineer genetic components, incorporate large-scale metabolic pathways, and ultimately engineer programmable organisms.

To fulfil this potential, it is crucial to understand the design principals for stable maintenance of synthetic chromosomes.

The rhizosphere – the region of soil and associated microbes directly interacting with plant roots - is an area that is increasingly recognised for its role in plant health.

This is particularly relevant for take-all, the most devastating wheat root disease worldwide, which can reduce yields by up to 20%.

The importance of root microbial community in take-all symptom prevention is well established, as both bacterial and fungal species have been found which suppress take-all development.

This project aims to determine how hybridisation and polyploidisation independently and jointly shape transcriptional evolution in Miscanthus hybrids, and to investigate how regulatory, epigenetic, and structural mechanisms contribute to the balance or dominance among subgenomes.

Cells in the body constantly send and receive messages to coordinate development, maintain health, and respond to disease. Many of these messages are passed through cell surface proteins - receptors and ligands - that allow cells to “talk” to one another.

Recent research shows that the instructions for building these proteins can be edited by cells in real-time through a process called alternative splicing, resulting in different versions (or isoforms) of the same protein with very different functions.