Darius is a PhD student in the Oldroyd group, investigating the impact of nutrient levels on symbiotic permissibility in barley and the mechanisms by which this can be overridden for the potential of more sustainable fertiliser use in the future.
New discoveries, published in the journal Science on October 29th, show how legume cells in the nodule transition into the nitrogen-fixing state, control multiple different mechanisms that support bacteria inside the nodules and the enzyme nitrogenase necessary for nitrogen fixation. Legumes engage with nitrogen fixing bacteria in nodules, which provide a specilised environment for nitrogen fixation.
These discoveries were facilitated by the first detection of the nodulation master regulator protein NODULE INCEPTION (NIN), that controls many aspects of nodulation and now is shown to also control this transition into nitrogen fixation.
The work provides an important advance in understanding the symbiotic relationship between plants and nitrogen-fixing bacteria and facilitates future engineering of nitrogen fixation into cereals, dispensing the need for fertilising cereal crops by enabling them to fix their own nitrogen.
First described in 1999, NIN is essential for developing a new root organ, called a nodule, where symbiotic bacteria fix atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia. Although it has been studied for two decades, the NIN protein has been difficult to detect, and it remains unknown how NIN coordinates multiple stages of nodule formation.
The first author, Jian Feng, said, “Solving the problem of how NIN could be detected revealed surprising results about the processing of NIN, that explained how this protein controls many different aspects of nodulation”.
Proteolytic processing of NIN appears to allow the protein to activate processes associated with nitrogen fixation and this late processing of NIN allows the protein to have different early and late functions in establishing nitrogen-fixing nodules.
The corresponding author, Giles Oldroyd, said, “We are striving to transfer the capability to fix nitrogen to cereal crops. Understanding how nitrogen fixation is induced in the legume nodule is important in helping us transfer this process to cereals”.
This work was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office as Engineering the Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture (ENSA) project; the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council; and the Gatsby Foundation.
Read the full article by following this link https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abg2804
Eleni is managing the Platforms at the Crop Science Centre. These include gene synthesis, construct design and assembly, plant transformation, genetics, and sequencing. Before taking up this post she was working as a Platform manager in the ENSA (Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture) project at the Sainsbury Laboratory. Prior to this she was working as senior research technician for the same project at the John Innes Centre in Norwich. Eleni gained her PhD degree in Plant Microbe Interactions from the University of East Anglia, UK, Norwich.
Edwin is a PhD student working with Giles Oldroyd to study the mechanisms by which plants develop mutualistic interactions with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Edwin received his BA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge. He completed his final year in the Department of Plant Sciences where he worked in John Carr’s lab, studying plant defences to viruses. During this time he also worked with Julia Davies to study the function of plant cyclic nucleotide-gated channels.
My work as a PhD student concentrates on understanding relationships between crops and beneficial microbes in the soil, specifically how these interactions relate to crop nutrition. I am investigating the molecular mechanisms that underlie symbiosis between Barley and mycorrhizal fungi, with my research being funded by the Trinity Cawthorn PhD Studentship in Crop Sciences.
I am an MPhil student in the Paszkowski Cereal Symbiosis Group, working on exploring the arbuscule morphology and nutrient transporter localization under different nutritional regimes. I have completed my undergraduate degree in Cambridge and have worked on arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and root nodule symbiosis.
I’m a PhD student in the Cereal Symbiosis Group, working on the spatial (tissular and subcellular) regulation of D14L, an essential receptor for the symbiotic competence of rice. For this purpose, I will be creating, testing and characterizing (on a phenotypical, transcriptomic and proteomic level) a variety of rice lines expressing GFP-tagged D14L under different promoters and localization signals. I am funded by St John’s College with a Benefactor’s Scholarship.
I’m a plant physiological ecologist with interests in sustainable agriculture, crop nutrition and soil microbial ecology. My work focusses on the interactions between crop plants and soil microbes, especially the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. At the Crop Science Centre, I'm using complimentary greenhouse and field trial experiments to investigate the role of mycorrhizas in crop nutrition.
I have seven years’ experience working in Science Communications, a master’s in journalism and geophysical hazards, as well as an undergraduate degree in geology.
Prior to starting work at the Crop Science Centre, I was a Senior Communications Officer at the National Oceanography Centre.
I manage all aspects for the smooth running of Research Services at CSC working with the CSC Research Support Team, and I am Deputy Safety Officer.
I prioritise supporting an inclusive and collaborative research culture. I am a senior researcher with a strong interest in influencing good research data management practices to produce high-quality research.
The Crop Science Centre is a coalition between the University of Cambridge, Department of Plant Sciences, and NIAB. This coalition focuses on translational research in crops with real-world impact. We combine the diverse skills and expertise of the University and NIAB, providing an environment for research excellence with the capability to apply discoveries to crop improvement in the field.
Our research is interdisciplinary and of global relevance. We strive to improve both staple crops such as maize, wheat and rice, but also the specific crops of relevance to small-holder farmers, particularly those in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Centre provides leadership in crop sciences, with a creative and dynamic research culture, motivated by improvement of agriculture for the betterment of society.
At the Crop Science Centre, we are generating crop plants that deliver sufficient food for everyone in a sustainable way
“Years of research has provided a deep understanding of how plants function, creating opportunities to transform the way we produce our food. I am motivated to improve the sustainability and the equity of food production worldwide”
Professor Giles Oldroyd,
CSC Director
“At the Crop Science Centre we have the scientific breadth and track record to rapidly respond to one of the grand challenges of our time: growing enough nutritious food for an increasing population while reducing inputs and green house emissions.”
Professor Mario Caccamo,
CEO and Director of NIAB
“We envisage that new CSC crop technologies will enable higher crop yields and lower environmental impact for crop-based food production – as well as contributing to improved dietary health.”
Sir David Baulcombe,
Royal Society Professor
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