Funding and Finance

BBSRC PhD Studentship - Functional Genomic Approaches to Enhance Wheat Defence Against Biotic Stress

  • School of Biology and Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability
  • Reference Code: BI001


Closing Date: 24th July 2009

Details:

Supervisors: Professor Angharad MR Gatehouse, Dr Natalie Ferry
School/Institute: School of Biology and Institute for Research on Environment and Sustainability (IRES)
Funded by: BBSRC with Syngenta UK
Project duration: 4 years

Changing conditions in agriculture are leading to insect pests becoming a more serious threat to crop production in the UK. Two important factors in these changes are: (i) public intolerance of the use of chemical insecticides which can have negative environmental effects; and (ii) changes in the distribution and abundance of insect pests as a result of climate change. Further, recent EU Directives banning an estimated 90 per cent of pesticides over the next five years will result in limited pest control options.

Alternative sustainable strategies for protecting crops from pests seek to exploit the endogenous (natural) resistance mechanisms exhibited by plants to most insect herbivores. Recent studies investigating the plant’s herbivore-induced transcriptome, using microarrays, have provided novel insights into plant-insect interactions at the level of the gene. However, components of signalling pathways, while essential for the response to insect feeding, are not themselves directly responsible for resistance. It is the end products of the pathways, the defensive proteins or secondary metabolites, that are directly responsible for antibiotic effects.

The aim of this project is to use functional genomic approaches (including transcriptomics and proteomics) to identify gene products in wheat that are involved in the defence response to its major pests. Availability of wheat EST databases (http://wheat.pw.usda.gov/genome/; http://www.cerealsdb.uk.net) and the rice genome project will confirm the identity of candidate proteins to better inform a directed strategy for plant breeding using a ‘reverse genetics’ approach. This project will enable the student to learn and use advanced ‘cutting edge’ molecular biology techniques, with a focus on proteomics including protein purification and MALDI-TOF MS and MS/MS, 2D gels, fluorescent imaging, and design and implementation of microarray studies. There will also be the opportunity for the student to work with the industrial partner.

Person Specification
You should have, or expect to achieve, a first-class or upper-second-class Honours degree, or equivalent, in a relevant subject. You should also have an interest in the molecular basis of plant response to environmental stress, in particular biotic stress.

Value of the Award and Eligibility
This award is available to candidates who meet the BBSRC’s eligibility criteria. The full award covers tuition fees and an annual stipend of £13,290.

How to Apply
To apply for the studentship please complete the University’s online postgraduate application form selecting ‘PhD School of Biology (full time) – Biological Sciences’ as the programme of study and quoting the reference number BI001. Your application should include a CV and a covering letter. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote the reference number BI001 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project.

Closing date for applications: 24th July 2009

Further Information
For more details, please contact Professor Angharad Gatehouse, A.M.R.Gatehouse@ncl.ac.uk or Dr Natalie Ferry, natalie.ferry@ncl.ac.uk