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Sainsbury Laboratory

Read more at: SLCU joins two ERC Synergy Grants
Images and graphics of early flower development patterns in different flowers, including the model flower Arabidopsis, which will be studied in the RESYDE project. Image on right of model of 4D virtual flower in early development.

SLCU joins two ERC Synergy Grants

Two research consortia, including SLCU's Professor Henrik Jönsson and Dr Alexander Jones , have been awarded prestigious ERC Synergy Grants to investigate fundamental aspects of plant development from diverse angles, paving the way for advancements in biotechnology and plant engineering. The highly competitive ERC Synergy...


Read more at: Creating a spatio-temporal map for auxin dynamics
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Creating a spatio-temporal map for auxin dynamics

Creating a spatio-temporal map for auxin dynamics ERC Synergy grant to unlock secrets of plant organ growth Alexander Jones has teamed up with three other leading plant developmental scientists to investigate the interplay between growth hormones and mechanical forces in plant organ morphogenesis. The team will study how...


Read more at: Building a virtual flower
Images and graphics of early flower development patterns in different flowers, including the model flower Arabidopsis, which will be studied in the RESYDE project. Image on right of model of 4D virtual flower in early development.

Building a virtual flower

The ERC Synergy funded project RESYDE will tackle the question how multicellular organisms generate their intricate forms. The focus of the RESYDE project is on symmetry breaking during flower development – a process by which two initially identical cells adopt different cell fates – leading to diverse forms and functions. This fundamental phenomenon is crucial in all multicellular organisms and starts with an asymmetric cell division.


Read more at: Fully funded PhD studentship to investigate rewiring root regulators for rhizobia-legume symbiosis
Lateral root & nodule images by Katharina Schiessl

Fully funded PhD studentship to investigate rewiring root regulators for rhizobia-legume symbiosis

Fully funded PhD studentship to investigate rewiring root regulators for rhizobia-legume symbiosis Cambridge Biosciences DTP PhD Programme | Available Targeted Projects | How to Apply Applications are invited for a fully-funded PhD studentship with the University of Cambridge and the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew to...


Read more at: New 3D simulation of Arabidopsis spindle advances cell division research in plants
A model of the mitotic spindles found in plant roots. The chromosomes, represented here by their kinetochores (two spheres for each chromosome), reside in the middle of the picture. Around them are microtubules (yellow, white, and blue lines).

New 3D simulation of Arabidopsis spindle advances cell division research in plants

New research sheds light on the intricate molecular mechanisms that govern spindle formation in plants and identifies an important regulator of spindle formation.


Read more at: Flowers use adjustable ‘paint by numbers’ petal designs to attract pollinators
Dr Lucie Riglet has developed a quantitative imaging pipeline and deciphered the mechanisms specifying the distinct bullseye regions in developing petals of Hibiscus trionum combining imaging, genetics, computational modelling and bumblebee behaviour.

Flowers use adjustable ‘paint by numbers’ petal designs to attract pollinators

Sainsbury Laboratory scientists developed a quantitative imaging pipeline and deciphered the mechanisms specifying the distinct bullseye regions in developing petals of Hibiscus trionum combining imaging, genetics, computational modelling and bumblebee behaviour.


Read more at: Innovative field experiments shed light on biological clocks in nature
Dora Cano-Ramirez working under green light at night in field experiments in Japan. Dora wears a green headlamp to illuminate the scientific equipment boxes on the ground.

Innovative field experiments shed light on biological clocks in nature

Much of what we know about plant circadian rhythms is the result of laboratory experiments where inputs such as light and temperature can be tightly controlled. Less is known about how these biological timing mechanisms operate in the more unpredictable natural world where they evolved to align living things to daily and...


Read more at: Scientists discover entirely new wood type that could be highly efficient at carbon storage
Liriodendron tulipifera wood ultrastructure as seen under a cryo-SEM

Scientists discover entirely new wood type that could be highly efficient at carbon storage

Researchers have identified an entirely new type of wood that does not fit into either category of hardwood or softwood.


Read more at: Advanced biosensor uncovers role of gibberellin in integrating light signalling and stem growth in plants
Engineering the orthogonalized and more reversible GPS2 biosensor to reduce GPS1 interference with and by endogenous signaling via re-engineering the GID1–DELLA interaction interface

Advanced biosensor uncovers role of gibberellin in integrating light signalling and stem growth in plants

Alexander Jones' lab has engineered an improved nlsGPS2 biosensor, which has uncovered how gibberellin (GA) helps integrate light signaling and stem growth.


Read more at: Next generation biosensor reveals gibberellin’s critical role in legume nitrogen-fixation
GPS2 biosensor microscopy imaging shows GA accumulates early in the nodule development and persist in the nodule apex.

Next generation biosensor reveals gibberellin’s critical role in legume nitrogen-fixation

By engineering second-generation Forster Resonance Energy Tranfer (FRET) biosensors, Alexander Jones' team is now revealing how plant hormones like gibberellin (GA) are orchestrating plant developmental processes at the cellular level in real time.