News

Seedlings salute the sun by coordinating multiple mechanical and chemical processes

Research into the mechanisms underlying the uncurling of the apical hook in illuminated Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings shows inner side hook cells show differential irreversible extensibility; auxin and pH gate growth but do not explain differential extension; subepidermal longitudinal force accelerates opening and CMT reorientation; and light-triggered depletion in auxin signaling is gated by wall properties.

Phytophthora palmivora hyphae under the epidermis with haustoria projecting from below into living Nicotiana benthamiana epidermis cells. Image by Alex Guyon.

Exchanges at the haustorial interface

BBSRC's Strategic Longer and Larger grants scheme supports project to pave way for broad-spectrum plant disease resistance by identifying key players in pathogen subversion Researchers from the Sainsbury Laboratory Cambridge University (SLCU) are collaborating on a £5.91 million 5-year UK research project that will...

Graphical abstract illustrating how the cyanobacterial circadian clock couples to pulsatile processes. The clock couples to RpoD4 through Pulse Amplitude Modulation (PAM).

Cyanobacterial circadian clock uses an AM radio-like mechanism to control cellular processes

Cyanobacteria, an ancient lineage of bacteria that perform photosynthesis, have been found to regulate their genes using the same physics principle used in AM radio transmission. New research published in C urrent Biology has found that cyanobacteria use variations in the amplitude (strength) of a pulse to convey...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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.

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.

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...

Plant science at Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is home to one of the largest concentrations of plant research anywhere in the world. Visit the below organisations to find out about their work in sustainable agriculture, conservation and fundamental research.

Department of Plant Sciences

Crop Science Centre

Cambridge University Botanic Garden

Cambridge University Herbarium

Cambridge Global Food Security

Cambridge Centre for Physical Biology

Conservation Research Institute

Plants @ Cambridge Hub

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