Group members
Post-Doctoral Researchers
Dr. Paul Seear
Following whole genome duplication (WGD), the doubled set of chromosomes can provide serious problems for reliable chromosome segregation during meiosis, particularly in neo-autotetraploids. The aim of my research is to compare meiosis in neo-autotetraploids with that of fully evolved autotetraploids found in nature using a range of cytological and molecular techniques in order to better understand the mechanisms that underlie the stabilisation of meiotic chromosomes after WGD.
Dr. Stuart Desjardins
In many eukaryotic species genetic crossovers (COs) are unevenly distributed along chromosomes and tend to occur in favoured regions - so-called "recombination hot-spots". This is true of bread wheat, and other cereals, where COs are largely restricted to regions near the ends of chromosomes. A direct result of this is that a significant proportion of genes (~30%), including potentially important agronomic traits, are located in "recombination cold" regions and essentially inaccessible to plant breeders. A lack of COs in these "cold" regions can also lead to problems associated with linkage drag, where undesirable variation cannot be separated from useful traits. My project is part of a multi-disciplinary research program that aims to release this "locked" variation by modulating the frequency and distribution of COs in wheat, using state-of-the-art approaches.
Doctoral Researchers
Daisy Ogle
Martin France
Ghazwan Qasim Hasan
Chiara Di Dio
