CENH3 morphogenesis reveals dynamic centromere associations during synaptonemal complex formation and the progression through male meiosis in hexaploid wheat

330. Sepsi A, Higgins JD, Heslop-Harrison JS, Schwarzacher T. 2017. CENH3 morphogenesis reveals dynamic centromere associations during synaptonemal complex formation and the progression through male meiosis in hexaploid wheat. Plant Journal 89: 235-249. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tpj.13379 and Author Version: Sepsi et al. 2016. CENH3 and wheat meiosis. Plant Journal. See bottom of page for YouTube video links. During…

Introgression of chromosome segments from multiple alien species in wheat breeding lines with wheat streak mosaic virus resistance

324. Ali N, Heslop-Harrison JS, Ahmad H, Graybosch RA, Hein GL, Schwarzacher T. 2016. Introgression of chromosome segments from multiple alien species in wheat breeding lines with wheat streak mosaic virus resistance. Heredity (2016) 117, 114–123; published online 1 June 2016 doi:10.1038/hdy.2016.36 Author version: N_Ali_et al 2016 Multiple Alien Introgressions in Wheat Publisher site: http://www.nature.com/hdy/journal/vaop/ncurrent/pdf/hdy201636a.pdf Pyramiding of…

Analysis of Petunia vein clearing virus (PVCV) sequences, retroelements and tandem repeats in Petunia axillaris N and P. inflata S6

325a. Schwarzacher T, Heslop-Harrison JS, Richert-Pöggeler KR. 2016. Analysis of Petunia vein clearing virus (PVCV) sequences, retroelements and tandem repeats in Petunia axillaris N and P. inflata S6. Supplementary manuscript 2. Nature Plants 2: article number 16074. Link to manuscript: Petunia_PVCV_Repeats_SchwarzacherEtAl2016 Within the genome sequence assemblies of P. axillaris (PaxiN) and P. inflata (PinfS6) and unassembled reads, we…

Saffron crocus, cooking and Iran on the radio

The spice Saffron is valued worldwide for its flavor, aroma and color. I’ve just broadcast an interview with Robin Young produced by Jill Ryan for NPR’s Here and Now program which let me tell you something about my enjoyment of saffron both as a consumer and scientist. Saffron is unusual in that it is equally…

Saffron Crocus, quality and fraud in New York Times

Elaine Sciolino discusses saffron in the New York Times. Saffronomics partners Jean Thiercelin and Pat Heslop-Harrison are quoted, with the outcome of the project in developing methods to detect fraud and measure quality. In the article, the special qualities of saffron are discussed and many examples of the use in sweet and savoury foods explain the value in…

Banana research at the botanic garden

324. Heslop-Harrison, P. 2015. Banana research at the botanic garden. University of Leicester Botanic Garden Newsletter 12: 4. November 2015. Dessert bananas and the cooking bananas or plantains are among the oldest crops in the world. Most crops were domesticated through a long pathway of selection and crossing but, for banana, virtually all the two thousand varieties which are grown throughout the…

Chromosomal distribution and evolution of retrotransposons in diploid and polyploid Brachiaria forage grasses

319. Santos FC, Guyot R, Valle CB do, Chiari L, Techio VH, Heslop-Harrison P, Vanzela ALL. 2015. Chromosomal distribution and evolution of abundant retrotransposons in plants: gypsy elements in diploid and polyploid Brachiaria forage grasses. Chromosome Research 23(3): 571-582. DOI: 10.1007/s10577-015-9492-6 Text Brachiaria_Fabiola_Santos_etal AuthorVersion. Abstract: Like other eukaryotes, the nuclear genome of plants consists of DNA with…

dsRNA silencing of an R2R3-MYB transcription factor affects flower cell shape in a Dendrobium hybrid

TS. Lau S-E, Schwarzacher T, Othman RY, Harikrishna JA. 2015. dsRNA silencing of an R2R3-MYB transcription factor affects flower cell shape in a Dendrobium hybrid. BMC Plant Biology 15, no. 1: 194. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2229/15/194 DOI 10.1186/s12870-015-0577-3 Local copy Lau et al Dendrobium dsRNA silencing BMCPlant Biology 2015 Background: The R2R3-MYB genes regulate pigmentation and morphogenesis of flowers, including flower and cell shape,…

Molecular characterization and diversity of a novel nonautonomous Mutator-like transposon family in Brassica

320. Nouroz F, Noreen S, Heslop-Harrison JS. 2015. Molecular characterization and diversity of a novel nonautonomous Mutator-like transposon family in Brassica. Pakistani Journal of Botany 47(4): 1367-1375. Publisher abstract Publisher free full text. Local copy BrassicaMutator_Nouroz_PakistaniJBot2015 Transposable elements (TEs) are capable of mobilizing from one genomic location to other, with changes in their copy numbers. Mutator-like elements (MULEs)…

Intergeneric hybridisation between Berula erecta and Helosciadium nodiflorum (Apiaceae)

TS. Desjardins SD, Leslie AC, Stace CA, Schwarzacher T,  Bailey JP. 2015. Intergeneric hybridisation between Berula erecta and Helosciadium nodiflorum (Apiaceae). Taxon 64: 784-794. DOI: 10.12705/644.9 Publisher link££ Author version Intergeneric hybridisation A hybrid between Berula erecta and Helosciadium nodiflorum is reported from Chippenham Fen National Nature Reserve (NNR), Cambridgeshire, England. Parentage was investigated using chromosome counts, a maternally-inherited chloroplast marker…

Wheat-Thinopyrum bessarabicum recombinant lines with intercalary translocations

318. Patokar C, Sepsi A, Schwarzacher T, Kishii M, Heslop-Harrison JS. 2016. Molecular cytogenetic characterization of novel wheat-Thinopyrum bessarabicum recombinant lines carrying intercalary translocations. Chromosoma 125: 163–172. 10.1007/s00412-015-0537-6 Publisher website. Version from Wheat-Thinopyrum introgression and chromosomal recombinants. Thinopyrum bessarabicum (2n=2x=14, JJ or EbEb) is a valuable source of genes for bread wheat (2n = 6x=42) improvement because…

Identification and evolutionary genomics of novel LTR retrotransposons in Brassica

315. Nouroz F, Noreen S, Heslop-Harrison JS. 2015. Identification and evolutionary genomics of Novel LTR retrotransposons in Brassica. Turkish Journal of Biology 39: 740-757 DOI: 10.3906/biy-1501-77 Link to manuscript PDF download at publisher site Retrotransposons (REs) are the most abundant and diverse elements identified from eukaryotic genomes. Using computational and molecular methods, 262 intact LTR retrotransposons…

Genetic and physical maps of the Primula vulgaris S locus and localization by chromosome in situ hybridization

314. Li J, Webster MA, Wright J, Cocker JM, Smith MC, Badakshi F, Heslop‐Harrison P, Gilmartin PM. 2015. Integration of genetic and physical maps of the Primula vulgaris S locus and localization by chromosome in situ hybridization. New Phytologist http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.13373/full. dx.doi.org/10.1111/nph.13373 Heteromorphic flower development in Primula is controlled by the S locus. The S locus genes, which…

Descriptors for Crocus (Crocus spp.)

312. Molina RV, Guardiola JL, García-Luis D, Renau-Morata B, Sanchis E, González-Nebauer S, de los Mozos M, Rodríguez-Conde MF, Santana O, Pastor-Férriz MT, Fernández JA, Santaella M, Roldán M, Tsimidou M, Polissiou M, Heslop-Harrison JS, Branca F, Mathew B. 2015. Descriptors for Crocus (Crocus spp.). 74pp. Bioversity International, Rome. ISBN-13: 978-92-9043-999-8 Full document: http://www.bioversityinternational.org/uploads/tx_news/Descriptors_for_Crocus_1872_01.pdf Abstract…