347. Wilkin P, Davis A, Demissew S, Etherington T, Goodwin M, Heslop-Harrison P, Schwarzacher T, Willis K. 2018. A perspective to enhance innovative research with emphasis on varietal diversity and sustainable utilization of enset (Ensete ventricosum). Ethiopian Journal of Biological Sciences 17(Suppl.): 201–209. Wilkin et al. Perspectives for research and enset. Ethiopian J Biol Sci…
Tag: banana
Postdoctoral PDA RA positions in South China Botanical Gardens Plant Genome Evolution Research Group
Two post-doctoral positions, one MSc and one PhD position are currently open in the newly established “Plant Genome Evolution Research Group”, Principal Investigator JS (Pat) Heslop-Harrison, at the South China Botanical Garden (SCBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Guangzhou. I’m very happy to be starting this new lab with distinctive research projects. We have developed…
Obituary for Dr Mark Goodwin
I am so saddened to write about the sudden death of my good friend, colleague and co-project leader, Mark Goodwin. We had very extensive common interests in the application and delivery of research for developing countries, research ethics, and in the role and importance of tertiary education and pedagogy. His inputs to my thinking about…
New Project on Molecular Cytogenetics and Genomics of Ensete banana
We have a research project starting in 2017 on Ethiopian banana, Ensete ventricosum, for 18 months, in collaboration with Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (Dr Paul Wilkin) and University of Addis Ababa (Professor Sebsebe Demissew). There is a post-doctoral position working with the project (closed 7 August 2017). The project “Modelling and genomics resources to enhance…
The landscape and structural diversity of LTR Retrotransposons in the Musa genome
334. Nouroz F, Noreen S, Ahmad H, Heslop Harrison JS(P). 2017. The landscape and structural diversity of LTR Retrotransposons in the Musa genome. Molecular Genetics and Genomics 292: 1051-1067. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00438-017-1333-1 Publisher site (££$$€€ needs subscription) Author version of manuscript: Nouroz_MGG2017_MusaLTRretrotransposons_AuthorVer Long terminal repeat retrotransposons represent a major component of plant genomes and act as drivers of genome…
Banana, Ensete and Boesenbergia Genomics talk by Schwarzacher, Heslop-Harrison, Harikrishna
Comparative genomic analysis in Zingiberales: what can we learn from banana to enable Ensete and Boesenbergia to reach their potential? Talk for Plant and Animal Genomics #PAGXXV Molecular cytogenetics can address challenges in crops with relatively little background knowledge. This talk shows some work around Ensete ventricosum, known as enset, ensete, False banana, Abyssynian or…
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…
Plant Virus Evolution and Pararetroviruses in Petunia
TS. Hohn T, Richert-Pöggeler KR, Staginnus C, Harper G, Schwarzacher T, Teo CH, Teycheney P-Y, Iskra-Caruana M-L, Hull R. 2008. Evolution of Integrated Plant Viruses. Chapter 4 pp 53-81. In: Plant Virus Evolution Ed Roossinck MJ. Springer: Berlin Link to Publisher homepage about the book with links to downloadable copies of the whole book or the chapter….
Transposable Elements in the Musa and Banana Genome: PAGXXIII conference talk
There has been a lot of talk about transposable elements during the Plant and Animal Genome #PAGXXIII meeting this week. As half or more – often 75% – of all the DNA in a plant or animal genome is typically made of class I retrotransposons and class II DNA transposons, this widespread interest is right!…
The diversification and activity of hAT transposons in Musa genomes
Menzel G, Heitkam T, Seibt KM, Nouroz F, Müller-Stoerme M, Heslop-Harrison JS, Schmidt T. 2014. The diversification and activity of hAT transposons in Musa genomes. Chromosome Research 22: 559–571. DOI 10.1007/s10577-014-9445-5 and Pubmed link ID: 25377178 And author print hATs in Musa _2014_CR_MenzelEtAlAuthorVersion2014. Sequencing of plant genomes often identified the hAT superfamily as largest group of DNA…
Needs for understanding water and food security
“The earth’s land surface receives about 110,000 km3 of rainfall annually. More than half of this water is evapotranspired (transmitted from soils and through plants to the air); about 20,000 km3 falls on land that is cultivated in some form; and about 40,000 km3 becomes available in dams, lakes, rivers, streams and aquifers for human…
Wild banana species: their classification and the sequencing of Musa balbisiana
Crop relatives are important – we learn about the relationships of wild germplasm in comparison to the domesticated forms, and about the genetics and genes in the wild species. Two papers in the last month advance our understanding of wild banana (Musa) from different perspectives. The first presents “A draft Musa balbisiana genome sequence for…
Haploid callus from a diploid Musa accession for genome analysis
303. Nair AS, Heslop-Harrison P, Schwarzacher T. 2013. Production of haploid tissues and SNP analysis of the genome in Musa acuminata cv.‘Matti’ (AA). Plant Mutation Reports 3(1): 18-24. Haploid and doubled haploid plants are of considerable value in genetic studies, genomics and plant breeding, allowing characterization and exploitation of genes where only one allele is present. Inbred banana…
Faisal Nouroz : Collaborator from Hazara University, Pakistan on genome organization
Dr Faisal Nouroz completed his PhD at the University of Leicester in 2012, working on mobile element evolution in two contrasting crop groups, Musa and Brassica. Dr. Faisal Nouroz held a Ph.D scholarship from the Higher Education Commission and Hazara University Mansehra, Pakistan and joined the Molecular Cytogenetics Lab, Department of Biology, University of Leicester…
Discussing diversity, genes and the future of bananas on the BBC Food Programme
Pat Heslop-Harrison was interviewed for BBC Radio 4 “The Food Programme”. I have posted some of the points I wanted to make on AoBBlog.com, and a link to the whole interesting programme including my interview is here after broadcast of the longer version of the programme. http://www.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/series/foodprog
Molecular cytogenetics and genome evolution 