RESEARCH PROFILE

Research interests focus on the environmental and genetic control of flowering and development in plants with the overall aim of the production of crops with improved scheduling, quality, sustainability and reduced waste. During juvenility plants are incapable of responding to stimuli such as photoperiod and temperature, which trigger flowering in adult plants. Research in Antirrhinum, Brassica and Arabidopsis addresses knowledge gaps in the understanding of the physiological and genetic regulation of the juvenile phase of development. The onset of bolting in lettuce is associated with the production of secondary metabolites, principally the sesquiterpene lactones, which give leaves a bitter and unpleasant taste. Bolting in the field prior to harvest can hence render the crop unsaleable. In lettuce, research centres on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling bolting through the generation and analysis of lettuce lines with either induced or natural variation in bolting time. Alleles conferring late bolting identified in these lines can be used in breeding programmes to produce crops with delayed bolting characteristics and thus greater holding ability in the field. Research in onion investigates the photoperiodic regulation of bulb initiation with an emphasis on the genetic components common to those involved in photoperiodic induction of flowering. Further research interests lie in the adaptation of plants to climate change. Research in Brassica and wheat investigates water and nutrient use efficiency in plants grown at ambient and elevated levels of carbon dioxide.

BACKGROUND

TEACHING PROFILE

Courses Taught

• Plant Molecular Development laboratory classes
  BSc (2nd year)
• Sustainable Crop Production: Agronomy for the 21st Century MSc
• Plant Biosciences for Crop Production MSc
• Biological Clocks module
  BSc (3rd year)
• Environmental Bioscience in a Changing Climate MSc

Learning, Teaching & Development Activity

• Postgraduate teaching (inc modules & project/research)

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Delayed bolting in Rocket for improved quality and greater sustainability, with Dr Stephen Jackson, Funded by: BBSRC-CASE AWARD, Project Start Date: 01/10/2011 Project End Date: 30/09/2015
• Manipulation of Bolting Time for Improved Quality and Greater Sustainability in Lettuce production, with Dr Stephen Jackson, Funded by: BBSRC, Project Start Date: 01/04/2009 Project End Date: 31/03/2014
• Environmental and genetic regulation of juvenility in Antirrhinum majus, with Prof Brian Thomas, Funded by: Thai government, Project Start Date: 01/10/2010 Project End Date: 30/09/2013
• Adaption of interacting factors associated with climate change, with Prof Brian Thomas, Funded by: DEFRA, Project Start Date: 01/02/2010 Project End Date: 31/01/2013
  
  

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SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Taylor, A., Massiah, A.J., Thomas, B.(2010) 'Conservation of Arabidopsis thaliana flowering time genes in onion (Allium cepa L.)' Plant and Cell Physiology 51 1638 - 1647 (0032-0781)
• Vaughan, S. P., James, D. J., Lindsey, K. and Massiah, A. J.(2006) 'Characterization of FaRB7, a near root-specific gene from strawberry (Fragariaxananassa Duch.) and promoter activity analysis in homologous and heterologous hosts.' Journal Of Experimental Botany 57 3901 - 3910 (0022-0957)
• Massiah A, Rong H, Brown S and Laurie S(2001) 'Accelerated production and identification of fertile, homozygous transgenic wheat lines using anther culture' Molecular Breeding 7 163 - 173 (1380-3743)
• Massiah, A.J. and Hartley, M.R.(1995) 'Wheat ribosome-inactivating proteins: Seed and leaf forms with different ribosome specificities and cofactor requirements' Planta 197 633 - 640 (0032-0935)
• Taylor, S., Massiah, A.J., Lommonosoff, G., Roberts, L.M., Lord, J.M. and Hartley, M.R.(1994) 'Correlation between the activities of five ribosome-inactivating proteins in depurination of tobacco ribosomes and inhibition of tobacco mosaic virus infection' Plant Journal, The (5), 827 - 835 (0960-7412)

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RESEARCH DEGREES SUPERVISED

• Study of juvenility in Antirrhinum majus, Date of Completion: 2012
• Genetic and physiological analysis of juvenility in plants, Date of Completion: 2010
• Functional genomics of photoperiodic bulb initiation in onion (Allium cepa), Date of Completion: 2009
• Molecular analysis of regulatory elements for protein translation: Development of a novel gene expression vector for perennial crop improvement, Date of Completion: 2004
• Tissue and organelle targeted transgene expression in plants, Date of Completion: 2003
• Environmental and genetic regulation of juvenility in Antirrhinum majus
• Delayed bolting in Rocket for improved quality and greater sustainability