RESEARCH PROFILE

• Plant hormone recognition, binding and selectivity are the focus of the group's activities. There are two principal projects in the group at present, the development of a new generation of biosensors for quantitating hormone concentrations in planta and the kinetic characterisation of the auxin receptor TIR1.
Biosensors combine a biological recognition domain with a physicochemical interpretation/output unit. Like receptor proteins, recognition domains need to recognise analytes with appropriate sensitivity and selectivity and we are collecting suitable hormone sensor elements. In order to sample from living plants in real-time we have harnessed microtechnologies and are currently filing for patent protection on a time-resolved biosensor system for auxin and ABA. Quite different technology is being applied to create a cytokinin sensor, but this project is at an early stage.
• Novel biosensors will be used to build new tools for real-time, in-vivo, quantitative measurements of plant hormone fluxes. Our longer term goal is to test and extend the mathematically-driven models for long distance hormone communication in plants.
• Many of the defining responses to auxin are mediated through the receptor protein known as TIR1. In collaboration with Dr Stefan Kepinski (University of Leeds) and Syngenta UK we are investigating the auxin-mediated kinetics of Aux/IAA transcription factor binding to the SCFTIR1 complex. Much of the work uses Biacore surface plasmon resonance (SPR) instruments to record binding in real-time. The project will measure affinities and selectivities of each interaction as this fascinating protein complex assembles.
• EUPHORUS. This EU framework 7 project aims at developing a sustainable greenhouse system that: does not need any fossil energy & minimizes carbon footprint of equipment; with no waste of water nor emission of fertilizers and full recycling of the substrate; with minimal need of plant protective chemicals yet with high productivity and resource use efficiency. Combining research specialisms from both Warwick HRI and the Intelligent Systems Research Group in Warwick Engineering, the Warwick contribution is using various sensor systems and instruments to devise early warning systems for pest and disease control. We are also modelling pest and disease control alongside biological control agents in order to minimise applications of plant protective chemicals under new greenhouse coverings.

Research Themes: Cell Biology; Plant Science

BACKGROUND

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

• Luz Irina A Calderón Villalobos,,Sarah Lee, Cesar De Oliveira, Anthony Ivetac, Wolfgang Brandt, Lynne Armitage, Laura B Sheard, Xu Tan, Geraint Parry, Haibin Mao, Ning Zheng, Richard Napier, Stefan Kepinski & Mark Estelle, (2012) 'A combinatorial TIR1/AFB?Aux/IAA co-receptor system for differential sensing of auxin ' Nature Chemical Biology 8 (4), [article]
• Marta Kowalskaa, Faming Tian, Mária ?mehilová, Petr Galuszka, Ivo Fréborta, Richard Napier, Nicholas Dale,Marta Kowalskaa, Faming Tian, Mária ?mehilová, Petr Galuszka, Ivo Fréborta, Richard Napier, Nicholas Dale, (2011) 'Prussian Blue acts as a mediator in a reagentless cytokinin biosensor ' Analytica Chimica Acta 701 (2), 218 - 223
• Abdul Kadir, MK, Hines, EL, Qaddoum, K, Collier, R, Dowler, E, Grant, W, Leeson M., Iliescu, D, Subramanian, A, Richards, K, Merali, Y, Napier, R (2013) 'Food security risk level assessment: A fuzzy logic-based approach' Applied Artificial Intelligence 27 (1), 50 - 61
• Ari Sadanandom and Richard M Napier (2010) 'Biosensors in plants' Current Opinion In Plant Biology
• Ghaffari, R., Zhang, F., Iliescu, D., Hines, E., Leeson, M. and Napier, R. (2010) 'Electronic nose approach: early detection of diseases and volatile discrimination of plants' in Applied signal and image processing: multidisciplinary advancements , Editors: Qahwaji, R., Green, R. and Hines, E. L., USA: IGI Global

View all Publications