Staff profile

Plant Calcium Signalling

We are investigating the role of calcium as a second messenger in stress signalling. We are interested in how stress information is encoded in calcium responses and how these are decoded by plants to produce the appropriate survival response.

Journal Article

• Sukiran, N. A., Pollastri, S., Steel, P. G., & Knight, M. R. (2022). Plant growth promotion by the interaction of a novel synthetic small molecule with GA‐DELLA function. Plant Direct, 6(4), Article e398. https://doi.org/10.1002/pld3.398
• Sukiran, N. A., Steel, P. G., & Knight, M. R. (2020). Basal stomatal aperture is regulated by GA-DELLAs in Arabidopsis. Journal of Plant Physiology, 250, Article 153182. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jplph.2020.153182
• Liu, J., Lenzoni, G., & Knight, M. R. (2020). Design principles for decoding calcium signals to generate specific gene expression via transcription. Plant Physiology, 182(4), 1743-1761. https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.19.01003
• Panter, P. E., Kent, O., Dale, M., Smith, S. J., Skipsey, M., Thorlby, G., Cummins, I., Ramsay, N., Begum, R. A., Sanhueza, D., Fry, S. C., Knight, M. R., & Knight, H. (2019). MUR1-mediated cell-wall fucosylation is required for freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. New Phytologist, 224(4), 1518-1531. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.16209
• Pollastri, S., Jorba, I., Hawkins, T., Llusia, J., Michelozzi, M., Navajas, D., Penuelas, J., Hussey, P., Knight, M., & Loreto, F. (2019). Leaves of isoprene‐emitting tobacco plants maintain PSII stability at high temperatures. New Phytologist, 223(3), 1307-1318. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.15847
• Pinneh, E., Mina, J., Stark, M., Lindell, S., Luemmen, P., Knight, M., Steel, P., & Denny, P. (2019). The identification of small molecule inhibitors of the plant inositol phosphorylceramide synthase which demonstrate herbicidal activity. Scientific Reports, 9, Article 8083. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44544-1
• Pinneh, E., Stoppel, R., Knight, H., Knight, M., Steel, P., & Denny, P. (2019). Expression levels of inositol phosphorylceramide synthase modulate plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLoS ONE, 14(5), Article e0217087. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217087
• Lenzoni, G., & Knight, M. (2019). Increases in absolute temperature stimulate free calcium concentration elevations in the chloroplast. Plant & Cell Physiology, 60(3), 538-548. https://doi.org/10.1093/pcp/pcy227
• Shoala, T., Edwards, M. G., Knight, M. R., & Gatehouse, A. M. (2018). OXI1 kinase plays a key role in resistance of Arabidopsis towards aphids (Myzus persicae). Transgenic Research, 27(4), 355-366. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11248-018-0078-x
• Lenzoni, G., Liu, J., & Knight, M. (2018). Predicting plant immunity gene expression by identifying the decoding mechanism of calcium signatures. New Phytologist, 217(4), 1598-1609. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14924
• Johnson, S. M., Cummins, I., Lim, F. L., Slabas, A. R., & Knight, M. R. (2015). Transcriptomic analysis comparing stay-green and senescent Sorghum bicolor lines identifies a role for proline biosynthesis in the stay-green trait. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66(22), 7061-7073. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erv405
• Fenyk, S., Townsend, P. D., Dixon, C. H., Spies, G. B., de San Eustaquio Campillo, A., Slootweg, E. J., Westerhof, L. B., Gawehns, F. K., Knight, M. R., Sharples, G. J., Goverse, A., Pålsson, L.-O., Takken, F. L., & Cann, M. J. (2015). The Potato Nucleotide-Binding Leucine-Rich Repeat (NLR) Immune Receptor Rx1 is a Pathogen Dependent DNA-Deforming Protein. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 290(41), 24945-24960. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.m115.672121
• Liu, J., Whalley, H., & Knight, M. (2015). Combining modelling and experimental approaches to explain how calcium signatures are decoded by calmodulin-binding transcription activators (CAMTAs) to produce specific gene expression responses. New Phytologist, 208(1), 174-187. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.13428
• Johnson, S., Lim, F., Finkler, A., Fromm, H., Slabas, A., & Knight, M. (2014). Transcriptomic analysis of Sorghum bicolor responding to combined heat and drought stress. BMC Genomics, 15, https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2164-15-456
• Whalley, H., & Knight, M. (2013). Calcium signatures are decoded by plants to give specific gene responses. New Phytologist, 197(3), 690-693. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12087
• Oakenfull, R. J., Baxter, R., & Knight, M. R. (2013). A C-Repeat Binding Factor Transcriptional Activator (CBF/DREB1) from European Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) Induces Freezing Tolerance When Expressed in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLoS ONE, 8(1), Article e54119. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0054119
• Knight, M. R., & Knight, H. (2012). Low-temperature perception leading to gene expression and cold tolerance in higher plants. New Phytologist, 195(4), 737-751. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04239.x
• Sulaiman, Y., Knight, M., & Kataky, R. (2012). Non-invasive monitoring of temperature stress in Arabidopsis thaliana roots, using ion amperometry. Analytical Methods, 4(6), 1656-1661. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2ay05747f
• Moffat, C. S., Ingle, R. A., Wathugala, D. L., Saunders, N. J., Knight, H., & Knight, M. R. (2012). ERF5 and ERF6 Play Redundant Roles as Positive Regulators of JA/Et-Mediated Defense against Botrytis cinerea in Arabidopsis. PLoS ONE, 7(4), Article e35995. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0035995
• Mehlmer, N., Parvin, N., Hurst, C., Knight, M., Teige, M., & Vothknecht, U. (2012). A toolset of aequorin expression vectors for in planta studies of subcellular calcium concentrations in Arabidopsis thaliana. Journal of Experimental Botany, 63(4), 1751-1761. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/err406
• Wathugala, D., Hemsley, P., Moffat, C., Cremelie, P., Knight, M., & Knight, H. (2012). The Mediator subunit SFR6/MED16 controls defence gene expression mediated by salicylic acid and jasmonate responsive pathways. New Phytologist, 195(1), 217-230. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2012.04138.x
• Liu, J., Knight, H., Hurst, C., & Knight, M. (2012). Modelling and experimental analysis of the role of interacting cytosolic and vacuolar pools in shaping low temperature calcium signatures in plant cells. Molecular bioSystems, 2012(8), 2205-2220. https://doi.org/10.1039/c2mb25072a
• Wathugala, D., Richards, S., Knight, H., & Knight, M. (2011). OsSFR6 is a functional rice orthologue of SENSITIVE TO FREEZING-6 and can act as a regulator of COR gene expression, osmotic stress and freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis. New Phytologist, 191(4), 984-995. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03759.x
• Whalley, H., Sargeant, A., Steele, J., Lacoere, T., Lamb, R., Saunders, N., Knight, H., & Knight, M. (2011). Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Calcium Regulation of Specific Promoter Motifs in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell, 23(11), 4079-4095. https://doi.org/10.1105/tpc.111.090480
• Howden, A. J., Salek, M., Miguet, L., Pullen, M., Thomas, B., Knight, M. R., & Sweetlove, L. J. (2011). The phosphoproteome of Arabidopsis plants lacking the oxidative signal-inducible1 (OXI1) protein kinase. New Phytologist, 190(1), 49-56. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03582.x
• Knight, H., Mugford Nee Garton, S., Ulker, B., Gao, D., Thorlby, G., & Knight, M. (2009). Identification of SFR6, a key component in cold acclimation acting post-translationally on CBF function. The Plant Journal, 58(1), 97-108. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313x.2008.03763.x
• Ulker, B., Peiter, E., Dixon, D., Moffat, C., Capper, R., Bouche, N., Edwards, R., Sanders, D., Knight, H., & Knight, M. (2008). Getting the most out of publicly available T-DNA insertion lines. The Plant Journal, 56(4), 665-677. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313x.2008.03608.x