Tuesday, 4 September 201208:00 | Registration | |
Enhancing Plant Resistance to Disease |
| | 09:00 |  | Keynote Presentation A Novel Chorismate Mutase Effector from the Necrotroph Fungal Phytopathogen Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum is a Functional Relative of an Effector from the Biotroph Ustilago Maydis
Marty Dickman, Professor/Director, Texas A&M University, United States of America
What can be more fundamental than whether a given cell lives or dies? Our work with economically important necrotrophic phytopathogenic fungi has suggested that, whomever (plant vs. pathogen), controls cell death and the type of cell death “wins “ the battle. |
| 09:30 | Utilization of Different Methods to Decipher Pathways and Genes Involved in the Barley - powdery Mildew Interaction
Goetz Hensel, Senior Scientist, Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research, Germany
In order to study plant-pathogen interactions in monocot plants like barley several tools for the transient as well as stable analysis of candidate genes were developed and will be presented. | 10:00 | A Balanced Subcellular Distribution of the Plant Immune Receptor Rx Between the Cytoplasm and Nucleus is Required for Effective Immunity Against Potato Virus X
Wladimir Tameling, Researcher, Wageningen University, Netherlands
Intracellular immune receptors play an important role in the innate immune system of plants. Here we present our studies that are aimed to unravel the cellular mechanism by which these receptors activate the immune response upon attack of pathogens. | 10:30 | Coffee and Networking in Exhibition Hall | 11:15 | Arabidopsis Natural Variation in Response to an Oomycetal Necrotic Elicitor
Bernard Dumas, Principal Investigator, University Paul Sabatier Toulouse, France
I will present results obtained on the natural variation observed in Arabidopsis accessions to a microbial inducer of plant immunity. This work will give new clues for the characterization of plant genetic determinants involved in response to pathogens. | |
RNA Silencing Mechanisms in Plants |
| | 11:45 | Reducing Sequencing Bias of Small RNAs by Next Generation Sequencing
Tamas Dalmay, Director/Professor, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
Small RNA profiling by next generation sequencing gives inaccurate results and we characterised this bias. We also provide a solution to the problem by using new adapters that contain degenerate nucleotides. | 12:15 | Lunch and Networking in Exhibition Hall | 13:30 | Poster Viewing Session | 14:15 | A Novel System for Gene Silencing using siRNAs in Plants to Human Models
Satjana Pattanasak, Research Scientist, National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), United Kingdom
siRNAs are designed to specifically target and silence a mutant allele, presenting an opportunity for therapeutic intervention. In this study, a reporter mouse model was developed to enable the study of siRNA delivery to skin and investigate the efficacy of treatment. | |
Optimisation of Growth for Food and Biofuel |
| | 14:45 |  | Keynote Presentation Accelerating the Improvement of Dedicated Saccharinae Bioenergy Crops
Andrew Paterson, Professor/Director, University of Georgia, United States of America
Expansion of agriculture to provide plant biomass for production of fuels/feedstocks will require additions to our present repertoire of crops. Numerous avenues to leverage knowledge of botanical models to accelerate improvement of dedicated energy crops will be presented. |
| 15:15 | Coffee and Networking in Exhibition Hall | 16:00 | Exploiting New Knowledge in Metabolic and Stress Signalling: Contribution to Achieving the Goal of 20:20 Wheat
Nigel Halford, Programme Leader, Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom
The 20:20 wheat programme aims for a yield of 20 tonnes per hectare of high quality, safe wheat. This presentation will describe the contribution of studies on metabolic and stress signalling networks to achieving this aim.
| 16:30 | Drinks Reception |
Wednesday, 5 September 2012 |
Optimisation of Growth for Food and Biofuel Cont'd |
| | 09:30 |  | Keynote Presentation Future Regulatory Challenges for Transgenic Crops
Jim Dunwell, Professor, University of Reading, United Kingdom
This review will consider the wide range of novel technologies for gene introduction and modification, and how such technologies interact with the present regulatory systems. It will discuss whether these systems are still appropriate and able to accommodate ongoing changes in science. |
| 10:00 | Metabolic Engineering of Omega-3 Long Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Transgenic Plants and Algae
Johnathan Napier, Principal Investigator, Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom
Using iterative approaches to pathway engineering, it is now possible to achieve nutritionally-relevant levels of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in a transgenic host. These studies have also revealed fundamental insights into lipid metabolism in plants and algae. | 10:30 | Coffee and Networking in Exhibition Hall | |
Genetic Engineering to Increase Yield from Livestock |
| | 11:15 | Genetic and Genomic Markers of Beef Quality
Jean-François Hocquette, Director of Herbivore Unit, INRA, France
Many genomic markers of beef tenderness were identified but they are often specific to muscle type, animal type or environmental conditions. However, genes related to the heat shock protein family or muscle characteristics are potential markers of beef tenderness. | |
The Use of Next generation Sequencing and Bioinformatics |
| | 11:45 | Genomics-based Approaches to Enhance Resistance of Durum Wheat (Triticum durum Desf.) to Fungal Pathogens
Roberto Tuberosa, Professor, University of Bologna, Italy
Biparental and association mapping have allowed us to identify QTLs regulating durum wheat resistance to leaf rust, stem rust and Fusarium. Marker-assisted selection is being implemented in collaboration with a seed company and positional cloning of a QTL for leaf rust resistance is underway. | 12:15 | Lunch and Networking in Exhibition Hall | 13:30 | Poster Viewing Session | 14:15 | Genome-wide Gene Expression Profiles for the Characterization and Prediction of Heterosis in Zea mays L.
Alexander Thiemann, Post-doc, University of Hamburg, Germany
A transcriptome-based approach to predict heterosis and to reveal its genetic basis - Identifying QTL underlying genes in breeding populations. | 14:45 | Genomics for Lower Carbon Footprint Livestock?
Ann Bruce, Research Fellow, Edinburgh University, United Kingdom
To achieve impact, genomic solutions to reduce methane emissions from sheep and cattle must be adopted by farmers. I will summarise empirical evidence on farmer attitudes to genomic technologies and methane emissions and identify some barriers to adoption. | 15:15 | Coffee and Networking in Exhibition Hall | 15:45 | Close of Conference |
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