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.

• Durham Centre for Crop Improvement Technology
• Molecular Plant Sciences

• Lecture on my research

Journal Article

• Sukiran, Nur Afiqah, Steel, Patrick Giles & Knight, Marc Robert (2020). Basal stomatal aperture is regulated by GA-DELLAs in Arabidopsis. Journal of Plant Physiology 250: 153182.
• Liu, Junli, Lenzoni, Gioia & Knight, Marc R. (2020). Design principles for decoding calcium signals to generate specific gene expression via transcription. Plant Physiology 182(4): 1743-1761.
• Panter, Paige E., Kent, Olivia, Dale, Maeve, Smith, Sarah J., Skipsey, Mark, Thorlby, Glenn, Cummins, Ian, Ramsay, Nathan, Begum, Rifat A., Sanhueza, Dayan, Fry, Stephen C., Knight, Marc R. & Knight, Heather (2019). MUR1-mediated cell-wall fucosylation is required for freezing tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. New Phytologist 224(2): 1518-1531.
• Pinneh, E.C., Mina, J.G., Stark, M.J.R., Lindell, S.D., Luemmen, P., Knight, M.R., Steel, P.G. & Denny, P.W. (2019). The identification of small molecule inhibitors of the plant inositol phosphorylceramide synthase which demonstrate herbicidal activity. Scientific Reports 9: 8083.
• Pinneh, E.C., Stoppel, R., Knight, H., Knight, M.R., Steel, P.G. & Denny, P.W. (2019). Expression levels of inositol phosphorylceramide synthase modulate plant responses to biotic and abiotic stress in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLoS ONE 14(5): e0217087.
• Pollastri, S., Jorba, I., Hawkins, T.J., Llusia, J. Michelozzi, M., Navajas, D., Penuelas, J., Hussey, P.J., Knight, M.R. & Loreto, F. (2019). Leaves of isoprene‐emitting tobacco plants maintain PSII stability at high temperatures. New Phytologist
• Lenzoni, G. & Knight, M.R. (2019). Increases in absolute temperature stimulate free calcium concentration elevations in the chloroplast. Plant & Cell Physiology 60(3): 538-548.
• Shoala, Tahsin, Edwards, Martin G., Knight, Marc R. & Gatehouse, Angharad M. R. (2018). OXI1 kinase plays a key role in resistance of Arabidopsis towards aphids (Myzus persicae). Transgenic Research 27(4): 355-366.
• Lenzoni, G., Liu, J. & Knight, M.R. (2018). Predicting plant immunity gene expression by identifying the decoding mechanism of calcium signatures. New Phytologist 217(4): 1598-1609.
• Johnson, Stephanie M., Cummins, Ian, Lim, Fei Ling, Slabas, Antoni R. & Knight, Marc 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.
• Fenyk, Stepan, Townsend, Philip D., Dixon, Christopher H., Spies, Gerhard B., de San Eustaquio Campillo, Alba, Slootweg, Erik J., Westerhof, Lotte B., Gawehns, Fleur K.K., Knight, Marc R., Sharples, Gary J., Goverse, Aska, Pålsson, Lars-Olof, Takken, Frank L.W. & Cann, Martin 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.
• Liu, J., Whalley, H.J. & Knight, M.R. (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.
• Johnson, S. M., Lim, F. L., Finkler, A., Fromm, H., Slabas, A. R. & Knight, M. R. (2014). Transcriptomic analysis of Sorghum bicolor responding to combined heat and drought stress. BMC Genomics 15(1): 456.
• Oakenfull, Rachael J., Baxter, Robert & Knight, Marc 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): e54119.
• Whalley, H.J. & Knight, M.R. (2013). Calcium signatures are decoded by plants to give specific gene responses. New Phytologist 197(3): 690-693.
• Knight, Marc. R. & Knight, Heather (2012). Low-temperature perception leading to gene expression and cold tolerance in higher plants. New Phytologist 195(4): 737-751.
• Wathugala, D.L., Hemsley, P.A., Moffat, C.S., Cremelie, P., Knight, M.R. & 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.
• Liu, J.L., Knight, H., Hurst, C.H. & Knight, M.R. (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.
• Mehlmer N, Parvin N, Hurst CH, Knight MR, Teige M, & Vothknecht UC. (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.
• Sulaiman, Y., Knight, M. R. & Kataky, R. (2012). Non-invasive monitoring of temperature stress in Arabidopsis thaliana roots, using ion amperometry. Analytical Methods 4(6): 1656-1661.
• Caroline S Moffat, Robert A Ingle, Deepthi L Wathugala, Nigel J Saunders, Heather Knight & Marc R Knight (2012). ERF5 and ERF6 Play Redundant Roles as Positive Regulators of JA/Et-Mediated Defense against Botrytis cinerea in Arabidopsis. PLoS ONE 7(4): e35995.
• Whalley, H. J., Sargeant, A. W., Steele, J. F. C., Lacoere, T., Lamb, R., Saunders, N. J., Knight, H. & Knight, M. R. (2011). Transcriptomic Analysis Reveals Calcium Regulation of Specific Promoter Motifs in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell 23(11): 4079-4095.
• Howden, Andrew J.M., Salek, Mogjiborahman, Miguet, Laurent, Pullen, Margaret, Thomas, Benjamin, Knight, Marc R. & Sweetlove, Lee J. (2011). The phosphoproteome of Arabidopsis plants lacking the oxidative signal-inducible1 (OXI1) protein kinase. New Phytologist 190(1): 49-56.
• Wathugala, D.L., Richards, S.A., Knight, H. & Knight, M.R. (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.