UPSC Seminar Series 2015

Speaker:
Janice Cooke

Department of Biological Sciences
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

Title: Living on the edge: Responses of an evolutionarily co-evolved and a naïve
pine host in the face of mountain pine beetle range expansion


Host. Ulrika Ganeteg

Room: Lilla hörsalen, KB3A9

Abstract:
The current epidemic of mountain pine beetle (MPB) has impacted more than
28 million hectares of pine forests in western North America.  Lodgepole
pine, with a range overlapping that of MPB, has been the main species of
pine affected by the present outbreak.  From its historic range in British
Columbia, MPB has spread across the Rocky Mountains into northern Alberta.
In this novel habitat, lodgepole pine hybridizes with jack pine, a boreal
forest species.  We used species-distinguishing markers to refine this
hybrid zone, and demonstrate that MPB has undergone host range expansion
to pure jack pine.  We are testing the hypotheses that (1) host quality
differs between lodgepole and jack pine and (2) that abiotic stresses such
as water limitation affect these responses.  Lesion development following
inoculation with the MPB fungal associate Grosmannia clavigera was slower
in jack pine than lodgepole pine, with water deficit delaying lesion
development in both species.  G. clavigera inoculation significantly
increased levels of jasmonic acid in both species.  Microarray analyses
revealed that thousands of genes are invoked in the response of these pine
species to G. clavigera infection, that there are substantial differences
in responses of lodgepole and jack pine, and that water limitation alters
this transcriptional programme.

PhD thesis defense at P-O Bäckströms sal (Aulan), SLU building 8th May, 13.00

Title: New insights into plant amino acid transport and its contribution to nitrogen nutrition Dissertation
Respondent: MSc Iftikhar Ahmad, Institutionen för skoglig genetik och växtfysiologi
Opponent: Associate Professor Janice Cooke, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Canada
Supervisor: Ulrika Ganeteg

UPSC Seminar Series 2015

Speaker:
Quian Ma
postdoc

Title: Functional Characterization of a Novel F-Box Protein in Arabidopsis



Host: Stephanie Robert

Room: Lilla hörsalen, KB3A9

UPSC Seminars

Speaker: Lars Ostergaard
John Innes Centre
Head of the Department of Crop Genetics
Norwich Research Park,
Norwich, UK

Title: Symmetry Matters in Arabidopsis Gynoecium Development

Host: Urs Fischer

Place: Lilla hörsalen KB3A9

PhD thesis defense at Rönnen, SLU building 18th May, 13.00

Title: The Role of Auxin in Abscission of Organs and Tissues
Defendant: Xu Jin
Opponent: Lars Østergaard, Crop Genetics Department, John Innes Centre
Supervisor: Urs Fischer

EMG Seminar
Speaker:
Xiao-Ru Wang

Title:
Optimization of genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) strategies for population genomic research

Room: KB5C2
Contact: Mehdi Cherif

For the third time Umeå Plant Science Centre is coordinating the Fascination of Plants Day on a local level in Umeå.

This year the event will take place on the Arts Campus, Umeå University.

Welcome to a day in the fascinating world of plants, indoors and outdoors on the Arts Campus. In a few hours you can meet plant scientists and other plant experts, participate in experiments, field trips, listen to short presentations and follow the beauty of plants in presentations and exhibitions.

The Fascination of Plants Day is an international initiative of European Plant Science Organization ESPO organised at many different places worldwide. The day is organized for the third time even in Umeå. The Fascination of Plants Day will inspire and fascinate about plants and demonstrate the importance of plant research for the environment and nature conservation, energy, agriculture, forestry and our own benefit.

In Umeå Fascination of Plants Day is a collaboration between several organisations: Umeå University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Umeå Municipality, Arboretum Norr, and Bonsai Sällskapet.

This year the day is arranged in collaboration with Bildmuseet and Sliperiet, and will be part of Umeå University's 50th anniversary and SLU's 100th anniversary.

More information: http://www.fascinerandevaxtersdag.se

Contact:
Stefan Jansson, Professor, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel.070-677 23 31

UPSC Seminars 2015
Cutting Edge Seminar

Speaker:
José Alonso
University of Pennsylvania and The Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Title:
The many layers of plant hormone interactions: from metabolic networks to translation regulation

Host: Karin Ljung

Room: NOTE! Stora hörsalen KB3B1

Abstract:
Fine-tuning of the growth and development programs with the changes in the environment is a process of critical importance for plants that, due to their sessile lifestyle, cannot escape adverse environmental conditions. Plant hormones play a key role in the integration of signals triggered by endogenous and exogenous stimuli. To dissect the involvement of plant hormones in signal integration, the interaction between ethylene and auxin in the regulation of a highly plastic phenotype, root elongation, was chosen as a model. Our initial studies have uncovered an unexpected role of ethylene in the precise spatiotemporal regulation of auxin biosynthesis. Current work using genome-wide ribosome footprinting is uncovering the molecular mechanisms linking this hormone perception to the activation of a novel gene-specific translational control mechanism. Characterization of one of the targets of this translational regulation indicates that the signaling molecule EIN2 and the nonsense-mediated decay proteins UPFs play a central role in this ethylene-induced translational response. Our findings represent a new mechanistic paradigm of gene-specific regulation of translation in response to a key growth regulator in plants.


https://genetics.sciences.ncsu.edu/index.php/people/jose-alonso

UPSC Seminar for young plant scientists

Thursday 28th of May, KB3A9, Lilla Hörsalen 

13.30 – 14.00: Yin Wang, INRA Versailles, France
Title: Identification and regulation of laccases responsible for lignification in stems.
 
14.00 – 14.30: Tamara Verdeja, University of Madrid, Spain
Title: Molecular mechanisms regulating Arabidopsis cold acclimation and Poplar winter dormancy
 
14.30 – 15.00 Melis Kucukoglu, UPSC
Title: Which genes allow a tree “to grow as a tree”? - Lessons from Populus and Norway spruce.
 
15.00 – 15.30 Stefano Papazian, UPSC
Title: Omics Responses to Ozone and Herbivore Stress in Brassica nigra
 
15.30 – 16.00 Thomas Vain, UPSC
Title: Chemical Genomics To Unravel Auxin Perception Controlling Arabidopsis Seedling Development

16.30 – UPSC BBQ (Bring your own food and drinks)