Mechanism of global regulation of ATP dependent transporters by PTS-NTR
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Oxford
Department Name: Plant Sciences
Abstract
Bacteria are simple single celled organisms that lack the membrane bound structures found in higher cells of plants and animals. However, while bacteria may have a less complex cellular organisation they carry out a huge range of chemical reactions not found in plants and animals. Bacteria are responsible for the cycling of many nutrients such as N2 (N2 is also known as nitrogen gas and consists of two nitrogen atoms bound by a strong triple bond), which is a very inert atmospheric gas. N2 makes up 78% of the atmosphere but is very unreactive and cannot be used directly as a source of nitrogen, which is needed for amino acid, protein and DNA synthesis. However, a small number of bacteria can reduce (add hydrogen) to N2 and convert it into ammonia (NH3), which is readily incorporated into amino acids and then all the other building blocks of life, by a wide range of organisms including bacteria and plants. In many parts of the world the limitation to growth of plants, which in turn support animal life, is the supply of nitrogen as ammonia or related compounds. Since up to 65% of available nitrogen (eg ammonia) comes from bacteria this makes them essential for life on earth. Within the bacteria, most of the nitrogen is actually produced by one family known as the Rhizobiacea. This remarkable group of bacteria form a symbiotic association (both partners benefit) with plants of the legume family, that results in the formation of root nodules (on pea plants these are 2-3 mm bulbs that can easily be seen by pulling up a plant and inspecting its roots). The rhizobia are held inside the nodules where the plant provides them with an ideal environment (low O2 and lots of energy) in which they can reduce N2 to ammonia. The ammonia is supplied to the plant as its nitrogen source so this is why this is known as a symbiotic interaction. It means that the plant does need any nitrogen added to the the soil and enables rapid growth. The purpose of this research is to understand how the bacteria (rhizobia) regulate transport processes that are essential for acquiring amino acids.
Technical Summary
The largest input of fixed nitrogen in the biosphere comes from biological reduction of atmospheric N2 to ammonium. Most of this comes from legume-Rhizobium symbioses, arising from infection of host plants and results in root structures called nodules within which bacteria reduce N2 and feed the resultant ammonia to the host. However, we showed that nutrient exchange between the plant cytosol and bacteroid is more complex with amino acid transport by two ATP binding cassette (ABC) amino acid uptake systems (Aap and Bra) being essential for N2 fixation. Plants take control of bacteroid differentiation and must provide branched chain amino acids to allow full development and persistence of bacteroids. We called this phenomenon symbiotic auxotrophy because bacteroids only become auxotrophic for branched chain amino acids in planta. We have now shown that these transporters are regulated by PTSNtr at the post translational level and the high affinity KDP system at the transcriptional level. We therefore proposed that PTSNtr is a ubiquitous phosphotransferase system that globally regulates ATP dependent transport systems, making it absolutely central to the regulation of most aspects of bacterial physiology and growth. Therefore, our objective is to elucidate the phosphotransfer pathway between PTS components and identify their target proteins. Absolutely critical to understanding the global role of PTSNtr is to determine how it senses adenylate charge and other metabolites and how this controls ATP dependent transport processes. This is likely to have a major impact in many bacteria because PTSNtr is widely distributed and essential for diverse processes ranging from nutrient acquisition to secretion of toxins, drugs, proteins, virulence factors and symbiotic N2-fixation.
Planned Impact
Our aim is to understand regulation of amino acid transport, its role in bacteroid development and nitrogen fixation by legumes. Nitrogen is one of the main constraints on agricultural productivity so its use is essential for high crop yields. In a world where food security is now considered a national priority crop yield is of critical importance. However, the drive for yield alone has led to very high application of nitrogen with consequent nitrate contamination of groundwater and problems of eutrophication. The problem is so serious that reactive nitrogen in the biosphere has doubled from preindustrial levels primarily through massive inputs into agriculture. It also results in the production of N2O which is around 300 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas. These are problems of regional, national and international scope that require urgent amelioration and are at the forefront of the grand challenges for UK science. By improving our understanding of how rhizobia develop into N2 fixing bacteroids in legume nodule we acquire the understanding to improve the competitive success of desirable strains of Rhizobium. It also lays down a foundation of understanding for the transfer of bacteria to nodules in other plants such as cereals. These aims are long term but ultimately this work has relevance to farming practice as well as government policy in decisions about nitrogen utilization in agriculture. It is also relevant to UK attempts to reduce greenhouse emissions and produce a low carbon economy. Understanding the nitrogen fixation and its role in the nitrogen cycle in agricultural has wider benefits applicable to the UK public because of its importance in food security and meeting international obligations for mitigating the effects of climate change. We propose to reach a wide audience of farmers, the public, national and international policy makers and charitable institutions through active outreach (Friends of John Innes). We also have strong links with "The Nitrous Oxide Focus Group" and the newly formed "Consortium for Legumes in Agriculture, Society and Environment", which is an international consortium to promote understanding on the use of legumes. In addition we have broad links to the environmental impact of this work through the Earth and Life Systems Alliance between JIC and UEA (ELSA) and to the UK government via the "Living With Environmental Change program (LWEC)" which has its secretariat at UEA. The proposal is also broadly in the highlight area "Effects of environmental change on the soil-water interface: Implications for food production and water supply". This is because legume use has a substantial impact on soil and water quality particularly for nitrogen run off problems. Legumes use reduces the need for nitrogen fertilizer and therefore decreases the carbon footprint of agriculture associated with fertilizer production in the energy intensive Haber-Bosch process.
This proposal also deals more generally with the regulation of ATP-dependent processes in bacteria by PTSNtr. ABC transporters are the largest group of membrane transport systems in living organisms and are essential for diverse processes ranging from symbiotic N2-fixation and nutrient acquisition, to secretion of toxins, drugs, proteins and virulence factors. Understanding how these systems are regulated by PtsNtr in bacteria may provide drug targets for development of antimicrobials.
This proposal also deals more generally with the regulation of ATP-dependent processes in bacteria by PTSNtr. ABC transporters are the largest group of membrane transport systems in living organisms and are essential for diverse processes ranging from symbiotic N2-fixation and nutrient acquisition, to secretion of toxins, drugs, proteins and virulence factors. Understanding how these systems are regulated by PtsNtr in bacteria may provide drug targets for development of antimicrobials.
Publications
Sánchez-Cañizares C
(2017)
Understanding the holobiont: the interdependence of plants and their microbiome.
in Current opinion in microbiology
Poole P
(2017)
Shining a light on the dark world of plant root-microbe interactions.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Aroney STN
(2021)
Rhizobial Chemotaxis and Motility Systems at Work in the Soil.
in Frontiers in plant science
Poole P
(2018)
Rhizobia: from saprophytes to endosymbionts.
in Nature reviews. Microbiology
Webb IUC
(2021)
Regulation and Characterization of Mutants of fixABCX in Rhizobium leguminosarum.
in Molecular plant-microbe interactions : MPMI
Westhoek A
(2017)
Policing the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis: a critical test of partner choice.
in Scientific reports
Rutten PJ
(2019)
Oxygen regulatory mechanisms of nitrogen fixation in rhizobia.
in Advances in microbial physiology
Mendoza-Suárez MA
(2020)
Optimizing Rhizobium-legume symbioses by simultaneous measurement of rhizobial competitiveness and N2 fixation in nodules.
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Jiang S
(2021)
NIN-like protein transcription factors regulate leghemoglobin genes in legume nodules.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Poole PS
(2022)
Maintaining osmotic balance in legume nodules.
in Journal of experimental botany
Description | Understanding how the bacterial cell regulates the amount of carbon and nitrogen it has is important. We are working to understand the system regulating this in a soil-dwelling bacteria responsible for nitrogen fixation with peas, its host legume. The results of this work are showing that there is a complicated system of integrated regulation with a cascade of protein modification (through phosphorylation) affecting the uptake of both organic acids and sugars mediated by ATP-dependent transporters. The results have implications for agriculture as increasingly the over-use of nitrogenous fertilisers are causing catastrophic environmental problems and increasingly symbiotic nitrogen fixation becomes a source for means to solving the nitrogen crisis. |
Exploitation Route | Provides an increase in the fundamental understanding of nitrogen fixation. This is needed for exploitation of the process of symbiotic nitrogen fixation and making it more widely available to plants, especially crops. |
Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink |
Description | BioSciences DTP, University of Oxford |
Amount | £80,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 1211269 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2018 |
End | 09/2022 |
Description | Continuation of ENSA (RL) |
Amount | $226,932 (USD) |
Organisation | Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2021 |
End | 03/2024 |
Description | Imaging bacterial chemotaxis to roots: role of the global regulator PTSNtr |
Amount | £129,428 (GBP) |
Organisation | The Leverhulme Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2019 |
End | 10/2021 |
Description | Managing the Nitrogen economy of bacteria |
Amount | £4,496,752 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/N003608/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2016 |
End | 01/2020 |
Description | Managing the Nitrogen economy of bacteria (Co-I with Prof. Martin Buck as Lead PI) |
Amount | £4,496,752 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/N003608/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 01/2016 |
End | 01/2020 |
Description | Marie Curie (IA) |
Amount | € 224,933 (EUR) |
Organisation | Marie Curie |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 05/2021 |
End | 06/2023 |
Description | Metabolic bottlenecks in rhizobia affecting competitive nodulation during infection stages |
Amount | SFr. 103,400 (CHF) |
Funding ID | P400PB_183901 / 1 |
Organisation | Swiss National Science Foundation |
Sector | Public |
Country | Switzerland |
Start | 03/2019 |
End | 02/2021 |
Description | Understanding and Exploiting Biological Nitrogen Fixation for Improvement of Brazilian Agriculture (Co-I with Prof. Ray Dixon as Lead PI) |
Amount | £1,624,659 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/N013476/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2016 |
End | 01/2019 |
Description | Understanding and Exploiting Biological nItrogen Fixation for Improvement of Brazilian Agriculture |
Amount | £1,624,659 (GBP) |
Funding ID | BB/N013476/1 |
Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2016 |
End | 01/2019 |
Description | Brazil and nitrogen fixation |
Organisation | Aberystwyth University |
Department | Institute of Biological, Environmental and Rural Sciences (IBERS) |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Our emphasis is to study the physiology of bacterial growth and survival in the rhizosphere and how they establish symbiotic interactions with plants. A further focus of our work is the physiology and biochemistry of nitrogen fixation in legume nodules. Most recently we have been studying how bacteria attach to and colonise roots and have developed methods to open up the whole area of how plants control the microbial root microbiome. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our major emphasis is on signal transduction cascades that regulate nitrogen fixation genes in response to oxygen, carbon and fixed nitrogen status. A long-term goal of this research is to exploit and engineer nitrogen fixation genes for agricultural benefit. (JIC) Research in the Farrar lab focuses on increasing Miscanthus yields in order to replace fossil fuel usage, sequester atmospheric carbon, and ultimately contribute to climate change mitigation. In order to achieve this, there are two main research areas: Plant developmental biology & genetics and Plant-soil-microbe interactions. (IBERS) Plant electron microscopy: the ultrastructure of beneficial plant-bacterial interactions. I also specialise in immunolocalisation of both conventionally (chemically)- and cryo-fixed plant material. Expertise in nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-legumes (JHI) |
Impact | Grant awarded from BBSRC Newton Fund. Grant Ref: BB/N013476/1 Understanding and Exploiting Biological Nitrogen Fixation for Improvement of Brazilian Agriculture. PI: Prof. Ray Dixon |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Brazil and nitrogen fixation |
Organisation | James Hutton Institute |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Our emphasis is to study the physiology of bacterial growth and survival in the rhizosphere and how they establish symbiotic interactions with plants. A further focus of our work is the physiology and biochemistry of nitrogen fixation in legume nodules. Most recently we have been studying how bacteria attach to and colonise roots and have developed methods to open up the whole area of how plants control the microbial root microbiome. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our major emphasis is on signal transduction cascades that regulate nitrogen fixation genes in response to oxygen, carbon and fixed nitrogen status. A long-term goal of this research is to exploit and engineer nitrogen fixation genes for agricultural benefit. (JIC) Research in the Farrar lab focuses on increasing Miscanthus yields in order to replace fossil fuel usage, sequester atmospheric carbon, and ultimately contribute to climate change mitigation. In order to achieve this, there are two main research areas: Plant developmental biology & genetics and Plant-soil-microbe interactions. (IBERS) Plant electron microscopy: the ultrastructure of beneficial plant-bacterial interactions. I also specialise in immunolocalisation of both conventionally (chemically)- and cryo-fixed plant material. Expertise in nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-legumes (JHI) |
Impact | Grant awarded from BBSRC Newton Fund. Grant Ref: BB/N013476/1 Understanding and Exploiting Biological Nitrogen Fixation for Improvement of Brazilian Agriculture. PI: Prof. Ray Dixon |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Brazil and nitrogen fixation |
Organisation | John Innes Centre |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Our emphasis is to study the physiology of bacterial growth and survival in the rhizosphere and how they establish symbiotic interactions with plants. A further focus of our work is the physiology and biochemistry of nitrogen fixation in legume nodules. Most recently we have been studying how bacteria attach to and colonise roots and have developed methods to open up the whole area of how plants control the microbial root microbiome. |
Collaborator Contribution | Our major emphasis is on signal transduction cascades that regulate nitrogen fixation genes in response to oxygen, carbon and fixed nitrogen status. A long-term goal of this research is to exploit and engineer nitrogen fixation genes for agricultural benefit. (JIC) Research in the Farrar lab focuses on increasing Miscanthus yields in order to replace fossil fuel usage, sequester atmospheric carbon, and ultimately contribute to climate change mitigation. In order to achieve this, there are two main research areas: Plant developmental biology & genetics and Plant-soil-microbe interactions. (IBERS) Plant electron microscopy: the ultrastructure of beneficial plant-bacterial interactions. I also specialise in immunolocalisation of both conventionally (chemically)- and cryo-fixed plant material. Expertise in nitrogen fixation by legumes and non-legumes (JHI) |
Impact | Grant awarded from BBSRC Newton Fund. Grant Ref: BB/N013476/1 Understanding and Exploiting Biological Nitrogen Fixation for Improvement of Brazilian Agriculture. PI: Prof. Ray Dixon |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Nitrogen economy of bacteria |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Department | Imperial College Trust |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Emphasis is to study the physiology of bacterial growth and survival in the rhizosphere and how they establish symbiotic interactions with plants. A further focus of our work is the physiology and biochemistry of nitrogen fixation in legume nodules. |
Collaborator Contribution | Focus on establishing the mechanistic basis of signal perception and propagation that operates to allow the appropriate adaptive patterns of gene expression to be mounted. Study of bacterial systems, of agronomic, medical and industrial relevance. Computational systems biology, drawing together information from macromolecular sequences, protein structures, biological networks and other experimental data to study the evolution and function of biological systems. Emphasis on signal transduction cascades that regulate nitrogen fixation genes in response to oxygen, carbon and fixed nitrogen status. A long-term goal of this research is to exploit and engineer nitrogen fixation genes for agricultural benefit. |
Impact | Funding obtained from BBSRC for sLoLa 'Managing the Nitrogen economy of bacteria' Grant Ref: BB/N003608/1. 2nd Jan 2016-1st Jan 2020 |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Nitrogen economy of bacteria |
Organisation | Imperial College London |
Department | Imperial College Trust |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | Emphasis is to study the physiology of bacterial growth and survival in the rhizosphere and how they establish symbiotic interactions with plants. A further focus of our work is the physiology and biochemistry of nitrogen fixation in legume nodules. |
Collaborator Contribution | Focus on establishing the mechanistic basis of signal perception and propagation that operates to allow the appropriate adaptive patterns of gene expression to be mounted. Study of bacterial systems, of agronomic, medical and industrial relevance. Computational systems biology, drawing together information from macromolecular sequences, protein structures, biological networks and other experimental data to study the evolution and function of biological systems. Emphasis on signal transduction cascades that regulate nitrogen fixation genes in response to oxygen, carbon and fixed nitrogen status. A long-term goal of this research is to exploit and engineer nitrogen fixation genes for agricultural benefit. |
Impact | Funding obtained from BBSRC for sLoLa 'Managing the Nitrogen economy of bacteria' Grant Ref: BB/N003608/1. 2nd Jan 2016-1st Jan 2020 |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | Nitrogen economy of bacteria |
Organisation | John Innes Centre |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Emphasis is to study the physiology of bacterial growth and survival in the rhizosphere and how they establish symbiotic interactions with plants. A further focus of our work is the physiology and biochemistry of nitrogen fixation in legume nodules. |
Collaborator Contribution | Focus on establishing the mechanistic basis of signal perception and propagation that operates to allow the appropriate adaptive patterns of gene expression to be mounted. Study of bacterial systems, of agronomic, medical and industrial relevance. Computational systems biology, drawing together information from macromolecular sequences, protein structures, biological networks and other experimental data to study the evolution and function of biological systems. Emphasis on signal transduction cascades that regulate nitrogen fixation genes in response to oxygen, carbon and fixed nitrogen status. A long-term goal of this research is to exploit and engineer nitrogen fixation genes for agricultural benefit. |
Impact | Funding obtained from BBSRC for sLoLa 'Managing the Nitrogen economy of bacteria' Grant Ref: BB/N003608/1. 2nd Jan 2016-1st Jan 2020 |
Start Year | 2014 |
Description | 1st Plant Microbiome Symposium, Brazil Feb 2016 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | 1st Plant Microbiome Symposium, Brazil attended by approx. 200 people |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | 21st Congress on Nitrogen Fixation - 10th-15th Oct 2019, Wuhan, China - Philip Poole |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Phil gave a talk at this international conference. He had many questions on his work and spent time exchanging ideas with colleagues in this research area. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | http://2019icnf.csp.escience.cn/dct/page/65580 |
Description | Article in La Revista - Carmen Sanchez-Canizares |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Carmen wrote an article entitled 'Life underground;The basis and future of agriculture' |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://philippoole.files.wordpress.com/2019/07/carmen.article.jpg |
Description | Attending UBNFC Annual Meeting in Brazil, Nov 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Meeting of all collaborators on an international project or annual meeting |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | BBSRC Senior Executive visits Plant Sciences Dept. Nov 2014 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Supporters |
Results and Impact | BBSRC visited the lab and heard short presentations from members of the group. Interest was shown by the visitors in the work that was going on. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://synthsym.org/news/ |
Description | Back2Roots Advisor, annual project meeting. Jan 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | International advisor to the Back2Roots research programme in the Netherlands |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Bacterial World, Natural History Museum, Oxford, Dec 2018 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Phil gave a talk to school children on an open day at the museum as part of the Bacterial World exhibition. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.oum.ox.ac.uk/bacterialworld/ |
Description | Bath Science Café presentation, June 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Discussion followed presentation. Increased requests for delivering talks at similar science cafe events in other geographical areas. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Bayer Crop Science 16th-17th Feb 2016 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Bayer Crop Science 16th-17th Feb 2016. A group of academics advised industry |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Botanic Gardens seminar |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I talked to the Botanic Gardens about nitrogen and humanity Lots of questions and feedback. This is widely advertised to the public |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Centre of Excellence for Plant and Microbial Science (CEPAMS), Shanghai, China - Philip Poole (Oct 2019) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Phil visited Dr Jeremy Murray at CEPAMS and gave a talk to scientists and students. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | ChemBioPlants Network |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Workshop with approx. 100 researchers from three departments at University of Oxford |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Closing Ceremony of the Spanish-UK exchange programme UAM/SRUK 2018, Madrid, Spain Feb 2019 (Carmen Sanchez-Canizares) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Selection was made from the UK participants who hosted an exchange student from Spain and Carmen was chosen. Both Carmen and the student she supervised gave presentations at the ceremony to celebrate the success of the exchange programme. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Development of Poole Lab website (Rhizosphere.org) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Rhizosphere website is used to describe work performed, profiles lab members, lists outreach activities and celebrates achievements. Also includes a list of Lab publications. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org |
Description | ENFC, Budapest posters and talks |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | An international conference. Group members presented posters and gave talks to approx. 500 scientists |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | European Nitrogen Fixation Conference, Stockholm Sweden, Aug 2018 (Vinoy Ramachandran, Rachel Wheatley, Carmen Sanchez-Canizares) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Each named researcher presented a poster at this international conference. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Facebook LIVE video by Oxford Sparks |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Oxford Sparks FacebookLIVE podcast on nitrogen and the importance of nitrogen-fixing legumes |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://www.facebook.com/OxSparks/videos/1210777428999882/ |
Description | Fascination of Plants Day, University of Oxford, Harcourt Arboretum, May 2014; 2015; 2016 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Interest shown by general public in our displays and conversations concerning the importance of legumes. Praise from public and interest in plants rose. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015,2016 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Gatsby Plant Science Summer School, Hawkshill, July 2018 (Phil Poole, Vinoy Ramachandran) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Summer school for undergraduates interested in Plant Sciences. Phil gave a talk. Vinoy attended as a post-doc mentor to the undergraduates. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Give peas a chance |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | We made a film with Oxford sparks on nitrogen fixation Lots os hits on the web site |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Graduate School Speaker, Lunteren, The Netherlands, April 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Graduate School Speaker, Lunteren, The Netherlands, April 2017 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | International Conference on Nitrogen Fixation (ICNF) Asilomar, USA, Oct 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | keynote/invited speaker |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Talk led to discussions. Poster sparked interest amongst audience. Interest and approval of work from respected colleagues. Discussion of new ideas in the field. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | KEYS conference, Amsterdam, June 2018 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Gave a talk to an industry-sponsored conference. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Lecture at Cirencester Science and Technology Society, Royal Agricultural University, 9th May 2018, (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Lecture given to general public interested in science. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Cologne, Germany Dec 2018 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Seminar and discussion with colleagues at Max Planck Institue. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Meeting minds Oxford Alumni |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I gave a talk to the Oxford biological sciences Alumni Enthusiastic response from the audience |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Michigan State University, student workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Student workshop at an American University where I was an international expert. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Microbiome of Agricultural Plants, Saskatchewan, Canada, June 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Type Of Presentation | keynote/invited speaker |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Talk stimulated discussion. Audience appreciation. Increased collaboration with other scientists. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Mini-symposium Chemical Signalling in the Rhizosphere (Cumbria, Sept. 2019)- Phil Poole |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A group of international scientists focussed on a very defined problem in a retreat-like setting. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Molecular aspects of regulation and metabolism in nitrogen fixation - satellite meeting of European Nitrogen Fixation Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, Aug 2018 (Carmen Sanchez-Canizares) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Talk given to international scientists working in this field. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | NIAB-East Malling Research seminar series, Jan 2019 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Lunch time seminar at Research Institute. Spent much of the day in discussion with colleagues there. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | NUCLEUS UBNFC (VJC meeting) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | A joint meeting of two VJCs who are working in UK and Brazil, held in Brazil, Nov 2017 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Organised Nitrogen Network Workshop, June 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Nitrogen Network wa a one-day meeting for researchers interested in common themes |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Organised OxBacNet meeting - Feb 2018 (Alison East) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | University of Oxford, Bacteriology Symposium and Network meeting. Held three times a year. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/oxbacnet/ |
Description | Organised a day of presentations: Tackling the nitrogen crisis; what are the solutions? Oxford, Sept 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Type Of Presentation | workshop facilitator |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | We organised a one-day symposium with international experts in the area. Extensive discussions were held throughout the day and new collaborations forged. New collaborations have been sparked by this day's events, in terms of both existing programmes of work and in the instigation of new proposals and plans for more integrated research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/nitrogen-crisis-meeting-sept-2015/ |
Description | Outreach at Somerville College, Oxford Feb 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | School students asked questions about the course. They were asked to think about nitrogen and its fixation by legumes. Local schools were keen to participate next year. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | OxBacNet seminar - Feb 2019 (Carmen Sanchez-Canizares) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Carmen gave a seminar at this networking and seminar series held termly. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Oxford Botanic Gardens Seminar Series, Nov 2018 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Evening seminar to interested members of general public. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Plant-Microbe Interactions Symposium, Society for Applied Microbiology, Oct 2020 (PSP) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Phil gave a talk entitled 'Rhizobium from rhizosphere to root nodule' at this online conference. It reached a wide audience who asked a series of questions after the talk. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://sfam.org.uk/career/ems-event-calendar/plant-microbe-interactions-series-part-1.html |
Description | Ratan Tata visits Poole Lab, June 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Ratan Tata, the prominent Indian businessman, visited the Poole Lab as part of a visit to Oxford. He expressed interest in the work that we are doing. Increased awareness of our research amongst businessmen. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Research Seminar, Lisbon, March 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Research Seminar, Lisbon, March 2017 at II Semana Bioengenharia, Instuto Superior Tecnico, Lisbon, Portugal |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Rothamsted Research invited seminar - Phil Poole |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Phil gave a lunch-time research seminar. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK. Seminar, 29th April 2016 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, UK. Seminar, 29th April 2016, addressed audience made up of academic colleagues and post-grad students |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Schools one week Intensive course |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Intensive one week course for A level students in practical plant and microbial science Students all keen to apply for science based university courses |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
Description | Science Cafe, Sherborne, Dorset |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | A science cafe held in a village hall for approx. 60 members of the general public. Many interested participants. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
URL | https://sites.google.com/site/sherbornesciencecafe/ |
Description | Seminar at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Oct 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
Results and Impact | Talk led to discussion. Met with interested parties for discussions over the course of the day. Improved understanding of the area by colleagues working in closely related fields. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Seminar, University of Southampton, Feb 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Seminar, Crop Systems Engineering Seminar Series, University of Southampton, Feb 2017 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Seminars in Frontiers on Genomics, Centro de Ciencias Genomicas (CCG) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), Mexico, Oct 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | I presented three seminars to a group of undergraduates from Mexico in Seminars in Frontiers on Genomics series, organised by Centro de Ciencias Genomicas (CCG) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico. The seminars are broadcast to participating institutions in Mexico. One-to-one discussions were had with the students on a wide-range of topics to stimulate their interest. Enormous appreciation and interest from the post-grad and under-grad students that I interacted with. Discussions with academics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Talk at Curtin University, Western Australia - Phil Poole (Nov 2019) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Phil gave a seminar on his research to an audience of scientists. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Talk to Zoological Society of London, London Zoo,13th March 2018 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Seminar to an audience interested in science, but not specialists in the field. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Thatcher Development Programme's Foundation Day Panel Discussion, 'Climate Change: Approaches and Innovations for the Future' - Feb 208 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
Results and Impact | Broad-ranging panel discussion with students from different disciplines held at Somerville College, Oxford. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | The Cellular World, exhibition and series of talks at the Natural History Museum Oxford (Dec 2019) - Carmen Sanchez-Canizares |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Carmen gave a talk entitled ' Bacteria and the Future of Food' to A level students. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | The Microbiome: human medicine and agriculture in a bacterial world, Royal Society, Oct 2018 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Royal Society organised two days of discussion to formulate policy. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | The Queen's College, seminar series (Carmen Sanchez-Canizares) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | The Queen's College, seminar series (Carmen Sanchez-Canizares) Title: Life Underground: The basis and future of agriculture |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Twitter account Rhizosphere @PooleLabOxford |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Twitter account to publicise the work of the Poole Lab |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019,2020 |
URL | https://twitter.com |
Description | University of York, Dept. of Biology invited seminar- Feb 2018 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Seminar and active discussion with members of Dept. of Biology |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | VI Annual Meeting of the Plant Genetic and Biotechnology Network, Graduate School, Italy, June 2017 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | VI Annual Meeting of the Plant Genetic and Biotechnology Network, Graduate School, Italy, June 2017 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Visit of Counsellor for Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment from the Embassy of Spain (Nov 2019) - Carmen Sanchez-Canizares |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | In her role as Vice-Chair of Society fro Spanish Researchers in the UK (SRUK) Carmen spoke to the Counsellor from the Embassy of Spain and her team. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Visit to Centre of Rhizobium Studies, Murdoch University, Perth - Philip Poole (Nov 2019) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Phil visited CRS and gave a seminar. Also during his visit he was able to interact with post-graduate students. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Visit to Murdoch University, WA |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Spent 1 month in Australia as Sir Walter Murdoch Adjunct Professor with Australian colleagues. Liaising, gave a seminar and got involved with their research activities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
Description | Visit to Murdoch University, Western Australia as Sir Walter Murdoch Visiting Fellow, Dec 2014 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Visit to another laboratory for several weeks. Included giving two seminars and extended discussions with colleagues in the field. Strong ties formed and fostered with the research groups in universities in Western Australia. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Winchester College, Nov 2018 (Phil Poole) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Phil gave a talk to the students of Winchester College. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Wow! How? Family Science Fair, March 2013, 2014, 2015 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Demonstrations stimulated discussion about simple science with children aged 5-10yrs and their parents/carers Favourable comments from the audience on how the stand sparked their interest. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014,2015 |
URL | http://rhizosphere.org/lab-news/ |
Description | Wymondham academy school visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Talk to 6th form students to encourage them to consider science as a career Students keen to apply for university places |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |