Professor Brian G Forde Chair of Environmental Plant Biotechnology

email: b.g.forde@lancaster.ac.uk

Tel (44) 1524 510207

Fax (44) 1524 593192

Education

• BSc (Hons) Botany, Queen's University of Belfast, 1971
• PhD Queen's University of Belfast, 1974

• 1974-1976 Royal Society Fellowship, University of Innsbruck, Austria
• 1976-1979 Postdoctoral Fellow, Botany Dept., University of Edinburgh, Scotland
• 1979-1999 Research Scientist, Rothamsted Experimental Station, Institute of Arable Crops Research, Harpenden, Herts, UK

Editorial Responsibilities

• Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Plant Methods
• Associate Editor of Journal of Experimental Botany

Current Research Interests

The molecular genetics of plant-nutrient interactions

Of the many functions performed by plant roots, the most important is the extraction of water and nutrients from the soil. To achieve this efficiently in the face of competition from other organisms and physical processes such as leaching, roots have acquired a sophisticated suite of adaptations.

Understanding the molecular basis of these adaptations will be important for improving crucial agronomic traits such as nutrient-use efficiency. We are particularly interested in the molecular processes that underlie patterns of ‘foraging’ behaviour in plant roots. The efficiency with which roots explore the soil is greatly enhanced by their ability to preferentially colonise nutrient-rich soil patches. Using Arabidopsis as a model, we previously identified a MADS-box gene (ANR1) which is a key component of a signalling pathway that enables root growth to respond positively to the external presence of nitrate. By engineering transgenic lines in which ANR1 over-expression is dexamethasone-inducible, we have shown that up-regulation of ANR1 in one part of the root system is sufficient to initiate a ‘foraging’ response, even in the absence of nitrate (unpublished results).

Recent progress, in collaboration with Alain Gojon’s group at INRA-Montpellier, suggests that the identity of the long sought-after ‘nitrate sensor’ that lies upstream of ANR1 may now be known. Current evidence suggests it takes the form of a protein previously known for its role as a dual-affinity nitrate transporter, NRT1.1.

Other work is looking at the ability of root tips to respond to external signals from the amino acid L-glutamate (L-Glu). It now appears that the external presence of L-Glu (but not other amino acids) is able to induce major changes in Arabidopsis root architecture that are quite distinct from those elicited by nitrate. Using a combination of approaches, including QTL mapping and forward and reverse genetics, we are trying to determine the molecular basis of the root’s ability to sense external L-Glu. A long-term goal is to use the knowledge gained in these studies to develop plant varieties that are more efficient at using fertilisers, so reducing costs and minimising the environmental impact of arable farming.

Selected Publications

 Research papers

Walch-Liu, P. and Forde, B.G. (2008) Nitrate signaling mediated by the NRT1.1 nitrate transporter antagonises L-glutamate-induced changes in root architecture. Plant J. 54,820-828

Bernard, S., Møller, A., Dionisio, G., Kichey, T., Jahn, T., Dubois, F., Baudo, M., Lopes, M., Tercé-Laforgue, T., Foyer, C., Parry, M., Forde, B.G, Araus, J., Hirel, B., Schjoerring, J. and Habash, D. (2008) Gene expression, cellular localisation and function of glutamine synthetase isozymes in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Plant Mol. Biol. 67, 89-105

Walch-Liu, P., Liu, L.-H., Remans, T., Tester, M. and Forde, B.G. (2006) Evidence that L-glutamate can act as an exogenous signal to modulate root growth and branching in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell Physiol., 47, 1045-1057.

Diatloff, E., Forde, B.G. and Roberts, S.K. (2006) Expression and transport characterisation of the wheat low-affinity cation transporter (LCT1) in the methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris. Biochem Biophys Res Commun., 344, 807-813.

Remans, T., Pervent, M., Filleur, S., Diatloff, E., Mounier, E., Tillard, P., Forde, B.G. and Gojon, A. (2006) The Arabidopsis NRT1.1 transporter participates in the signaling pathway triggering root colonization of nitrate-rich patches. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA, 103, 19206-19211.

Gan, Y., Filleur, S., Rahman, A., Gotensparre, S. and Forde, B.G. (2005) Nutritional regulation of ANR1 and other root-expressed MADS-box genes in Arabidopsis thaliana. Planta, 222, 730-742.

Prosser, I., Massonneau, A., Smyth, A., Waterhouse, R., Forde, B.G. and Clarkson, D. (2005) Nitrate assimilation in the forage legume Lotus japonicus L. Planta, 223, 821-834.

Maathuis, F.J.M., Filatov, V., Herzyk, P., Krijger, G.C., Axelsen, K.B., Chen, S.X., Green, B.J., Li, Y., Madagan, K.L., Sanchez-Fernandez, R., Forde, B.G., Palmgren, M.G., Rea, P.A., Williams, L.E., Sanders, D. and Amtmann, A.(2003) Transcriptome analysis of root transporters reveals participation of multiple gene families in the response to cation stress. Plant J., 35, 675-692.

Reviews and other publications

Forde, B.G and Walch-Liu, P. (2009) Nitrate and glutamate as environmental cues for behavioural responses in plant roots. Plant Cell Environ. (in press)

Forde, B.G. and Lea, P.J. (2007) Glutamate in plants: metabolism, regulation and signalling. J. Exp. Bot., 58, 2339-2358.

Walch-Liu, P. and Forde, B.G. (2007) L-Glutamate as a novel modifier of root growth and branching: What's the sensor? Plant Signaling & Behavior, 2, 284-286.

Walch-Liu, P., Ivanov, I., Filleur, S., Gan, Y., Remans, T. and Forde, B.G. (2006) Nitrogen regulation of root branching. Ann. Bot., 97, 875-881.

Walch-Liu, P., Filleur, S., Gan, Y. and Forde, B.G. (2005) Signaling mechanisms integrating root and shoot responses to changes in the nitrogen supply. Photosynth. Res., 83, 239 - 250.

Filleur, S., Walch-Liu, P., Gan, Y. and Forde, B.G. (2005) Nitrate and glutamate sensing by plant roots. Biochem. Soc. Trans., 33, 283-286.

Walch-Liu, P., Gan, Y., Filleur, S. and Forde, B.G. (2005) Nitrogen signalling and the regulation of root development. Asp. Appl. Biol, 73, 99-106.

Forde, B.G., Harper, J.F. and Kochian, L. (2004) Focus on plant nutrition. Plant Physiol., 136, 2437-2437.

Forde, B.G. and Cole, J.A. (2003) Nitrate finds a place in the sun. Plant Physiol., 131, 395-400.

Crawford N.M.and Forde, B.G.: Molecular and developmental biology of inorganic nitrogen nutrition. In: Meyerowitz, E.M. and Somerville, C.R. (eds) The Arabidopsis Book. American Society of Plant Biologists, Rockville, MD, doi/10.1199/tab.0011, http://www.aspb.org/publications/arabidopsis/ (2002).

Forde, B.G. (2002) Local and long-range signaling pathways regulating plant responses to nitrate. Ann. Rev. Plant Biol., 53, 203-224.

Forde, B.G. (2002) The role of long-distance signalling in plant responses to nitrate and other nutrients. J. Exp. Bot., 53, 39-43.

Forde, B.G. and Lorenzo, H. (2001) The nutritional control of root development. Plant Soil, 232, 51-68.

Touraine, B., Daniel-Vedele, F. and Forde, B.G. (2001) Nitrate uptake and its regulation. In: Lea, P.J. and Morot-Gaudry, J.-F. (eds) Plant Nitrogen, pp. 1-36. Springer, Berlin