NIGEL HALFORD'S TEAMS RESEARCH PROJECTS  

Our work concerns metabolic regulation in crop plants, particularly the roles of two master metabolic regulators, SnRK1 and GCN2. Current strategic targets are improving wheat and potato to reduce acrylamide formation during processing and the integration of metabolic and stress signalling pathways in response to drought and heat in wheat and willow, and the manipulation of the C:N balance in crops for food and fuel applications. Understanding metabolic regulation will be key to achieving many of the strategic objectives being set by government and industry, and those adopted by the Centre for Crop Genetic Improvement and Centre for Biofuels and Climate Change.
Figure 1

SnRK1 is a global regulator of carbon metabolism. For more information see:
Halford, N.G. and Hey, S.J. (2009) SNF1-related protein kinases (SnRKs) act within an intricate network that links metabolic and stress signalling in plants. Biochemical Journal 419, 247-259.
Halford, N.G. and Paul, M.J. (2003) Carbon metabolite sensing and signalling. Plant Biotechnology Journal 1, 381-398.
Halford, N.G., Hey, S., Jhurreea, D., Laurie, S., McKibbin, R.S., Paul, M.J., and Zhang, Y. (2003). Metabolic signalling and carbon partitioning: Role of Snf1-related (SnRK1) protein kinase. Journal of Experimental Botany 54, 467-475.

GCN2 is a key regulator of protein synthesis and free amino acid levels. For more information see:
Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., Kanyuka, K., Parry, M.A.J., Powers, S.J. and Halford, N.G. (2008) GCN2-dependent phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2a in Arabidopsis. Journal of Experimental Botany 59, 3131-3141.
Zhang, Y., Dickinson, J.R., Paul, M.J. and Halford, N.G. (2003) Molecular cloning of an arabidopsis homologue of GCN2, a protein kinase involved in co-ordinated response to amino acid starvation. Planta 217, 668-675.

Both SnRK1 and GCN2 are reviewed in:
Halford, N.G. (2006) Regulation of carbon and amino acid metabolism: roles of sucrose nonfermenting-1-related protein kinase-1 and general control nonderepressible-2-related protein kinase. Advances in Botanical Research Incorporating Advances in Plant Pathology 43, 93-142.
Hey, S.J., Byrne, E. and Halford, N.G. (2009) The interface between metabolic and stress signalling. Annals of Botany; doi: 10.1093/aob/mcp285.

Recent publications on acrylamide:
Muttucumaru, N., Halford, N.G., Elmore, J.S., Dodson, A.T., Parry, M., Shewry, P.R., and Mottram, D. S. (2006) The formation of high levels of acrylamide during the processing of flour derived from sulfate-deprived wheat. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 54, 8951-8955.
Elmore, J.S., Mottram, D.S., Muttucumaru, N., Dodson, A.T., Parry, M.A.J. and Halford, N.G. (2007) Changes in free amino acids and sugars in potatoes due to sulfate fertilization and the effect on acrylamide formation. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55, 5363-5366.
Halford, N.G., Muttucumaru, N., Curtis, T.Y. and Parry, M.A.J. (2007) Genetic and agronomic approaches to decreasing acrylamide precursors in crop plants. Food Additives and Contaminants 24, (S1), 26 – 36.
Lea, P.J., Sodek, L., Parry, M.A., Shewry, P.R. and Halford, N.G. (2007) Asparagine in plants. Annals of Applied Biology 150, 1-26.
Elmore, J.S., Parker, J.K., Halford, N.G., Muttucumaru, N. and Mottram, D. S. (2008) Effects of plant sulfur nutrition on acrylamide and aroma compounds in cooked wheat. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56, 6173-6179.
Muttucumaru, N., Elmore, J.S., Curtis, T., Mottram, D. S., Parry, M.A.J. and Halford, N.G. (2008) Reducing acrylamide precursors in raw materials derived from wheat and potato. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 56, 6167-6172.
Curtis T.Y., Muttucumaru, N., Shewry, P.R., Parry, M.A., Powers, S.J., Elmore, J.S., Mottram, D.S., Hook, S. and Halford, N.G. (2009) Evidence for genetic and environmental effects on free amino acid levels in wheat grain: implications for acrylamide formation during processing. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 57, 1013–1021. DOI: 10.1021/jf8031292.
Shewry, P.R., Zhao, F-J., Gowa, G.B., Hawkins, N.D., Ward, J.L., Beale, M.H., Halford, N.G., Parry, M.A.J. and Abécassis, J. (2009) Sulphur nutrition differentially affects the distribution of asparagine in wheat grain. Journal of Cereal Science 50, 407-409.
Curtis, T.Y., Powers, S.J., Balagiannis, D., Elmore, J.S., Mottram, D.S., Parry, M.A.J., Raksegi, M., Bedo, Z., Shewry, P.R. and Halford, N.G. (2010) Free amino acids and sugars in rye grain: implications for acrylamide formation. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry; DOI:10.1021/jf903577b.

Our current strategic targets are:

        
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