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We are a research group at the University of Sheffield, exploring how plant cell walls are built, remodelled, and repurposed. These dynamic, polysaccharide-rich structures are vital for everything from supporting growth, responding to stress, and resisting disease. Our work spans fundamental biochemistry through to applied biotechnology, with particular interests in stress physiology, guard cell function, and fungal pathogenesis.
Here you can also find information about our cell wall antibody collection, used extensively in our work as well as information on cell wall structure and function, alongside some of the methods we use for cell wall characterisation. If you are interested in collaborating e.g. applying antibody methods to your research questions then get in touch
Interested in joining the group or developing collaborations: email s.amsbury@sheffield.ac.uk
Fundamental Biology of Cell Walls
Fundamental Biology of Cell Walls
My research explores the core principles governing the assembly, architecture, and dynamic remodelling of plant cell walls. By dissecting how this complex polysaccharide-rich matrix is built and maintained, we gain foundational insights essential for addressing applied challenges related to plant development, stress resilience, and sustainable resource utilization.
Cell Wall Responses to Stress
Cell Wall Responses to Stress
Plant cell walls constantly adapt to environmental challenges like drought or salinity. My work investigates how cell wall composition shifts under these stresses, using advanced glycomic profiling to identify and characterize novel genes that orchestrate stress-responsive wall remodelling. The ultimate goal is to pinpoint strategies for crop improvement in a changing climate.
Plant-Pathogen Interactions
Plant-Pathogen Interactions
The cell wall is a plant's first line of defense against pathogens. My research tries to understand how plants modify and reinforce their cell walls to resist infection. We not only consider walls as a biophysical barrier, but also a signalling hub, and try to understand how cell wall modifications can prime plant defences against future attack by oligosaccharide signalling.
Deconstructing Fungal cell walls
Deconstructing Fungal cell walls
Fungal pathogens of crops represent a considerable challenge to agriculture. Using molecular biology and Atomic Force Microscopy we are unpicking the core structure and chemistry of fungal cell walls ,with a focus on the wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici. By elucidating how their cell wall biology drives pathogenicity we can identify novel targets for fungicide development and new targeted control strategies to enhanced crop protection.
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