Dr Lisa Smith
School of Biosciences
Lecturer


+44 114 222 4702
Full contact details
School of Biosciences
C34a
Alfred Denny Building
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
- Profile
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- Lecturer, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, UK (2013-present)
- Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Molecular Biology, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology, Germany (2007-2013)
- PhD Student, The Sainsbury Laboratory, Norwich, UK (2002-2006)
- BSc (Hons), The University of Queensland, Australia (1998-2001)
- Research interests
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The lab is primarily focused on plant development. We are particularly interested in the contribution of a group of receptor kinases to plant development. The malectin-like domain receptor kinases detect signals coming either from other plant cells or from the surrounding environment. Their functions help the cell and plant develop appropriately according to the wider environment. Our research is currently focussed on the function of malectin-like domain receptor kinases in fertilisation, where the male and female gametes exchange signals. This research is in collaboration with Prof. Andrew Fleming and Dr Sam Amsbury.
A second line of research in the lab examines the developmental roles of malectin domain kinesins. Kinesins are motor proteins that can move around the cell using the cytoskeleton. Kinesins are particularly important in plant cell division where they can restructure the cytoskeleton and shift organelles. In work funded by The Leverhulme Trust, we aim to understand the function of malectin domain kinesins in plant development and cell division.
I remain interested in diverse areas of plant molecular biology such as natural variation, epigenetics and transposable elements. Together with Jurriaan Ton and Stephen Rolfe’s labs and external collaborators, I am studying the long-term effects of biotic stress on heritable variations, and the potential to use transgenerational inherited resistance to make better crops.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- The genetic and epigenetic landscape of the
Arabidopsis
centromeres. Science, 374(6569). View this article in WRRO
- CrRLK1L receptor-like kinases HERK 1 and ANJEA are female determinants of pollen tube reception. EMBO Reports, 21(2). View this article in WRRO
- A malectin domain kinesin functions in pollen and seed development in Arabidopsis.. J Exp Bot, 71(6), 1828-1841. View this article in WRRO
- Surviving in a Hostile World: Plant Strategies to Resist Pests and Diseases. Annual Review of Phytopathology, 57(1), 505-529. View this article in WRRO
- The relationship between transgenerational acquired resistance and global DNA methylation in Arabidopsis. Scientific Reports, 8(1). View this article in WRRO
- The role of DNA (de)methylation in immune responsiveness of Arabidopsis. Plant Journal, 88(3), 361-374. View this article in WRRO
- Conserved roles of CrRLK1L receptor-like kinases in cell expansion and reproduction from algae to angiosperms. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7(AUG2016). View this article in WRRO
- Rapid divergence and high diversity of miRNAs and miRNA targets in the Camelineae. The Plant Journal, 81(4), 597-610.
- Transposon variants and their effects on gene expression in Arabidopsis.. PLoS Genet, 9(2), e1003255. View this article in WRRO
- Multiple insert size paired-end sequencing for deconvolution of complex transcriptomes.. RNA Biol, 9(5), 596-609.
- Complex evolutionary events at a tandem cluster of Arabidopsis thaliana genes resulting in a single-locus genetic incompatibility.. PLoS Genet, 7(7), e1002164. View this article in WRRO
- Transposable elements and small RNAs contribute to gene expression divergence between Arabidopsis thaliana and Arabidopsis lyrata. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(6), 2322-2327. View this article in WRRO
All publications
Journal articles
- Signalling between the sexes during pollen tube reception. Trends in Plant Science.
- A. thaliana Hybrids Develop Growth Abnormalities Through Integration of Stress, Hormone and Growth Signalling.. Plant Cell Physiol. View this article in WRRO
- The genetic and epigenetic landscape of the
Arabidopsis
centromeres. Science, 374(6569). View this article in WRRO
- Novel allele elh of the UBP14 gene affects plant organ size via cell expansion in Arabidopsis thaliana.. MicroPubl Biol, 2021. View this article in WRRO
- CrRLK1L receptor-like kinases HERK 1 and ANJEA are female determinants of pollen tube reception. EMBO Reports, 21(2). View this article in WRRO
- A malectin domain kinesin functions in pollen and seed development in Arabidopsis.. J Exp Bot, 71(6), 1828-1841. View this article in WRRO
- A Novel Upstream Regulator of Trichome Development Inhibitors. Plant Physiology, 181(4), 1398-1400. View this article in WRRO
- The Heat Is On: Maize Pollen Development after a Heat Wave. Plant Physiology, 181(2), 387-388. View this article in WRRO
- Surviving in a Hostile World: Plant Strategies to Resist Pests and Diseases. Annual Review of Phytopathology, 57(1), 505-529. View this article in WRRO
- A rice transcription factor controls grain length through cell number. Plant Physiology, 180(4), 1781-1783. View this article in WRRO
- Salicylic Acid, Senescence, and Heterosis. Plant Physiology, 180(1), 3-4. View this article in WRRO
- Epigenetic Regulation of mRNA Polyadenylation Site Selection. Plant Physiology, 180(1), 7-9. View this article in WRRO
- The relationship between transgenerational acquired resistance and global DNA methylation in Arabidopsis. Scientific Reports, 8(1). View this article in WRRO
- Identification of Woodland Strawberry Gene Coexpression Networks.. Plant Physiology, 178(1), 7-8. View this article in WRRO
- Powering Epigenetics through the 1C Pathway. Plant Physiology, 177(2), 443-444. View this article in WRRO
- N2-fixing tropical legume evolution: a contributor to enhanced weathering through the Cenozoic?. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 284(1860). View this article in WRRO
- The role of DNA (de)methylation in immune responsiveness of Arabidopsis. Plant Journal, 88(3), 361-374. View this article in WRRO
- Conserved roles of CrRLK1L receptor-like kinases in cell expansion and reproduction from algae to angiosperms. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7(AUG2016). View this article in WRRO
- Rapid divergence and high diversity of miRNAs and miRNA targets in the Camelineae. The Plant Journal, 81(4), 597-610.
- Regulation of pri-miRNA processing by the hnRNP-like protein AtGRP7 in Arabidopsis. Nucleic Acids Research, 42(15), 9925-9936. View this article in WRRO
- Activation of the Arabidopsis thaliana Immune System by Combinations of Common ACD6 Alleles. PLoS Genetics, 10(7). View this article in WRRO
- The Capsella rubella genome and the genomic consequences of rapid mating system evolution. Nature Genetics, 45(7), 831-835.
- Transposon variants and their effects on gene expression in Arabidopsis.. PLoS Genet, 9(2), e1003255. View this article in WRRO
- Multiple insert size paired-end sequencing for deconvolution of complex transcriptomes.. RNA Biol, 9(5), 596-609.
- On epigenetics and epistasis: hybrids and their non-additive interactions.. EMBO J, 31(2), 249-250.
- Complex evolutionary events at a tandem cluster of Arabidopsis thaliana genes resulting in a single-locus genetic incompatibility.. PLoS Genet, 7(7), e1002164. View this article in WRRO
- Reference-guided assembly of four diverse Arabidopsis thaliana genomes.. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 108(25), 10249-10254. View this article in WRRO
- Transposable elements and small RNAs contribute to gene expression divergence between Arabidopsis thaliana and Arabidopsis lyrata. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108(6), 2322-2327. View this article in WRRO
- Putative Arabidopsis THO/TREX mRNA export complex is involved in transgene and endogenous siRNA biosynthesis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(31), 13948-13953. View this article in WRRO
- JMJ14, a JmjC domain protein, is required for RNA silencing and cell-to-cell movement of an RNA silencing signal in Arabidopsis. Genes and Development, 24(10), 986-991. View this article in WRRO
- Microrna gene evolution in Arabidopsis lyrata and Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell, 22(4), 1074-1089.
- Dissection of silencing signal movement in Arabidopsis. Plant Signaling and Behavior, 2(6), 501-502.
- Widespread role for the flowering-time regulators FCA and FPA in RNA-mediated chromatin silencing. Science, 318(5847), 109-112.
- An SNF2 protein associated with nuclear RNA silencing and the spread of a silencing signal between cells in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell, 19(5), 1507-1521.
- Mutational analysis of a heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2 response element for RNA trafficking. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 274(48), 34389-34395. View this article in WRRO
- Rice leaves undergo a rapid metabolic reconfiguration during a specific stage of primordium development.
Chapters
- Mechanisms of Transposable Element Evolution in Plants and Their Effects on Gene Expression In Pontes O & Jin H (Ed.), Nuclear Functions in Plant Transcription, Signaling and Development (pp. 133-164). New York: Springer.
- Use of Natural Variation in Arabidopsis thaliana to Study Adaptation In Laitinen RAE (Ed.), Molecular Mechanisms in Plant Adaptation (pp. 31-59). Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons.
Conference proceedings papers
- The emerging case for epigenetic regulation of plant immunity. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, Vol. 32(10) (pp S1.17-S1.17). Glasgow, Scotland, 14 July 2019 - 18 July 2019. View this article in WRRO
Preprints
- An evolutionary epigenetic clock in plants, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
- The genetic and epigenetic landscape of the
Arabidopsis
centromeres. Science, 374(6569). View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Postdoctoral research associate
- Dr Ellen Allwood: A plant-specific motor during cell division and seed development (funded by a Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant)
PhD students
- Adam Parker: Role of cytidine deaminase in (epi)genetic adaptation of the plant immune system. (BBSRC White Rose Mechanistic Biology DTP: primary supervisor Prof. Jurriaan Ton)
- Emily Harrison: Combatting climate change by engineering crop water loss (White Rose BBSRC iCASE studentship with Biogemma: primary supervisor Prof. Julie Gray)
- Teaching activities
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I currently teach on the following modules:
- APS11004 Plant Sciences: How to make a green planet
- APS216 Plant, Cell and Environment
- APS233 Genomics and Wildlife Forensics
- APS31005 Biological Laboratory Research - Applied Molecular Biology
- APS331 Dissertation
- APS345 Research Project
- APS355 Future Plants
- APS609 Research Project
- APS610 Science Communication for Researchers
- APS6620 Literature Review
- APS6617 Scientific Skills and Project Management
- L1 and L2 tutorials
I coordinate our Masters of Research programmes together with Professor Steve Rolfe, and I am admissions tutor for these programmes. I am also the Placements Coordinator for Organisms and the Environment students, and PGT Tutor for the School of Biosciences.