Professor Julie Gray

School of Biosciences

Professor of Plant Cell Signalling

Professor Julie Gray
Profile picture of Professor Julie Gray
j.e.gray@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 4407

Full contact details

Professor Julie Gray
School of Biosciences
Firth Court
Western Bank
Sheffield
S10 2TN
Profile

Career history

  • 2008 - present: Professor, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield
  • 1993 - 2007: Lecturer/ Senior Lecturer/Reader Dept. of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield
  • 1990 - 1993: University Research Fellow, University of Nottingham
  • 1989 – 1990: Research Fellow, University of Melbourne
  • 1985 - 1989: PhD, University of Nottingham
Research interests

Stomata are pores that open to allow carbon dioxide into leaves for photosynthesis and close to reduce water loss. Stomata are important because their behaviour affects crop productivity, and global carbon and water cycles.

We study how stomatal aperture and stomatal development are controlled by the plant, and how environmental change affects both the number of stomata that are produced and their sensitivity.

We use molecular genetic techniques to study the evolution of stomatal signalling pathways which are believed to have been important for the greening of the earth over 400 million years ago.

Recently we have begun to translate our finding into important crops including wheat and rice, to improve drought tolerance and water use efficiency.

Publications

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Journal articles

All publications

Journal articles

Chapters

Conference proceedings papers

  • Thomas J, Sammonds J, Hunt L & Gray J (2018) Reduced stomatal density in wheat and its potential for improving control of foliar pathogens. PHYTOPATHOLOGY, Vol. 108(10) (pp 170-170) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Casson SA, Franklin KA, Gray JE, Grierson CS, Whitelam GC & Hetherington AM (2009) Phytochrome B and PIF4 regulate stomatal development in response to light quantity. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 153A(2) (pp S209-S209) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Panagopulos M, Worrall D, Liang Y, Alvarez S, Holroyd G, Spiegel S, Gray J & Hetherington A (2008) The role of sphingosine kinase in plant cell signalling. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 150(3) (pp S195-S195) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gray J & Hunt L (2008) Control of stomatal development. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 150(3) (pp S144-S144) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Lindsay S, Hunt L, Gray J & Hetherington A (2008) Analysis of the R2R3-MYB transcription factor family identifies genes involved in stomatal function. COMPARATIVE BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY A-MOLECULAR & INTEGRATIVE PHYSIOLOGY, Vol. 150(3) (pp S195-S195) RIS download Bibtex download
  • McAinsh MR, Gray JE, Hetherington AM, Leckie CP & Ng C (2000) Ca2+ signalling in stomatal guard cells. BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS, Vol. 28 (pp 476-481) RIS download Bibtex download
  • PICTON S, GRAY JE & GRIERSON D (1995) THE MANIPULATION AND MODIFICATION OF TOMATO FRUIT RIPENING BY EXPRESSION OF ANTISENSE RNA IN TRANSGENIC PLANTS. EUPHYTICA, Vol. 85(1-3) (pp 193-202) RIS download Bibtex download
  • Gray JE, McClure BA, Haring V, Anderson MA & Clark AE (1991) Self-Incompatibility as a Model for Cell-Cell Recognition in Flowering Plants (pp 527-536) RIS download Bibtex download
  • GRIERSON D, SMITH CJS, WATSON CF, MORRIS PC, GRAY JE, DAVIES K, PICTON SJ, TUCKER GA, SEYMOUR G, SCHUCH W , BIRD CR et al (1990) REGULATION OF GENE-EXPRESSION IN TRANSGENIC TOMATO PLANTS BY ANTISENSE RNA AND RIPENING-SPECIFIC PROMOTERS. GENETIC ENGINEERING OF CROP PLANTS (pp 115-125) RIS download Bibtex download

Preprints

Teaching activities

Level 4 modules

  • MBB401 Introduction to Research Methodology (Module Coordinator)
  • MBB405 Advanced Research Topics

Level 3 modules

  • MBB304 Plant Biotechnology
  • MBB343 Biochemical Signalling (Module Coordinator)

Level 1 modules

  • MBB161 Biochemistry