Kelly Houston
Kelly is a geneticist who has worked in barley genetics research since completing her PhD. Much of her research has been on two main aspects of grain composition, the plant cell wall (including (1,3;1,4)-β- glucan, arabinoxylan and phenolic acids), and micronutrient content. She identifies and characterizes genes responsible for these traits using a powerful combination of high-density marker sets to carry out statistical genetic analysis and genetic resources (including natural germplasm, mutants and CRISPR-Cas9 gene edited lines) to learn more about how these genes ultimately influence the trait of interest. Recently, Kelly has become interested in utilizing georeferenced datasets to understand more about genetic adaptation to a range of environmental conditions and how this can be applied to facilitate the development of germplasm suitable for future predicted climates.
Current research interests
The interest in studying (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan in barley originates from the health benefits that can be obtained from including (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan in the daily dietary fibre intake. Barley and oats contain higher levels of (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan compared to wheat and rice. In 2005 the US Food and Drugs administration (FDA) approved the claim that whole grain barley and barley-containing products containing at least 0.75 grams of soluble (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan fibre per 228 g serving reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. Exploiting a range of molecular genomic and genetic techniques and resources, we aim to define the functional diversity and regulation of the Csl gene families that mediate the synthesis of (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan, a plant cell wall polysaccharide found in commercially important grasses and cereals.
- BBSRC Response mode Developing nutrient-enriched cereal grains with large embryos. 2019-2023 (Co-I).
- ARC ‘Discovery’ Determining how the soluble dietary fibre (1,3;1,4)-β-glucan is made in cereals. 2021-2024 (PI)
- RESAS Improving barley quality for malt and as a health food. 2016-2022 (PI)
Past research
Previous work as a postdoctoral research associate at the James Hutton Institute involved fine mapping, identification and characterisation of genes influencing morphological traits in barley such as spike density (ZEOCRITON), awn development (LKS1) and glume development (Trd1). This was carried out as part of the EU funded BARCODE project with Robbie Waugh, Arnis Druka, Nils Stein and Michele Morgante.
- 2009-2011 – PDRA – BARCODE project – Scottish Crop Research Institute (now the James Hutton Institute).
- 2005-2009 – PhD – Ecotypic variation and population structure in grassland plant species – Newcastle University.
Bibliography
- Matros, A.; Houston, K.; Tucker, M.R.; Schreiber, M.; Berger, B.; Aubert, M.K.; Wilkinson, L.G.; Witzel, K.; Waugh, R.; Seiffert, U.; Burton, R.A. (2021) Genome-wide association study reveals the genetic complexity of fructan accumulation patterns in barley grain., Journal of Experimental Botany, 72, 2383-2402.
- Shoesmith, J.R; Solomon, C.U; Yang, X.; Wilkinson, L.G.; Sheldrick, S.; van Eijden, E.; Couwenberg, S.; Pugh, L.M.; Eskan, M.; Stephens, J.; Barakate, A.; Drea, S.; Houston, K.; Tucker, M.R.; McKim, S.M. (2021) APETALA2 functions as a temporal factor together with BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2 and MADS29 to control flower and grain development in barley., Development,148, Article No. dev194894.
- Houston, K.; Learmonth, A.; Hassan, A.S.; Lahnstein, J.; Looseley, M.; Little, A.; Waugh, R.; Burton, R.A.; Halpin, C. (2020) The p-coumaroyl arabinoxylan transferase HvAT10 underlies natural variation in whole-grain cell wall phenolic acids in cultivated barley., bioRxiv, 22 December 2020.
- Houston, K.; Qiu, J.; Wege, S.; Hrmova, M.; Oakey, H.; Qu, Y.; Smith, P.; Situmorang, A.; Macaulay, M.; Flis, P.; Bayer, M.; Roy, S.; Halpin, C.; Russell, J.; Schreiber, M.; Byrt, C.; Gilliham, M.; Salt, D.E.; Waugh, R. (2020) Barley sodium content is regulated by natural variants of the Na+ transporter HvHKT1;5., Communications Biology, 3, Article No. 258.
- Garcia-Gimenez, G.; Barakate, A.; Smith, P.; Stephens, J.; Khor, S.F.; Doblin, M.S.; Hao, P.; Bacic, A.; Fincher, G.B.; Burton, R.A.; Waugh, R.; Tucker, M.R.; Houston, K. (2020) Targeted mutation of barley (1,3;1,4)-ß-glucan synthases reveals complex relationships between the storage and cell wall polysaccharide content., The Plant Journal, 104, 1009-1022.
- Garcia-Gimenez, G.; Russell, J.; Aubert, M.K.; Fincher, G.B.; Burton, R.A.; Waugh, R.; Tucker, M.R.; Houston, K. (2019) Barley grain (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan content: effects of transcript and sequence variation in genes encoding the corresponding synthase and endohydrolase enzymes., Scientific Reports, 9, Article No. 17250.
- Tucker, M.R.; Lou, H.Y.; Aubert, M.K.; Wilkinson, L.G.; Little, A.; Houston, K.; Pinto, S.C.; Shirley, N.J. (2018) Exploring the role of cell wall-related genes and polysaccharides during plant development., Plants, 7, Article No. 42.
- Sakuma, S.; Lundqvist, U.; Kakei, Y.; Thirulogachandar, V.; Suzuki, T.; Hori, K.; Wu, J.Z.; Tagiri, A.; Rutten, T.; Koppolu, R.; Shimada, Y.; Houston, K.; Thomas, W.T.B.; Waugh, R.; Schnurbusch, T.; Komatsuda, T. (2017) Extreme suppression of lateral floret development by a single amino acid change in the VRS1 transcription factor., Plant Physiology, 175, 1720-1731.
- Hassan, A.S.; Houston, K.; Lahnstein, J.; Shirley, N.; Schwerdt, J.G.; Gidley, M.J.; Waugh, R.; Little, A.; Burton, R.A. (2017) A genome wide association study of arabinoxylan content in 2-row spring barley grain., PLoS ONE, 12, Article No. e0182537.
- Colasuonno, P.; Lozito, M.L.; Marcotuli, I.; Nigro, D.; Giancaspro, A.; Mangini, G.; De Vita, P.; Mastrangelo, A.M.; Pecchioni, N.; Houston, K.; Simeone, R.; Gadaleta, A.; Blanco, A. (2017) The carotenoid biosynthetic and catabolic genes in wheat and their association with yellow pigments., BMC Genomics, 18, Article No.122.
- Thomas, W.T.B.; Bull, H.; Houston, K.; Looseley, M.E. (2017) Barley (Origins, uses, breeding, and composition)., In: Walker, G.M., Abbas, C., Ingledew, W.M. and Pilgrim, C. (eds.). The Alcohol Textbook, 6th edition. Chapter 5.
- Houston, K.; Russell, J.; Ramsay, L.; Bull, H.; Thomas, B.; Waugh, R. (2016) Marker-assisted crop breeding., eLS, 1-14.
- Zhang, R.X.; Tucker, M.R.; Burton, R.A.; Shirley, N.J.; Little, A.; Morris, J.; Milne, L.; Houston, K.; Hedley, P.E.; Waugh, R.; Fincher, G.B. (2016) The dynamics of transcript abundance during cellularization of developing barley endosperm., Plant Physiology, 170, 1549-1565.
- Marcotuli, I.; Houston, K.; Schwerdt, J.G.; Waugh, R.; Fincher, G.B.; Burton, R.A.; Blanco, A.; Gadaleta, A. (2016) Genetic diversity and genome wide association study of beta-glucan content in tetraploid wheat grains., PLoS ONE, 11, Article No. e0152590
- Houston, K.; Tucker, M.R.; Chowdhury, J.; Shirley, N.; Little, A. (2016) The plant cell wall: a complex and dynamic structure as revealed by the responses of genes under stress conditions., Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, Article No. 984.
- Houston, K.; Burton, R.A.; Sznajder, B.; Rafalski, A.J.; Dhugga, K.S.; Mather, D.E.; Taylor, J.; Steffenson, B.J.; Waugh, R.; Fincher, G.B. (2015) A genome-wide association study for culm cellulose content in barley reveals candidate genes co-expressed with members of the cellulose synthase a gene family., PLoS ONE, 10, Article No.e0130890.
- Marcotuli, I.; Houston, K.; Waugh, R.; Fincher, G.B.; Burton, R.A.; Blanco, A.; Gadaleta, A. (2015) Genome wide association mapping for Arabinoxylan content in a collection of tetraploid wheats., PLoS ONE, 10, Article No. e0132787
- Houston, K.; Russell, J.; Schreiber, M.; Halpin, C.; Oakey, H.; Washington, J.M.; Booth, A.; Shirley, N.; Burton, R.A.; Fincher, G.B.; Waugh, R. (2014) A genome wide association scan for (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan content in the grain of contemporary 2-row Spring and Winter barleys., BMC Genomics, 15, Article No. 907.
- Houston, K.; McKim, S.; Comadran, J.; Bonar, N.; Druka, I.; Uzrek, E.; Cirillo, E.; Guzy-Wrobelska, J.; Collins, N.; Halpin, C.; Hansson, M.; Dockter, C.; Druka, A.; Waugh, R. (2013) Variation in the interaction between alleles of HvAPETALA2 and microRNA172 determines the density of grains on the barley inflorescence., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 110, 16675-16680.
- Houston, K.; Wolff, K. (2012) Rhinanthus minor population genetic structure and subspecies: Potential seed sources of a keystone species in grassland restoration projects., Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 14, 423-433.
- Houston, K.; Druka, A.; Bonar, N.; Macaulay, M.; Lundqvist, U.; Franckowiak, J.D.; Morgante, M.; Stein, N.; Waugh, R. (2012) Analysis of the barley bract suppression gene Trd1., Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 125, 33-45.
- Druka, A.; Franckowiak, J.D.; Lundqvist, U.; Bonar, N.; Alexander, J.; Houston, K.; Radovic, S.; Shahinnia, F.; Vendramin, V.; Morgante, M.; Stein, N.; Waugh, R. (2011) Genetic dissection of barley morphology and development., Plant Physiology, 155, 617-627.
- Druka, A.; Franckowiak, J.D.; Lundqvist, U.; Bonar, N.; Alexander, J.; Guzy-Wrobelska, J.; Ramsay, L.; Druka, I.; Grant, I.; Macaulay, M.; Vendramin, V.; Shahinnia, F.; Radovic, S.; Houston, K.; Harrap, D.; Cardle, L.; Marshall, D.F.; Morgante, M.; Stein, N.; Waugh, R. (2010) Exploiting induced variation to dissect quantitative traits in barley., Biochemical Society Transactions, 38, 683-688.
- Matros, A.; Houston, K.; Tucker, M.R.; Schreiber, M.; Berger, B.; Aubert, M.K.; Wilkinson, L.G.; Witzel, K.; Waugh, R.; Seiffert, U.; Burton, R.A. (2021) Genome-wide association study reveals the genetic complexity of fructan accumulation patterns in barley grain., Journal of Experimental Botany, 72, 2383-2402.
- Shoesmith, J.R; Solomon, C.U; Yang, X.; Wilkinson, L.G.; Sheldrick, S.; van Eijden, E.; Couwenberg, S.; Pugh, L.M.; Eskan, M.; Stephens, J.; Barakate, A.; Drea, S.; Houston, K.; Tucker, M.R.; McKim, S.M. (2021) APETALA2 functions as a temporal factor together with BLADE-ON-PETIOLE2 and MADS29 to control flower and grain development in barley., Development,148, Article No. dev194894.
- Houston, K.; Learmonth, A.; Hassan, A.S.; Lahnstein, J.; Looseley, M.; Little, A.; Waugh, R.; Burton, R.A.; Halpin, C. (2020) The p-coumaroyl arabinoxylan transferase HvAT10 underlies natural variation in whole-grain cell wall phenolic acids in cultivated barley., bioRxiv, 22 December 2020.
- Houston, K.; Qiu, J.; Wege, S.; Hrmova, M.; Oakey, H.; Qu, Y.; Smith, P.; Situmorang, A.; Macaulay, M.; Flis, P.; Bayer, M.; Roy, S.; Halpin, C.; Russell, J.; Schreiber, M.; Byrt, C.; Gilliham, M.; Salt, D.E.; Waugh, R. (2020) Barley sodium content is regulated by natural variants of the Na+ transporter HvHKT1;5., Communications Biology, 3, Article No. 258.
- Garcia-Gimenez, G.; Barakate, A.; Smith, P.; Stephens, J.; Khor, S.F.; Doblin, M.S.; Hao, P.; Bacic, A.; Fincher, G.B.; Burton, R.A.; Waugh, R.; Tucker, M.R.; Houston, K. (2020) Targeted mutation of barley (1,3;1,4)-ß-glucan synthases reveals complex relationships between the storage and cell wall polysaccharide content., The Plant Journal, 104, 1009-1022.
- Garcia-Gimenez, G.; Russell, J.; Aubert, M.K.; Fincher, G.B.; Burton, R.A.; Waugh, R.; Tucker, M.R.; Houston, K. (2019) Barley grain (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan content: effects of transcript and sequence variation in genes encoding the corresponding synthase and endohydrolase enzymes., Scientific Reports, 9, Article No. 17250.
- Tucker, M.R.; Lou, H.Y.; Aubert, M.K.; Wilkinson, L.G.; Little, A.; Houston, K.; Pinto, S.C.; Shirley, N.J. (2018) Exploring the role of cell wall-related genes and polysaccharides during plant development., Plants, 7, Article No. 42.
- Sakuma, S.; Lundqvist, U.; Kakei, Y.; Thirulogachandar, V.; Suzuki, T.; Hori, K.; Wu, J.Z.; Tagiri, A.; Rutten, T.; Koppolu, R.; Shimada, Y.; Houston, K.; Thomas, W.T.B.; Waugh, R.; Schnurbusch, T.; Komatsuda, T. (2017) Extreme suppression of lateral floret development by a single amino acid change in the VRS1 transcription factor., Plant Physiology, 175, 1720-1731.
- Hassan, A.S.; Houston, K.; Lahnstein, J.; Shirley, N.; Schwerdt, J.G.; Gidley, M.J.; Waugh, R.; Little, A.; Burton, R.A. (2017) A genome wide association study of arabinoxylan content in 2-row spring barley grain., PLoS ONE, 12, Article No. e0182537.
- Colasuonno, P.; Lozito, M.L.; Marcotuli, I.; Nigro, D.; Giancaspro, A.; Mangini, G.; De Vita, P.; Mastrangelo, A.M.; Pecchioni, N.; Houston, K.; Simeone, R.; Gadaleta, A.; Blanco, A. (2017) The carotenoid biosynthetic and catabolic genes in wheat and their association with yellow pigments., BMC Genomics, 18, Article No.122.
- Houston, K.; Russell, J.; Ramsay, L.; Bull, H.; Thomas, B.; Waugh, R. (2016) Marker-assisted crop breeding., eLS, 1-14.
- Zhang, R.X.; Tucker, M.R.; Burton, R.A.; Shirley, N.J.; Little, A.; Morris, J.; Milne, L.; Houston, K.; Hedley, P.E.; Waugh, R.; Fincher, G.B. (2016) The dynamics of transcript abundance during cellularization of developing barley endosperm., Plant Physiology, 170, 1549-1565.
- Marcotuli, I.; Houston, K.; Schwerdt, J.G.; Waugh, R.; Fincher, G.B.; Burton, R.A.; Blanco, A.; Gadaleta, A. (2016) Genetic diversity and genome wide association study of beta-glucan content in tetraploid wheat grains., PLoS ONE, 11, Article No. e0152590
- Houston, K.; Tucker, M.R.; Chowdhury, J.; Shirley, N.; Little, A. (2016) The plant cell wall: a complex and dynamic structure as revealed by the responses of genes under stress conditions., Frontiers in Plant Science, 7, Article No. 984.
- Houston, K.; Burton, R.A.; Sznajder, B.; Rafalski, A.J.; Dhugga, K.S.; Mather, D.E.; Taylor, J.; Steffenson, B.J.; Waugh, R.; Fincher, G.B. (2015) A genome-wide association study for culm cellulose content in barley reveals candidate genes co-expressed with members of the cellulose synthase a gene family., PLoS ONE, 10, Article No.e0130890.
- Marcotuli, I.; Houston, K.; Waugh, R.; Fincher, G.B.; Burton, R.A.; Blanco, A.; Gadaleta, A. (2015) Genome wide association mapping for Arabinoxylan content in a collection of tetraploid wheats., PLoS ONE, 10, Article No. e0132787
- Houston, K.; Russell, J.; Schreiber, M.; Halpin, C.; Oakey, H.; Washington, J.M.; Booth, A.; Shirley, N.; Burton, R.A.; Fincher, G.B.; Waugh, R. (2014) A genome wide association scan for (1,3;1,4)-beta-glucan content in the grain of contemporary 2-row Spring and Winter barleys., BMC Genomics, 15, Article No. 907.
- Houston, K.; McKim, S.; Comadran, J.; Bonar, N.; Druka, I.; Uzrek, E.; Cirillo, E.; Guzy-Wrobelska, J.; Collins, N.; Halpin, C.; Hansson, M.; Dockter, C.; Druka, A.; Waugh, R. (2013) Variation in the interaction between alleles of HvAPETALA2 and microRNA172 determines the density of grains on the barley inflorescence., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), 110, 16675-16680.
- Houston, K.; Wolff, K. (2012) Rhinanthus minor population genetic structure and subspecies: Potential seed sources of a keystone species in grassland restoration projects., Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics, 14, 423-433.
- Houston, K.; Druka, A.; Bonar, N.; Macaulay, M.; Lundqvist, U.; Franckowiak, J.D.; Morgante, M.; Stein, N.; Waugh, R. (2012) Analysis of the barley bract suppression gene Trd1., Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 125, 33-45.
- Druka, A.; Franckowiak, J.D.; Lundqvist, U.; Bonar, N.; Alexander, J.; Houston, K.; Radovic, S.; Shahinnia, F.; Vendramin, V.; Morgante, M.; Stein, N.; Waugh, R. (2011) Genetic dissection of barley morphology and development., Plant Physiology, 155, 617-627.
- Druka, A.; Franckowiak, J.D.; Lundqvist, U.; Bonar, N.; Alexander, J.; Guzy-Wrobelska, J.; Ramsay, L.; Druka, I.; Grant, I.; Macaulay, M.; Vendramin, V.; Shahinnia, F.; Radovic, S.; Houston, K.; Harrap, D.; Cardle, L.; Marshall, D.F.; Morgante, M.; Stein, N.; Waugh, R. (2010) Exploiting induced variation to dissect quantitative traits in barley., Biochemical Society Transactions, 38, 683-688.
- Manning,P.; Houston, K.; Evans, T. (2009) Shifts in seed size across experimental nitrogen enrichment and plant density gradients., Basic and Applied Ecology, 10, 300-309.
- Houston, K.; Wolff, K. (2009) Eight polymorphic microsatellite markers for Rhinanthus minor., Molecular Ecology Resources, 9, 174-176.
- Wolff, K.; Houston, K.; Dunbar-Co, S. (2009) Cross-species amplification of primers developed from Plantago major and P. intermedia in two Hawaiian Plantago species from the section Plantago., Molecular Ecology Resources, 9, 981-984.
- Thomas, W.T.B.; Bull, H.; Houston, K.; Looseley, M.E. (2017) Barley (Origins, uses, breeding, and composition)., In: Walker, G.M., Abbas, C., Ingledew, W.M. and Pilgrim, C. (eds.). The Alcohol Textbook, 6th edition. Chapter 5.
