Shona Strachan
Shona was awarded a BSc (Honours) in Molecular Genetics in 2014 from the University of Dundee. After completing a summer studentship funded by the BSPP studying the possibility of hybridisation between different introductions of Globodera pallida from South America, she joined the department of Nematology to undertake a PhD in biology.
Current research interests
The project is focused on finding natural resistant toward the potato cyst nematode (PCN) Globodera pallida. PCN are major plant pathogens, particularly for potato growers in Northern Europe. Withdrawal of nematicides under EU legislation (EU 91/77/EEC) has intensified the need for alternative control strategies.
The Pa1 pathotype of G. pallida was considered to have a limited distribution in a small area of Scotland and Northern Ireland. However, recent molecular characterisation of field cysts led to the conclusion that itis more widespread than originally thought, increasing the need for an effective control strategy.
Resistance from S. multidissectum PH1366, a wild relate of the domesticated S. tuberosum (potato), was found to contain the resistance gene H2 which confers high resistance to Pa1. The H2 gene is considered to be dominant and occur at a single locus, and has never been mapped to the potato genome.
The main aim of the project is to map the location of H2 onto the potato genome, followed by identifying potential putative effector targets which may trigger the H2 resistance pathway.
Bibliography
- Strachan, S.M.; Armstrong, M.R.; Kaur, A.; Wright, K.M.; Lim, T.Y.; Baker, K.; Jones, J.; Bryan, G.; Blok, V.; Hein, I. (2019) Mapping the H2 resistance effective against Globodera pallida pathotype Pa1 in tetraploid potato., Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 132, 1283-1294.
- Armstrong, M.R.; Vossen, J.; Lim, T.Y.; Hutten, R.C.B.; Xu, J.F.; Strachan, S.M.; Harrower, B.; Champouret, N.; Gilroy, E.M.; Hein I. (2019) Tracking disease resistance deployment in potato breeding by enrichment sequencing., Plant Biotechnology Journal, 17, 540-549.
- Baker, K.; Stephen, G.; Strachan, S.; Armstrong, M.; Hein, I. (2018) BLASTmap: A Shiny-based application to visualize BLAST results as interactive heat maps and a tool to design gene-specific baits for bespoke target enrichment sequencing, In: Ma, W. & Wolpert, T. (eds.) Plant Pathogenic Fungi and Oomyctes. Methods in Molecular Biology. New York: Humana Press, Volume 1848, 199-206.
- Strachan, S.M.; Hein, I.; Bryan, G.J.; McLean, K.; Blok, V.C. (2016) Mapping the H2 gene to a Globodera pallida pathotype PA1-resistant potato cultivar., The Dundee Conference: Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2016, Dundee, 23-24 February 2016, pp245-250.
- Strachan, S.M.; Armstrong, M.R.; Kaur, A.; Wright, K.M.; Lim, T.Y.; Baker, K.; Jones, J.; Bryan, G.; Blok, V.; Hein, I. (2019) Mapping the H2 resistance effective against Globodera pallida pathotype Pa1 in tetraploid potato., Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 132, 1283-1294.
- Armstrong, M.R.; Vossen, J.; Lim, T.Y.; Hutten, R.C.B.; Xu, J.F.; Strachan, S.M.; Harrower, B.; Champouret, N.; Gilroy, E.M.; Hein I. (2019) Tracking disease resistance deployment in potato breeding by enrichment sequencing., Plant Biotechnology Journal, 17, 540-549.
- Baker, K.; Stephen, G.; Strachan, S.; Armstrong, M.; Hein, I. (2018) BLASTmap: A Shiny-based application to visualize BLAST results as interactive heat maps and a tool to design gene-specific baits for bespoke target enrichment sequencing, In: Ma, W. & Wolpert, T. (eds.) Plant Pathogenic Fungi and Oomyctes. Methods in Molecular Biology. New York: Humana Press, Volume 1848, 199-206.
- Strachan, S.M.; Hein, I.; Bryan, G.J.; McLean, K.; Blok, V.C. (2016) Mapping the H2 gene to a Globodera pallida pathotype PA1-resistant potato cultivar., The Dundee Conference: Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2016, Dundee, 23-24 February 2016, pp245-250.
- Strachan, S.; Baker, K.; Hein, I.; Bryan, G.; Blok, V. (2016) Mapping the globodera pallida resistance gene H2 in potato using whole genome enrichment., Journal of Nematology, 48, p373. Abstract.
