Allan Downie

Recent publications

Li R., Knox M. R., Edwards A., Hogg B., Ellis T. H., Wei G., Downie J. A. (2011) Natural Variation in Host-Specific Nodulation of Pea Is Associated with a Haplotype of the SYM37 LysM-Type Receptor-Like Kinase. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 24(11): 1396-1403

Downie J. A. (2011) A Eulogy to Adam Kondorosi. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 24(11): 1272-1275.

Krehenbrink M., Edwards A., Downie J. A. (2011) The superoxide dismutase SodA is targeted to the periplasm in a SecA-dependent manner by a novel mechanism. Molecular Microbiology 82: 164-179.

Capoen W., Sun J., Wysham D., Otegui M.S., Venkateshwaran M., Hirsch S., Miwa H., Downie J.A., Morris R.J., Ané J.M. and Oldroyd G.E. (2011) Nuclear membranes control symbiotic calcium signaling of legumes. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108: 14348-14353.

Frederix M. and Downie J.A. (2011) Quorum sensing: regulating the regulators. Advances in Microbial Physiology 58: 23-80

Kosuta S., Held M., Hossain M.S., Morieri G., Macgillivary A., Johansen C., Antolín-Llovera M., Parniske M., Oldroyd G.E., Downie J.A., Karas B. and Szczyglowski K. (2011) Lotus japonicus symRK-14 uncouples the cortical and epidermal symbiotic program. Plant Journal 67: 929-940.

Frederix M., Edwards A., McAnulla C., Downie J. A. (2011) Co-ordination of quorum-sensing regulation in Rhizobium leguminosarum by induction of an anti-repressor. Mol Microbiol. 81: 994-1007.

Oldroyd G.E., Murray J.D., Poole P.S. and Downie J.A. (2010) The Rules of Engagement in the Legume-Rhizobial Symbiosis. Annual Review of Genetics [Epub ahead of print].

Miyahara A., Richens J., Starker C., Morieri G., Smith L., Long S., Downie J.A. & Oldroyd G.E. (2010) Conservation in Function of a SCAR/WAVE Component During Infection Thread and Root Hair Growth in Medicago truncatula. Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 23(12): 1553-1562.

Downie J.A. (2009) The roles of extracellular proteins, polysaccharides and signals in the interactions of rhizobia with legume roots. FEMS Microbiol Rev. 34(2): 150-170.

Kiss E., Olah B., Kalo P., Morales M., Heckmann A.B., Borbola A., Lozsa A., Kontar K., Middleton P., Downie J.A., Oldroyd G.E. & Endre G. (2009) LIN, a novel type of U-box/WD40 protein, controls early infection by rhizobia in legumes. Plant Physiol 151: 1239-1249.

Edwards A., Frederix M., Wisniewski-Dyé F., Jones J, Zorreguieta A. & Downie J.A. (2009) The cin and rai quorum-sensing regulatory systems in Rhizobium leguminosarum are coordinated by ExpR and CinS, a small regulatory protein coexpressed with CinI. J Bacteriol 191: 3059-3067.

Hirsch S., Kim J., Muñoz A., Heckmann A.B., Downie J.A. & Oldroyd G.E. (2009) GRAS Proteins Form a DNA Binding Complex to Induce Gene Expression during Nodulation Signaling in Medicago truncatula. Plant Cell 21: 545-557.

Yokota K., Fukai E., Madsen L.H., Jurkiewicz A., Rueda P., Radutoiu S., Held M., Hossain M.S., Szczyglowski K., Morieri G., Oldroyd G.E., Downie J.A., Nielsen M.W., Rusek A.M., Sato S., Tabata S., James E.K., Oyaizu H., Sandal N. & Stougaard J. (2009) Rearrangement of Actin Cytoskeleton Mediates Invasion of Lotus japonicus Roots by Mesorhizobium loti. Plant Cell 21: 267-84.

Fox M.A., Karunakaran R., Leonard M.E., Mouhsine B., Williams A., East A.K., Downie J.A. & Poole P.S. (2008) Characterization of the quaternary amine transporters of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae 3841. FEMS Microbiol Lett 287: 212-220.

Kosuta S., Hazledine S., Sun J., Miwa H., Morris R.J., Downie J.A. & Oldroyd G.E. (2008) Differential and chaotic calcium signatures in the symbiosis signaling pathway of legumes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U.S.A 105: 9823-9828.

Crossman L.C., Castillo-Ramírez S., McAnnula C., Lozano L., Vernikos G.S., Acosta J.L., Ghazoui Z.F., Hernández-González I., Meakin G., Walker A.W., Hynes M.F., Young J.P., Downie J.A., Romero D., Johnston A.W., Dávila G., Parkhill J. & González V. (2008) A common genomic framework for a diverse assembly of plasmids in the symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria. PLoS ONE 3: e2567.

Oldroyd G.E. & Downie J.A. (2008) Coordinating nodule morphogenesis with rhizobial infection in legumes. Annu Rev Plant Biol 59: 519-46.

Williams A., Wilkinson A., Krehenbrink M., Russo D.M., Zorreguieta A. & Downie J.A. (2008) Glucomannan-mediated attachment of Rhizobium leguminosarum to pea root hairs is required for competitive nodule infection. J Bacteriol 190: 4706-4715.

Downie J. A. & Gonzalez J. E. (2008) Cell-to-cell communication in rhizobia: quorum sensing and plant signalling. In Chemical Communication among Bacteria. pp 213-232. Eds: Winans, S. C. and Bassler B. L. ASM Press Washington DC.

Krehenbrink M. & Downie J. A. (2008) Identification of protein secretion systems and novel secreted proteins in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae. BMC Genomics 9: 55.

Sanchez-Cantreras M., Bauer W. D., Gao M., Robinson J. B. & Downie J. A. (2007) Quorum-sensing regulation in rhizobia and its role in symbiotic interactions with legumes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 362: 1149-1163.

Saito K., Yoshikawa M., Yano K., Miwa H., Uchida H., Asamizo E., Sato S., Tabata S., Imaisumi-Anrahu H., Umehara H., Kouchi H., Murooka Y., Szczyglowski K., Downie J. A., Parniske M., Hayashi M. & Kawaguchi M. (2007) NUCLEOPORIN85 is required for calcium spiking, fungal and bacterial symbioses, and seed production in Lotus japonicus. Plant Cell 19: 610-624. pdf file

Sun J., Miwa H., Downie J. A. & Oldroyd G. E. D. (2007) Mastoparan activates calcium spiking analogous to Nod Factor-induced responses in Medicago truncatula root hair cells. Plant Physiology 144: 695-702. pdf file

Downie J. A. (2007) Infectious heresy. Science 316: 1296-1297. pdf file

McAnulla C., Edwards A., Sanchez-Contreras M., Sawers R. G. & Downie J. A. (2007) Quorum-sensing-regulated transcriptional initiation of plasmid transfer and replication genes in Rhizobium leguminosarum biovar viciae. Microbiology 153: 2074-2084. pdf file

Peiter E., Sun J., Heckmann A. B., Venkateshwaran M., Reily B. K., Otegui M. S., Edwards A., Freshour G., Hahn M. G., Cook D., Sanders D., Oldroyd G. E. D., Downie J. A. & Ane J. M. (2007) The Medicago truncatula DMI1 protein modulates cytosolic calcium signaling. Plant Physiology 145: 192-203. pdf file

Edwards A., Heckmann A. B., Yousafzai F., Duc G. & Downie J. A. (2007) Structural implications of mutations in the pea SYM8 symbiosis gene, the DMI1 ortholog, encoding a predicted ion channel. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 20: 1183-1191. pdf file

Russo D. M., Williams A., Edwards A., Posadas D. M., Finnie C., Dankert M., Downie J. A. & Zorreguieta A. (2006) Proteins exported via the PrsD-PrsE type I secretion system and the acidic exopolysaccharide are involved in biofilm formation by Rhizobium leguminosarum. Journal of Bacteriology 188: 4474-4486. pdf file

Miwa H., Sun J., Oldroyd G.E.D. & Downie J. A. (2006) Analysis of Nod-factor-induced calcium signaling in root hairs of symbiotically defective mutants of Lotus japonicus. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 19: 914-923. pdf file

Oldroyd G.E.D. & Downie J.A. (2006) Nuclear calcium changes at the core of symbiosis signalling. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 9: 351-357. pdf file

Tirichine L., Imaizumi-Anraku H., Yoshida S., Murakami Y., Madsen L. H., Miwa H., Nakagawa T., Sandal N., Albrektsen A.S., Kawaguchi M., Downie A., Sato S., Kouchi H., Parniske M., Kawasaki S. & Stougaard J. (2006) Deregulation of a Ca²⁺/calmodulin-dependent kinase leads to spontaneous nodule development. Nature 441 1153-1156. pdf file

Kanamori N., Madsen L. H., Radutoiu S., Frantescu M., Quistgaard E. M. H., Miwa H., Downie J. A., James E. K., Felle H. H., Haaning L. L., Jensen T. H., Sato S., Nakamura Y., Tabata S., Sandal N. & Stougaard J.(2006) A nucleoporin is required for induction of Ca²⁺ spiking in legume nodule development and essential for rhizobial and fungal symbiosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 103: 359-364. pdf file

Miwa H., Sun J., Oldroyd G. E. D. & Downie J. A.(2006) Analysis of calcium spiking using a cameleon calcium sensor reveals that nodulation gene expression is regulated by calcium spike number and the developmental status of the cell. Plant Journal 48: 883-894. pdf file

Heckmann A. B., Lombardo F., Miwa H., Perry J. A., Bunnewell S., Parniske M., Wang T. L. & Downie J. A. (2006) Lotus japonicus nodulation requires two GRAS domain regulators, one of which is functionally conserved in a non-legume1[C][W] Plant Physiology 142: 1739-1750. pdf file

Lombardo F., Heckmann A. B., Miwa H., Perry J. A., Yano Y., Hayashi M., Parniske M., Wang T. L. & Downie J. A. (2006) Identification of symbiotically defective mutants of Lotus japonicus affected in infection thread growth. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 19: 1444-1450.

Murakami Y., Miwa H., Imiazumi-Anraku H., Kouchi H., Downie J. A., Kawaguchi M. & Kawasaki S. (2006) Positional cloning identifies Lotus japonicus NSP2, a putative transcription factor of the GRAS family, required for NIN and ENOD40 gene expression in nodule initiation. DNA Research 13: 255-265. pdf file

Miwa H., Sun J., Gleason C., Heckmann A., Lombardo F., Edwards A., Oldroyd G.E.D. & Downie J. A. (2006) New insights into Nod-factor-induced Ca2+ signaling determined using Lotus japonicus mutants and transgenic Medicago truncatula expressing a Ca²⁺-sensing protein. Biology of Plant-Microbe Interactions 5: 54-59.

Downie,J.A. (2005) Legume haemoglobins: symbiotic nitrogen fixation needs bloody nodules Curr. Biol. 15: R196-R198. pdf file

Imaizumi-Anraku,H., Takeda,N., Charpentier,M., Perry,J., Miwa,H., Umehara,Y., Kouchi,H., Murakami,Y., Mulder,L., Vickers,K., Pike,J., Downie,J.A., Wang,T., Sato,S., Asamizu,E., Tabata,S., Yoshikawa,M., Murooka,Y., Wu,G.J., Kawaguchi,M., Kawasaki,S., Parniske,M., and Hayashi,M. (2005) Plastid proteins crucial for symbiotic fungal and bacterial entry into plant roots Nature 433: 527-531. pdf file

Rodriguez-Quinones, F., Maguire, M., Wallington, E. J., Gould, P. S., Yerko, V., Downie, J. A., and Lund, P. A. (2005) Two of the three groEL homologues in Rhizobium leguminosarum are dispensable for normal growth Arch. Microbiol. pdf file

Studholme,D.J., Downie,J.A., and Preston,G.M. (2005) Protein domains and architectural innovation in plant-associated Proteobacteria BMC.Genomics 6: 17. pdf file

Lodwig E. M., Leonard M., Marroqui S., Wheeler T. R., Findlay K., Downie J. A., Poole P. S. (2005). Role of polyhydroxybutyrate and glycogen as carbon storage compounds in pea and bean bacteroids. Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 18(1):67-74. pdf file

Imaizumi-Anraku H., Takeda N., Charpentier M., Perry J., Miwa H., Umehara Y., Kouchi H., Murakami Y., Mulder L., Vickers K., Pike J., Downie J. A., Wang T., Sato S., Asamizu E., Tabata S., Yoshikawa M., Murooka Y., Wu G. J., Kawaguchi M., Kawasaki S., Parniske M., Hayashi M. (2004). Plastid proteins crucial for symbiotic fungal and bacterial entry into plant roots. Nature 433(7025):527-31. pdf file

Mitra R. M, Gleason C. A., Edwards A., Hadfield J., Downie J. A., Oldroyd G. E, and Long S. R.. (2004). A Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase required for symbiotic nodule development: Gene identification by transcript-based cloning. Proc.Natl.Acad.Sci.U.S.A 101 (13):4701-4705. pdf file

Oldroyd G. E. and. Downie J. A (2004). Calcium, kinases and nodulation signalling in legumes. Nat.Rev.Mol.Cell Biol. 5 (7):566-576. pdf file

Parniske M. and Downie J. A. (2003) Plant biology: locks, keys and symbioses. Nature 425 (6958):569-570. pdf file

Lodwig E. M., Hosie A. H., Bourdes A., Findlay K., Allaway D., Karunakaran R., Downie J. A., and Poole P. S. (2003) Amino-acid cycling drives nitrogen fixation in the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis. Nature 422 (6933):722-726.

Danino V. E., Wilkinson A., Edwards A., and Downie J. A. (2003) Recipient-induced transfer of the symbiotic plasmid pRL1JI in Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viciae is regulated by a quorum-sensing relay. Mol. Microbiol. 50 (2):511-525. pdf file

Downie J.A., and Parniske M. (2002). Plant biology. Fixation with regulation. Nature 420 369-370. pdf file

Wilkinson,A., Danino,V., Wisniewski-Dye,F., Lithgow,J.K., and Downie,J.A. (2002) N-acyl-homoserine lactone inhibition of rhizobial growth is mediated by two quorum-sensing genes that regulate plasmid transfer J.Bacteriol.184: 4510-4519. pdf file

Walker, S.A., Viprey, V., Downie, JA. (2000) Dissection of nodulation signaling using pea mutants defective for calcium spiking induced by nod factors and chitin oligomers. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 97, 13413-13418.

Lithgow JK, Wilkinson A, Hardman A, Rodelas B, Wisniewski-Dye F, Williams P, Downie JA. (2000) The regulatory locus cinRI in Rhizobium leguminosarum controls a network of quorum-sensing loci. Mol Microbiol. 37, 81-97.

Walker SA, Downie JA.(2000) Entry of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv.viciae into root hairs requires minimal Nod factor specificity, but subsequent infection thread growth requires nodO or nodE. Mol Plant Microbe Interact.13, 754-62.

Zorreguita, A., Finnie, C., Downie, J.A. (2000) Extracellular glycanases of Rhizobium leguminosarum are actived on the cell surface by an exopolysaccharide-related component. Journal of Bacteriology 182, 1304-1312.