Related links

• AT JIC:
• Crop Genetics

Curriculum Vitae

• 2001 B.Sc Agricultural Engineer, Pontificia Universidad Catolica, Chile
• 2007 PhD in Genetics, University of California at Davis, USA
• 2007-2008 Post-doctoral Scholar, University of California at Davis, USA
• 2009- Project Leader, John Innes Centre, UK
• 2009- Visiting Research Fellow, National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB), UK

Cristobal Uauy

Project Leader

Crop Genetics

Contact details

Tel: +44 (0)1603 450195
cristobal.uauy@jic.ac.uk

Research interests

The study of quantitative variation is of special interest to agricultural scientists since it tries to explain the variation and inheritance of many of the most important traits related to food and fiber production (e.g. yield, nutritional value, etc). These traits are characterized by their large environmental dependency and the multiple genes controlling them (known as quantitative trait loci (QTL)). The genetic architecture of QTL has been extensively described in the last decade with the publication of thousands of QTL studies. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these traits are not well understood since there are a limited number of plant QTL in which the gene underlying the trait has been cloned.

Wheat offers the unique opportunity to work with a crop that has profound social and economical importance. It accounts for roughly 20% of the calories we consume and is an important food item across countries and cultures.

Our work seeks to identify genes underlying wheat QTL with significant agronomic impact and facilitate their effective deployment into modern breeding varieties. Using map-based cloning we have been able to identify genes that determine QTL for complex traits such as senescence and grain nutrient content (Uauy et al. 2006) as well as broad-race resistance to stripe rust (Uauy et al. 2005; Fu et al. 2009). In addition we have developed two TILLING populations in tetraploid and hexaploid wheat as reverse genetics resource that will hopefully enable more researchers to pursue wheat functional genomics and provide novel allelic diversity for wheat improvement (work done with Jorge Dubcovsky and Luca Comai at UC Davis).

Our long-term goal is to reduce the threshold for gene cloning in this polyploidy species and provide a pipeline for the identification of genes for wheat breeders. 

We are currently using molecular genetics approaches to:

• identify the genes responsible for key yield QTLs in UK wheat germplasm,
• develop genetic resources to enable effective translational research from model systems to crop species,
• enhance the pipeline to translate this new knowledge into improved wheat varieties for growers, industry and consumers.

As part of this effort, I am a member of the alliance between the John Innes Centre and the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) at Cambridge for pre-competitive germplasm improvement.