• Phil Poole's Research

Related links

• AT JIC:
• Molecular Microbiology
• ON THE WEB:
• Rhizobium web site

Curriculum Vitae

• 1979 BSc, Murdoch University, Australia
• 1986 PhD, Murdoch University, Australia
• 1986 Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Oxford, UK
• 1989 Lecturer, Microbiology University of Reading, UK
• 1999 Reader, Microbiology University of Reading, UK
• 2003 Professor of Microbial Physiology University of Reading, UK
• 2007 Project Leader, John Innes Centre UK
• 2008 Honorary Professor of Biology at the University of East Anglia.

Phil Poole

Project Leader

Molecular Microbiology

Contact details

Tel: +44 (0)1603 450750
philip.poole@bbsrc.ac.uk

Research interests

The general area in which we work is the physiology and genetics of root nodule and rhizosphere/soil bacteria. We are particularly interested in:
            1) The regulation of nutrient exchange between Rhizobium and their host legumes;
            2) Development and differentiation of the legume nodule form of bacteria (bacteroids),
            3) The molecular basis of competitive success of bacteria in the plant rhizosphere.

The first area of investigation is motivated by the enormous importance of nitrogen fixation by legumes to both agriculture and the global nitrogen cycle. Nitrogen fixation (N₂ reduction to NH₃) by Rhizobium is driven by a supply of carbon from the plant, so by understanding this process we can determine which factors regulate the total amount of nitrogen fixed. In our second area of work we are trying to understand how Rhizobium undergoes a complex differentiation from free-living bacteria into the root nodule form that fixes nitrogen. This is a complex differentiation event that reprogrammes the metabolism of Rhizobium to fix nitrogen and coordinates its cell division with the plant host. Finally, we are interested in the factors that enable bacteria to colonise plant roots and compete in the rhizosphere. The rhizopsphere is a key environment for bacterial and plant growth and can have a profound impact on plant productivity.