Our Publications

Field B., Fiston-Lavier A. S., Kemen A., Geisler K., Quesneville H., Osbourn A. (2011). Formation of plant metabolic gene clusters within dynamic chromosomal regions.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. DOI:10.1073/pnas.110927310.

Chu H. Y., Wegel E., Osbourn A. (2011). From hormones to secondary metabolism: the emergence of secondary metabolic gene clusters in plants. Plant Journal 66 (1) 66-79. DOI:10.1111/j.1365-313X.2011.04503.x.

Osbourn A., Goss R. J. M., Field R. A. (2011). The saponins – polar isoprenoids with important and diverse biological activities. Natural Product Reports 28 1261-1268.

Patel S. M., Fuente M. D., Ke S., Guimarães A. M., Oliyide A. O., Ji X., Stapleton P., Osbourn A., Pan Y., Bowles D. J., Davis B. G., Schatzlein A., Yang M. (2011). High throughput discovery of heteroaromatic-modifying enzymes allows enhancement of novobiocin selectivity. Chemical Communications 47 10569-10571. Article.

Inagaki Y-S, Etherington G, Geisler K, Field B, Dokarry M, Ikeda K, Mutsukado Y, Dicks J, Osbourn A. (2011).  Investigation of the potential for triterpene synthesis in rice through genome mining and metabolic engineering.  New Phytologist 191 (2) 432-448.

Osbourn A. (2011) From hormones to secondary metabolism: The emergence of secondary metabolic gene clusters in plants.  Plant Journal, in press - DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2011.04503.x.

Osbourn A. (2010) Gene clusters for secondary metabolic pathways: An emerging theme in plant biology. Plant Physiology 154: 532-535. Article.

Osbourn A. (2011) Nature's chemistry toolkit. Biological Sciences Review. In press.

Osbourn A. (2010) Secondary metabolic gene clusters: Evolutionary toolkits for chemical innovation. Trends in Genetics26: 449-457. Article.

Mugford S and Osbourn A. (2010) Saponin synthesis and function. In: Terpenoids (ed. T Bach). Springer. In press.

Delis C, Krokida A, Georgiou S, Peña-Rodríguez LM, Kavroulakis N, Ioannou E, Roussis V, Osbourn AE and Papadoulou K. (2010) Role of lupeol synthase in Lotus japonicus nodule formation. New Phytologist. doi/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03463.x/pdf. Article.

Field B and Osbourn A. (2010) Operons. Nature Chemical Biology. Published online 19.04.2010. 10.1038/NCHEMBIO.359. Article.

Qin B, Eagles J, Mellon FA, Mylona P, Peña-Rodríguez LM and Osbourn AE. (2010) High throughput screening of mutants of oat that are defective in triterpene synthesis. Phytochemistry 71: 1245-1252. Article.

Mugford ST and Osbourn A. (2010) Evolution of serine carboxypeptidase-like acyltransferases in the monocots. Plant Signaling & Behavior B:2, 193-195. Article.

Tucker SL, Besi M, Galhano R, Franceschetti M, Goetz S, Lenhert S, Osbourn A and Sesma A. (2010) Common genetic pathways regulate organ-specific infective behaviour in the rice blast fungus. Plant Cell 22 (3): 953-972. Article.

Cruz-Cruz CA, Ramírez-Tec G, García-Sosa K, Escalante-Erosa F, Hill L, Osbourn AE and Peña-Rodríguez LM. (2010) Phytoanticipins from banana (Musa acuminata cv. Grande Naine) plants, with antifungal activity against Mycosphaerella fijiensis, the causal agent of black Sigatoka. European Journal of Plant Pathology 126: 459-463. 10.1007/s10658-009-9561-9. Article.

Wegel E, Koumproglou R, Shaw and Osbourn A. (2009) Cell Type-Specific Chromatin Decondensation of a Metabolic Gene Cluster in Oats. Plant Cell 21: 3926-3936. Article.

Osbourn A and Field B. (2009) Operons. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 10.1007/s00018-009-0114-3. Article.

Mugford ST, Qi X, Bakht S, Hill L, Wegel E, Hughes RK, Papadopoulou K, Melton R, Philo M, Sainsbury F, Lomonossoff GP, Roy AD, Goss RJ and Osbourn A. (2009) A Serine Carboxypeptidase-Like Acyltransferase Is Required for Synthesis of Antimicrobial Compounds and Disease Resistance in Oats. Plant Cell 21 (8): 2473-2484. Article.

Osbourn AE.(2009) A meeting place: The Science, Art and Writing initiative. Current Science 97: 1547-1554. Article.

Bednarek P and Osbourn A. (2009) Plant-microbe interactions: chemical diversity in plant defense. Science 324: 746-8. Article.

Osbourn A. (2009) SAW Showcase. The SAW Trust, Norwich UK. ISBN 978-0-9550180-2-2.

Field B and Osbourn AE. (2008) Metabolic Diversification - Independent Assembly of Operon-Like Gene Clusters in Plant. Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1154990. Abstract
Reprint

The Beauty of Science, Eastern Daily Press, 24/02/09, p4.

Mylona P, Owatworakit A, Papadoulou K, Jenner H, Qin B, Findlay K, Hill L, Qi X, Bakht S, Melton R and Osbourn A. (2008) Sad3 and Sad4 are required for saponin biosynthesis and root development in oat. Plant Cell 20: 201-212. Article

Osbourn A. (2008) SAW: breaking down barriers between art and science. PLoS Biology 6 (8) article e211. DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060211.

Osbourn A. (2008) From hunter-gatherer to global citizen.  Article for blog page of TS Eliot prize-winning poet George Szirtes (see http://georgeszirtes.blogspot.com/2008/08/guest-post-1-from-hunter-gatherer-to.html and ensuing discussion)

How art is bringing science lessons to life.  Norwich Evening News, 03/07/08, p14.

SAW showcase - poetry and artwork around science. FirstScience.com, February 2009.

Osbourn A. (2008) Science, Art and Writing – The answer to outreach.  GARNish (GARNET Newsletter, June 2008, p18).

Osbourn A. (2008) Still time to inspire pupils to enter poetry competition.  Eastern Daily Press 27/6/08, p30 (article on teaching poetry in schools).

Osbourn A. (2008) Brushstrokes.  Poem published in the Poetry-Next-the-Sea Festival pamphlet.

Lenhert S, Sesma A, Hertz M, Chi L, Fuchs H, Wiesmann HP, Osbourn AE and Moerschbacher, BM. (2007).  Capillary-induced contact guidance.  Langmuir 23: 10216-10223.

Qi X, Bakht S, Qin B, Leggett M, Hemmings A, Mellon F, Eagles J, Werck-Reichhart D, Schaller H, Lesot A, Melton R and Osbourn A. (2006) A new function for the most ancient and conserved cytochrome P450 family – from primary sterol biosynthesis to plant defence. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 103: 18848-53.  Article.

Osbourn A. (2006) The poetry of science. Nature Reviews Microbiology 4: 77-80.  Abstract.

Townsend B, Jenner H and Osbourn A (2006) Saponin glycosylation in cereals. Phytochemistry Reviews 5: 109-114.

Field B, Jordan F and Osbourn A. (2006) First encounters – deployment of defence-related natural products by plants. New Phytologist 172: 193-207.  Abstract.

Simons V, Morrissey JP, Latijnhouwers M, Csukai M, Cleaver A and Osbourn A. (2006) Dual effects of plant steroidal alkaloids on Saccharomyces cerevisiAE Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy 50: 2732-2740.  Abstract.

Osbourn A and He S-Y. (2006) Biotic interactions: Towards a unifying and balanced view. Current Opin Plant Biology 9: 347-350.

Jenner H, Townsend B and Osbourn AE (2005) Unravelling triterpene glycoside synthesis in plants: phytochemistry and functional genomics join forces. Planta 220: 503-506.  Abstract.

Güimil S, Chang H.-S, Zhu T, Sesma A, Osbourn A, Roux C, Ioannidis V, Oakeley EJ, Docquier M, Descombes P, Briggs SP and Paszkowski U. (2005) Comparative transcriptomics of rice reveals an ancient pattern of response to microbial colonization, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 102, 8066-8070.

Hughes B, Morrissey J. and Osbourn AE.(2004) Characterisation of the saponin hydrolysing enzyme avenacoside-a -L-rhamnosidase from the fungal pathogen of cereals, Stagonospora avenae Eur. J. Plant Pathol. 110: 421-427.

Guilleroux M and Osbourn A. (2004) Gene expression during infection of wheat roots by the "take-all" fungus Gaeumannomyces graminis. Molecular Plant Pathology 5: 203-216.

Qi X, Bakht S, Leggett M, Maxwell C, Melton R and Osbourn A. (2004) A gene cluster for secondary metabolism in oat – Implications for the evolution of metabolic diversity in plants. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 101: 8233-8238.  Abstract.

Bamford VA, Kolade OO, Osbourn AE and Hemmings AM. (2004) Purification, crystallization and preliminary X-ray diffraction analysis of a fungal saponin-detoxifying enzyme. Acta Crystallographica D 60: 1331-1333.  pdf.

Sesma A and Osbourn AE. (2004) The rice leaf blast pathogen undergoes developmental processes typical of root-infecting fungi. Nature 431: 582-586.  Abstract.

Osbourn AE. (2003) Saponins in cereals. Phytochemistry 62: 1-4.

Iturbe-Ormaetxe I, Haralampidis K, Papadopoulou and Osbourn AE. (2003) Molecular cloning and characterization of triterpene synthases from Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus. Plant Mol. Biol. 51: 731-743.

Osbourn AE, Qi X, Townsend B and Qin B. (2003). Secondary metabolism and plant defence. New Phytologist 159: 101-108.

Cristea M, Osbourn AE and Oliw EH. (2003) Linoleate diol synthase of the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe grisea. Lipids, 38: 1275-1280.

Bouarab K, Melton R, Peart J, Baulcombe D and Osbourn A. (2002) A saponin-detoxifying enzyme mediates suppression of plant defences. Nature 418 889-92.  Abstract.

Osbourn AE and Haralampidis K. (2002) Triterpenoid saponin biosynthesis in plants. Recent Adv. Phytochem., 75: 31-49.

Hörnsten L, Su C, Fornander E, Osbourn A, Hellmann U and Oliw E. (2002) Cloning and organization of the manganese lipoxygenase gene and homology with the lipoxygenase gene family. Eur. J. Biochem. 269: 2690-2697.

Bouarab K, Melton R, Peart J, Baulcombe D and Osbourn A. (2002). A saponin-detoxifying enzyme mediates suppression of plant defences. Nature 418: 889-892.

Trojanowska, MR, Osbourn, AE, Daniels, MJ and Threlfall, DR. (2001) Investigation of avenacin-deficient mutants of Avena strigosa. Phytochemistry 56: 121-129.

Dufresne M. and Osbourn AE. (2001) Definition of genetic components required for proliferation of a plant pathogenic fungus in distinct plant tissues. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 14: 300-307.

Osbourn AE. (2001) Plant mechanisms that give defence against soil borne diseases. Australasian Plant Pathology 30: 99-102.

Osbourn A. (2001) Molecular intimacy exposed: probing fungus-plant interactions. Curr. Opin. Microbiology, 4: 363-364.

Haralampidis K, Bryan G, Qi X, Papadopoulou K, Bakht S, Melton R and Osbourn AE.(2001) A new class of oxidosqualene cyclases directs synthesis of antimicrobial phytoprotectants in monocots. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 98: 13431-13436.  Abstract.

Osbourn A. (2001) Tox-boxes, fungal secondary metabolites and plant disease. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA 98: 14187-14188.

Haralampidis K, Trojanowska M and Osbourn AE (2001) Biosynthesis of triterpenoid saponins in plants. Adv. Biochem. Eng./Biotechnology, 75: 31-49.

Qi X, Bakht, S, Devos KM, Gale MD and Osbourn AE. (2001) L-RCA (Ligation-Rolling Circle Amplification): a general method for genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Nucleic Acids Res. 29: e116.  Abstract.

Morrissey JP, Wubben JP and Osbourn AE. (2000) Stagonospora avenae secretes multiple enzymes that hydrolyse oat leaf saponins. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 13: 1041-1052.

Martin-Hernandez AM, Dufresne M, Hugouvieux V, Melton R. and Osbourn AE. (2000) The effects of targeted replacement of the tomatinase gene on the interaction of Septoria lycopersici with tomato plants. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact., 13: 1301-1311.  Abstract.

Bryan GT, Labourdette E, Melton RE, Nicholson P, Daniels MJ and Osbourn AE. (1999) DNA polymorphism and host range in the take-all fungus, Gaeumannomyces graminis. Mycological Research 103: 319-327.

Carter JP, Spink J, Cannon, P, Daniels MJ and Osbourn AE. (1999) Isolation, characterization and avenacin sensitivity of a diverse collection of cereal root colonizing fungi. Appl. Env. Microbiol. 65: 3364-3372.  Abstract.

Armah CN, Mackie AR, Roy C, Price K, Osbourn AE, Bowyer P and Ladha S. (1999) The membrane permeabilising effect of avenacin A-1 involves the reorganisation of bilayer cholesterol. Biophysical J. 76: 281-290.  Abstract.

Morrissey JP and Osbourn AE. (1999) Fungal resistance to plant antibiotics as a mechanism of pathogenesis. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Revs., 63: 708-724.  Abstract.

Osbourn AE. (1999) Antimicrobial phytoprotectants and fungal pathogens; A commentary. Fung. Genet. Biol. 26: 163-168.

Hörsten L, Su C, Osbourn AE, Garosi P, Hellman U, Wernstedt C and Oliw EH. (1999) Cloning of linoleate diol synthase reveals homology with prostaglandin H synthases. J. Biol. Chem. 274: 28219-28224.  Abstract.

Papadopoulou K, Melton RE, Leggett M, Daniels MJ and Osbourn AE. (1999) Compromised disease resistance in saponin-deficient plants. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 96: 12923-12928.  Abstract.

Melton RE, Flegg LM, Brown JKM, Oliver RP, Daniels MJ and Osbourn AE. (1998) Heterologous expression of Septoria lycopersici tomatinase in Cladosporium fulvum: Effects on compatible and incompatible interactions with tomato seedlings. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 11: 228-236.

Osbourn AE. (1996) Saponins and plant defence - a soap story. Trends Plant Sci. 1: 4-9.

Osbourn AE (1996) Pre-formed antimicrobial compounds and plant defence against fungal attack. Plant Cell 8: 1821-1831.

Wubben JP, Price KR, Daniels MJ and Osbourn AE. (1996) Detoxification of oat leaf saponins by Septoria avenae Phytopathology 86: 986-992.

Oliver R and Osbourn AE. (1995) Molecular dissection of fungal phytopathogenicity. Microbiology 141: 1-9.

Bowyer P, Clarke BR, Lunness P, Daniels MJ and Osbourn AE. (1995) Host range of a plant pathogenic fungus determined by a saponin detoxifying enzyme. Science 267: 371-374.  Abstract.

Osbourn AE, Bowyer P, Lunness P, Clarke B, and Daniels MJ. (1995) Fungal pathogens of oat roots and tomato leaves employ closely related enzymes to detoxify different host plant saponins. Mol. Plant-Microbe Int. 8: 971-978.  Abstract.

Patents

A Osbourn, K Haralampidis, R Melton, S Bakht and X Qi. Root-specific promoters. US patent no. 60/865,936.

A Osbourn and X Qi. Enzymes involved in triterpene synthesis. PCT/US07/14763. Filed June 25th 2007.

A Osbourn and K Haralampidis. Plant gene. US patent awarded March 6th 2007 (US 7,186,884 B2).