Professor Richard Macknight
Position | Professor |
---|---|
Department | Department of Biochemistry |
Qualifications | MSc PhD(Otago) |
Research summary | Molecular genetics of plant development |
Research
My research group is focused on understanding plant development, in particular on how flowering time is regulated and how seeds develop. We are currently using molecular-genetic approaches to:
- Investigate the regulation of flowering in Arabidopsis and in the model legume, Medicago truncatula.
- Identify and characterise imprinted genes.
- Discover genes involved in Arabidopsis seed development.
- Identification of genes for enhanced hybrid onion production.
Publications
Harris, C., Hall, M., Arrowfield, R., Herridge, R., Eady, C., Macknight, R., & Brownfield, L. (2023). Assessing inbreeding in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) as a step towards F1 hybrid breeding. Plant Breeding. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/pbr.13099
Herridge, R., McCourt, T., Jacobs, J. M. E., Mace, P., Brownfield, L., & Macknight, R. (2022). Identification of the genes at S and Z reveals the molecular basis and evolution of grass self-incompatibility. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 1011299. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1011299
Winichayakul, S., Macknight, R., Le Lievre, L., Beechey-Gradwell, Z., Lee, R., Cooney, L., … Roberts, N. (2022). Insight into the regulatory networks underlying the high lipid perennial ryegrass growth under different irradiances. PLoS ONE, 17(10), e0275503. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275503
Careno, D. A., Perez Santangelo, S., Macknight, R. C., & Yanovsky, M. J. (2022). The 5ʹ-3ʹ mRNA decay pathway modulates the plant circadian network in Arabidopsis. Plant & Cell Physiology, pcac126. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcac126
Perez-Santangelo, S., Napier, N., Robson, F., Weller, J. L., Bond, D. M., & Macknight, R. C. (2022). A point mutation in Phytochromobilin synthase alters the circadian clock and photoperiodic flowering of Medicago truncatula. Plants, 11(3), 239. doi: 10.3390/plants11030239
Weller, J. L., & Macknight, R. C. (2018). Functional genomics and flowering time in Medicago truncatula: An overview. In L. A. Cañas & J. P. Beltrán (Eds.), Functional genomics in Medicago truncatula: Methods and protocols: Methods in molecular biology (Vol. 1822). (pp. 261-271). New York, NY: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-8633-0_17
Chapter in Book - Research
Chisnall, M., & Macknight, R. (2017). Importance of Vitamin C in human health and disease. In M. A. Hossain, S. Munné-Bosch, D. J. Burritt, P. Diaz-Vivancos, M. Fujita & A. Lorence (Eds.), Ascorbic Acid in Plant Growth, Development and Stress Tolerance. (pp. 491-501). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-74057-7
Chapter in Book - Research
Day, R., & Macknight, R. (2014). Screening for imprinted genes using high-resolution melting analysis of PCR amplicons. In C. Spillane & P. C. McKeown (Eds.), Plant epigentics and epigenomics: Methods and protocols. (pp. 71-83). Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-773-0_5
Chapter in Book - Research
Picard, K., Lee, R., Hellens, R., & Macknight, R. (2013). Transient gene expression in Medicago truncatula leaves via agroinfiltration. In R. J. Rose (Ed.), Legume genomics: Methods and protocols: Methods in molecular biology (Vol. 1069). (pp. 215-226). New York: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-613-9_15
Chapter in Book - Research
Macknight, R. C., Herridge, R. P., & Day, R. C. (2012). Using transcriptomics to reveal gene networks of seed development in Arabidopsis. In G. K. Agrawal & R. Rakwal (Eds.), Seed development: OMICS technologies toward Improvement of seed quality and crop yield. (pp. 99-110). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-94-007-4749-4_6
Chapter in Book - Research
Harris, C., Hall, M., Arrowfield, R., Herridge, R., Eady, C., Macknight, R., & Brownfield, L. (2023). Assessing inbreeding in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) as a step towards F1 hybrid breeding. Plant Breeding. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/pbr.13099
Journal - Research Article
Careno, D. A., Perez Santangelo, S., Macknight, R. C., & Yanovsky, M. J. (2022). The 5ʹ-3ʹ mRNA decay pathway modulates the plant circadian network in Arabidopsis. Plant & Cell Physiology, pcac126. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcac126
Journal - Research Article
Herridge, R., McCourt, T., Jacobs, J. M. E., Mace, P., Brownfield, L., & Macknight, R. (2022). Identification of the genes at S and Z reveals the molecular basis and evolution of grass self-incompatibility. Frontiers in Plant Science, 13, 1011299. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1011299
Journal - Research Article
Perez-Santangelo, S., Napier, N., Robson, F., Weller, J. L., Bond, D. M., & Macknight, R. C. (2022). A point mutation in Phytochromobilin synthase alters the circadian clock and photoperiodic flowering of Medicago truncatula. Plants, 11(3), 239. doi: 10.3390/plants11030239
Journal - Research Article
Samarth, Lee, R., Kelly, D., Turnbull, M. H., Macknight, R., Poole, A. M., & Jameson, P. E. (2022). A novel TFL1 gene induces flowering in the mast seeding alpine snow tussock, Chionochloa pallens (Poaceae). Molecular Ecology, 31, 822-838. doi: 10.1111/mec.16273
Journal - Research Article
Winichayakul, S., Macknight, R., Le Lievre, L., Beechey-Gradwell, Z., Lee, R., Cooney, L., … Roberts, N. (2022). Insight into the regulatory networks underlying the high lipid perennial ryegrass growth under different irradiances. PLoS ONE, 17(10), e0275503. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275503
Journal - Research Article
Herridge, R., Samarth, Brownfield, L., & Macknight, R. (2021). Identification and characterization of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) vernalization genes. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, 640324. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2021.640324
Journal - Research Article
Samarth, Lee, R., Kelly, D., Turnbull, M. H., Macknight, R. C., Poole, A. M., & Jameson, P. E. (2021). Molecular control of the floral transition in the mast seeding plant Celmisia lyallii (Asteraceae). Molecular Ecology, 30, 1846-1863. doi: 10.1111/mec.15859
Journal - Research Article
Wu, R., Cooney, J., Tomes, S., Rebstock, R., Karunairetnam, S., Allan, A. C., Macknight, R. C., & Varkonyi-Gasic, E. (2021). RNAi-mediated repression of dormancy-related genes results in evergrowing apple trees. Tree Physiology, 41, 1510-1523. doi: 10.1093/treephys/tpab007
Journal - Research Article
Herridge, R. P., Macknight, R. C., & Brownfield, L. R. (2020). Prospects for F1 hybrid production in ryegrass. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 63(3), 405-415. doi: 10.1080/00288233.2018.1559867
Journal - Research Article
Dong, Y., Gupta, S., Sievers, R., Wargent, J. J., Wheeler, D., Putterill, J., Macknight, R., … Dijkwel, P. P. (2019). Genome draft of the Arabidopsis relative Pachycladon cheesemanii reveals novel strategies to tolerate New Zealand's high ultraviolet B radiation environment. BMC Genomics, 20, 838. doi: 10.1186/s12864-019-6084-4
Journal - Research Article
McCallum, J., Laing, W., Bulley, S., Thomson, S., Catanach, A., Shaw, M., … Chisnall, M., Lee, R., Macknight, R., & Seal, A. (2019). Molecular characterisation of a supergene conditioning super-high vitamin C in kiwifruit hybrids. Plants, 8(7), 237. doi: 10.3390/plants8070237
Journal - Research Article
Samarth, Lee, R., Song, J., Macknight, R. C., & Jameson, P. E. (2019). Identification of flowering-time genes in mast flowering plants using De Novo transcriptomic analysis. PLoS ONE, 14(8), e0216267. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216267
Journal - Research Article
Wu, R., Wang, T., Richardson, A. C., Allan, A. C., Macknight, R. C., & Varkonyi-Gasic, E. (2019). Histone modification and activation by SOC1-like and drought stress-related transcription factors may regulate AcSVP2 expression during kiwifruit winter dormancy. Plant Science, 281, 242-250. doi: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.12.001
Journal - Research Article
Bräuning, S., Catanach, A., Lord, J. M., Bicknell, R., & Macknight, R. C. (2018). Comparative transcriptome analysis of the wild-type model apomict Hieracium praealtum and its loss of parthenogenesis (lop) mutant. BMC Plant Biology, 18, 206. doi: 10.1186/s12870-018-1423-1
Journal - Research Article
Fudge, J. B., Lee, R. H., Laurie, R. E., Mysore, K. S., Wen, J., Weller, J. L., & Macknight, R. C. (2018). Medicago truncatula SOC1 genes are up-regulated by environmental cues that promote flowering. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 496. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00496
Journal - Research Article
Khosa, J., Lee, R., Joshi, S., Shaw, M., McCallum, J., & Macknight, R. (2018). A guide for the cultivation of onion under controlled environment conditions. HortScience, 53(12), 1746-1749. doi: 10.21273/HORTSCI13515-18
Journal - Research Article
Talaroa, G., Harbison-Price, N., Ferguson, S. A., Carter, G. P., Williamson, D. A., Macknight, R. C., Cook, G. M., & Helkal, A. (2018). Complete genome sequence of a New Zealand isolate of the bovine pathogen Streptococcus uberis. Genome Announcements, 6(9), e00119-18. doi: 10.1128/genomeA.00119-18
Journal - Research Article
Wu, R., Wang, T., Allan, A. C., Macknight, R. C., & Varkonyi-Gasic, E. (2018). Overexpression of both AcSVP1 and AcSVP4 delays budbreak in kiwifruit A. chinensis var. deliciosa, but only AcSVP1 delays flowering in model plants. Environmental & Experimental Botany, 153, 262-270. doi: 10.1016/j.envexpbot.2018.06.010
Journal - Research Article
Wu, R., Wang, T., Warren, B. A. W., Thomson, S. J., Allan, A. C., Macknight, R. C., & Varkonyi‑Gasic, E. (2018). Kiwifruit SVP2 controls developmental and drought-stress pathways. Plant Molecular Biology, 96(3), 233-244. doi: 10.1007/s11103-017-0688-3
Journal - Research Article
Macknight, R. C., Laing, W. A., Bulley, S. M., Broad, R. C., Johnson, A. A. T., & Hellens, R. P. (2017). Increasing ascorbate levels in crops to enhance human nutrition and plant abiotic stress tolerance. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 44, 153-160. doi: 10.1016/j.copbio.2017.01.011
Journal - Research Article
Ridge, S., Deokar, A., Lee, R., Daba, K., Macknight, R. C., Weller, J. L., & Tar’an, B. (2017). The chickpea Early Flowering 1 (Efl1) locus is an ortholog of Arabidopsis ELF3. Plant Physiology, 175, 802-815. doi: 10.1104/pp.17.00082
Journal - Research Article
Wu, R., Tomes, S., Karunairetnam, S., Tustin, S. D., Hellens, R. P., Allan, A. C., Macknight, R. C., & Varkonyi-Gasic, E. (2017). SVP-like MADS box genes control dormancy and budbreak in apple. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 477. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2017.00477
Journal - Research Article
Wu, R., Wang, T., Warren, B. A., Allan, A. C., Macknight, R. C., & Varkonyi-Gasic, E. (2017). Kiwifruit SVP2 gene prevents premature budbreak during dormancy. Journal of Experimental Botany, 68(5), 1071-1082. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erx014
Journal - Research Article
Bond, D. M., Albert, N. W., Lee, R. H., Gillard, G. B., Brown, C. M., Hellens, R. P., & Macknight, R. C. (2016). Infiltration-RNAseq: Transcriptome profiling of Agrobacterium-mediated infiltration of transcription factors to discover gene function and expression networks in plants. Plant Methods, 12, 41. doi: 10.1186/s13007-016-0141-7
Journal - Research Article
Hellens, R. P., Brown, C. M., Chisnall, M. A. W., Waterhouse, P. M., & Macknight, R. C. (2016). The emerging world of small ORFs. Trends in Plant Science, 21(4), 317-328. doi: 10.1016/j.tplants.2015.11.005
Journal - Research Article
Khosa, J. S., Lee, R., Bräuning, S., Lord, J., Pither-Joyce, M., McCallum, J., & Macknight, R. C. (2016). Doubled haploid 'CUDH2107' as a reference for bulb onion (Allium cepa L.) research: Development of a transcriptome catalogue and identification of transcripts associated with male fertility. PLoS ONE, 11(11), e0166568. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166568
Journal - Research Article
Ridge, S., Sussmilch, F. C., Hecht, V., Vander Schoor, J. K., Lee, R., Aubert, G., … Macknight, R. C., & Weller, J. L. (2016). Identification of LATE BLOOMER2 as a CYCLING DOF FACTOR homolog reveals conserved and divergent features of the flowering response to photoperiod in pea. Plant Cell, 28(10), 2545-2559. doi: 10.1105/tpc.15.01011
Journal - Research Article
Khosa, J. S., McCallum, J., Dhatt, A. S., & MacKnight, R. C. (2015). Enhancing onion breeding using molecular tools. Plant Breeding, 9-20. doi: 10.1111/pbr.12330
Journal - Research Article
Laing, W. A., Martínez-Sánchez, M., Wright, M. A., Bulley, S. M., Brewster, D., Dare, A. P., … Macknight, R. C., & Hellens, R. P. (2015). An upstream open reading frame Is essential for feedback regulation of ascorbate biosynthesis in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell, 27(3), 772-786. doi: 10.1105/tpc.114.133777
Journal - Research Article
Zhang, H., Luo, M., Day, R. C., Talbot, M. J., Ivanova, A., Ashton, A. R., … Macknight, R. C., … Koltunow, A. M. (2015). Developmentally regulated HEART STOPPER, a mitochondrially targeted L18 ribosomal protein gene, is required for cell division, differentiation, and seed development in Arabidopsis. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66(19), 5867-5880. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erv296
Journal - Research Article
Baldwin, S., Revanna, R., Pither-Joyce, M., Shaw, M., Wright, K., Thomson, S., … Lee, R., Macknight, R., & McCallum, J. (2014). Genetic analyses of bolting in bulb onion (Allium cepa L.). Theoretical & Applied Genetics, 127(3), 535-547. doi: 10.1007/s00122-013-2232-4
Journal - Research Article
Herridge, R. P., Day, R. C., & Macknight, R. C. (2014). The role of the MCM2-7 helicase complex during Arabidopsis seed development. Plant Molecular Biology, 86(1-2), 69-84. doi: 10.1007/s11103-014-0213-x
Journal - Research Article
Jaudal, M., Monash, J., Zhang, L., Wen, J., Mysore, K. S., Macknight, R., & Putterill, J. (2014). Overexpression of Medicago SVP genes causes floral defects and delayed flowering in Arabidopsis but only affects floral development in Medicago. Journal of Experimental Botany, 65(2), 429-442. doi: 10.1093/jxb/ert384
Journal - Research Article
Wong, A. C. S., Hecht, V. F. G., Picard, K., Diwadkar, P., Laurie, R. E., Wen, J., … Macknight, R. C., & Weller, J. L. (2014). Isolation and functional analysis of CONSTANS-LIKE genes suggests that a central role for CONSTANS in flowering time control is not evolutionarily conserved in Medicago truncatula. Frontiers in Plant Science, 5, 486. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00486
Journal - Research Article
Lee, R., Baldwin, S., Kenel, F., McCallum, J., & Macknight, R. (2013). FLOWERING LOCUS T genes control onion bulb formation and flowering. Nature Communications, 4, 2884. doi: 10.1038/ncomms3884
Journal - Research Article
Baldwin, S., Revanna, R., Thomson, S., Pither-Joyce, M., Wright, K., Crowhurst, R., … Macknight, R., & McCallum, J. A. (2012). A toolkit for bulk PCR-based marker design from next-generation sequence data: Application for development of a framework linkage map in bulb onion (Allium cepa L.). BMC Genomics, 13, 637. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-13-637
Journal - Research Article
Weller, J. L., Chee Liew, L., Hecht, V. F. G., Rajandran, V., Laurie, R. E., Ridge, S., … Macknight, R. C., & Lejeune-Hénaut, I. (2012). A conserved molecular basis for photoperiod adaptation in two temperate legumes. PNAS, 109(51), 21158-21163. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1207943110
Journal - Research Article
Baldwin, S. J., Dodds, K. G., Auvray, B., Genet, R. A., Macknight, R. C., & Jacobs, J. M. E. (2011). Association mapping of cold-induced sweetening in potato using historical phenotypic data. Annals of Applied Biology, 158(3), 248-256. doi: 10.1111/j.1744-7348.2011.00459.x
Journal - Research Article
Hecht, V., Laurie, R. E., Vander Schoor, J. K., Ridge, S., Knowles, C. L., Chee Liew, L., … Macknight, R. C., & Weller, J. L. (2011). The pea GIGAS gene is a FLOWERING LOCUS T homolog necessary for graft-transmissible specification of flowering but not for responsiveness to photoperiod. Plant Cell, 23(1), 147-161. doi: 10.1105/tpc.110.081042
Journal - Research Article
Herridge, R. P., Day, R. C., Baldwin, S., & Macknight, R. C. (2011). Rapid analysis of seed size in Arabidopsis for mutant and QTL discovery. Plant Methods, 7. doi: 10.1186/1746-4811-7-3
Journal - Research Article
Laurie, R. E., Diwadkar, P., Jaudal, M., Zhang, L., Hecht, V., Wen, J., … Macknight, R. C. (2011). The Medicago FLOWERING LOCUS T homolog, MtFTa1, is a key regulator of flowering time. Plant Physiology, 156(4), 2207-2224. doi: 10.1104/pp.111.180182
Journal - Research Article
Yeoh, C. C., Balcerowicz, M., Laurie, R., Macknight, R., & Putterill, J. (2011). Developing a method for customized induction of flowering. BMC Biotechnology, 11, 36. doi: 10.1186/1472-6750-11-36
Journal - Research Article
Risk, J. M., Laurie, R. E., Macknight, R. C., & Day, C. L. (2010). FRIGIDA and related proteins have a conserved central domain and family specific N- and C- terminal regions that are functionally important. Plant Molecular Biology, 73, 493-505. doi: 10.1007/s11103-010-9635-2
Journal - Research Article
Simpson, G. G., Laurie, R. E., Dijkwel, P. P., Quesada, V., Stockwell, P. A., Dean, C., & Macknight, R. C. (2010). Noncanonical translation initiation of the Arabidopsis flowering time and alternative polyadenylation regulator FCA. Plant Cell, 22(11), 3764-3777. doi: 10.1105/tpc.110.077990
Journal - Research Article
Chee Liew, L., Hecht, V., Laurie, R. E., Knowles, C. L., Vander Schoor, J. K., Macknight, R. C., & Weller, J. L. (2009). DIE NEUTRALIS and LATE BLOOMER 1 contribute to regulation of the pea circadian clock. Plant Cell, 21(10), 3198-3211. doi: 10.1105/tpc.109.067223
Journal - Research Article
Day, R. C., Mueller, S., & Macknight, R. C. (2009). Identification of cytoskeleton-associated genes expressed during arabidopsis syncytial endosperm development. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 4(9), 883-886.
Journal - Research Article
Risk, J. M., Day, C. L., & Macknight, R. C. (2009). Reevaluation of abscisic acid-binding assays shows that G-Protein-Coupled Receptor2 does not bind abscisic acid. Plant Physiology, 150(1), 6-11.
Journal - Research Article
Day, R. C., Herridge, R. P., Ambrose, B. A., & Macknight, R. C. (2008). Transcriptome analysis of proliferating Arabidopsis endosperm reveals biological implications for the control of syncytial division, cytokinin signaling, and gene expression regulation. Plant Physiology, 148(4), 1964-1984. doi: 10.1104/pp.108.128108
Journal - Research Article
Risk, J. M., Macknight, R. C., & Day, C. L. (2008). FCA does not bind abscisic acid. Nature, 456(7223), E5-E6.
Journal - Research Article
Day, R. C., McNoe, L. A., & MacKnight, R. C. (2007). Transcript analysis of laser microdissected plant cells. Physiologia Plantarum, 129(2), 267-282.
Journal - Research Article
Day, R. C., McNoe, L., & Macknight, R. C. (2007). Evaluation of global RNA amplification and its use for high-throughput transcript analysis of laser-microdissected endosperm. International Journal of Plant Genomics, 2007, 61028.
Journal - Research Article
Putterill, J., Laurie, R., & Macknight, R. (2004). It's time to flower: The genetic control of flowering time. BioEssays, 26(4), 363-373.
Journal - Research Article
Macknight, R. C., Duroux, M., Laurie, R., Dijkwel, P., Simpson, G., & Dean, C. (2002). Functional significance of the alternative transcript processing of the Arabidopsis floral promoter FCA. Plant Cell, 14, 877-888.
Journal - Research Article
Macknight, R., Duroux, M., Laurie, R., Dijkwel, P., Simpson, G., & Dean, C. (2002). Functional significance of the alterative transcript processing of the arabidopsis floral promoter FCA. Plant Cell, 14, 877-888.
Journal - Research Article
Page, T., Macknight, R. C., Yang, C.-H., & Dean, C. (1999). Genetic interactions of FCA, an Arabidopsis gene controlling flowering time, with genes regulating floral initiation. Plant Journal, 17, 231-239.
Journal - Research Article
Macknight, R. C., Lister, C., & Dean, C. (1998). Rice cDNA clones OsGRP1 and OsGRP2 (Accession Nos. AJ002893 and AJ002894, respectively) define two classes of glycine rich RNA-binding proteins. Plant Physiology, 117, 1527.
Journal - Research Article
Macknight, R. C., Love, K., & Dean, C. (1998). Identification of an Arabidopsis cDNA encoding a novel glycine rich RNA-binding protein (Accession No. AJ002892) and mapping of the gene family onto the Arabidopsis physical map. Plant Physiology, 117, 1526.
Journal - Research Article
Macknight, R. C., Bancroft, I., Lister, C., Page, T. A., & et al (1997). FCA, a gene controlling floweing time in Arabidopsis, encodes a protein containing RNA binding domains. Cell, 89, 737-747.
Journal - Research Article
Khosa, J., Bellinazzo, F., Goldstein, R. K., Macknight, R., & Immink, R. G. H. (2021). PEBP proteins: The conductors of dual reproduction in plants with vegetative storage organs. Journal of Experimental Botany, 72(8), 2845-2856. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erab064
Journal - Research Other