Virus Disease

1
Virus Disease
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Spectroscopy Cancer Research G-protein
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Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Picornaviruses cause many important human and
  animal diseases e.g. poliomyelitis, the common
  cold, foot-and-mouth disease

Poliovirus and its distribution
2
Virus Disease
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• We study the relationship between these viruses
  to understand how they infect different
  organisms and tissues

Published in Al-Sunaidi et al. (2007) Journal
of Virology 81 1013-1021.
3
Virus Disease
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and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
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Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• The interaction with cell surface molecules is a
  particular interest
• Heparan sulphate is a receptor in some cases and
  we have identified the virus regions involved in
  infection

4
Virus Disease
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
Policies Therapeutic Landscapes Food Miles Food
and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
Spectroscopy Cancer Research G-protein
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Management Aquatic Photosynthesis Aquatic
Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• The interaction with cell surface molecules is a
  particular interest
• Antibody to the cell surface integrin avß6 blocks
  infection with coxsackievirus A9, showing avß6 is
  the receptor

Published in Williams et al. (2004) Journal of
Virology 78 6967-6973
5
Virus Disease
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
Policies Therapeutic Landscapes Food Miles Food
and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
Spectroscopy Cancer Research G-protein
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Management Aquatic Photosynthesis Aquatic
Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• The interaction with cell surface molecules is a
  particular interest
• Location of receptor binding regions (grey) on
  part of the coxsackievirus A9 particle

Published in Williams et al. (2004) Journal of
Virology 78 6967-6973
6
Virus Disease
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
Policies Therapeutic Landscapes Food Miles Food
and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
Spectroscopy Cancer Research G-protein
Receptors Sports Science Resources
Management Aquatic Photosynthesis Aquatic
Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• The role of virus proteins in infection is being
  studied
• The 2A protein accumulates in nucleoli during
  infection

7
Virus Disease
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
Policies Therapeutic Landscapes Food Miles Food
and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
Spectroscopy Cancer Research G-protein
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Management Aquatic Photosynthesis Aquatic
Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Are picornaviruses involved in type 1 diabetes?
• We are partners in a European study (VIRDIAB)
• This study has highlighted features of viruses
  that may be involved in causing type 1 diabetes

Published in Williams et al. (2006) Journal of
Clinical Microbiology 44 441- 448
8
Plants and environment
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
Policies Therapeutic Landscapes Food Miles Food
and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
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Spectroscopy Cancer Research G-protein
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Management Aquatic Photosynthesis Aquatic
Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Leaves heat up in bright sunlight, and cool off
  depending on the wind and on transpiration

• Large leaf in bright sunshine, Borneo

Leaf area greased shows no transpirational
cooling and warms to temperatures gt40oC
9
Plants and environment
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
Policies Therapeutic Landscapes Food Miles Food
and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
Spectroscopy Cancer Research G-protein
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Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Leaves heat up in bright sunlight, and cool off
  depending on the wind and on transpiration

• Time lapse of a small tree crown in the Borneo
  rainforest

Leaves heat rapidly as sun comes out and cool in
the wind (clip lasts 10 mins in real time)
10
Plants and environment
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
Policies Therapeutic Landscapes Food Miles Food
and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
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Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Leaf temperature depends on wind, sunlight,
  transpiration and leaf shape

• Oak is cooler than sycamore

Time lapse of a sycamore leaf. It is cooler
around edge (clip lasts 2 mins in real time)
11
Plants and environment
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
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and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
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Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Transpiration cools leaves, so imaging leaf
  temperature can be used to screen different
  genotypes

Tray of Arabidopsis seedlings Thermal image of
seedlings
Two contrasting seedlings
12
Plants and environment
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
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and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
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Management Aquatic Photosynthesis Aquatic
Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Plants grow because they take in CO2 during
  photosynthesis through the stomatal pores

• We are looking at how CO2 diffuses inside leaves
  when stomata close

Bean leaf in a chamber, with three patches that
mimic stomatal closure. Colour inset indicates
CO2 uptake rate from chlorophyll fluorescence
which can indicate photosynthesis
13
Plants and environment
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
Policies Therapeutic Landscapes Food Miles Food
and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
Spectroscopy Cancer Research G-protein
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Management Aquatic Photosynthesis Aquatic
Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• How CO2 diffuses inside leaves when stomata close
  depends on leaf anatomy

Grease patches on leaves block stomata, and
reduce photosynthesis In some species higher CO2
pushes more CO2 laterally through leaf and
patch size decreases
14
Plants and environment
Our Portfolio Coral Reef Researach Agricultural
Policies Therapeutic Landscapes Food Miles Food
and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
Plants and Environment Blood substitutes EPR
Spectroscopy Cancer Research G-protein
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Management Aquatic Photosynthesis Aquatic
Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Crop drought resistance is very important
• We have found large variation in coconut
  genotypes in ratio of photosynthesis to water loss

using leaf gas exchange method using 13C
technique Collaboration with Coconut Research
Institute of Sri Lanka
15
Air pollution and health
Our Portfolio Tropical Seas Agricultural
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and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
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Ecology Green Exercise Atmospheric
Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Investigating the impact of indoor air pollution
  in the UK and Pakistan
• Biofuel use in Pakistan results in dangerous
  levels of particulate matter
• Elevated levels of NO2 in UK kitchens which use
  gas to cook

16
Nanotechnology
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Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• EU funded NANOCAP project
• Working with Trade Unions and NGOs to deepen
  their understanding of environmental,
  occupational health and safety risks and ethical
  aspects of nanotechnology

17
Detection of airborne
micro-organisms (bioaerosols)
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Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Characterising the organisms we breath
• Using the information stored in microbial DNA and
  RNA
• Identification, Quantification, Detection

18
Aerosol Science
Our Portfolio Tropical Seas Agricultural
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and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
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Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Aerosols contribute to a variety of
  environmental, biological, and industrial
  processes including air
  pollution, human health, combustion
  and materials
  synthesis

19
Air Quality
Our Portfolio Tropical Seas Agricultural
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and Health Proteomics Extremophiles Biodegradation
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Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Participation in numerous international field
  campaigns
• Working with several Local Authorities to monitor
  air pollution
• Member of the Essex Air Quality Consortium

20
Bioinformatics of RNA
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Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Computational methods to explore the biology of
  ribonucleic acid (RNA)
• Analysis of functional genomics experiments,
  focussing on the role of alternative splicing

Dr Andrew Harrison
21
RNA alternative splicing
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Disease LIBS Sports Medicine
Dr Andrew Harrison
Our genome contains 25,000 genes but due to
alternative splicing it is able to produce more
than 100,000 proteins.
22
RNA alternative splicing
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Dr Andrew Harrison
Alternative splicing is one of the biggest
drivers in mammalian evolution. Humans, canines
and other mammals contain the same repertoire of
protein-coding genes but the way in which they
are regulated is different between species.
23
RNA alternative splicing
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Dr Andrew Harrison
Changes that result in modified forms of
alternative splicing may be responsible for upto
50 of genetic diseases.
24
RNA alternative splicing
Our Portfolio Tropical Seas Agricultural
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Science Aquatic Infochemistry Bioinformatics Virus
Disease LIBS Sports Medicine

• Microarrays can measure the output of RNA from
  across our genome. Each microarray results in
  copious amounts of data
• The Harrison laboratory is developing methods to
  detect alternative splicing on microarrays

Dr Andrew Harrison