Dr Anil Shirsat is interested in the molecular mechanisms which remodel the cell wall in response to biotic and abiotic stresses. To this end, he has isolated cell wall protein extensin genes from Brassica napus and Arabidopsis. He was able to show that extensin cell wall proteins, whose role in plants was unclear, are responsible for wall strengthening, and that their synthesis is regulated by the degree of mechanical stress experienced by the tissue. Stress-regulated extensin promoter elements have been identified, and a U.K. patent was awarded (1997) to develop these elements as molecular switches. More recently (2006), he has shown that over-expressing extensin genes in Arabidopsis leads to a significant and dramatic reduction in bacterial pathogen invasiveness – this finding has the considerable advantage that it will not be susceptible to failure – thereby overcoming the major problem of pathogen resistance based on R/Avr interactions. If this novel form of resistance transfers to other crop species and is active against fungal pathogens, it has the potential to revolutionise the crop seed market place by producing crops that are more robust and offer a better return on spend through the crop lifecycle, significantly reducing wastage due to pathogen attack. A second patent (2005) has been awarded to protect this finding, and research in the lab is currently aimed at exploiting the commercial potential of this discovery.

Research in the group revolves around studying the structure function relationships of plant cell wall proteins. We have isolated cell wall extensin genes from Arabidopsis and Brassica napus, and have shown that they are expressed in response to a variety of biotic and abiotic stimuli including wounding, pathogen attack and mechanical stresses. Using promoter-reporter fusions, we have identified various control elements on these genes, and are now seeking to use them as "molecular switches" to modulate the expression of plant genes expressed in response to pathogen attack. Recently, we have shown that overexpresion of an Arabidopsis extensin gene confers significant resistance to the bacterial virulent pathogen Pseudomonas syringae. A patent has been granted to this discovery and we are currently exploring the resistance of these transgenics to a variety of bacterial and fungal pathogens. Other projects revolve around identifying the plant genes responsible for the plant response to wind stress - due to projected climatic change, it is likely that this will be an increasingly important area of study