Microbiology and Molecular Biology
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Explore a fascinating area of biology: a microscopi…
Dr James Connorton PhD, FHEA
Tutor in Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics
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My profile
Interests and expertise
I’m a plant molecular biologist. I work on how plants and metals interact - how we can improve the mineral content of crops, and how metal pollutants affect plant growth. I’m also interested in how plant diseases spread - particularly how tree diseases affect woodlands and the impact on biodiversity. As an educationist I’m looking at how we can change the global outlook of students, particularly through internationalisation-at-home activities.
Teaching
Unit lead:
Biomolecules, Cells and Genetics (Degree Apprentices)
Statistics and Academic Skills for Biologists (Degree Apprentices)
Other units:
Introduction to Genetics and Evolution
Biochemistry
Applied Molecular Biology
Advances in Genetics and Genomics
Forensic Genetics
Topics in Organismal Genetics (MSc)
Biology
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Our BSc (Hons) Biology degree offers the chanc…
Global Conservation Biology
The world’s habitats are undergoing rapid transformation. The impacts of climate change are causing species extinction at an unprecedented rate. Conservation biology as a discipline looks at the…
Research outputs
Harrington, S. A., Connorton, J. M., Nyangoma, N. I. M., McNelly, R., Morgan, Y. M. L., Aslam, M., Sharp, P. A., Johnson, A. A. T., Uauy, C & Balk, J. (2023), A two-gene strategy increases the iron and zinc concentration of wheat flour and improves mineral bioaccessibility for human nutrition, Plant Physiology, 191: 528-541.
Sheraz, S., Wan, Y., Venter, E., Verma, S. K., Xiong, Q., Waites, J., Connorton, J. M., Shewry, P. R., Moore, K. M & Balk, J. (2021), Subcellular dynamics of iron reveal how tissue-specific distribution patterns are established in developing wheat grains, New Phytologist, 231: 1644-1657.
Rodríguez-Celma, J., Connorton, J. M., Kruse, I., Green, R., Franceschetti, M., Chen, Y.-T., Cui, Y., Ling, H.-Q., Yeh, K.-C. & Balk, J. (2019), Arabidopsis BRUTUS-LIKE E3 ligases negatively regulate iron uptake by targeting transcription factor FIT for recycling, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 116: 17584-91.
Connorton, J. M. & Balk, J. (2019),Iron biofortification of staple crops: lessons and challenges in plant genetics*, Plant and Cell Physiology, 60: 1447-56.
Balk, J., Connorton, J. M., Wan, Y., Lovegrove, A., Moore, K., Uauy, C., Sharp, P. & Shewry, P. R. (2019), Improving wheat as a source of iron and zinc for global nutrition, Nutrition Bulletin, 44: 53-59.
Connorton, J. M., Jones, E. R., Rodríguez-Ramiro, I., Fairweather-Tait, S., Uauy, C. & Balk, J. (2017), Wheat Vacuolar Iron Transporter TaVIT2 transports Fe and Mn and is effective for biofortification, Plant Physiology 174: 2434-44.
Connorton, J. M., Balk, J. & Rodríguez-Celma, J. (2017), Iron homeostasis in plants, Metallomics 9: 813-23.
Borrill, P., Connorton, J. M., Balk, J., Miller, A. J., Sanders, D. & Uauy, C. (2014), Biofortification of wheat grain with iron and zinc: integrating novel genomic resources and knowledge from model crops, Frontiers in Plant Science 5: 53.
Connorton, J. M., Webster, R. E., Cheng, N. & Pittman, J. K. (2012), Knockout of multiple Arabidopsis cation/H+ exchangers suggests isoform-specific roles in metal stress response, germination and seed mineral nutrition, PLoS One 7: e47455.
Connorton, J. M., Hirschi, K. D. & Pittman, J. K. (2011), Mechanisms and evolution of calcium transport across the plant plasma membrane, in Plant Cell Monographs: The Plant Plasma Membrane.
Zhao, J., Connorton, J. M., Guo, Y., Shigaki, T., Hirschi, K.D. & Pittman, J. K. (2009), Functional studies of split Arabidopsis Ca2+/H+ exchangers, Journal of Biological Chemistry 284: 34075-83.
Edmond, C., Shigaki, T., Ewert, S., Nelson, M. D., Connorton, J. M., Chalova, V., Noordally, Z. & Pittman, J. K. (2009), Comparative analysis of CAX2-like cation transporters indicates functional and regulatory diversity, Biochemical Journal 418: 145-54.