Dr April Hastwell

UQ Amplify Fellow

School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability
Faculty of Science

Overview

Dr April Hastwell is a plant molecular biologist with the School of Agriculture and Food Science at The University of Queensland, Australia. The focus of her research group is on roles of short signalling peptides in root development including in molecular networks controlling the beneficial legume-rhizobia symbiosis and nodule development.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland

Publications

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Supervision

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Available Projects

  • Legumes are capable of forming beneficial symbioses with bacteria and fungal microbes within the soil, however, they are also at risk from harmful microbial pathogens. While the beneficial symbioses allow the plant to uptake valuable nutrients, reducing the amount of agricultural inputs, pathogenic organisms significantly impact the plant fitness and untimely yield. When the plant and a microbe interact, there are numerous plant signalling pathways that are activated to enable or prevent the interaction from occurring. Many small signalling proteins, known as peptides, are at the centre of these interactions. These peptides are small, mobile signals and often contain complex post-translational modifications to enable important messages to be relayed across cells and organs.

    Aspects of this project will use bioinformatics, molecular biology, microbiology and plant physiology to help understand how groups of different signalling peptides are involved and how they help control plant-microbe interactions.

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Publications

Book Chapter

  • Jones, Candice H., Hastwell, April H., Gresshoff, Peter M. and Ferguson, Brett J. (2022). Soybean CLE peptides and their CLAVATA-like signaling pathways. Soybean physiology and genetics. (pp. 153-175) edited by Hon-Ming Lam and Man-Wah Li. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/bs.abr.2022.02.006

  • Zhang, M. B., Chu, X. T., Su, H. N., Hastwell, A. H., Gresshoff, P. M. and Ferguson, B. J. (2018). Advances in understanding soybean physiology and growth. Achieving sustainable cultivation of soybeans: volume 1 breeding and cultivation techniques. (pp. 3-22) edited by Henry T. Nguyen. Sawston, Cambridge, United Kingdom: Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. doi: 10.19103/as.2017.0034.01

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Hastwell, April, Li, Dongxue, Tollenaere, Alina, Gresshoff, Peter M. and Ferguson, Brett J. (2014). Negative regulation of legume nodules by inducible signal peptides. 17th Australian Nitrogen Fixation Conference, Adelaide, SA, Australia, 28 September - 2 October 2014.

Other Outputs

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

Completed Supervision

Possible Research Projects

Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.

  • Legumes are capable of forming beneficial symbioses with bacteria and fungal microbes within the soil, however, they are also at risk from harmful microbial pathogens. While the beneficial symbioses allow the plant to uptake valuable nutrients, reducing the amount of agricultural inputs, pathogenic organisms significantly impact the plant fitness and untimely yield. When the plant and a microbe interact, there are numerous plant signalling pathways that are activated to enable or prevent the interaction from occurring. Many small signalling proteins, known as peptides, are at the centre of these interactions. These peptides are small, mobile signals and often contain complex post-translational modifications to enable important messages to be relayed across cells and organs.

    Aspects of this project will use bioinformatics, molecular biology, microbiology and plant physiology to help understand how groups of different signalling peptides are involved and how they help control plant-microbe interactions.