Overview
Qualifications
2004-present: Fellow of the Wessex Institute of Technology
2003-present: Research Associate of the ESRC Genomics in Society Centre
2003-2005: President, Society for Experimental Biology)
2001-present: Professor Emeritus of Biological Sciences
1999-present: Visiting Professor of Molecular Biology, West Virginia State University
Research
Research interests
1. Regulation of the cell cycle with particular emphasis on (a) the initiation of DNA replication and (b) the interaction between cellular metabolism and key cell cycle events
2. Bioethics (a) Attitudes to bioethical issues (partly in collaboration with EGENIS); (b) The teaching of ethics to bioscience students (I am co-chair of the Higher Education Academy / Centre for Bioscience Special Interest Group on this topic).
Publications
Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year
Publications by category
Journal articles
Bryant JA, Aves SJ (2011). Initiation of DNA replication: functional and evolutionary aspects.
Ann Bot,
107(7), 1119-1126.
Abstract:
Initiation of DNA replication: functional and evolutionary aspects.
BACKGROUND: the initiation of DNA replication is a very important and highly regulated step in the cell division cycle. It is of interest to compare different groups of eukaryotic organisms (a) to identify the essential molecular events that occur in all eukaryotes, (b) to start to identify higher-level regulatory mechanisms that are specific to particular groups and (c) to gain insights into the evolution of initiation mechanisms. SCOPE: This review features a wide-ranging literature survey covering replication origins, origin recognition and usage, modification of origin usage (especially in response to plant hormones), assembly of the pre-replication complex, loading of the replisome, genomics, and the likely origin of these mechanisms and proteins in Archaea. CONCLUSIONS: in all eukaryotes, chromatin is organized for DNA replication as multiple replicons. In each replicon, replication is initiated at an origin. With the exception of those in budding yeast, replication origins, including the only one to be isolated so far from a plant, do not appear to embody a specific sequence; rather, they are AT-rich, with short tracts of locally bent DNA. The proteins involved in initiation are remarkably similar across the range of eukaryotes. Nevertheless, their activity may be modified by plant-specific mechanisms, including regulation by plant hormones. The molecular features of initiation are seen in a much simpler form in the Archaea. In particular, where eukaryotes possess a number of closely related proteins that form 'hetero-complexes' (such as the origin recognition complex and the MCM complex), archaeans typically possess one type of protein (e.g. one MCM) that forms a homo-complex. This suggests that several eukaryotic initiation proteins have evolved from archaeal ancestors by gene duplication and divergence.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Publications by year
2011
Bryant JA, Aves SJ (2011). Initiation of DNA replication: functional and evolutionary aspects.
Ann Bot,
107(7), 1119-1126.
Abstract:
Initiation of DNA replication: functional and evolutionary aspects.
BACKGROUND: the initiation of DNA replication is a very important and highly regulated step in the cell division cycle. It is of interest to compare different groups of eukaryotic organisms (a) to identify the essential molecular events that occur in all eukaryotes, (b) to start to identify higher-level regulatory mechanisms that are specific to particular groups and (c) to gain insights into the evolution of initiation mechanisms. SCOPE: This review features a wide-ranging literature survey covering replication origins, origin recognition and usage, modification of origin usage (especially in response to plant hormones), assembly of the pre-replication complex, loading of the replisome, genomics, and the likely origin of these mechanisms and proteins in Archaea. CONCLUSIONS: in all eukaryotes, chromatin is organized for DNA replication as multiple replicons. In each replicon, replication is initiated at an origin. With the exception of those in budding yeast, replication origins, including the only one to be isolated so far from a plant, do not appear to embody a specific sequence; rather, they are AT-rich, with short tracts of locally bent DNA. The proteins involved in initiation are remarkably similar across the range of eukaryotes. Nevertheless, their activity may be modified by plant-specific mechanisms, including regulation by plant hormones. The molecular features of initiation are seen in a much simpler form in the Archaea. In particular, where eukaryotes possess a number of closely related proteins that form 'hetero-complexes' (such as the origin recognition complex and the MCM complex), archaeans typically possess one type of protein (e.g. one MCM) that forms a homo-complex. This suggests that several eukaryotic initiation proteins have evolved from archaeal ancestors by gene duplication and divergence.
Abstract.
Author URL.
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Teaching
In this academic year I am teaching Level 1 Introduction to Biotechnology and Level 2 Bioethics; I have also supervised 6 projects, all in Bioethics.
I am also actively involved in various aspects of Science Communication and contribute regularly to local, national and sometimes international workshops on this topic