Our paper integrating the endogenous age pathway with the vernalization, photoperiod and GA pathways in the regulation of heading time in wheat is now published in The Plant Journal (open access). onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Our lab has just posted a review on wheat spike development, with an emphasis on the regulation of the number of spikelets per spike on bioRxiv.

Regulation of spikelet number during wheat spike development

Wheat produces unbranched inflorescences (spikes) composed of smaller inflorescences (spikelets) as their fundamental building units. The spikelet number per spike (SNS) is a major determinant of grai...

biorxiv.org

Our manuscript on the role of the SPL genes and the endogenous age pathway on wheat heading time is now available in bioRxiv! www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/...

Our Genome Biology paper on wheat spike development integrating single cell and spatial transcriptomics is now published! Check out the paper here: doi.org/10.1186/s130... and enjoy the beautiful pictures (including our 44 supplementary figures)! Be sure to check out some of our tools below!

An update to our spatial transcriptomics study of the wheat spike is now available in bioRxiv! The updated version includes functional validation of the roles associated with the specific expression patterns of LFY in intercalary meristems, SPL14 in inflorescence meristems, and FZP in glume axillae.

Spatial and single-cell expression analyses reveal complex expression domains in early wheat spike development

Wheat is important for global food security and understanding the molecular mechanisms driving spike and spikelet development can inform the development of more productive varieties. In this study, we...

biorxiv.org

🌱From Crop Science: New wheat lines combining Yr78 with other resistance genes cut stripe rust severity, offering stronger, multi-gene protection for breeders. (Chen Dang, Joshua M Hegarty, Xiaofei Zhang, Jorge Dubcovsky) ▶️ acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... #PlantScience #PlantPathology

Durum wheat with Yr78 and common wheat with Yr78 and Yr36 in coupling show enhanced stripe rust resistance

Introgression of Yr78 (where Yr is yellow rust) from common wheat into durum wheat enhances resistance to stripe rust in tetraploid wheat. A combination of Yr36 and Yr78 resistance genes in coupling...

acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Our lab recently published "Durum wheat with Yr78 and common wheat with Yr78 and Yr36 in coupling show enhanced stripe rust resistance"

Durum wheat with Yr78 and common wheat with Yr78 and Yr36 in coupling show enhanced stripe rust resistance

Introgression of Yr78 (where Yr is yellow rust) from common wheat into durum wheat enhances resistance to stripe rust in tetraploid wheat. A combination of Yr36 and Yr78 resistance genes in coupling...

acsess.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

The federal government's $1B dollar demand from the University of California is designed to devastate public Universities and their critical mission. Our lab will #StandUpForUC to defend one of America’s greatest public university systems and support this life-saving work. ucal.us/standupforuc

Talking Biotech 467 - #Celiac safe wheat? Less immunoreactive wheat has been developed by @UCDavisPlants using old-school mutagenesis. A scintillating talk with grad student Maria Rottersman. @ASPB share.transistor.fm/s/9419052e

🎙️ Just published a new episode of Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta: Old Tricks, New Wheat for Celiacs - Maria Rottersman. Have a listen:

Old Tricks, New Wheat for Celiacs - Maria Rottersman

SummaryIn this episode of the Talking Biotech Podcast, Kevin Folta...

share.transistor.fm

🌱 From UC Davis: Deleting key gliadin genes boosts wheat gluten strength & cuts celiac-triggering epitopes—without harming yield. (Maria Rottersman, Jorge Dubcovsky) ▶️ www.ucdavis.edu/food/news/ta...

Targeting Gluten: Researchers Delete Proteins in Wheat Harmful to People with Celiac Disease

A UC Davis study found that deleting a cluster of genes in wheat may reduce wheat allergies without harming breadmaking.

ucdavis.edu

New work from a graduate student, Maria Rottersman, and others in the lab demonstrates that deleting the alpha-gliadins on chromosome 6D of wheat improves gluten strength and produces less celiac disease epitopes. Check it out now in Theoretical and Applied Genetics: rdcu.be/egXZ2

🌱From a Nature Portfolio preprint: Cloning of Lr30 reveals it’s identical to Lr.ace-4A and encodes a unique NLR gene conferring strong rust resistance in durum #wheat, but less so in hexaploid. (Jorge Dubcovsky) ▶️ www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-6... #PlantScience #PlantImmunity

Please read this statement supporting science from members of US National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. It’s important we stand against these egregious cuts to science.

Public Statement on Supporting Science for the Benefit of All Citizens

TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE We all rely on science. Science gave us the smartphones in our pockets, the navigation systems in our cars, and life-saving medical care. We count on engineers when we drive acr...

docs.google.com

Check out this article by a previous lab member, Iago Hale, on the impact of cuts to the USDA germplasm system. Definitely worth a read! www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/o...

Opinion | Why Did Elon Musk Go After Bunkers Full of Seeds?

Gene banks are like a survivalist cache: our nation’s safeguard against all future challenges to growing the food we need.

nytimes.com

Check out our work on fine-tuning miRNA control of plant height in wheat and triticale, as covered by the folks at the plant sciences department! www.plantsciences.ucdavis.edu/news/deberna...

Blocking the scissors: New genetic tool makes grain breeding faster

Scientists have developed a new genetic tool that makes it easier and faster to breed grains that grow more efficiently and are better adapted to different environments. They're using a ground-breakin...

plantsciences.ucdavis.edu

Plant Science Research Weekly -- Single cell analysis of wheat spike development (bioRxiv) @dubcovskylab.bsky.social (Summary by Mary Williams @PlantTeaching.bsky.social ) buff.ly/O6elukV #PlantaePSRW

Single cell analysis of wheat spike development | Plantae

This preprint wins the award for “most beautiful paper” this week. Xu, Lin et al. carried out an expression analysis of developing wheat spikes at three developmental stages, using both single-cell…

buff.ly

#PlantSci Research Weekly March 7 plantae.org/plant-scienc... (2/2) Single-cell analysis of wheat spikelet; Autoactivated calcium channel enhances symbiosis; Fungal pathogen hijacks phosphate signaling; Erucamide inhibits the type III secretion system; How Rhodanobacter R179 evades plant immunity

We’re excited to share our new preprint on wheat spike development! We used spatial transcriptomics and scRNA-seq to take a closer look at the different cell types and expression domains during key developmental stages of the wheat spike. Check it out here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

🌱 A wheat-rye chromosome rearrangement alters Mg partitioning between shoots and roots by increasing jasmonate biosynthesis, enhancing wheat tolerance to Mg scarcity. (Gilad Gabay, Jorge Dubcovsky) ▶️ www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #PlantScience #Genomics #Wheat

A triplicated wheat-rye chromosome segment including several 12-OXOPHYTODIENOATE REDUCTASE III genes influences magnesium partitioning and impacts wheat performance at low magnesium supply

We previously reported a structural rearrangement between wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rye (Secale cereale) chromosomes 1BS/1RS that increased the do…

sciencedirect.com

Congrats @cristobaluauy.bsky.social, incredible news!

John Innes Centre@johninnescentre.bsky.social · last yr.

PRESS RELEASE - Professor Uauy appointed as Director of the John Innes Centre Following an international search, we are delighted to announce that Professor @cristobaluauy.bsky.social has been appointed as the next Director of the John Innes Centre. www.jic.ac.uk/press-releas... @ukri.org

We’re excited to announce the recent publication from our lab was featured on the cover of the plant biotechnology journal! It demonstrates an approach for precisely controlling wheat and triticale plant height. Read the full paper here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...