Research

  • In collaboration with industrial partners I am using technologies developed in the group of Andrew Love to generate novel nanocellulosic material with different functionalities and reactivities.
  • These materials have applications as antibacterial coatings, chemical catalysts, bioreactors

Past research

  • Having completed my PhD in 1995 entitled The influence of monovalent and divalent metal cations on growth and morphology in Candida species at The University of Dundee I joined SCRI in 1998 and was involved in the assessment of field trials for the Integrated Control of Raspberry Root Rot (P. fragariae var rubi) project.
  • I have also developed and applied molecular diagnostics to plant disease using of PCR and TaqMan to detect, identify and quantify fungal and/or bacterial pathogens.
  • For the Scottish Executive Micronet programme I investigated the scale of diversity amongst non-culturable soil bacteria which are capable of nitrite reduction and related these to the rhizosphere/rhizoplane of different grass species, and soil nutritional inputs, that is artificial sheep urine. Development of high throughput molecular methods-sequencing and T-RFLP were undertaken.
  • In the world of plant viruses in the research group of Peter Palukaitis I studied to identify and characterise the potato RdRP-1 and IVR both implicated in potato viral resistance. I also investigated whether the use of the CaMV 35S promoter poses risks to the environment, through a DEFRA funded project examining the integration of viral sequences into plant genomes. The consequences of both viral infection on transgene expression and recombination between viruses and viral-based promoter elements in transgenic plants was also examined.
  • In the laboratory of Steve Whisson and Paul Birch I investigated ‘Temporal Co-regulation of Pathogenesis in Phytophthora’, as part of a BBSRC IPA project involving Syngenta.  This was followed by an analysis of expression of transcription factors involved in pathogenesis.
  • This had followed on from research into Phytophthora effectors with David Cooke, also using SSR markers to examine populations of potato late blight. Detection of Phytophthora species in natural ecosystems with international collaborators, along with soft fruit Phytophthora species detection and control alongside the maintenance of the James Hutton Institute’s Phytophthora species collection.

Publications

Journals

Technical / contract reports

Conference papers

  • Cooke, D.E.L.; Prigigallo, M.I.; Schena, L.; Randall, E.; Squires, J.N.; Clark, B.; Thorpe, P.; Pritchard, L.; Studholme, D.J.; Boonham, N.; Henricot, B.; Green, S. (2017) Testing in situ water sampling and metabarcoding protocols to detect Phytophthora diversity for plant health testing and natural ecosystem surveillance., Presentation at the Eighth meeting of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) Working Party S07.02.09. SaPa, Vietnam, 19-25 March 2017.
  • Cooke, D.E.L.; Squires, J.N.; Randall, E.; Pritchard, L.; Birch, P.R.J. (2013) Tracking effector diversity in populations of Phytophthora infestans., COST-FA1208 Meeting on Pathogen-informed Strategies for Sustainable Broad-spectrum Crop Resistance, Birnam, 9-11 October 2013.
  • Cooke, D.E.L.; Squires, J.N. (2013) Identifying unknown pathogens from the environment., LWEC Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Workshop on Detection and Biosecurity, York, March 2013.
  • Cooke, D.E.L.; Squires, J.N (2013) Methods to detect Phytophthora from natural ecosystems., UK Plant Diagnosticians Meeting, SASA, Edinburgh, March 2013.
  • Whisson, S.C.; Gilroy, E.M.; Avrova, A.O.; Tian, Z.D.; Breen, S.; Armstrong MR.; Squires, J.; Vieeshouwers, V.; McLellan, H.; Seman, Z.; Kandel, K.; Boevink, P.C.; Pritchard, L.; Hein, I.; Cooke, D.E.L.; Birch, P.R.J.; (2011) Phytophthora infestans effectors in late blight disease development and exploitation for disease control., 18th Triennial Conference of the European Association for Potato Research, Oulu, Finland, 24-29 July 2011.
  • Rakhshanderhoo, F.; Squires, J.; Palukaitis, P. (2008) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase – 1 can play a defensive role in systemic viral infection., 9th International Congress of Plant Pathology, Torino, Italy, 24-29 August 2008.
  • Schoelz, J.E.; Squires, J.; Gillespie, T.; Canto, T.; Palukaitis, P. (2008) Excision and episomal replication of Cauliflower mosaic virus integrated into a plant genome., 27th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Virology, New York, USA, 12-16 July 2008.
  • Hein, I.; Harrower, B.E.; Squires, J.; Birch, P.R.J.; Bryan, G.J. (2007) Screening wild potato accessions for resistance to the virulent allel of the Phytophthora infestans effector avr3a EM., XIII International Congress of Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions, Sorrento, Italy, 21-27 July 2007.
  • Squires, J. (2007) Stability of 35S:GFP after CaMV infection in four plant species., Advances in Virology, Association of Applied Biologists, University of Warwich, 5-7 April 2006.
  • Squires, J.; Palukaitis, P.; Schoelz, J.E. (2007) Excision and episomal replication of integrated CaMV., Advances in Virology. Association of Applied Biologists, University of Greenwich, 11-12 September 2007, 30.
  • Schoelz, J.E.; Wiggins, B.E.; Balagi, B.; Palukaitis, P.; Squires, J. (2005) Integration of cauliflower mosaic virus into the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana through a mechanism involving homologous recombination., XIIIth International Congress of Virology, San Fransisco, California, USA, 23-28 July 2005.
  • Daniell, T.J.; Squires, J.; Nunan, N. (2003) Rhizoplane diversity of nitrite reductase in upland pasture., FEMS Congress of European Microbiologists, Llubijana, Slovenia, June 2003.
  • Mitchell, S.; Wheatley, R.E.; Squires, J.; Daniell, T.J. (2003) Spatial linkage between NIRK diversity and denitrification of activity in three arable fields., FEMS Congress of European Microbiologists, Llubijana, Slovenia, June 2003.
  • Daniell, T.J.; Squires, J.; Ritz, K.; Wheatley, R.E.; Griffiths, B.S. (2002) Diversity of the nitrite reductase (NIRK) gene in an upland pasture system., BAGECO-7. Bergen, Norway, June 2002.
  • Daniell, T.J.; Squires, J.; Ritz, K.; Wheatley, R.E.; Griffiths, B.S. (2002) Diversity of the nitrite reductase (NIRK) gene in an upland pasture system., 8th New Phytologist Symposium (NPS 2002), Infocenter, Viikki Biocenter, Helsinki, Finland, 9-14 June 2002.
  • Squires, J.N. (2001) Effects of plants on diversity of copper containing nitrite-reducing bacteria in an upland grassland., Rhizosphere Interactions, Joint Meeting of the Scottish Soils Discussion Group and the Scottish Root Group. SCRI, Dundee, September 2001.
  • Squires, J.N.; Daniell, T.J.; Clegg, C.D.; Griffiths, B.S.; Ritz, K.; Verrall, S.R.; Wheatley, R.E. (2001) Effects of plants on diversity of nitrite-reducing bacteria in an upland grassland., Molecular Microbial Ecology Group, York.
  • Daniell, T.J.; Clegg, C.D.; Griffiths, B.S.; Ritz, K.; Squires, J.; Verrall, S.R.; Wheatley, R.E. (2001) Coupling between plants and diversity of nitrite-reducing bacteria in an upland pasture., Interactions in the Microbial World: 9th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology, Amsterdam, 26-31 August 2001.

Conference posters / abstracts

  • Cooke, D.E.L.; Squires, J.N.; Randall, E.; Birch P.R. (2013) Application of genomics for examining effector diversity and function., 5th International Phytophthora, Pythium and Related Genera Workshop, Beijing, 24-25 August 2013.
  • El-Ganainy, S.M.; Tohamy, A.M.M.; Awad, M.A.; Squires, J.N.; Cooke, D.E. (2013) The population dynamics of Phytophthora infestans in Egypt., Phytopathology, 103, 39.
  • Squires, J.; Palukaitis, P. (2009) The effect of CaMV integration in Arabidopsis on the growth and fecundity of plants and the stability and expression of GFP transgene., Association of Applied Biologists. Advances in Plant Virology, Harrogate, 1-3 April 2009, 16 (Abstract).