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Associate Professor, Head of Chromatin & Memory Group, Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge
Royal Society University Research Fellow
Jake Harris is head of the Chromatin and Memory group at the Department of Plant Sciences, which explores how "memory" works in plants. The group is interested in how chromatin impacts gene expression in plants, and how this might be applicable to helping plants resist attacks from pathogens. Plants are exquisitely attuned to changes in environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, drought and disease challenge. Chromatin helps establish long-term, sometimes multi-generational, cellular memories of events that modulate the transcriptional response to a renewed attack. This is akin to humans responding more effectively to a virus after natural or vaccine induced immunisation. In plants, such memories involve a re-sculpting of the chromatin landscape so that certain genes can be reactivated or repressed more rapidly with subsequent challenge.
Recent research has led to the discovery of DNA methylation readers that activate and silence genes opening new avenues for exploring how cells encode and decode epigenetic states. The major goal of his research is to discover how these mechanisms work, so that they can eventually be controlled to improve crop resistance and yield. This work aims to provide key insight and tools to address the global challenges of sustainable food production in the face of climate change and population growth.
