Dr David Ashford

Contact Details:
Department of Biology (Area 8)
University of York
YO10 5YW
Tel: 44-(0)1904 32 8960
Fax: 44-(0)1904 32 8505
Email: da5@york.ac.uk
Personal web site:Glycobiology: Research & Analytical

CAREER OUTLINE

1972

H.N.C. (Medical Laboratory Sciences)

City of London Polytechnic

1977

Membership of Institute of Biology (Biochemistry)

Bromley College of Technology

1982

Ph.D. (Biochemistry)

University of London

1974 - 1980

Research Technician

Department of Biochemistry, Charing Cross Hospital Medical School, London

1980 - 1982

Research Assistant

Department of Biochemistry, Charing Cross Hospital Medical School, London

1982 - 1985

Post-doc

Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford

1985 - 1989

Staff Scientist

Oxford Glycobiology Unit, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford

1989 - 1994

Senior Scientist

Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford

1994 -

Independent Research Fellow

Department of Biology, University of York

2002 - 2005

Research Associate

CNAP, Department of Biology, University of York

2005 -

Experimental Officer

Technology Facility, Department of Biology, University of York

KEY RESEARCH INTERESTS AND DISCOVERIES

Key research interests

The ultimate aim of my research is an understanding of the structure and function of glycans and glycoconjugates, and their role in plant and animal biology. Major research interests are the structure and biological role of protein-linked glycans; activity, generation and perception of carbohydrate signals in plants; the biochemistry of oligosaccharide formation and its role in osmoregulation in aphids. In addition to research, I run the Analytical Glycobiology laboratory within the Technology Facility.

Two references

• Price, N. J., Pinheiro, C., Soares, C. M., ASHFORD, D. A., Pinto Ricardo, C. & Jackson, P. (2003) A biochemical and molecular characterisation of LEP1, an extensin peroxidase from lupin. J. Biol. Chem. 278, 41389-41399.
• Jones, L., Milne, J. L., ASHFORD, D. A. & McQueen-Mason, S. J. (2003) Cell wall arabinan is essential for guard cell function. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 100, 11783-11788.

Discoveries
In York I have been part of teams that have shown:

• that the gut sucrase/transglucosidase is a key enzyme in aphids and that the enzyme has a dual action, firstly, to break down dietary sucrose to glucose and fructose to provide carbon sources for metabolism, and secondly, to synthesise oligosaccharides to maintain the osmotic balance between the gut contents and internal tissues.
• that field isolates of R. leguminosarum bv. viciae (Rlv), with differing host ranges, all produce the same type and range of nod factors
• that there is a quantitative difference in the amount of nod factors produced in response to a given inducer and this correlates with a particular variant of the gene coding for the Rhizobium receptor that activates nod factor production (NodD).
• that different flavonoids and the root exudates of legume host plants induce different levels of nod factor synthesis and that the root exudates of different host plants contain different inducers.
• have shown that tomato fruit peptide-N-glycanase shows ripening-associated changes in activity.

Professional activities
Society Memberships:
Biochemical Society
Institute of Biology
Society for Glycobiology

Editorial Board "Glycobiology" (1996 - 2000)

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

• Myocardial insulin resistance in experimental uraemia. In collaboration with with Drs Sunil Bhandari and Anne-Marie Seymour (Hull).
  Funding Source: HYMS - Pump-priming grant