Dr Jack Westwood
Dr Jack Westwood is a postdoctoral research assistant funded by the Leverhulme Trust. His research focuses on the interactions between plants, viruses and the insects which transmit them and seeks to understand the molecular mechanisms through which plant viruses manipulate their insect vectors to ensure their onward transmission. Using the Arabidopsis thaliana-Cucumber mosaic virus-Myzus persicae system as model for understanding these processes, Jack is currently studying the effects of the CMV 2b suppressor of RNA silencing on subverting canonical plant defence pathways and its subsequent effects on aphid performance.
Jack is also involved in supervising and demonstrating the Part IA Physiology of Organisms and Part1B Plant and Microbial Sciences courses and in 2011 lectured the Environmental Microbiology component of the IB course.
Between 2006-2010 Jack also completed his PhD studies in the Molecular Virology group.
Publications
Harvey, J.J.W., Lewsey, M.G., Patel, K., Heimstädt, S., Westwood, J.H., Carr, J.P. and Baulcombe, D.C. (2011). 'An antiviral defence role of AGO2 in plants.' PLoS One 6(1): e14639 view online
Lewsey, M.G. Murphy, A.M., MacLean, D., Dalchau, N., Westwood, J.H., Macaulay, K., Bennett, M.H., Moulin, M., Hanke, D.E., Powell, G., Smith, A.G., and Carr, J.P. (2010). 'Disruption of two defensive signaling pathways by a viral RNA silencing suppressor.' Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions 23: 835-845. view online
Westwood J.H. and Stevens M. (2010) 'Resistance to Aphid Vectors of Virus Disease.' Advances in Virus Research 76: 179-210 view online
Contact:
- Email: Jack.Westwood@plantsci.cam.ac.uk
- Tel: 01223 (3)30215