Professor Robert Martienssen FRS

Robert Martienssen has made major discoveries relating to the way plants control the expression of their genes. Working with maize, yeast and the weed Arabidopsis, he focuses on the chemical modifications to DNA that determine which genes are active — a process known as epigenetics.

Robert’s work explains the effect on plants of ‘jumping genes’, or DNA transposable elements, reported in 1951 by Barbara McClintock, whom he worked alongside early in his career. He discovered that small pieces of RNA, in association with proteins of the Argonaute family, silence transposons in seeds so that gene expression remains stable from one generation to the next.

His work was cited by the journal Science as part of its ‘Breakthrough of the Year: 2002’ feature on small RNAs. He has extended his epigenetic studies from seeds to pollen, and his discoveries have implications for plant breeding — including hybrid cloning — and the development of biofuels.

Subject groups

  • Biochemistry and molecular cell biology

    Biochemistry and molecular biology, Molecular microbiology

  • Microbiology, immunology and developmental biology

    Developmental biology, Genetics (excluding population genetics)

  • Organismal biology, evolution and ecology

    Plant sciences / botany

Awards

  • Darwin Medal

    For outstanding contributions to genetics and epigenetics, including defining the role of RNA interference in inherited gene silencing and in genomic stability in the germ line.

Professor Robert Martienssen FRS
Elected 2006