![Helen Woodfield](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/1264?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Helen Woodfield
(she/her)
Academic
Overview
I lecture in a wide range of subjects, including plant sciences, microbiology, and biochemistry.
Roles
- Year One Coordinator for all Biosciences degree schemes
- Admissions Tutor
- Module lead for BI1014 - Biological Chemistry
- Assessment lead for BI2232 - Biochemistry
- Memeber of the Royal Society of Biology Curriculum Committee
Scholarship interests
My pedaogic interests lie in skills development in undergraduate students. How do student acquire the skills they need to be successful scientists? How are those skills honed and retained? Is there a way we can better incorporate skills development with specialist knowledge acquisition?
Publication
2022
- Fenyk, S. et al. 2022. Overexpression of phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase in Brassica napus results in changes in lipid metabolism and oil accumulation. Biochemical Journal 479(6), pp. 805-823. (10.1042/BCJ20220003)
- Liao, P. et al. 2022. Transgenic manipulation of triacylglycerol biosynthetic enzymes in B. napus alters lipid-associated gene expression and lipid metabolism. Scientific Reports 12(1), article number: 3352. (10.1038/s41598-022-07387-x)
2019
- Liao, P., Woodfield, H. K., Harwood, J. L., Chye, M. and Scofield, S. 2019. Comparative transcriptomics analysis of Brassica napus L. during seed maturation reveals dynamic changes in gene expression between embryos and seed coats and distinct expression profiles of Acyl-CoA-binding proteins for lipid accumulation. Plant and Cell Physiology 60(12), pp. 2812-2825. (10.1093/pcp/pcz169)
- Woodfield, H. K. et al. 2019. Increase in lysophosphatidate acyltransferase activity in oilseed rape (Brassica napus) increases seed triacylglycerol content despite its low intrinsic flux control coefficient. New Phytologist 224(2), pp. 700-711. (10.1111/nph.16100)
2018
- Woodfield, H. K., Cazenave-Gassiot, A., Haslam, R. P., Guschina, I. A., Wenk, M. R. and Harwood, J. L. 2018. Using lipidomics to reveal details of lipid accumulation in developing seeds from oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Biochimica et Biophysica Acta Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids 1863(3) (10.1016/j.bbalip.2017.12.010)
2017
- Harwood, J. L., Woodfield, H. K., Chen, G. and Weselake, R. J. 2017. Modification of oil crops to produce fatty acids for industrial applications. In: Ahmad, M. U. ed. Fatty Acids Chemistry, Synthesis, and Applications. Elsevier, pp. 187-236., (10.1016/B978-0-12-809521-8.00005-2)
- Woodfield, H. K., Sturtevant, D., Borisjuk, L., Munz, E., Guschina, I. A., Chapman, K. and Harwood, J. L. 2017. Spatial and temporal mapping of key lipid species in Brassica napus seeds. Plant Physiology 173(4), pp. 1998-2009. (10.1104/pp.16.01705)
- Weselake, R. J., Woodfield, H. K., Field, C. J. and Harwood, J. L. 2017. Production of edible oils through metabolic engineering. In: Food Lipids Chemistry, Nutrition, and Biotechnology, Fourth Edition. CRC Press, pp. 973.
2016
- Woodfield, H. K. and Harwood, J. L. 2016. Oilseed crops: linseed, rapeseed, soybean, and sunflower. In: Thomas, B., Murray, B. G. and Murphy, D. J. eds. Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences 2nd Edition. Elsevier, pp. 34-38., (10.1016/B978-0-12-394807-6.00212-4)
2015
- Chen, G., Woodfield, H., Pan, X., Harwood, J. and Weselake, R. J. 2015. Acyl-trafficking during plant oil accumulation. Lipids 50(11), pp. 1057-1068. (10.1007/s11745-015-4069-x)
- Woodfield, H., Harwood, J. L. and Weselake, R. J. 2015. Tailoring lipid synthesis in oil crops. Inform 26(2), pp. 78-83.
2014
- John, C. R., Smith-Unna, R. D., Woodfield, H., Covshoff, S. and Hibberd, J. M. 2014. Evolutionary convergence of cell-specific gene expression in independent lineages of C-4 grasses. Plant Physiology 165(1), pp. 62-75. (10.1104/pp.114.238667)
2012
- Tolley, B. J., Woodfield, H., Wanchana, S., Bruskiewich, R. and Hibberd, J. M. 2012. Light-regulated and cell-specific methylation of the maize PEPC promoter. Journal of Experimental Botany 63(3), pp. 1381-1390. (10.1093/jxb/err367)
2011
- Kajala, K. et al. 2011. Strategies for engineering a two-celled C4 photosynthetic pathway into rice. Journal of Experimental Botany 62(9), pp. 3001-3010. (10.1093/jxb/err022)
Articles
- Fenyk, S. et al. 2022. Overexpression of phospholipid: diacylglycerol acyltransferase in Brassica napus results in changes in lipid metabolism and oil accumulation. Biochemical Journal 479(6), pp. 805-823. (10.1042/BCJ20220003)
- Liao, P. et al. 2022. Transgenic manipulation of triacylglycerol biosynthetic enzymes in B. napus alters lipid-associated gene expression and lipid metabolism. Scientific Reports 12(1), article number: 3352. (10.1038/s41598-022-07387-x)
- Liao, P., Woodfield, H. K., Harwood, J. L., Chye, M. and Scofield, S. 2019. Comparative transcriptomics analysis of Brassica napus L. during seed maturation reveals dynamic changes in gene expression between embryos and seed coats and distinct expression profiles of Acyl-CoA-binding proteins for lipid accumulation. Plant and Cell Physiology 60(12), pp. 2812-2825. (10.1093/pcp/pcz169)
- Woodfield, H. K. et al. 2019. Increase in lysophosphatidate acyltransferase activity in oilseed rape (Brassica napus) increases seed triacylglycerol content despite its low intrinsic flux control coefficient. New Phytologist 224(2), pp. 700-711. (10.1111/nph.16100)
- Woodfield, H. K., Cazenave-Gassiot, A., Haslam, R. P., Guschina, I. A., Wenk, M. R. and Harwood, J. L. 2018. Using lipidomics to reveal details of lipid accumulation in developing seeds from oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.). Biochimica et Biophysica Acta Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids 1863(3) (10.1016/j.bbalip.2017.12.010)
- Woodfield, H. K., Sturtevant, D., Borisjuk, L., Munz, E., Guschina, I. A., Chapman, K. and Harwood, J. L. 2017. Spatial and temporal mapping of key lipid species in Brassica napus seeds. Plant Physiology 173(4), pp. 1998-2009. (10.1104/pp.16.01705)
- Chen, G., Woodfield, H., Pan, X., Harwood, J. and Weselake, R. J. 2015. Acyl-trafficking during plant oil accumulation. Lipids 50(11), pp. 1057-1068. (10.1007/s11745-015-4069-x)
- Woodfield, H., Harwood, J. L. and Weselake, R. J. 2015. Tailoring lipid synthesis in oil crops. Inform 26(2), pp. 78-83.
- John, C. R., Smith-Unna, R. D., Woodfield, H., Covshoff, S. and Hibberd, J. M. 2014. Evolutionary convergence of cell-specific gene expression in independent lineages of C-4 grasses. Plant Physiology 165(1), pp. 62-75. (10.1104/pp.114.238667)
- Tolley, B. J., Woodfield, H., Wanchana, S., Bruskiewich, R. and Hibberd, J. M. 2012. Light-regulated and cell-specific methylation of the maize PEPC promoter. Journal of Experimental Botany 63(3), pp. 1381-1390. (10.1093/jxb/err367)
- Kajala, K. et al. 2011. Strategies for engineering a two-celled C4 photosynthetic pathway into rice. Journal of Experimental Botany 62(9), pp. 3001-3010. (10.1093/jxb/err022)
Book sections
- Harwood, J. L., Woodfield, H. K., Chen, G. and Weselake, R. J. 2017. Modification of oil crops to produce fatty acids for industrial applications. In: Ahmad, M. U. ed. Fatty Acids Chemistry, Synthesis, and Applications. Elsevier, pp. 187-236., (10.1016/B978-0-12-809521-8.00005-2)
- Weselake, R. J., Woodfield, H. K., Field, C. J. and Harwood, J. L. 2017. Production of edible oils through metabolic engineering. In: Food Lipids Chemistry, Nutrition, and Biotechnology, Fourth Edition. CRC Press, pp. 973.
- Woodfield, H. K. and Harwood, J. L. 2016. Oilseed crops: linseed, rapeseed, soybean, and sunflower. In: Thomas, B., Murray, B. G. and Murphy, D. J. eds. Encyclopedia of Applied Plant Sciences 2nd Edition. Elsevier, pp. 34-38., (10.1016/B978-0-12-394807-6.00212-4)
Research
Bioscience Research Background:
The C4 Rice Project - During my PhD I studied C4 photosynthesis, a process which could potentially result in higher yields if incorporated into crops plants such as rice. The C4 metabolic pathway relies on segragation of carbon fixation between two cell types within the leaf, mesophyll and bundle sheath cells. I conducted research on how cell-specific gene expression is achieved in plants that use C3 photosynthesis and how genes important to the C4 pathway are regulated during leaf development.
Regulation of Lipid Synthesis in Oilseed Rape - My research at Cardiff University focused on oil accumulation in Oilseed rape. One line of my research looked into establishing which stages of the synthesis pathway leading to storage oil (TAG) accumulation were most important for control. I did this through conducting flux control experiments on a series on oilseed rape line over-expressing genes involved in TAG synthesis. A second line of research involved using MALDI-MS to image where different lipid species accumulate in the devloping seeds of oildseed rape.
Teaching
Teaching specialisms:
- Plant Sciences - Especially molecular physiology
- Enzyme Kinetics
- Microbiology
- Organic Chemistry
- Academic Communication Skills
Biography
I graduated with a BA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 2009. I then did a PhD at the University of Cambridge in the Julian Hibberd lab, working on the C4 rice project. The aim of this project is to increase rice yields by 50% via incorporation of C4 photosynthesis into the crop. My PhD focused on understanding cell-specific gene expression around the vasculature of C3 plants.
In 2014 I moved to Cardiff University to conduct a postdoc with Prof. John Harwood researching oil synthesis in oilseed rape. I used the MALDI-MS imagining technique to see whereabouts in the seed different types of molecules associated with oil production accumulate. In addition, I conducted metabolic flux control experiments to determin which points along the triacyl glycerol synthesis pathway were import for control of flux through the system.
In 2017 I was appointed as a Lecturer in biochemistry and molecular biology at Cardiff University.
Contact Details
+44 29208 76985
Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX