Dr Alex Reid

Head of Genotyping

Telephone Number
+44(0)131 244 8910

Research interests/Areas of expertise

Crop genotyping using various methods.
Molecular taxonomy of nematodes.
Development of high throughput detection systems.

Biography

I joined SASA in 2002 and have worked on a variety of molecular biology projects including the development of a genotyping system for potato variety identification. With partners from the Netherlands, Poland, Germany and CPVO this work was extended across Europe to create a database contain over 900 varieties on the EU Common Catalogue. Current projects incluce barley variey identification, devlopment of a high throughput method for potato cyst nematode detection and aphid species identification.
1992 - 2002. CABI Bioscience working on molecular taxonomy of nematodes (especially entomopathogenic nematodes), fungal pathogens and invasive weeds.
1987 – 2002. Imperial College 1st as a PhD student followed by a post doc working on entomopathogenic nematode molecular taxonomy.
1983 – 1987. MRC, Mammalian Development Unit working on the discovery of sex determining genes, methylation as a mechanism for gene control.

Publications

Owen H, Pearson K, Roberts AMI, Reid A, Russell J. In Press. Single nucleotide polymorphism assay to distinguish barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) varieties in support of seed certification. Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution.
Highet F, Toteva G, Downie M, Peterson M, Gray AJ, Reid A. 2018. The Bees Needs: Using a molecular analysis of bee collected pollen to understand which plants play an important role in honey bee forage. Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2018. :37-42.
Maras M, Sedlar A, Reid A, Božović V, Jovović Z, Meglič V, Dolničar P. 2017. Genetic Diversity and Redundancy Among Potato Accessions in the Montenegrin Collection as Revealed by Microsatellite Markers. American Journal of Potato Research. 94(4):306–313.
Pickup J, Reid A, Cole Y, Anderson E. 2016. Management of PCN – the potential for new diagnostics and resistant varieties. Proceedings Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2016. :251-256.
S Eves-van den Akker, Cock P, Blok V, Reid A, Pickup J, Blaxter M, Urwin P, Jones J, Anderson E. 2016. The potato cyst nematode: National distribution of mitotypes. Proceedings Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2016. :235-237.
S Eves-van den Akker, Lilley CJ, Reid A, Pickup J, Anderson E, Cock PJA, Blaxter M, Urwin PE, Jones JT, Blok V. 2015. A metagenetic approach to determine the diversity and distribution of cyst nematodes at the level of the country, the field and the individual. Molecular Ecology. 24(23):5842–5851.
The data are also available to download.
van Ghelder C, Reid A, Kenyon DM, Esmenjaud D. 2015. Detection of Nepovirus Vector and Nonvector Xiphinema Species in Grapevine. Plant Pathology : Techniques and Protocols. :149-159.
van Ghelder C, Reid A, Kenyon DM, Esmenjaud D. 2015. Development of a real-time PCR method for the detection of the dagger nematodes Xiphinema index, X. diversicaudatum, X. vuittenezi and X. italiae, and for the quantification of X. index numbers. Plant Pathology. 64(2):489-500.
Reid A, Evans FF, Mulholland V, Cole Y, Pickup J. 2015. High-Throughput Diagnosis of Potato Cyst Nematodes in Soil Samples. Plant Pathology : Techniques and Protocols. :137-148.
Gray R, Reid A, Highet F. 2014. Development of real-time PCR assays for the identification of virus vector aphid species. 10th European Congress of Entomology.
Reid A. 2012. Determining the diversity of European Globodera pallida populations. 31st International Symposium of European Society of Nematologists.
Kaczmarek A, Paterson A, Palomares-Rius JE, Mackenzie K, Kettle H, Haydock PP, Kenyon DM, Reid A, Blok V. 2012. Influence of temperature on the life cycle of the potato cyst nematode. Proceedings Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2012. :297-298.
Pickup J, Cole Y, Reid A, Kerr J, Speirs J, MacRae D. 2012. Potato Cyst Nematodes: initial impressions of the impact of the new EU Directive in Scotland. Proceedings Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2012. :227-232.
Pickup J, Cole Y, Reid A. 2012. The impact of the new EU Potato Cyst Nematode Directive in Scotland. 31st International Symposium of European Society of Nematologists.
Blok V, Hoolahan A, Grujic N, Paterson A, Kaczmarek A, Palomares-Rius JE, Dowton M, Reid A, Pickup J, Kenyon DM. 2012. Using the mitochondrial genome of Potato Cyst nematodes to distinguish introductions. Proceedings Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2012. :239-242.
Reid A, Hof L, Felix G, Ruecker B, Tams S, Milczynska E, Esselink D, Uenk G, Vosman B, Weitz A. 2011. Construction of an integrated microsatellite and key morphological characteristic database of potato varieties on the EU Common Catalogue. Euphytica. 182(2):239-249.
Mortensen RJ, Shen X, Reid A, Mulholland V. 2010. Characterisation of viruses infecting potato plants from a single location in Shetland, an isolated Scottish archipelago. Journal of Phytopathology. 158(9):633-640.
Kenyon DM, Reid A, Evans FF, Mulholland V, Pickup J, Blok VC, Paterson A, Phillips MS. 2010. Development of a high-throughput method for the detection and speciation of PCN. Proceedings Crop Protection in Northern Britain 2010. :201-206.
Reid A, Kenyon DM, Evans FF, Mulholland V, Pickup J, Blok VC, Paterson A, Phillips MS. 2010. Development of a high-throughput method for the detection and species determination of PCN.. Aspects of Applied Biology. 103, 3rd Symposium on Potato Cyst Nematodes, Harper Adams University College, Newport, UK:11-14.
Cote MJ, Leduc L, Reid A. 2010. Evaluation of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers on the Canadian reference potato DNA collection. UPOV - Working Group on Biochemical and Molecular Techniques and DNA-Profiling in Particular (BMT/12).
Reid A. 2010. Potato Cyst Nematodes: New Legislation, New Technology.
Mulholland V, Mortensen RJ, Shen X, Reid A. 2010. Potato viruses: a snapshot from Shetland. SGM Conference, March 2010.
Reid A. 2010. The use of temperature switch PCR for SNP genotyping in barley. UPOV - Working Group on Biochemical and Molecular Techniques and DNA-Profiling in Particular (BMT/12).
Reid A. 2009. PCR detection of potato cyst nematode. Plant Pathology : Techniques and Protocols. 508:289-294.
Reid A, Hof L, Esselink D, Vosman B. 2009. Potato cultivar genome analysis. Plant Pathology : Techniques and Protocols. 508:295-308.
Reid A, Kenyon DM, Evans FF, Pickup J, Blok VC, Paterson A, Phillips MS. 2009. Potato cyst nematode: new legislation, new technology. SOL 2009.
Reid A, Kerr EM. 2007. A rapid SSR-based identification method for potato cultivars. Plant Genetic Resources. 5(1):7-13.
Reid A, Pickup J. 2005. Molecular characterization of a morphologically unusual potato cyst nematode. EPPO Bulletin. 35(1):69-72.
Reid A, Manzanilla-Lopez RH, Hunt DJ. 2003. Nacobbus aberrans (Thorne, 1935) Thorne & Allen, 1944 (Nematoda: Pratylenchidae); a nascent species complet revealed by RFLP analysis and sequencing of the ITS-rDNA region. Nematology. 5:441-451.
Mracek Z, Sturhan D, Reid A. 2003. Steinernema weiseri n. sp (Rhabditida, Steinernematidae), a new entomopathogenic nematode from Europe. Systematic Parasitology. 56(1):37-47.
Reid A. 2001. Nick translation. Gene Probes: Principles and Protocols. :23-25.
Reid A. 2001. Random primed labelling. Gene Probes: Principles and Protocols. :27-28.
Reid A. 2001. Target format and hybridization conditions. Gene Probes: Principles and Protocols. :1-11.