Submitted by Jennifer Lewis on
The plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae causes disease in a large number of different plant species. Virulence is primarily achieved by the type III secretion system, which secretes and translocates effector proteins into the plant. Many of these effector proteins are believed to suppress host defense signaling. However recognition of these effector proteins by resistance (R) proteins induces a defense response. The YopJ / HopZ family of effector proteins is evolutionarily diverse and found in both animal and plant pathogenic bacteria. HopZ1a is recognized by the ZAR1 resistance protein, which triggers a defense response, while other HopZ family members increase bacterial virulence (Ma et al., 2006; Lewis et al., 2008; Lewis et al., 2010). We use a wide range of plant species to investigate defense responses to P. syringae.
The Lewis lab seeks undergraduate students to pursue research on the genetic diversity of plant resistance to P. syringae. The candidate will participate in a genetic screen to identify mutants that are affected in HopZ1a-induced immunity. The candidate will work closely with the lab’s principal investigator, Dr. Jennifer Lewis, and team members.
The student should be strongly interested in learning and conducting basic research in plant pathology. The student should have taken BIO1A and BIO1B, and some advanced classes, for example microbiology, molecular biology, genetics or plant physiology. The student should be highly motivated, conscientious, able to work independently and as part of a team, and carry out experiments to completion. The research project is best performed with 3-4 hour blocks of time. The student must be able to come to the lab during normal hours (9am-6pm weekdays).