Gaëlle Cassin-Ross, Ph.D.

Lab Manager     cassin@msu.edu curriculum vitae

Technicians

Caitlin Thireault, M.S.

Technician     thireaul@msu.edu curriculum vitae

Innate immune responses offer protection against a broad-range of microorganisms and potential pathogens. I am interested in dissecting innate immunity to identify novel contributing factors and refine our current understanding of plant-microbe interactions.

Postdoctoral Researchers

Kyaw (Joe) Aung, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher     aungkyaw@msu.edu curriculum vitae

Although the Arabidopsis-Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (Pst) DC3000 pathosystem has been extensively studied to elucidate basic principles underlying plant-pathogen interactions, little is known whether and how bacteria modulate adjoining non-infected plant cells for successful infection. My project aims at understanding how phytobacteria modulate host cell-to-cell communication to facilitate bacterial spread and multiplication in plants.

Alex Brutus, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher     brutusal@msu.edu

Danve Castroverde, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher     danve.online@gmail.com Website

My primary research interest is molecular plant-pathogen interactions because of the remarkable interplay between two organisms and various factors. I joined the He Lab to examine and dissect how elevated temperature as an abiotic/environmental stress influences the plant defense signalling network.

YuTi Cheng, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher     yutic@msu.edu curriculum vitae

Using a reverse genetics approach, I study the function of Arabidopsis genes whose expression are affected by the bacterial elicitor flg22, the bacterial toxin coronatine, and/or the salicylic acid analog BTH.

Bethany Huot, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher     huotbeth@msu.edu curriculum vitae

I am currently working to identify the molecular mechanisms underlying temperature modulation of salicylic acid-mediated signaling and Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 pathogenesis in Arabidopsis. As a result of my growing passion for teaching and mentoring students pursuing scientific careers, I started The Pub Club (www.thepubclubhub.org), one goal of which is to increase communication and collaboration among scientists at every stage.

Kinya Nomura, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher     nomura@msu.edu curriculum vitae

I am working on Pseudomonas syringae Type-III effectors which suppress plant immunity during infection.

André Velásquez, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher     acvl@msu.edu curriculum vitae

My research is currently focused on understanding the mechanisms by which PAMP-triggered immunity is able to prevent pathogen establishment and growth. I am also investigating the variability of resistance to Pseudomonas syringae encountered in different natural accessions of Arabidopsis. Finally, a third project in which I am involved focuses into engineering new resistance pathways in plants.

Xiufang Xin, Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher     xinxiufa@msu.edu curriculum vitae

I have been studying how a highly conserved Pseudomonas syringae effector, AvrE, modulates plant cellular processes to promote disease susceptibility. Recently, I initiated efforts to understand the molecular basis of the humidity requirement for Pseudomonas syringae infection in plants.

Li Zhang, M.S., Ph.D.

Postdoctoral Researcher     zhangl25@msu.edu curriculum vitae

The overall goal of my thesis research is to understand how the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas syringae infects plants. The first project of my thesis research is aimed at engineering jasmonate receptor mutants that have reduced sensitivity to coronatine, but preserve responsiveness to endogenous jasmonate. The second project of my thesis is to clone Arabidopsis genes that, when mutated, restore the virulence of coronatine-deficient mutants of P. syringae bacteria.

Graduate Students

Ph.D. Student     kremerj1@msu.edu curriculum vitae

I am researching the relationships between complex communities of microorganisms that colonize plants (the plant microbiome) and host innate immunity. I am also working on the experimental evolution of Pseudomonas syringae, comparative genomics of plant-associated bacteria, host/microbe transcriptomics, and gnotobiotic system development.

Matt Oney, M.S.

Ph.D. Student     oneymatt@gmail.com

Brad Paasch

Ph.D. Student     paaschbr@msu.edu curriculum vitae

My research focuses on unraveling the molecular mechanisms in which a plant microbiome influences host processes. The role of a microbiome on plant development and innate immunity are of particular interest to my research.

Adam Seroka

Ph.D. Student     serokaad@msu.edu

My research focuses on the interaction between Pseudomonas syringae  pv. tomato DC3000 and Arabidopsis thaliana and how local infection and  activation of defense systemically disrupts plant growth and movements. By studying the interconnected nature between plant  pathogens, defense, and development, we can gain a broader insight  into the molecular mechanisms that regulate plant behavior.

Undergraduates

Visiting Scholars

Lab Lunch during ICAR in St. Louis (2017)