CAREER: What is Behind the Worldwide Success of Pseudomonas Syringae Pv. Tomato: a Comparative Evolutionary Genomics investigation

Virginia Polytechnic Institute And State University, Blacksburg VA

Investigators

Abstract

The ability of organisms to adapt to new niches becomes a primary concern to our society when it involves the specialization of pathogens to humans, farm animals or crops. Little is known about how plant pathogens, which were adapted to natural mixed-plant communities in pre-agricultural times, evolved into today's highly aggressive pathogens of crops cultivated in monoculture. To fill this void, this project aims at identifying the molecular evolutionary mechanisms that allow pathogens to specialize to specific plant species and to become more aggressive. The bacterial plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato (the cause of bacterial speck disease of tomato worldwide) and closely related bacteria, will be the focus of this project. A multidisciplinary approach of comparative evolutionary genomics, population genetics, and microbial genetics will be applied leveraging the latest advances in biological sciences and computer sciences. Research and education will be integrated through the development and teaching of an undergraduate course in 'Microbial Genomics and Forensics' and the creation of internship opportunities for undergraduates in the principal investigator's lab and in the biotechnology industry. It is anticipated that this project will uncover genomic changes that occurred in P. syringae pv. tomato during its evolution since the advent of agriculture and that have led to its current aggressiveness and worldwide distribution. Results from this research are expected to constitute the basis for the development of new hypotheses on the evolution of bacterial pathogens in general and to be instrumental in future breeding and engineering of disease resistant crops. Easy access to obtained results will be provided through a web-accessible database. The research in the principal investigator's lab, the undergraduate course and the collaboration with industry will not only attract students to research and provide advanced training, but also give students of underrepresented groups the opportunity to jump-start their professional careers.