Falk, Bryce W.

Professor of Plant Pathology
Office Phone: 530-752-0302
FAX: 530-752-5674
E-Mail: bwfalk@ucdavis.edu

Biography

B.S. Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo 1974 Biological Sciences
M.S. University of California, Berkeley 1976 Plant Pathology
Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley 1978 Plant Pathology

Lab Website

Dr. Falk lab web page

Area of Specialization

Plant virology; virus vector and virus plant interactions, controlling virus infections.

Research

My lab is involved in studying the molecular and cell biology, and molecular genetics of the plant viruses. Our efforts are towards identification and analysis of viral genes/gene products which confer the ability of the viruses to replicate and spread within plants, and to be transmitted from plant to plant by their insect vectors. My lab also is taking molecular epidemiological approaches to assess virus population genetic and biological diversity. We are using information from these studies to then design biotechnological approaches for plant virus disease control based on genetic conservation found in the virus population. A final area of our research combines plant molecular biology, chemical engineering and plant virology. We are engineering plant viruses to be used as specific agents to express desirable nucleic acids/proteins in plants and plant cells. We hope to use viruses to produce desirable proteins, and for reverse genetic analysis of specific plant types.

Selected Publications:

Lucy R. Stewart, Vicente Medina, Tongyan Tian, Massimo Turina, Bryce W. Falk, and James C. K. Ng. 2010. A mutation in the Lettuce infectious yellows virus minor coat protein disrupts whitefly transmission but not in planta systemic movement. J. Virology IN PRESS.

Jinbo Wang, Lucy Stewart, Sophie Kiss, and Bryce W. Falk. 2010. Lettuce infectious yellows virus RNA 1-encoded p34 is an RNA binding protein and exhibits perinuclear localization. Virology 403: 67 – 77. FEATURED ON JOURNAL COVER.

Cristina Rosa, S. George Kamita, Haley Dequine, Da Ha Wuriyanghan, John A. Lindbo, and Bryce W. Falk. 2010. RNAi effects on actin mRNAs in Homalodisca vitripennis cells. J. RNAi Gene Silencing 6:361 – 366.

Jinbo Wang, Massimo Turina, Vicente Medina, Bryce W. Falk. 2009. Synergistic interaction between the Potyvirus, Turnip mosaic virus and the Crinivirus, Lettuce infectious yellows virus in plants and protoplasts. Virus Research 144:163 – 170.

Jinbo Wang, Massimo Turina, Lucy R. Stewart, John A. Lindbo, Bryce W. Falk. 2009. Agroinoculation of the Crinivirus, Lettuce infectious yellows virus, for systemic plant infection. Virology 392: 131 – 136.

Jinbo Wang, Hsin-Hung Yeh, Bryce W. Falk. 2009. cis preferential replication of Lettuce infectious Yellows virus (LIYV) RNA 1: The initial step in the asynchronous replication o the LIYV genomic RNAs. Virology 386: 217 – 223.

Lucy R. Stewart, Min Sook Hwang, Bryce W. Falk. 2009. Two Crinivirus-specific proteins of Lettuce infectious yellows virus (LIYV), P26 and P9, are self-interacting. Virus Research 145:293 – 299.

Pavan Kumar, Sandra Uratsu, Abhaya Dandekar, Bryce W. Falk. 2009. Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus Recombination Guided by Introduced MicroRNA Target Sequences. . J. Virology. 83:10472 – 10479.

Lucy R. Stewart, Vicente Medina, Mysore R. Sudarshana, Bryce W. Falk. 2009. Lettuce infectious yellows virus-encoded P26 induces plasmalemma deposit cytopathology. Virology 388: 212 – 220.

Ciuffo, M., Kurowski, C., Vivoda, E., Copes, B., Masenga, V., Falk, B.W., and Turina, M. 2009. A new Tospovirus sp. in cucurbit crops in mexico. Plant Dis. 93:467-474.

Walia, J.J, Salem, N.M., Falk, B.W. 2009. Partial sequence and survey analysis identify a multipartite, negative-sense RNA virus associated with fig mosaic. Plant Dis. 93:4-10. FEATURED ON JOURNAL COVER.

Michael A. Plesha, Ting-Kuo Huang, Abhaya M. Dandekar, Bryce W. Falk, Karen A. McDonald. 2009. Optimization of the Bioprocessing Conditions for Scale-Up of Transient Production of a Heterologous Protein in Plants Using a Chemically Inducible Viral Amplicon Expression System. Biotechnology Progress Journal 25: 722 – 734. TOPICAL PAPER.

Salem, N. Golino, D.A., Falk, B.W., Rowhani ,A. 2008. Identification and partial characterization of a new luteovirus associated with rose spring dwarf disease. Plant Dis. 92:508-512

Nida M. Salem, W. Allen Miller, Adib Rowhani, Deborah A. Golino Anne-Laure Moyne, Bryce W. Falk. 2008. Rose spring dwarf-associated virus has RNA structural and gene-expression features like those of Barley yellow dwarf virus. Virology 375: 354 – 360.

Ting-Kuo Huang, Michael A. Plesha, Bryce W. Falk, Abhaya M. Dandekar, Karen A. McDonald. 2008. Bioreactor Strategies for Improving Production Yield and Functionality of a Recombinant Human Protein in Transgenic Tobacco Cell Cultures. Biotechnology and bioengineering 102:508-20.

Nida M. Salem, Deborah A. Golino, Bryce W. Falk, Adib Rowhani. 2007. Complete nucleotide sequences and genome characterization of a novel double-stranded RNA virus infecting Rosa multiflora. Archives of Virology 153:455-62.

M. Alrawahnih, J.K. Uyemoto, B.W. Falk, A. Rowhani. 2007. Molecular characterization and detection of plum bark necrosis stem-putting associated virus. Arch Vriol., 152: 2197 – 2206.

Michael A. Plesha, Tin-Kuo Huang, Abhaya M. Dandekar, Bryce W. Falk, and Karen A. McDonald. 2007. High-Level Transient Production of a Heterologous Protein in Plants by Optimizing Induction of a Chemically Inducible Viral Amplicon Expression System. Biotechnol. Prog., 23: 1277 -1285.