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LABAVITCH, John M. Professor of Pomology
Department of Plant Pathology |
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| Degree | Institution | Year | Specialization | |||
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| A.B. | Wabash College | 1965 | Zoology/Botany | |||
| Ph.D. | Stanford University, California | 1973 | Biology (Plant Development) | |||
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| Area of Specialization | ||||||
| Studies of the relationship of plant cell wall metabolism to import events in plant development. Of particular interest are events in the postharvest lives of fruits. Included are studies of the biochemistry of plant interactions with pathogens and other pests, particularly as these interactions involve cell wall metabolism. | ||||||
| Research Statement | ||||||
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Currently (2001) we are studying the roles played by plant proteins which are inhibitors of pest polygalacturonases (PGs). PGs are cell wall pectin-digesting enzymes used by pathogens (and, perhaps, insects) to establish and perpetuate their interactions with plants. The PG inhibitor proteins (PGIPs) have been shown to reduce damage by Botrytis cinerea on tomato plants and may represent a more general defense function against pathogens. Preliminary studies show that PGIPs also inhibit PGs in the saliva of the Lygus bug (Lygus hesperus), an important crop pest, suggesting that PGIPs may also mitigate damage caused by that insect. Recently we have been investigating the potential role of cell wall metabolism in the interaction of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa, with the grapevine in the water transport impairment and cellular signaling that are aspects of Pierce's disease (PD). The model of PD development that we are testing proposes an important role for vessel cell wall digestion by the pathogen, production of elicitor oligosaccharides, and tissue production of ethylene in the development of the vessel occlusions that impair vine water movement.
also see http://sandtiger.dbs.ucdavis.edu/FacultyProfiles/PlantBiologyGG/DisplayFacultyProfile.cfm?ResearcherID=1421 | ||||||
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Selected
Publications
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| Powell ALT, J van Kan, A ten Have, J Visser, LC Greve, AB Bennett and JM Labavitch. 2000. Transgenic expression of pear PGIP in tomato limits fungal colonization. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. 13:942-950
Brummel, David A., Valeriano Dal Cin, Carlos H. Crisosto and John M. Labavitch. 2004. Cell wall metabolism during maturation, ripening and senescence of peach fruit. Journal of Experimental Botany 55:2029-2039. Shackel, K.A., M.P. Celorio-Mancera, H. Ahmadi, L.C. Greve, L.R. Teuber, E.A. Backus, J.M. Labavitch. 2005. Micro-injection of Lygus salivary proteins to simulate feeding damage in alfalfa and cotton flower. Archives of Insect Biochemistry and Physiology 58:69-83 Aguero, C.B., S.L. Uratsu, L.C. Greve, A.L.T. Powell, J.M. Labavitch, C.P. Meredith, A.M. Dandekar. 2005. Evaluation of tolerance to Pierce_s Disease and Botrytis in transgenic plants of Vitis vinifera L. expressing the pear PGIP gene. Molecular Plant Pathology 6:43-51. An, H.J., S. Lurie, L.C. Greve, D. Rosenquist, C. Kirmiz, J.M. Labavitch, C.B. Lebrilla. 2005. Determination of pathogen-related enzyme action by MS analysis of pectin breakdown products of plant cell walls. Analytical Biochemistry 338: 71-82. |
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