Margaret Daub
Bio
Research efforts in my laboratory focused on the molecular biology of interactions between fungal pathogens of plants and their hosts, with an emphasis on the role of toxins, reactive oxygen species, and polyketide metabolites in pathogenicity. A major area of interest focused on fungi in the genus Cercospora and the role of their photoactivated toxin cercosporin in disease development. Cercosporin generates reactive oxygen species that damage host cells and allow for successful pathogenesis. Our work led to the characterization of the cercosporin biosynthetic pathway, as well as to the genes used by the fungus to defend against the toxin. This fundamental research then led to the successful engineering of Cercospora-resistant plants through expression of fungal autoresistance genes and through silencing of the biosynthetic pathway. Another project focused on the role of polyketide metabolic pathways in the black Sigatoka disease of banana, caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora fijensis. Polyketide gene clusters were identified in the P. fijiensis genome that are required for fungal reproduction and for disease development. These genes are potential targets for engineering banana for black Sigatoka resistance.
Most Recent Publication:
A polyketide synthase gene cluster required for pathogenicity of Pseudocercospora fijiensis on banana. PLOS ONE (2021)
Education
Ph.D. Plant Pathology University of Wisconsin-Madison 1979
B.A. Biology College of Wooster 1974
Area(s) of Expertise
Plant-Fungal Interactions
Publications
- Genetic Characteristics and Metabolic Interactions between Pseudocercospora fijiensis and Banana: Progress toward Controlling Black Sigatoka , PLANTS-BASEL (2022)
- A polyketide synthase gene cluster required for pathogenicity of Pseudocercospora fijiensis on banana , PLOS ONE (2021)
- Engineering Cercospora disease resistance via expression of Cercospora nicotianae cercosporin-resistance genes and silencing of cercosporin production in tobacco , PLOS ONE (2020)
- Phytopathogenic Cercosporoid Fungi-From Taxonomy to Modern Biochemistry and Molecular Biology , INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES (2020)
- A novel polyketide synthase gene cluster in the plant pathogenic fungus Pseudocercospora fijiensis , PLOS ONE (2019)
- A polyketide synthase gene cluster associated with the sexual reproductive cycle of the banana pathogen, Pseudocercospora fijiensis , PLOS ONE (2019)
- Bioinformatics Prediction of Polyketide Synthase Gene Clusters from Mycosphaerella fijiensis , PLOS ONE (2016)
- Transcriptome sequencing of Mycosphaerella fijiensis during association with Musa acuminata reveals candidate pathogenicity genes , BMC GENOMICS (2016)
- Characterization of Cercospora nicotianae Hypothetical Proteins in Cercosporin Resistance , PLOS ONE (2015)
- Membrane transporters in self resistance of Cercospora nicotianae to the photoactivated toxin cercosporin , Current Genetics (2015)