Educational Background
B.S., Biology, 2005, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA.
Research Interests
My overall research interest is studying plant-pathogen interactions
on a molecular level. Specifically, studying molecular plant-nematode
interactions has captured my attention because there is a great need
to reduce our dependency on the use of chemicals in agriculture in order
to promote a more sustainable system.
Currently, I am studying the function of candidate soybean cyst nematode
(Heterodera glycines) parasitism genes that are expressed in
the nematode esophageal gland cells and potentially secreted from the
stylet into the roots of soybean plants to induce feeding cells called
syncytia. My research has been focused on two different soybean cyst
nematode CLAVATA/ESR(CLE)-like genes. Both genes encode small
secreted peptides with a C-terminal CLE motif found in plant CLE peptides.
We hypothesize that secreted nematode CLE peptides may play a role in
ligand mimicry for parasitism and possibly host adaptation. Currently,
I am observing nematode CLE overexpression phenotypes in Arabidopsis
and soybean roots and optimizing CLE peptide assays. In the future,
I will utilize a variety of approaches to identify downstream signaling
pathways that CLE proteins may be triggering or suppressing in the host
plant.
Research Experience
2005-2006, Lab Research
Assistant, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
2004, Summer LS-UROP Intern, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO.
2003, Summer Plant Pathology Intern, Ohio State University’s
Ohio Agriculture Research Development Center, Wooster, OH.
Honors and Awards
Life Sciences Doctoral Fellowship
Professional Memberships
American Association for
the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
American Phytopathological Society (APS)
Publications
*Wang, X., *Replogle,
A., Davis, E.L., Mitchum, M.G. The tobacco Cel7 gene promoter
is auxin-responsive and locally induced in nematode feedings sites
of heterologous plants. Mol. Plant Path. 8:423-436. *These authors
contributed equally to this work.
Presentations
Wang J., Replogle
A., Wang X., Davis E.L., Mitchum, M.G. 2006. Functional analysis
of nematode secreted CLAVATA3/ESR(CLE)-like peptides of the Genus
Heterodera. American Phytopathological Society Meeting, Quebec City,
Canada (oral presentation by Melissa G. Mitchum).
Wang J., Replogle
A., Wang X., Davis E.L., Mitchum, M.G. 2006. Functional analysis
of nematode secreted CLAVATA3/ESR(CLE)-like peptides of the Genus
Heterodera. Plant Biology 2006, Roots-From Genes to Form and Function,
Columbia, MO (Poster).
Replogle, A.
and Mitchum, M.G. 2004. What's in a worm; Uncovering polymorphisms
in soybean cyst nematode parasitism genes that correlate with virulence.
Summer Undergraduate Research Conference, University of Missouri,
Columbia, MO (Poster).
Replogle, A.,
Hussey, R.S., Davis, E.L., Baum, T.J., Mitchum, M.G. 2004. Intraspecific
genomic comparison to uncover polymorphisms in soybean cyst nematode
parasitism genes that correlate with virulence. Soy 2004, University
of Missouri, Columbia, MO (Poster).
Replogle, A.,
Hussey, R.S., Davis, E.L., Baum, T.J., Mitchum, M.G. 2005. Intraspecific
genomic comparison to uncover polymorphisms in soybean cyst nematode
parasitism genes that correlate with virulence. AAAS Annual Meeting,Washington,
DC, USA (Poster).
Replogle, A.,
Wang, J., Wang, X., Davis, E.L., Mitchum, M.G. 2007. Phenotypic characterization
of roots responding to Heterodera glycines CLE peptides. APS-SON Joint
Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA (Poster).
