Contact:

(612)624-4155

mitch.elmore@usda.gov

Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions

At the USDA-ARS Cereal Disease Laboratory, my group is interested in the processes that control virulence in pathogens and disease resistance in cereal crops. We seek answers to two basic questions: 1) How do pathogenic fungi infect their hosts? and 2) What makes a host plant resistant or susceptible? Through a better understanding of infection and disease biology, we can develop new ways to combat agricultural losses due to pathogens.

The lab studies Fusarium Head Blight, one of the most devastating diseases of small grain cereals, with a focus on the interaction between Fusarium graminearum and barley. Our research efforts include characterizing host targets of Fusarium effector proteins and reconstructing the signaling networks that operate in host and pathogen during infection. We use a variety of molecular profiling, protein-protein interaction, functional genomics, and network biology approaches to study disease etiology.

• Publications

  • (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)
  • Powdery mildew effectors AVRA1 and BEC1016 target the ER J-domain protein HvERdj3B required for immunity in barley -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Li, Z., Velásquez-Zapata, V., Elmore, J.M., Li, X., Xie, W., Deb, S., Tian, X., Banerjee, S., Jørgensen, H.J., Pederson, C., Wise, R.P., Thordal-Christensen, H. 2024. Powdery mildew effectors AVRA1 and BEC1016 target the ER J-domain protein HvERdj3B required for immunity in barley. Molecular Plant Pathology. 25(5). Article e13463. https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.13463.
    
  • Protein-protein networks in an integrated barley-powdery mildew interactome-(Abstract Only)
    Velasquez-Zapata, V., Elmore, J.M., Patel, S., Smith, S., Fuerst, G.S., Wise, R.P. 2024. Protein-protein networks in an integrated barley-powdery mildew interactome. Fungal Genetics Conference Proceedings. Abstract no. 662A Protein-protein networks in an integrated barley-powdery mildew interactome. 32nd Fungal Genetics Conference March 12–17, 2024 | Asilomar Conference Grounds | Pacific Grove, CA |
    
  • Host-pathogen networks in an integrated barley-powdery mildew interactome-(Abstract Only)
    Velasquez-Zapata, V., Elmore, J.M., Patel, S., Smith, S., Fuerst, G.S., Wise, R.P. 2024. Host-pathogen networks in an integrated barley-powdery mildew interactome. Plant and Animal Genome Conference Proceedings. https://pag.confex.com/pag/31/work/papers/viewonly.cgi?password=860965&username=54280. International Plant & Animal Genome / PAG 31 • January 12-17, 2024 • San Diego, CA, USA
    
  • Network hubs in pathogen-host interactions: Targets for next-generation breeding-(Abstract Only)
    Velasquez-Zapata, V., Elmore, J.M., Patel, S., Smith, S., Fuerst, G.S., Wise, R.P. 2024. Network hubs in pathogen-host interactions: Targets for next-generation breeding. Barley Improvement Conference Proceedings, January 10-11, 2024, San Diego, California.
    
  • Development and validation of a diagnostic high resolution melting curve assay for the NX-2 chemotype of Fusarium graminearum-(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    
    
  • Improved super-resolution ribosome profiling reveals prevalent translation of upstream ORFs and small ORFs in Arabidopsis -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Hsin-Yen, L., Ai, Q., Teixeira, R., Nguyen, P., Song, G., Montes, C., Elmore, J.M., Walley, J.W., Yingshan Hsu, P. 2023. Improved super-resolution ribosome profiling reveals prevalent translation of upstream ORFs and small ORFs in Arabidopsis. The Plant Cell. 36(3):510-539. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koad290.
    
  • Next-generation yeast two-hybrid screening to discover protein-protein interactions -(Book / Chapter)
    Elmore, J.M., Velásquez-Zapata, V., Wise, R.P. 2023. Next-generation yeast two-hybrid screening to discover protein-protein interactions. In: Mukhtar, S.,editor. Protein-Protein Interactions, Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology. 2690:205-222. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3327-4_19.
    
  • Bioinformatic analysis of yeast two-hybrid next-generation interaction screen data -(Book / Chapter)
    Velásquez-Zapata, V., Elmore, J.M., Wise, R.P. 2023. Bioinformatic analysis of yeast two-hybrid next-generation interaction screen data. In: Mukhtar, S., editor. Protein-Protein Interactions, Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology. 2690:223-239. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-3327-4_19.
    
  • The Fusarium graminearum transporters Abc1 and Abc6 are important for xenobiotic resistance, trichothecene accumulation, and virulence to wheat -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    O'Mara, S.P., Broz, K.L., Schwister, E.M., Singh, L., Dong, Y., Elmore, J.M., Kistler, H.C. 2023. The Fusarium graminearum transporters Abc1 and Abc6 are important for xenobiotic resistance, trichothecene accumulation, and virulence to wheat. Phytopathology. https://doi.org/10.1094/phyto-09-22-0345-r.
    
  • Integration of multi-omics data reveals interplay between brassinosteroid and Target of Rapamycin Complex signaling in Arabidopsis -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Montes, C.M., Wang, P., Liao, C., Nolan, T.M., Song, G., Clark, N.M., Elmore, J.M., Guo, H., Bassham, D.C., Yin, Y., Walley, J.W. 2022. Integration of multi-omics data reveals interplay between brassinosteroid and Target of Rapamycin Complex signaling in Arabidopsis. New Phytologist. 236(3):893–910. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.18404.
    
  • Powdery mildew effectors AVRA1 and BEC1016 target the ER J-domain protein HvERdj3B required for immunity in barley-(Pre-print Publication)
    
    
  • NGPINT: a next-generation protein-protein interaction software -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Banerjee, S., Velasquez-Zapata, V., Fuerst, G.S., Elmore, J.M., Wise, R.P. 2020. NGPINT: a next-generation protein-protein interaction software. Briefings in Bioinformatics. 22(4). https://doi.org/10.1093/bib/bbaa351.
    
  • A genomic view of biotic stress resistance -(Book / Chapter)
    Elmore, J.M., Perovic, D., Ordon, F., Schweizer, P., Wise, R.P. 2018. A genomic view of biotic stress resistance. In: Stein, N., Muehlbauer, G., editors. The Barley Genome. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International. p. 233-257. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92528-8_14.