Steven H. Spoel, Biology Graduate Student
Education:
PhD, Duke University, 2008
M.Sc. Molecular Plant Biology, Utrecht University, 2002
Office Location: FFSC, Rm# 4204
Office Phone: (919) 613-8175 & (919) 613-8303
Email Address: shs3@duke.edu
Specialties:
Cell and Molecular Biology
Genetics
Research Categories: Mechanisms of plant disease resistance
Research Description: In their natural environment, plants are continuously exposed to very different attackers, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and herbivorous insects. Immunity against these attackers depends on various signaling pathways that launch specific defenses. The plant hormones salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA) play important signaling roles in this process. SA-dependent signaling often provides resistance to biotrophic pathogens that live and reproduce on living plant cells. In contrast, JA-dependent signaling is effective against insects and necrotrophic pathogens that kill the host cell for nutrition. Cross-communication between defense signaling pathways provides the plant with the opportunity to prioritize one pathway over another to efficiently fine-tune its defense response to the invader encountered. Cross-talk antagonism between the SA and JA signals is modulated by the regulatory protein NPR1. NPR1 was previously identified as a transcriptional co-factor that regulates the expression of SA-induced defense genes. I am interested in elucidating the different regulatory roles of NPR1 in plant immunity. Moreover, the mechanisms that modulate distinct NPR1 functions are of great interest. Understanding such key molecular players in plant defense signaling is essential for the development of crop protection strategies for, amongst others, the food and bio-fuels industry.
Representative Publications (More Publications) (search)
- Tada Y, Spoel SH, Pajerowska-Mukhtar K, Mou Z, Song J, and Dong X, Plant immunity requires conformational changes of NPR1 via S-nitrosylation and thioredoxins, Science (Accepted, 2008) [1156970] .
- Spoel SH and Dong X, Making sense of hormone crosstalk during plant immune responses, Cell Host & Microbe, vol. 3 (2008), pp. 348-351 [fulltext] .
- Spoel SH, Fine-tuning plant defense signaling: regulation and function of NPR1, PhD Dissertation (2008) .
- Spoel SH, Johnson JS, and Dong X, Regulation of tradeoffs between plant defenses against pathogens with different lifestyles, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (PNAS), vol. 104 (2007), pp. 18842-18847 [0708139104v1] .
- Beckers GJM and Spoel SH, Fine-tuning plant defence signalling: salicylate versus jasmonate, Plant Biology, vol. 8 (2006), pp. 1-10 [s-2005-872705] .
- Spoel SH et al., NPR1 modulates cross-talk between salicylate- and jasmonate-dependent defense pathways through a novel function in the cytosol, Plant Cell, vol. 15 (2003), pp. 760-770 [760] .
Duke Biology Box 90338 Durham, NC 27708 Phone: 919-660-7372 Fax: 919-660-7293