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Dr.
Patricia Okubara
.jpg) 509-335-7824
pokubara@wsu.edu
Research
Geneticist (Plants), USDA ARS. Adjunct Faculty in Molecular Plant
Sciences and Plant Pathology. Ph.D. 1992, UCLA.
Research
The
focus of my research is to identify and understand the action
of plant genes that govern associations with pathogenic soil
fungi and with beneficial microbes that provide control of these
pathogens. The molecular mechanisms within the host plant, wheat,
that underlie root-microbe interactions are not well understood.
Using classical genetics and microarray analysis, I seek to
isolate and characterize specific plant genes that impact host-rhizosphere
interactions. I have identified natural genetic variation in
the ability of wheat to sustain associations with Pseudomonas
fluorescens biological control bacteria. Genetic variation is
one resource for dissecting molecular pathways involved in host-rhizosphere
interactions. Genes expressed in wheat roots, including those
involved in programmed cell death and methyl jasmonate signaling,
are currently being developed as probes to study host responses
to necrotrophic root pathogens. The basic component to the research
will focus on molecular and biochemical processes that mediate
interactions with beneficial soil bacteria, or play a role in
host susceptibility to root pathogenic fungi. An applied portion
of the research targets root diseases prevalent in wheat and
other crops grown in the Pacific Northwest and throughout the
world, with the view to enhancing biological and transgene-mediated
control of these diseases in the host.
Selected
Publications
Schroeder K.L., Okubara P.A., Tambong J.T., Levesque C.A., Paulitz
T.C. 2006. Identification and quantification of pathogenic Pythium spp.
from soils in eastern Washington using real-time PCR. Phytopathology 96:637-647.
Okubara P.A., Schroeder K.L., Paulitz
T.C. 2005. Real-time PCR: applications to studies on soilborne
pathogens. Can. J. Plant Pathol. 27:1-14.
Skinner D.Z., Okubara P.A., Baek K.-H., Call D.R. 2005. Long oligonucleotide
microarrays in wheat: evaluation of hybridization signal amplification
and an oligonucleotide-design computer script. Func. Integ. Genomics 5:70-79.
Okubara P.A., Paulitz T.C. 2005. Root defense responses to fungal
pathogens: a molecular perspective. Plant Soil 274:215-226.
Berry A.M., Murphy T.M., Okubara P.A., Jacobsen K.R., Swensen S.M.,
Pawlowski K. 2004. Novel expression pattern of cytosolic Gln synthetase
in nitrogen-fixing root nodules of the actinorhizal host, Datisca
glomerata. Plant Physiol 135:1849-1862.
Okubara P.A., Kornoely J.P., Landa B.B. 2004. Rhizosphere colonization
of hexaploid wheat by Pseudomonas fluorescens strains
Q8r1-96 and Q2-87 is cultivar-variable and associated with changes
in gross root morphology. Biol. Cont. 30:392-403.
Okubara P.A., Blechl A.E., McCormick S.P., Alexander N.A., Dill-Macky
R., Hohn T.M. 2002. Engineering deoxynivalenol metabolism in wheat
through the expression of a fungal trichothecene acetyltransferase
gene. Theor. Appl. Genet. 106:74-83.
Okubara, P.A., Kornoely, J.P. and Landa, B.B. 2004 Rhizosphere
Colonization of Hexaploid Wheat by Pseudomonas fluorescens
Strains Q8rl-96 and Q2-87 is Cultivar-Variable and Associated with
Changes in Gross Root Morphology. Biol. Cont. 30:392-403.
Okubara, P.A., Blechl, A.E., McCormick, S.P., Alexander, N.A.,
Dill-Macky, R. and Hohn, T.M. 2002 Engineering Deoxynivalenol Metabolism
in Wheat Through the Expression of a Fungal Trichothecene Acetyltransferase
Gene. Theor. Appl. Genet. 106:74-83. |
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