Purdue News
Purdue News
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October 1, 1999 McCoy Award winner to present distinguished lectureWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – A Purdue University researcher known for his discoveries and contributions in the field of plant biology will present this year's McCoy Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday, Oct. 13. Ray A. Bressan, professor of horticulture, will speak on "Antifungal Proteins From Plants: Messengers of the Cell Death Program" at 3:30 p.m. in Fowler Hall, Stewart Center. The one-hour talk is open to all faculty and students. A reception for Bressan will be held in the Stewart Center Gallery immediately following the talk. Bressan is the winner of the 1999 Herbert Newby McCoy Award, presented to a Purdue student or faculty member for outstanding contributions to science. The award was established in 1964 by Ethel Terry McCoy in memory of her husband, a Purdue alumnus. It is the most prestigious research award given by Purdue, said Gary Isom, vice president for research and dean of the graduate school. The winner is nominated by colleagues and selected by representatives of the faculties and the president of the university. Bressan's research over the years at Purdue, aimed at increasing disease resistance in plants, has resulted in: • The discovery that osmotin, a natural plant toxin, can stop invading fungi by turning a fungus's protein production system against itself. His findings, announced Sept. 6 at a conference in China, may lead to genetically engineered crops that are better able to resist fungal infections. • A genetically engineered potato that is resistant to late blight disease, the fungal infestation that caused the catastrophic Irish potato famine of 1845. • Development of the first successful genetic transformation system for sorghum, opening the potential for modification of this world crop through genetic engineering technology. "Long ago, when microorganisms ruled the Earth, they fought each other in ferocious battles to the death with lethal weapons encoded in their genetic information," Bressan said. "The genetic legacy of these weapons and battles remains with humans today in the form of parts of our immune system. Even plants retain these ancient innate immune responses, countering the attack of microorganisms with their own versions of toxic gene products called defense proteins." Bressan said his lecture will cover many aspects of the diabolical nature of these protein toxins, from their lethality to their sneaky behavior as molecular Trojan Horses. Bressan joined the Purdue faculty in 1978. He received his bachelor's degree in biology in 1972 from Illinois State University and his doctorate in 1975 from Colorado State University. He has published more than 110 scientific papers on the topic of plant stress physiology and plant gene expression. He belongs to a number of professional societies, including the American Society for Plant Physiologists, and serves on the editorial boards of the journals Plant Physiology and In Vitro. CONTACT: Bressan, (765) 494-1336; bressan@hort.purdue.edu
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