Stanton Gelvin

Title:

Distinguished Professor

PhD Granting Institution:

UC San Diego

Contact:

Email Address: gelvin@purdue.edu
Office Phone: 765-494-4939
Lab Website Link: https://www.bio.purdue.edu/People/profile/gelvin.html

Primary Training Group:

Plant Biology

Secondary Training Groups:

Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases

Research Areas:

Mechanism of Agrobacterium-mediated plant genetic transformation

Current Projects:

Crown gall is a neoplastic disease caused by the infection of dicotyledonous plants by virulent stains of the Gram-negative soil bacterium Agrobacterium tumefaciens. During the process of infection part of a bacterial plasmid, called the tumor inducing (Ti) plasmid, is transferred from the bacterium to the plant, where it stably integrates into the nuclear DNA. This transferred, or T-DNA, can be expressed as mRNAs which are translated. Tumorous lesions result, as well as the production of rare compounds called opines which the bacterium can utilize as an energy source. In our laboratory we have been interested in the molecular mechanism of Ti-plasmid transfer, integration, and expression. To define these mechanisms, we are investigating both Agrobacterium and plant genes required for transformation. Among the many approaches we are taking is the identification of Arabidopsis mutants that are resistant to Agrobacterium transformation (rat mutants) and Arabidopsis mutants that are hyper-susceptible to Agrobacterium transformation (hat mutants). We have identified more than 125 rat mutants and 10 hat mutants are analyzing the functions of the mutated genes in the transformation process. Many of these mutations are in genes involved in chromatin function, nuclear targeting, cytoplasmic trafficking via the actin cytoskeleton, and cell wall biosynthesis. In the course of characterizing plant proteins involved in transformation, we have developed a novel system to image the interaction of Agrobacterium virulence proteins with plant proteins. This system, bimolecular fluorescence complementation, allows one to visualize protein-protein interactions in living plant cells. Finally, we have used microarray and bioinformatic analyses to identify plant genes that respond to Agrobacterium infection. Many of these genes are involved in host defense responses.

Importance of Interdisciplinary Research:

We work at the intersection of microbiology and microbial genetics with plant cell, molecular, and genetic biology.