Chemistry and Biochemistry

Kristin N. Wobbe

Professor and Interim Department Head
Associate Professor

Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry
Professional Page
Office: Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center, 3024
Phone: +1-508-831-5263
Fax: +1-508-831-5933
kwobbe@wpi.edu

Educational Background

Research & Teaching Interests

Plant-microbe interactions, specifically in terms of plant pathogenesis; interaction of both resistant and susceptible lines of Arabidopsis thaliana, the widely used model plant, to turnip crinkle virus (TCV), a small, positive-stranded RNA virus

Research

I am interested in the molecular interactions that determine the outcome of plant/pathogen interactions. A wide variety of plant pathogens cause millions of dollars of crop loss each year. Pesticides used to limit these losses, while effective in the short term, are expensive and can have potentially deleterious side-effects on the surrounding ecosystems. Though the presence of natural resistance traits in plants has been known for centuries and utilized in breeding projects, little is known about how resistance is developed and maintained. The long term goal of my research is to develop a greater understanding of the mechanisms by which plants resist pathogens, in the hope that we can utilize the plant's natural resistance mechanisms for a greater range of pathogens, eliminating the need for chemical pesticides.

I have been working on a model plant/pathogen system recently developed. The plant is Arabidopsis thaliana, a small-rapidly growing dicot that is currently the model plant of choice for many types of studies. As such there is an enormous body of knowledge about the development, physiology, and genetic structure of Arabidopsis. Arabidopsis, while not itself a crop plant, is related to the crucifer family, including mustard, broccoli and other crop plants. The pathogen is turnip crinkle virus, a small well-characterized RNA plant virus.

We are currently characterizing a number of the viral gene products in terms of their structure and their function in the course of infection of both resistant and susceptible plants.

Our group also collaborates with the Interdisciplinary Plant Research Group in a number of projects. For example, we analyze the gene expression patterns of roots grown under different conditions to determine optimal growth conditions as well as conditions that affect production of valuable plant products.

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