I joined Shauna Somerville's lab in 2008 after receiving my BA from Swarthmore College, double majoring in Biology and Asian Studies. I am interested in plant and microbe interactions, and am currently studying a gene that when mutated, results in powdery mildew disease resistance in Arabidopsis. Outside the lab, I enjoy teaching and hope to pursue a teaching career in science upon graduation.
RESEARCH
I study PMR5, a gene involved in powdery mildew disease resistance in Arabidopsis. Interestingly, pmr5-conferred disease resistance is independent of the well-characterized defense hormone pathways: salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene (Vogel et al., 2004). By FTIR analysis, Vogel et al. found altered pectin composition in the cell wall in the mutant, suggesting that PMR5 may have some role in cell wall biosynthesis with a secondary effect in defense. As the pmr5 mutant has an altered cell wall phenotype, we hypothesize that a novel cell wall integrity pathway is activated to induce constitutive resistance to the host powdery mildew, Golovinomyces cichoracearum.
Currently I am conducting several experiments to elucidate the function of PMR5, utilizing techniques like confocal microscopy to determine the localization of PMR5, FTIR spectroscopy and immunolabeling to analyze the cell wall, protein expression to isolate protein for activity assays, and suppressor characterization to find new players in this novel pathway.
Further Reading:
Vogel J, Raab T, Somerville C, and Somerville S. 2004. Mutations in PMR5 result in powdery mildew disease resistance and altered cell wall composition. Plant Journal. 40:968-978.
Vorwerk S, Somerville C, and Somerville S. 2004. The role of plant cell wall polysaccharide composition in disease resistance. Trends in Plant Science. 9:203-209.
Hematy K, Cherk C, and Somerville S. 2009. Host-pathogen warfare at the plant cell wall. Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 12:406-413.
Publications:
Hematy K, Cherk C, and Somerville S. 2009. Host-pathogen warfare at the plant cell wall. Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 12:406-413.
Manabe Y, Nafisi M, Verhertbruggen Y, Orfila C, Gille S, Rautengarten C, Cherk C, Marcus S, Somerville S, Pauly M, Knox J, Sakuragi Y, and Scheller H. 2010. Loss-of-Function Mutation of REDUCED WALL ACETYLATION 2 in Arabidopsis Leads to Reduced Cell Wall Acetylation and Increased Resistance to Botrytis cinerea. Plant Physiology. 155:1068-1078.
TEACHING
Teaching at UC Berkeley
Focus Session Leader on "Facilitating Laboratory Sections", Fall 2011 Teaching Conference for New GSIs.
Plant Molecular Genetics Lab (PMB160L), Spring 2010, Spring 2011.
Plant Cell and Developmental Biology Discussion (PMB150), Fall 2008. Received Outstanding GSI Award.
Volunteer Teaching
CIC/BASIS: Plants and the Environment, Spring 2011.
Community in the Classroom: Oil Spills!, 2007-2008.