The Dawe Lab

Rooms 350/351 Foster Hall

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My lab is interested in the molecular biology of fungi, and in particular, a fungus called Cryphonectria parasitica. This organism is a plant pathogen and is responsible for a disease called chestnut blight. Back when the eastern parts of the United States were first settled by European colonists, the American chestnut tree was the dominant species of hardwood throughout the Appalachian region from Georgia to Maine (the dark green area on the map below). The tree was highly prized for its wood (very tough, great for building) and the annual crop of nuts (great for feedin’ the hogs).

However, during the late 1800s species of chestnut were imported into the US from Asia and they brought with them the chestnut blight. By the 1950s, the disease had spread throughout the natural range of the American chestnut trees, effectively wiping out a vast natural resource and altering forever the makeup of the eastern woodlands.

So... why do we care now? Well, it turns out that C. parasitica is a very interesting organism. In the laboratory it can be easily cultured and manipulated which allows us to ask genetic questions about its behavior and development. Also, C. parasitica can itself be infected by an RNA virus. An infected strain exhibits a number of changes from an uninfected one, the most striking of which is a reduction in the ability to cause significant damage to chestnut. Because of the reduction in fungal virulence, we call this virus a “hypovirus”.

Left, top: C. parasitica wild type and hypovirus-infected strains grow in the lab. Left, bottom: C. parasitica wild type and hypovirus-infected cankers in a laboratory virulence assay on chestnut stems. Hypovirus infection causes slower growth and reduced orange pigmentation as well as much less damage on the tree.

 

Since we can genetically modify both the hypovirus and the fungus, we have a system that permits us to explore the interactions of an RNA virus and its host. Also, the hypovirus provides a tool to investigate molecular mechanisms of plant pathogenesis as well as other behavior and developmental pathways in C. parasitica.

Research in my laboratory ranges from investigating the function of specific gene products, to generating and analyzing genomic sequences and covers techniques in molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics and genomics. Using this system as a model we hope to be able to contribute to the understanding of the way fungi interact with plants, leading to advances in the treatment of fungal plant diseases that affect crops worldwide.

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Contact Details

Office: Room 367 Foster Hall Office Phone: (505) 646-4003 Lab: Room 350/351 Foster Hall Lab Phone: (505) 646-3815 email: dawe"at"nmsu.edu

Mailing Address: Department of Biology New Mexico State University MSC 3AF, PO Box 30001 Las Cruces, NM 88003