Timestamp

Why do you teach this paper? (Optional)

Tiffany Lowe-Power (UC Davis)

Repeated gain and loss of a single gene modulates the evolution of vascular plant pathogen lifestyles

https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc4516

The paper focuses on tissue specificity of foliar bacteria (Xanthomonas). Students will learn about leaf anatomy and systemic vs. localized pathogens. The paper is clearly written, making it accessible to students. It uses genetic, evolutionary analyses, and microscopy approaches.

Tiffany Lowe-Power (UC Davis)

Upstream Migration of Xylella fastidiosa via Pilus-Driven Twitching Motility

https://doi.org/10.1128/JB.187.16.5560-5567.2005

The paper is interdisciplinary and exposus undergraduates to the value of using engineering, physics, and genetics to understand how bacteria move in xylem vessels. The paper is generally simple (focuses on a single question) and has microscopy that helps explain biological phenomenon.

Tiffany Lowe-Power (UC Davis)

Genome sequence and analysis of the Irish potato famine pathogen Phytophthora infestans

https://doi.org/10.1038/nature08358

The paper is fairly straight-forward for a genomics paper. Requiring several of the supplemental figures provides students with an understanding of P. infestans genome relative to other eukaryotes. I selected S4, S5, S19, S21, S27

Oomycetes, Molecular biology/Genetics, Genomes/ Systems biology, Evolution

Tiffany Lowe-Power (UC Davis)

A linear nonribosomal octapeptide from Fusarium graminearum facilitates cell-to-cell invasion of wheat

doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-08726-9

Paper has excellent visuals that really demonstrate how filamentous fungal pathogens can move through tissue (photographs of diseased plants and fluorescence microscopy). The paper teaches the concepts of secondary metabolites (NRPS), callose-mediated plant defenses, immune-suppression by a pathogen, and regulation of fungal genes.

As a challenge, the paper is very long--10 figures with MANY subpanels. For my undergraduate course, I crossed out Fig 3, 8, and 9 and the corresponding results to limit the amount of content I wanted students to focus on.

Tiffany Lowe-Power (UC Davis)

Evidence for the agricultural origin of resistance to multiple antimicrobials in Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungal pathogen of humans

https://doi.org/10.1093/g3journal/jkab427

The paper teaches concepts of population genetics, anti-fungal resistance, and phylogenies. The topic relates to One Health concepts--the overlapping ecological relationships between fungal plant pathogens/saprophytes and opportunistic human pathogens.

Tiffany Lowe-Power (UC Davis)

The role of the whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), and farmer practices in the spread of cassava brown streak ipomoviruses

https://doi.org/10.1111/jph.12609

This paper teaches students about insect-virus interactions, epidemiology, and field research. The focal pathogen, Cassava Brown Streak Virus, is a major threat to food security in East Africa.

Tiffany Lowe-Power (UC Davis)

Escaping Underground Nets: Extracellular DNases Degrade Plant Extracellular Traps and Contribute to Virulence of the Plant Pathogenic Bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum

doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1005686

This paper teaches about a type of plant root defenses (DNA-containing traps released by root border cells) and a pathogens' strategy to evade them: secreting DNase effectors. The paper has a good balance of visuals (microscopy and photographs) and quantitative data.

Tiffany Lowe-Power (UC Davis)

CRISPR/Cas9 editing of endogenous banana streak virus in the B genome of Musa spp. overcomes a major challenge in banana breeding

doi.org/10.1038/s42003-019-0288-7

The paper teaches about using CRISPR-mediated genome editing to reduce impacts of plant disease. The focal pathogen, Banana Streak Viruses, are interesting--they are integrated into the banana genome but they spontaneously become infectious when the plants are stressed. The figures show the results of PCR gels and Sanger reads of genome-edited plants. The paper is very straight-forward and excellent for undergraduates.

Virus, Plant Defense/Immunity, Molecular biology/Genetics, Translational/Applied approaches

Tricking the Guard: Exploiting Plant Defense for Disease Susceptibility

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1226743

A great paper for teaching the guard model, necrotrophy/biotrophy, host-selective toxins, susceptibility vs resistance genes, and a little bit of hormone signaling to boot.

Plant immunity: Rice XXA21-mediated resistance to bacterial infection

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2121568119

Bacteria, Plant Defense/Immunity, Molecular biology/Genetics, Evolution

Devanshi Khokhani (University of Minnesota - Twin Cities)

Flexibility and Adaptability of Quorum Sensing in Nature

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2019.12.004

to understand how bacteria evolve to learn talking to each other