No

Day

Date

Ins

 Lecture topics

Section I: INTRODUCTION
Plant Pathogens, symbionts and representative diseases

 1

Tu

8/24

Outlines and handouts of course materials; Introduction to the major types of host-pathogen interactions

 2

Th

8/26

Diseases, predominant symptoms, etiology

3

Tu

8/31

Overview of major groups of phytopathogenic bacteria and symbionts; general characteristics of the bacterial species, detection and identification

4

Th

9/2

Q1

Taxonomy; classification, differentiation; phylogenetic methods

Section II:  Infection process and host-pathogen interactions

 5

Tu

9/7

Leaf spots: Infection process, diseases caused by Pseudomonas and Xanthomonas species 

6

Th

9/9

Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and hrp genes, hypersensitivity

7

Tu

9/14

8

Th

9/16

Q2

Type III secretion/ Identification of virulence genes in bacteria

9

Tu

9/21

Plant immunity

10

Th

9/23

Gene for gene interactions: direct binding vs. guard hypothesis

11

Tu

9/28

Guard Hypothesis and R genes

12

Th

9/30

Q3

Xanthomonas oryzae - Hydathodes

13

Tu

10/5

Xanthomonas oryzae and gene for gene interactions

14

Th

10/7

Xanthomonas oryzae effector-secretion systems

15

Tu

10/12

Black rot of Crucifers (Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris)

16

Th

10/14

Q4

Systemic blight diseases; the infection process, epiphytic colonization, entry, latent infections

17

Tu

10/19

Xanthomonas campestris: pathogen diversity; epidemiological aspects of seed-borne diseases

18

Th

10/21

Xanthomonas citri and citrus canker

19

Tu

10/26

Scorch/declines: Xylella fastidiosa; Diseases caused by phytoplasmas: Citrus greening disease (Huanglongbin)

20

Th

10/28

Q5

Wilt diseases caused by Ralstonia solanacearum: epidemiology and pathogen diversity

21

Tu

11/2

Ralstonia solanacearum: phase shifts in the pathogen, host-pathogen interactions, host regulation of pathogen genes

(National HOLIDAY: ELECTION DAY, but we will have class)

22

Th

11/4

Dickeya sp. and heart rot of pineapple
Soft rots, vascular necrosis Pectobacterium carotovorum, Brenneria sp. and Dickeya sp.

23

Tu

  11/9

NO CLASS

24

Th

11/11

HOLIDAY: VETERANS’ DAY

 Section III:  Symbiosis

25

Tu

11/16

Rhizobium-legume symbiosis: Nodule formation: infection thread, bacteriod formation, Nod and host-specificity genes

26

Th

11/18

Rhizobium-legume symbiosis; Nitrogen fixation genes

27

Tu

11/23

Q6

Current topics in Rhizobium research

28

Th

11/25

THANKSGIVING

Section IV:  Crown gall, Agrobacterium tumefaciens and agro-transformation of plants

29

Tu

11/30

Crown gall: history, etiology, and discovery of the tumor inducing principle “TIP” 

30

Th

12/2

Q7

Ti  plasmid, Vir gene induction and plasmid transfer, Type IV secretion systems, integration of DNA into the host chromosome

31

Tu

12/7

Agrobacterium:  the natural bacterial bioengineer

32

Th

12/9

Future directions in plant-bacteriology and biotechnology

33

Tu

12/14

Review session and discussion

34

Thurs

12/16

FINAL EXAMINATION     (9:45 - 11:45 am)