Tags: plant biology

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Bensasson uses yeast to unlock life’s greatest mysteries

Wed, 03/15/2023 - 10:30am
What comes to mind when you think of yeast? To a baker, it might mean the ability to make their dough rise. A brewmaster might associate it with the fermentation of beer and wine. Many others may associate these types of fungus with one dreaded infection or another. Yeast serves many functions. For the University of Georgia’s Douda Bensasson, it’s all of these—and more. An associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts & Science’s…

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Model mycology: UGA scientists fight fungi for the rest of us

Mon, 03/13/2023 - 12:06pm
It starts out with a cough and slightly slurred speech. Then come the muscle spasms and dramatic mood shifts. In HBO’s hit show “The Last of Us,” these are the beginning signs that a human has contracted a fungal infection that turns people into zombies and rips through the fabric of modern society. The premise may sound improbable, but it is based on a very real fungus that really does infect brains and bodies, turning its victims into mindless…

photo of woman in greenhouse, day
Chung studies how microbes shape ecosystems

Mon, 03/06/2023 - 11:06am
University of Georgia plant biologist and ecologist, Anny Chung studies the smaller things in life to understand how microscopic organisms can influence entire ecosystems. As an assistant professor jointly appointed in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Plant Pathology and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Plant Biology, Chung studies how plant-microbe interactions shift the landscape—which…

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New vaccine targets life-threatening fungal infections

Tue, 01/31/2023 - 10:12am
A new study from University of Georgia researchers describes a vaccine that could be the first clinically approved immunization to protect against invasive fungal infections, a growing concern as antifungal drug resistance increases:   The experimental vaccine is designed to protect against the three most common fungal pathogens that are responsible for more than 80% of fatal fungal infections. The study tested the vaccine’s efficacy in four…

pictorial diagram of fern leaf parts and sections, with text on white
Genome evolution in the modern fern

Thu, 09/01/2022 - 2:17pm
Defying all expectations, a fern no larger than a dinner plate currently holds the title for highest chromosome count, with a whopping 720 pairs crammed into each of its nuclei. This penchant of ferns for hoarding DNA has stumped scientists, and the intractable size of their genomes has made it difficult to sequence, assemble and interpret them. Two new papers published in the journal Nature Plants are rewriting history with the first full-…

aerial photo of tulip fields, with roads and trees
Antifungal resistance: From “Big Chicken” to Big Tulip

Fri, 06/17/2022 - 1:24pm
The Genes to Genomes blog reports on recent research by UGA fungal biologists Michelle Momany and Marin Brewer, who reported in their findings that Aspergillus fumigatus isolated from clinical settings is resistant to agricultural fungicides. Infections have long been a deadly problem for hospital patients. Though modern medicine has an impressive array of antimicrobial drugs at its disposal, pathogens continue to evolve resistance, creating…

photo of man with case of small plants
Schmitz nominated for Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists

Mon, 06/06/2022 - 10:30am
University of Georgia faculty member Robert Schmitz was recently chosen as a finalist for a national award for young scientists. The Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists is the world’s largest unrestricted prize honoring early career scientists and engineers. Schmitz is a plant biologist who performs groundbreaking research on plant epigenetics—the chemical modifications to DNA and associated proteins that alter gene expression—to…

magazine cover illustration with white text and crystals on leaf
When pollen comes of age

Tue, 02/22/2022 - 11:42am
New research from the University of Georgia has determined when pollen comes of age and begins expressing its own genome, a major life cycle transition in plants. Each grain of pollen is actually its own multicellular organism – with two to 40 cells, depending on the species. Pollen expresses its own genome and is genetically distinct from its parent plant. That means pollen grains from a single flower can have different traits and…

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Agricultural fungicides may be driving resistance

Tue, 02/08/2022 - 11:53am
New research from the University of Georgia has shown, for the first time, that compounds used to fight fungal diseases in plants are causing resistance to antifungal medications used to treat people. The study focused on Aspergillus fumigatus, the fungus that causes aspergillosis, a disease that causes life-threatening infections in 300,000 people globally each year. Published in G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, the study linked agricultural use…

photo of large green leaves
'Moonshot' for botany

Fri, 01/21/2022 - 11:22am
A new Earth BioGenome Project paper published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences highlights the progress of plant genomics and includes a roadmap for the enormous task of sequencing the genomes of plants worldwide. The Earth BioGenome Project is a federated initiative promoting sequencing the genomes of all multicellular species on our planet. The paper, co-authored by professor of plant biology James Leebens-Mack,…

photo of man standing in corn stalks
Genetics research paves way for better corn plants

Thu, 08/05/2021 - 2:41pm
The newly assembled genomes of 26 different genetic lines of corn illustrate the crop’s rich genetic diversity and lay the groundwork for a better understanding of what genetic mechanisms account for crop traits prized by farmers. The mapping of the 26 genomes, published recently in the journal Science, was a team effort co-led by University of Georgia’s Kelly Dawe that will help scientists piece together the puzzle of corn genetics. Using these…

3-d-graphic rendering of root system on space background
Adapting Roots to a hotter planet could ease pressure on food supply

Thu, 07/29/2021 - 11:06am
The shoots of plants get all of the glory, with their fruit and flowers and visible structure. But it's the portion that lies below the soil — the branching, reaching arms of roots and hairs pulling up water and nutrients — that interests plant physiologist and computer scientist, Alexander Bucksch, associate professor of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia. The health and growth of the root system has deep implications for our future.…

photo of woman in greenhouse, with plants
Devos part of team to unlock switchgrass genome

Fri, 01/29/2021 - 2:31pm
As reported Jan. 27 in Nature, a nationwide team that includes UGA faculty member Katrien Devos has produced a high-quality reference sequence of the complex switchgrass genome, marking a critical step for a plant species that has long been studied for its potential application in the production of biofuels. The team was led by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and the U.S. Department…

compose photo of four people, two men, two women
Four UGA faculty members named AAAS Fellows

Mon, 11/30/2020 - 2:48pm
Four University of Georgia faculty members, three from the Franklin College, have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed by their peers for “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.” These four faculty members are among 489 new AAAS Fellows who will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue—representing science and…

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Peña, Bensasson, awarded Gilliam Fellowship for Advanced Study

Thu, 09/03/2020 - 2:09pm
Plant Biology Doctoral Student Jacqueline Joye Peña and her advisor Assistant Professor Douda Bensasson received the Gilliam Graduate Fellowship Grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The award provides Peña the opportunity to travel to important scientific conferences and meetings in her field, professional development workshops, and a competitive stipend in addition to allowance for diversity and inclusion activities at the graduate…

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Momany selected as MSA Fellow

Mon, 08/10/2020 - 11:48am
University of Georgia faculty member Michelle Momany has been selected as a Fellow of the Mycological Society of America. Momany, professor of Plant Biology and associate dean in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, was announced as an MSA Fellow at the organization’s first-ever virtual meeting in mid-July. The Mycological Society of America Fellow Award is granted to an outstanding member of the society for extended service and…

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New leadership in UGA plant sciences

Tue, 07/21/2020 - 1:40pm
University strengths in plant sciences, genetics and across the life sciences attract world-renown expertise to campus that has built the UGA Plant Center into a research powerhouse. This summer, the plant sciences community welcomed two new leaders, as Jim Leebens-Mack and Wayne Parrott were named directors of the Plant Center and the Integrated Plant Sciences program, respectively, effective July 1: Taking over from interim director C.J. Tsai…

photo green algae
Study provides framework for 1 billion years of green plant evolution

Wed, 10/23/2019 - 1:28pm
Gene sequences for more than 1,100 plant species have been released by an international consortium of nearly 200 plant scientists, the culmination of a nine-year research project. The One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative (1KP) is a global collaboration to examine the diversification of plant species, genes and genomes across the more than 1 billion-year history of green plants dating back to the ancestors of flowering plants and green…

photo of woman with garden pergola
Amazing student: Sarah Saddoris

Thu, 09/26/2019 - 2:45pm
For plant biology major and Goldwater Scholar Sarah Saddoris, research has played a primary role in defining her goal to improve the production of the global food supply: As my primary focus, research has played a defining role in my studies. I have spent my fair share of Friday nights in the lab finishing experiments at 2 in the morning and many game days in Davison Life Sciences (benchwork waits for no man!). I have also had the opportunity to…

photo of four people, with Old College in background
Kudos, September 2019

Wed, 09/25/2019 - 12:51pm
Fulbright grants, SEC Leadership Development and excellence in research, visual art and career experiences for graduate students highlight Franklin College awards and achievements in September. Congratulations all: Get Installed: Installation at Valdosta State University by Jon Swindler, associate professor of art and associate director of Lamar Dodd School of Art, and Mike McFalls, professor of art at Columbus State University and director of…

photo of woman with plant leaves
Katrien Devos recognized as Fellow of Crop Science Society of America

Wed, 06/26/2019 - 3:04pm
Professor of crop and soil sciences and plant biology Katrien M. Devos has been named a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America: Her nomination and selection as a CSSA Fellow recognizes a career dedicated to breaking new ground in understanding the genetics and evolutionary biology of crops and in the search for more resilient and sustainable crop varieties. From mapping the genomes of orphan crops, like finger and foxtail millet, to…

address to joint session of congress - photo
Noted and quoted, January 2019

Mon, 01/28/2019 - 11:35am
Franklin College faculty appeared in a wide variety of media over the month of January: New method to classify schizophrenia symptoms should improve care - assistant professor of psychology Gregory Strauss quoted by Psych Central   Scientists could engineer a spicy tomato. Is it worth it? Research by professor of plant biology Esther van der Knaap reported in Popular Science, Tahlequah Daily Press   Hurricane forecasts could suffer from…

photo of tree in forest
Diverse lineages of human pathogen live on old oaks

Wed, 01/09/2019 - 10:10am
Commensalism is a term for one kind of biological relationship between species in which members of one gain benefits while those of the other neither benefit nor are harmed, contrasted with mutualism or parasitism. One obligate commensal is a common human fungal pathogen, the yeast Candida albicans, and the focus of new paper by assistant professor of plant biology Douda Bensasson published in the journal Genetics: Most humans are inhabited by…

photo of a red pitcher plant
Franklin faculty publish first genetic linkage map for a carnivorous plant

Fri, 12/07/2018 - 10:47am
Researchers in the UGA department of plant biology have published the first genetic linkage map for what has long-been an object of human fascination: plants that have evolved the capacity to capture and digest insects. Lead author Russell Malmberg explains: "We normally think of plants as being eaten by animals, but a small number of plant species have reversed this and are able to capture and digest insects. These carnivorous plants can obtain…

photo of many potatoes, with several cut open
Just in time for Thanksgiving: new data on the sweetpotato

Thu, 11/08/2018 - 10:33am
A globally important food crop as well as a staple at every* American Thanksgiving table, Sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) has widely recognized potential to alleviate hunger, vitamin A deficiency, and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Biofortification with pro-vitamin A-rich orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP) in SSA has led to millions of Africans being spared the devastating effects of vitamin A deficiency, a main cause of illness, blindness…
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