Jiming Jiang
Professor of Horticulture
Ph.D., Kansas State University, 1993
Postdoctoral Research: Yale University
Address: 409A Horticulture
Telephone: 262-1878
E-mail: jjiang1@wisc.edu
Research Fields:
Plant Genetics
Gene Expression
Genomics
Research Description:
Potato is the third most important food crop in the world,
next only to rice and wheat. We are investigating how potatoes have developed
genetic resistance to late blight, a devastating disease caused by the oomycete
pathogen Phytophthora infestans. The first
shock of devastation caused by P.
infestans was the well-known “Irish Potato Famine”, which led to the death
of approximately one million people through starvation and disease, with
another million thought to have emigrated as a result of the famine. Potatoes
contain many resistance genes (R
genes) against late blight. Some of these genes have been investigated since
1950s and several of these R genes
have been cloned recently. However, most of these R genes have been overcome by the pathogen at some point, and
therefore no longer protect potatoes from the disease. Our lab cloned an
important R gene, termed RB, in 2003. Transgenic potato
containing the RB gene shows a
broad-spectrum resistance to all known races of the late blight pathogen. The RB gene appears to be more durable than
other late blight resistance genes. The long-term goal of our lab is to
understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for such a durable and
broad-spectrum resistance. We are currently using both genetic and genomic
approaches to dissect the resistance pathway mediated by the RB gene.
Representative Publications:
Bhaskar,
P.B., Venkateshwaran, M., Wu, L., Ané, J.-M., and Jiang, J.M. (2009) Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene
expression and silencing: A rapid tool for functional gene assay in potato.
PLoS ONE 4: e5812.
Colton,
L.M., Groza, H.I., Wielgus, S.M., and Jiang, J.M. (2006) Marker-assisted
selection for the broad-spectrum potato late blight resistance conferred by
gene RB derived from a wild potato
species. Crop Sci. 46: 589-594.
Song, J., Bradeen, J.M.,
Naess, S.K., Raasch, J.A., Wielgus, S.M., Haberlach, G.T., Liu, J., Kuang, H.,
Austin-Phillips, S., Buell, C.R., Helgeson, J.P., and Jiang, J.M. (2003) Gene RB cloned from Solanum bulbocastanum confers broad spectrum resistance to potato
late blight. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 100: 9128-9133.
Professor of Horticulture
Ph.D., Kansas State University, 1993
Postdoctoral Research: Yale University
Address: 409A Horticulture
Telephone: 262-1878
E-mail: jjiang1@wisc.edu
Research Fields:
Plant Genetics
Gene Expression
Genomics
Potato is the third most important food crop in the world, next only to rice and wheat. We are investigating how potatoes have developed genetic resistance to late blight, a devastating disease caused by the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora infestans. The first shock of devastation caused by P. infestans was the well-known “Irish Potato Famine”, which led to the death of approximately one million people through starvation and disease, with another million thought to have emigrated as a result of the famine. Potatoes contain many resistance genes (R genes) against late blight. Some of these genes have been investigated since 1950s and several of these R genes have been cloned recently. However, most of these R genes have been overcome by the pathogen at some point, and therefore no longer protect potatoes from the disease. Our lab cloned an important R gene, termed RB, in 2003. Transgenic potato containing the RB gene shows a broad-spectrum resistance to all known races of the late blight pathogen. The RB gene appears to be more durable than other late blight resistance genes. The long-term goal of our lab is to understand the molecular mechanisms responsible for such a durable and broad-spectrum resistance. We are currently using both genetic and genomic approaches to dissect the resistance pathway mediated by the RB gene.
Bhaskar,
P.B., Venkateshwaran, M., Wu, L., Ané, J.-M., and Jiang, J.M. (2009) Agrobacterium-mediated transient gene
expression and silencing: A rapid tool for functional gene assay in potato.
PLoS ONE 4: e5812.
Colton,
L.M., Groza, H.I., Wielgus, S.M., and Jiang, J.M. (2006) Marker-assisted
selection for the broad-spectrum potato late blight resistance conferred by
gene RB derived from a wild potato
species. Crop Sci. 46: 589-594.
