Yun Judy Zhu, Ph.D.
Biochemist Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Genomics and Proteomics, Disease Resistance, Genetic Transformation
(808) 621-1266 jzhu@harc-hspa.com |
Academic Qualifications
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Research Emphasis
My research interest is in the area of biochemical and molecular mechanism of plant responses to microbes. This includes developing analytical methods and applications for improving host resistance to pathogens by biochemical induction and genetic engineering. Plant host resistance mechanisms are being dissected through comparison of protein expression profiles and molecular identification of genetic markers associated with host resistance. These projects are being carried out through collaborative projects with researchers at the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC), PBARC USDA and University of Hawaii (UH).
Genomic and proteomic analysis of disease resistance genes in Carica papaya
The majority of plant disease resistance proteins identified to date belong to a limited number of structural classes, of which those containing nucleotide-binding site (NBS) motifs are the most common. We have conducted genome-wide analysis of C. papaya and results reveal that C. papaya has a small NBS gene family. This study provides a detailed analysis of the NBS-encoding genes of the sequenced angiosperm, Carica papaya. Despite having a significantly larger genome than Arabidopsis thaliana, papaya has fewer NBS genes. Nevertheless, papaya maintains genes belonging to both Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) and non-TIR subclasses. Papaya’s NBS gene family shares most similarity with Vitis vinifera homologs, but seven non-TIR members with distinct motif sequence represent a novel subgroup. Transcript splice variants and adjacent genes encoding resistance-associated proteins may provide functional compensation for the apparent scarcity of NBS class resistance genes. Looking forward, the papaya NBS gene family is uniquely small in size but structurally diverse, making it suitable for functional studies aimed at a broader understanding of plant resistance genes.
In addition to the genomic analysis, we have conducted the proteomic analysis of disease or defense-related proteins in C. papaya. The main goal of this part of research is to identify proteins involved in the quantitative resistance of the most tolerant cultivar, Kamiya, to papaya’s major root-rot pathogen, Phytophthora palmivora, so strategies to improve resistance might be discovered. Identifying differentially-regulated proteins is a systematic approach to elucidate the mechanisms of resistance for future experiments.
Molecular markers of resistance loci for Phytophthora resistance in Carica papaya
This study aims to identify Phytophthora resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that can be applied in breeding programs to accelerate resistance selection. In addition, identification of multiple loci involved in resistance to Phytophthora offers the possibility of increasing the durability of resistance by accumulating multiple resistance genes using marker-assisted selection.
Amplified fragment length polymorphism AFLP method was used. Followed crossing and segregating between susceptible SunUp and tolerant Kamiya cultivars, it was found that the P. palmivora tolerance in the 319 F2 had a normal distribution, indicative of quantitative trait loci (QTL). 130 primers sets were used for AFLP in 30 most tolerant and 30 most susceptible F2 plants, of which 7 markers were linked with disease tolerance. Sequencing and identifying the location of those markers indicted R genes (products known as nucleotide binding site with leucine rich repeat proteins, NBS-LRR proteins) involved in C. papaya tolerance to P. palmivora. The identification of R genes that confer resistance to P. palmivora would make it possible breed and/or use biotechnological approaches to produce papaya varieties that are more tolerant to pathogen. Future research is projected to produce a fine map of the more important resistant genes, use neighbor markers to screen the BAC library, and to clone candidate genes responsible for resistance.
Transgenic approaches to enhance tropical plant's resistances to various diseases
Transgenic plants including sugarcane, papaya and anthurium were developed or are being developed to improve plant’s resistance to virus, bacterial, fungal and oomycete pathogens.
Sugarcane yellow leaf disease, characterized by a yellowing of the leaf midrib followed by leaf necrosis and growth suppression, is caused by the sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV). SCYLV-resistant transgenic sugarcane were produced from a susceptible cultivar (H62-4671) through biolistic bombardment with an untranslatable coat protein gene. The transgenic lines were inoculated by viruliferous aphids and the level of SCYLV in the midrib of inoculated plants was determined. Six out of nine transgenic lines had at least 103-fold lower virus titer than the non-transformed, susceptible parent line. This resistance level, as measured by virus titer and symptom development, was similar to that of a resistant cultivar (H78-4153). The selected SCYLV-resistant transgenic sugarcane lines will be available for integration of the resistance gene into other commercial cultivars and for quantification of viral effects on yield.
Plant defensins have been introduced as transgenes into a range of species to increase host resistance to pathogens. However, the effectiveness and mechanism of interaction of defensins with Phytophthora spp. was not clearly characterized in planta. Dahlia merckii defensin, DmAMP1, were transformed into papaya (Carica papaya L.), a plant highly susceptible to a root, stem, and fruit rot disease caused by Phytophthora palmivora. Extracts of total leaf proteins from transformed plants inhibited growth of Phytophthora in vitro. Results from our greenhouse inoculation experiments demonstrate that expressing the DmAMP1 gene in papaya plants increased resistance against P. palmivora and that this increased resistance was associated with reduced hyphae growth of P. palmivora at the infection sites. The inhibitory effects of DmAMP1 protein in papaya suggest this approach has good potential to impart transgenic resistance against Phytophthora in papaya.
Anthurium andraeanum were transformed with the aim of improving resistance to the two most important pests, bacterial blight (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. dieffenbachiae) and nematodes (Radopholus similis and Meloidogyne javanica). Efficient agrobacterium-mediated transformation method was developed for bacterial blight resistance genes, npr1 from Arabidopsis, attacin from Hyalophora cecropia, and T4 lysozyme from the T4 bacteriophage and for nematode resistance cystatin from rice and the cowpea trypsin inhibitor gene. The greenhouse and field trials are being conducted for evaluation of these plants.
Selected Publications
Zhu, YJ, McCafferty, H, Osterman, G, Lim, S, Agbayani, R, Lehrer, A, Schenck, S, Komor, E (2010) “Genetic Transformation with Untranslatable Coat Protein Gene of Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus (SCYLV) Reduces Virus Titers in Sugarcane” Transgenic Research, online first.
Hong, H, Li, D, Wang M, Sun, X, Zhu YJ, Meirjer, J, Zhang, J and Wang, Q “Characterization of a Novel β-thioglucosidase CpTGG1 in Carica papaya and its Substrate-dependent and Ascorbic Acid-independent O-β-glucosidase Activity” Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 52(10), 879-890.
Zhu, YJ, Lim, STS, Schenck, S, Arcinas, A and Komor, E (2010) “RT-PCR and Quantitative Real-Time RT-PCR Detection of Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus (SCYLV) in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Plants of Hawaiian Sugarcane Cultivars and the Correlation of SCYLV to Yield” European Journal of Plant Pathology, 127(2), 263-273.
Noorda-Nguyen, K, Jia, Ruizong, Aoki, A, Yu, Q, Nishijima, W and Zhu, YJ (2010) “Identification of Disease Tolerance Loci to Phytophthora palmivora in Carica papaya Using Molecular Marker Approach” Acta Horticulturae, 851, 189-196.
Noorda-Nguyen, K, McCafferty, H, Aoki, A, Nishijima, W, and Zhu, YJ (2010) “Agrobacterium rhizogenes generates transgenic hairy roots in Carica papaya: a new approach for studying and improving resistance to the root-rot pathogen Phytophthora palmivora”. Transgenic Plant J, 4, in press (accepted on 07/22/09).
He, X, Miyasaka, S, Zou, Y, Fitch, M, Moore, P. and Zhu, YJ (2010) “Genetic engineering of taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) with a rice chitinase gene for improved tolerance to a fungal pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii” Hortscience, 45(7), 1014-1020.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R, Tang, CS, Moore, PH (2010) “Developing transgenic papaya with improved fungal resistance”. Acta Horticulturae, 864, 39-44.
Fan, W, Zhao, H, Zhu, YJ, Peng, M and Zeng H (2009) “Effects of Agrobacterium-inhibitors and Selection Agents on Tissue Culture Systems of Banana” Genomics and Applied Biology, 28(4), 730-736.
Wang, M, Li, D, Sun, X, Zhu, YJ, Nong, H and Zhang, JM (2009) Characterization of a root-specific β-thioglucoside glucohydrolase gene in Carica papaya and its recombinant protein expressed in Pichia pastoris” Plant Science,177, 716–723.
Porter, B, Zhu, YJ and Christopher, D (2009) “Carica papaya genes regulated by Phytophthora palmivora: A model system for genomic studies of compatible Phytophthora-plant interactions” Tropical Plant Biology, 2, 84-97.
Lontom, W, Kosittrakun, M, Weerathaworn, P, Wangsomnuk, P and Zhu, YJ (2009) “Impact of Storage Temperature and Duration on Sucrose Catabolism in Harvested Sugarcane Stalks”. Sugar Tech 11(2), 146-153.
Porter, B, Paidi, M, Ming, R, Alarm, M, Nishijima, W and Zhu, YJ (2009) “Genome-wide analysis of Carica papaya reveals a small NBS resistance gene family” Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 281, 609-626.
Porter, B, Zhu, YJ, Webb, D and Christopher, D (2009) “Novel thigmomorphogenetic responses in Carica papaya: Touch decreases anthocyanin levels and stimulates petiole cork outgrowths” Annals of Botany, 103, 847-858.
Ray Ming, Shaobin Hou, Yun Feng, Qingyi Yu, Alexandre Dionne-Laporte, Jimmy H. Saw, Pavel Senin, Wei Wang, Benjamin V. Ly, Kanako L. T. Lewis, Steven L. Salzberg, Lu Feng, Meghan R. Jones, Rachel L. Skelton, Jan E. Murray, Cuixia Chen, Wubin Qian, Junguo Shen, Peng Du, Moriah Eustice, Eric Tong, Haibao Tang, Eric Lyons, Robert E. Paull, Todd P. Michael, Kerr Wall, Danny W. Rice, Henrik Albert, Ming-Li Wang, Yun J. Zhu, Michael Schatz, Niranjan Nagarajan, Ricelle A. Acob, Peizhu Guan, Andrea Blas, Ching Man Wai, Christine M. Ackerman, Yan Ren, Chao Liu, Jianmei Wang, Jianping Wang, Jong-Kuk Na, Eugene V. Shakirov, Brian Haas, Jyothi Thimmapuram, David Nelson, Xiyin Wang, John E. Bowers, Andrea R. Gschwend, Arthur L. Delcher, Ratnesh Singh, Jon Y. Suzuki, Savarni Tripathi, Kabi Neupane, Hairong Wei, Beth Irikura, Maya Paidi, Ning Jiang, Wenli Zhang, Gernot Presting, Aaron Windsor, Rafael Navajas-Pérez, Manuel J. Torres, F. Alex Feltus, Brad Porter, Yingjun Li, A. Max Burroughs, Ming-Cheng Luo, Lei Liu, David A. Christopher, Stephen M. Mount, Paul H. Moore, Tak Sugimura, Jiming Jiang, Mary A. Schuler, Vikki Friedman, Thomas Mitchell-Olds, Dorothy E. Shippen, Claude W. dePamphilis, Jeffrey D. Palmer, Michael Freeling, Andrew H. Paterson, Dennis Gonsalves, Lei Wang & Maqsudul Alam (2008) The draft genome of the transgenic tropical fruit tree papaya (Carica papaya Linnaeus) Nature, 452, 991-996.
McCafferty, H, Moore, PH and Zhu, YJ (2008) “Papaya (Carica Papaya L.) transformed with the Galanthus nivalis GNA gene produces a biologically active lectin with spider mite control activity”. Plant Science, 175, 385-393.
He, X, Miyasaka, S, Fitch, M, Moore, P. and Zhu, YJ (2008) “Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of taro (Colocasiaesculenta (L.) Schott) with a rice chitinase gene for improved tolerance to a fungal pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii” Plant Cell Reports, 27, 903-909.
Porter, B, Aizawa K, Zhu, YJ and Christopher, D (2008) “Differentially expressed and new non-protein-coding genes from a Carica papaya root transcriptome survey”. Plant Science, 174, 38-50.
Zhu, YJ, McCafferty, H, Osterman, G, Agbayani, R, Schenck, S, Lehrer, A, Komor, E and Moore, PH (2007) “Transgenic sugarcane with coat protein gene increased resistance to sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV)”. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 27, p963-967.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R, Nishijima, W, Moore, PH (2007) “Characterization of Disease Resistance of Carica papaya to Phytophthora”. Acta Horticulturae, 740, 265-269.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R. and Moore, PH (2007) “Ectopic expression of the Dahlia merckii defensin peptide DmAMP1 improves plant resistance to Phytophthora palmivora by reducing pathogen vigor” Planta, 226, 87-97.
Zhou, F, Wang, ML, Albert, HH, Moore, PH, Zhu, YJ (2006) “Efficient Transient Expression of Human GM-CSF Protein in Nicotiana benthamiana using Potato Virus X Vector” Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 72, 756-762.
McCafferty, H, Moore, PH and Zhu, YJ (2006) “Improved Carica papaya tolerance to Carmine spider mite by the expression of a Manduca sexta chitinase transgene” Transgenic Research, 15, 337-347.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R, McCafferty, H, Albert, HH, Moore, PH (2005) “Effective selection of transgenic papaya plants with the PMI/Man selection”. Plant Cell Reports, 24, 426-432.
Zhu, YJ, Tang, CS. and Moore, P (2005) “Increased fungal resistance in papaya by transformation of a pathogen-inducible stilbene synthase gene”. Acta Horticulturae, 692, 107-113.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R, Tang, CS, Moore, PH (2004) “Expression of the grapevine stilbene synthase gene VST1 in papaya provides increased resistance against diseases caused by Phytophthora palmivora”. Planta, 220, 241-250.
Qiu, X, Guan, P, Wang, M, Moore, PH, Zhu, YJ, Hu, J, Borth, W, Albert, HH (2004) “Identification and expression analysis of BTH induced genes in papaya” Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 65, 21-30.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R. and Moore, PH (2004) “Green fluorescent protein, as a positive selection marker, improves the efficiency of papaya (Carica papaya L.) transformation while avoiding selection for antibiotic resistance”. Plant Cell Reports, 22, 660-667.
Zhu, YJ, Qiu, X, Moore, PH, Borth, W, Hu, J, Ferreira, S, Albert, HH (2003) “Systemic acquired resistance induced by BTH in papaya” Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 63(5), 237-248.
My research interest is in the area of biochemical and molecular mechanism of plant responses to microbes. This includes developing analytical methods and applications for improving host resistance to pathogens by biochemical induction and genetic engineering. Plant host resistance mechanisms are being dissected through comparison of protein expression profiles and molecular identification of genetic markers associated with host resistance. These projects are being carried out through collaborative projects with researchers at the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center (HARC), PBARC USDA and University of Hawaii (UH).
Genomic and proteomic analysis of disease resistance genes in Carica papaya
The majority of plant disease resistance proteins identified to date belong to a limited number of structural classes, of which those containing nucleotide-binding site (NBS) motifs are the most common. We have conducted genome-wide analysis of C. papaya and results reveal that C. papaya has a small NBS gene family. This study provides a detailed analysis of the NBS-encoding genes of the sequenced angiosperm, Carica papaya. Despite having a significantly larger genome than Arabidopsis thaliana, papaya has fewer NBS genes. Nevertheless, papaya maintains genes belonging to both Toll/interleukin-1 receptor (TIR) and non-TIR subclasses. Papaya’s NBS gene family shares most similarity with Vitis vinifera homologs, but seven non-TIR members with distinct motif sequence represent a novel subgroup. Transcript splice variants and adjacent genes encoding resistance-associated proteins may provide functional compensation for the apparent scarcity of NBS class resistance genes. Looking forward, the papaya NBS gene family is uniquely small in size but structurally diverse, making it suitable for functional studies aimed at a broader understanding of plant resistance genes.
In addition to the genomic analysis, we have conducted the proteomic analysis of disease or defense-related proteins in C. papaya. The main goal of this part of research is to identify proteins involved in the quantitative resistance of the most tolerant cultivar, Kamiya, to papaya’s major root-rot pathogen, Phytophthora palmivora, so strategies to improve resistance might be discovered. Identifying differentially-regulated proteins is a systematic approach to elucidate the mechanisms of resistance for future experiments.
Molecular markers of resistance loci for Phytophthora resistance in Carica papaya
This study aims to identify Phytophthora resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that can be applied in breeding programs to accelerate resistance selection. In addition, identification of multiple loci involved in resistance to Phytophthora offers the possibility of increasing the durability of resistance by accumulating multiple resistance genes using marker-assisted selection.
Amplified fragment length polymorphism AFLP method was used. Followed crossing and segregating between susceptible SunUp and tolerant Kamiya cultivars, it was found that the P. palmivora tolerance in the 319 F2 had a normal distribution, indicative of quantitative trait loci (QTL). 130 primers sets were used for AFLP in 30 most tolerant and 30 most susceptible F2 plants, of which 7 markers were linked with disease tolerance. Sequencing and identifying the location of those markers indicted R genes (products known as nucleotide binding site with leucine rich repeat proteins, NBS-LRR proteins) involved in C. papaya tolerance to P. palmivora. The identification of R genes that confer resistance to P. palmivora would make it possible breed and/or use biotechnological approaches to produce papaya varieties that are more tolerant to pathogen. Future research is projected to produce a fine map of the more important resistant genes, use neighbor markers to screen the BAC library, and to clone candidate genes responsible for resistance.
Transgenic approaches to enhance tropical plant's resistances to various diseases
Transgenic plants including sugarcane, papaya and anthurium were developed or are being developed to improve plant’s resistance to virus, bacterial, fungal and oomycete pathogens.
Sugarcane yellow leaf disease, characterized by a yellowing of the leaf midrib followed by leaf necrosis and growth suppression, is caused by the sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV). SCYLV-resistant transgenic sugarcane were produced from a susceptible cultivar (H62-4671) through biolistic bombardment with an untranslatable coat protein gene. The transgenic lines were inoculated by viruliferous aphids and the level of SCYLV in the midrib of inoculated plants was determined. Six out of nine transgenic lines had at least 103-fold lower virus titer than the non-transformed, susceptible parent line. This resistance level, as measured by virus titer and symptom development, was similar to that of a resistant cultivar (H78-4153). The selected SCYLV-resistant transgenic sugarcane lines will be available for integration of the resistance gene into other commercial cultivars and for quantification of viral effects on yield.
Plant defensins have been introduced as transgenes into a range of species to increase host resistance to pathogens. However, the effectiveness and mechanism of interaction of defensins with Phytophthora spp. was not clearly characterized in planta. Dahlia merckii defensin, DmAMP1, were transformed into papaya (Carica papaya L.), a plant highly susceptible to a root, stem, and fruit rot disease caused by Phytophthora palmivora. Extracts of total leaf proteins from transformed plants inhibited growth of Phytophthora in vitro. Results from our greenhouse inoculation experiments demonstrate that expressing the DmAMP1 gene in papaya plants increased resistance against P. palmivora and that this increased resistance was associated with reduced hyphae growth of P. palmivora at the infection sites. The inhibitory effects of DmAMP1 protein in papaya suggest this approach has good potential to impart transgenic resistance against Phytophthora in papaya.
Anthurium andraeanum were transformed with the aim of improving resistance to the two most important pests, bacterial blight (Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. dieffenbachiae) and nematodes (Radopholus similis and Meloidogyne javanica). Efficient agrobacterium-mediated transformation method was developed for bacterial blight resistance genes, npr1 from Arabidopsis, attacin from Hyalophora cecropia, and T4 lysozyme from the T4 bacteriophage and for nematode resistance cystatin from rice and the cowpea trypsin inhibitor gene. The greenhouse and field trials are being conducted for evaluation of these plants.
Selected Publications
Zhu, YJ, McCafferty, H, Osterman, G, Lim, S, Agbayani, R, Lehrer, A, Schenck, S, Komor, E (2010) “Genetic Transformation with Untranslatable Coat Protein Gene of Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus (SCYLV) Reduces Virus Titers in Sugarcane” Transgenic Research, online first.
Hong, H, Li, D, Wang M, Sun, X, Zhu YJ, Meirjer, J, Zhang, J and Wang, Q “Characterization of a Novel β-thioglucosidase CpTGG1 in Carica papaya and its Substrate-dependent and Ascorbic Acid-independent O-β-glucosidase Activity” Journal of Integrative Plant Biology, 52(10), 879-890.
Zhu, YJ, Lim, STS, Schenck, S, Arcinas, A and Komor, E (2010) “RT-PCR and Quantitative Real-Time RT-PCR Detection of Sugarcane Yellow Leaf Virus (SCYLV) in Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Plants of Hawaiian Sugarcane Cultivars and the Correlation of SCYLV to Yield” European Journal of Plant Pathology, 127(2), 263-273.
Noorda-Nguyen, K, Jia, Ruizong, Aoki, A, Yu, Q, Nishijima, W and Zhu, YJ (2010) “Identification of Disease Tolerance Loci to Phytophthora palmivora in Carica papaya Using Molecular Marker Approach” Acta Horticulturae, 851, 189-196.
Noorda-Nguyen, K, McCafferty, H, Aoki, A, Nishijima, W, and Zhu, YJ (2010) “Agrobacterium rhizogenes generates transgenic hairy roots in Carica papaya: a new approach for studying and improving resistance to the root-rot pathogen Phytophthora palmivora”. Transgenic Plant J, 4, in press (accepted on 07/22/09).
He, X, Miyasaka, S, Zou, Y, Fitch, M, Moore, P. and Zhu, YJ (2010) “Genetic engineering of taro (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) with a rice chitinase gene for improved tolerance to a fungal pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii” Hortscience, 45(7), 1014-1020.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R, Tang, CS, Moore, PH (2010) “Developing transgenic papaya with improved fungal resistance”. Acta Horticulturae, 864, 39-44.
Fan, W, Zhao, H, Zhu, YJ, Peng, M and Zeng H (2009) “Effects of Agrobacterium-inhibitors and Selection Agents on Tissue Culture Systems of Banana” Genomics and Applied Biology, 28(4), 730-736.
Wang, M, Li, D, Sun, X, Zhu, YJ, Nong, H and Zhang, JM (2009) Characterization of a root-specific β-thioglucoside glucohydrolase gene in Carica papaya and its recombinant protein expressed in Pichia pastoris” Plant Science,177, 716–723.
Porter, B, Zhu, YJ and Christopher, D (2009) “Carica papaya genes regulated by Phytophthora palmivora: A model system for genomic studies of compatible Phytophthora-plant interactions” Tropical Plant Biology, 2, 84-97.
Lontom, W, Kosittrakun, M, Weerathaworn, P, Wangsomnuk, P and Zhu, YJ (2009) “Impact of Storage Temperature and Duration on Sucrose Catabolism in Harvested Sugarcane Stalks”. Sugar Tech 11(2), 146-153.
Porter, B, Paidi, M, Ming, R, Alarm, M, Nishijima, W and Zhu, YJ (2009) “Genome-wide analysis of Carica papaya reveals a small NBS resistance gene family” Molecular Genetics and Genomics, 281, 609-626.
Porter, B, Zhu, YJ, Webb, D and Christopher, D (2009) “Novel thigmomorphogenetic responses in Carica papaya: Touch decreases anthocyanin levels and stimulates petiole cork outgrowths” Annals of Botany, 103, 847-858.
Ray Ming, Shaobin Hou, Yun Feng, Qingyi Yu, Alexandre Dionne-Laporte, Jimmy H. Saw, Pavel Senin, Wei Wang, Benjamin V. Ly, Kanako L. T. Lewis, Steven L. Salzberg, Lu Feng, Meghan R. Jones, Rachel L. Skelton, Jan E. Murray, Cuixia Chen, Wubin Qian, Junguo Shen, Peng Du, Moriah Eustice, Eric Tong, Haibao Tang, Eric Lyons, Robert E. Paull, Todd P. Michael, Kerr Wall, Danny W. Rice, Henrik Albert, Ming-Li Wang, Yun J. Zhu, Michael Schatz, Niranjan Nagarajan, Ricelle A. Acob, Peizhu Guan, Andrea Blas, Ching Man Wai, Christine M. Ackerman, Yan Ren, Chao Liu, Jianmei Wang, Jianping Wang, Jong-Kuk Na, Eugene V. Shakirov, Brian Haas, Jyothi Thimmapuram, David Nelson, Xiyin Wang, John E. Bowers, Andrea R. Gschwend, Arthur L. Delcher, Ratnesh Singh, Jon Y. Suzuki, Savarni Tripathi, Kabi Neupane, Hairong Wei, Beth Irikura, Maya Paidi, Ning Jiang, Wenli Zhang, Gernot Presting, Aaron Windsor, Rafael Navajas-Pérez, Manuel J. Torres, F. Alex Feltus, Brad Porter, Yingjun Li, A. Max Burroughs, Ming-Cheng Luo, Lei Liu, David A. Christopher, Stephen M. Mount, Paul H. Moore, Tak Sugimura, Jiming Jiang, Mary A. Schuler, Vikki Friedman, Thomas Mitchell-Olds, Dorothy E. Shippen, Claude W. dePamphilis, Jeffrey D. Palmer, Michael Freeling, Andrew H. Paterson, Dennis Gonsalves, Lei Wang & Maqsudul Alam (2008) The draft genome of the transgenic tropical fruit tree papaya (Carica papaya Linnaeus) Nature, 452, 991-996.
McCafferty, H, Moore, PH and Zhu, YJ (2008) “Papaya (Carica Papaya L.) transformed with the Galanthus nivalis GNA gene produces a biologically active lectin with spider mite control activity”. Plant Science, 175, 385-393.
He, X, Miyasaka, S, Fitch, M, Moore, P. and Zhu, YJ (2008) “Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of taro (Colocasiaesculenta (L.) Schott) with a rice chitinase gene for improved tolerance to a fungal pathogen Sclerotium rolfsii” Plant Cell Reports, 27, 903-909.
Porter, B, Aizawa K, Zhu, YJ and Christopher, D (2008) “Differentially expressed and new non-protein-coding genes from a Carica papaya root transcriptome survey”. Plant Science, 174, 38-50.
Zhu, YJ, McCafferty, H, Osterman, G, Agbayani, R, Schenck, S, Lehrer, A, Komor, E and Moore, PH (2007) “Transgenic sugarcane with coat protein gene increased resistance to sugarcane yellow leaf virus (ScYLV)”. Proc. Int. Soc. Sugar Cane Technol., 27, p963-967.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R, Nishijima, W, Moore, PH (2007) “Characterization of Disease Resistance of Carica papaya to Phytophthora”. Acta Horticulturae, 740, 265-269.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R. and Moore, PH (2007) “Ectopic expression of the Dahlia merckii defensin peptide DmAMP1 improves plant resistance to Phytophthora palmivora by reducing pathogen vigor” Planta, 226, 87-97.
Zhou, F, Wang, ML, Albert, HH, Moore, PH, Zhu, YJ (2006) “Efficient Transient Expression of Human GM-CSF Protein in Nicotiana benthamiana using Potato Virus X Vector” Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 72, 756-762.
McCafferty, H, Moore, PH and Zhu, YJ (2006) “Improved Carica papaya tolerance to Carmine spider mite by the expression of a Manduca sexta chitinase transgene” Transgenic Research, 15, 337-347.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R, McCafferty, H, Albert, HH, Moore, PH (2005) “Effective selection of transgenic papaya plants with the PMI/Man selection”. Plant Cell Reports, 24, 426-432.
Zhu, YJ, Tang, CS. and Moore, P (2005) “Increased fungal resistance in papaya by transformation of a pathogen-inducible stilbene synthase gene”. Acta Horticulturae, 692, 107-113.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R, Tang, CS, Moore, PH (2004) “Expression of the grapevine stilbene synthase gene VST1 in papaya provides increased resistance against diseases caused by Phytophthora palmivora”. Planta, 220, 241-250.
Qiu, X, Guan, P, Wang, M, Moore, PH, Zhu, YJ, Hu, J, Borth, W, Albert, HH (2004) “Identification and expression analysis of BTH induced genes in papaya” Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 65, 21-30.
Zhu, YJ, Agbayani, R. and Moore, PH (2004) “Green fluorescent protein, as a positive selection marker, improves the efficiency of papaya (Carica papaya L.) transformation while avoiding selection for antibiotic resistance”. Plant Cell Reports, 22, 660-667.
Zhu, YJ, Qiu, X, Moore, PH, Borth, W, Hu, J, Ferreira, S, Albert, HH (2003) “Systemic acquired resistance induced by BTH in papaya” Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, 63(5), 237-248.