Education
B.Sc., Biochemistry, Mcgill University (1994)
Ph.D., Biochemistry, Mcgill University (2000)
Postdoc (EMBO fellow), Sainsbury Laboratory, John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK (2000-2003)
Assistant Scientist, Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, Ithaca, NY (2003-2009)
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Cornell University (2004-2009)
Research themes
- Plant-virus interactions
- Recognition of pathogens by the plant innate immune system
- RNA silencing and anti-viral defences
Current research
Plant-virus interactions – recognition of viruses by plants
We study the plant innate immune system in order to understand how plants are able to defend themselves against pathogens in general, and against viruses in particular. One such mechanism is based on the recognition of proteins associated with specific pathogens. This recognition is mediated by cytoplasmic NB-LRR proteins; so named for the presence of nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat domains. Plant genomes encode hundreds of highly variable NB-LRR–encoding genes, each with the ability to recognize specific pathogen-encoded proteins. We investigate both intra- and inter-molecular protein-protein interactions involving NB-LRR proteins. These studies are aimed at understanding of the molecular basis of pathogen recognition by NB-LRR proteins as well as understanding the signalling pathways that they induce.
RNA silencing and anti-viral defences
Eukaryotes possess protein complexes that recognize dsRNA and process it into small fragments. These small RNAs in turn target homologous single-stranded RNA in a variety of ways, in conjunction with a family of ribonucleases known as Argonaute proteins. Argonaute proteins are involved in a number of regulatory mechanisms, collectively referred to as RNA silencing or RNA interference (RNAi). Once an NB-LRR protein is activated, an anti-viral response is initiated that inhibits the translation of viral RNA transcripts. We have shown that this regulation requires members of the Argonaute family, different from those that mediate other RNA silencing mechanisms. Our research is aimed at better understanding how Argonaute proteins control viral infections by regulating virus gene expression as well as regulating cellular transcripts.
Publications
Herman B. Scholthof, Veria Y. Alvarado, Julio C. Vega-Arreguin, Jessica Ciomperlik, Denis Odokonyero, Chantal Brosseau, Marianne Jaubert, Alejandro Zamora, and Peter Moffett (2011) Identification of an ARGONAUTE for anti-viral RNA silencing in Nicotiana benthamiana. Plant Physiology, 156: 1548-1555
Marianne J. Jaubert, Saikat Bhattacharjee, Alexandre F.S. Mello, Keith L. Perry and Peter Moffett (2011) AGO2 mediates RNA silencing anti-viral defenses against Potato Virus X in Arabidopsis. Plant Physiology, 156: 1556-1564
Sarah M. Collier, Louis-Philippe Hamel and Peter Moffett (2011) Cell death mediated by the N-terminal domains of a unique and highly conserved class of NB-LRR protein. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 24(8): 918-931