Faculty of Virology

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Herman B. Scholthof
Professor
Plant Pathology and Microbiology

Education:
Ph.D. University of Kentucky Plant Pathology 1990

Research Description:
In our Plant Virology laboratory we study molecular mechanisms that determine whether a plant is susceptible or resistant to infection with a virus. We use Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) as a model system. Specific areas of study involve virus-host interactions that govern virus movement, activation and suppression of RNA silencing or interference (RNAi), and the use of viruses as gene delivery vectors. A separate research project involves the molecular characterization of a newly recognized virus on wheat and corn that is transmitted by wheat curl mites.

Representative Publications:
Scholthof, H.B. (2006). The Tombusvirus-encoded P19: from irrelevance to elegance. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 4:405-411.

Omarov, R., Sparks, K., Smith, L., Zindovic, J., and Scholthof, H.B. (2006). Biological relevance of a stable biochemical interaction between the tombusvirus-encoded P19 and siRNAs. J. Virol. 80:3000-3008.

Skare, J.M., Wijkamp, I., Denham, I., Rezende, J.A.M., Kitajima, E.W., Park, J.W., Desvoyes, B., Rush, C.M., Michels, G.,
Scholthof, K.-B. G., and Scholthof, H.B. (2006). A new eriophyid mite-borne membrane-enveloped virus complex isolated from plants. Virology 347:343-353.

Scholthof H.B. (2005). Plant virus transport: motions of functional equivalence. Trends in Plant Science 10:376-382.

Yamamura, Y., and Scholthof, H.B. (2005). Pathogen profile: Tomato bushy stunt virus: A resilient model system for studying virus-plant interactions. Molec. Plant Pathol. 6:491-502.

Qiu, W.P., and Scholthof, H.B. (2005). Tomato bushy stunt virus derived gene vectors. Current Protocols in Microbiology (in press).

Scholthof, H.B. (2005). Invited book review of Genomic and Genetic Analysis of Plant Parasitism and Defense (Eds. Tsuyuma, Leach, Shirashi, and Wolpert), to be published in The Quarterly Review of Biology 80:359.

Park, J.-W., Faure-Rabasse, S., Robinson, M.A., Desvoyes, B., and Scholthof, H.B. (2004). The multifunctional plant viral suppressor of gene silencing P19 interacts with itself and an RNA binding host protein. Virology 323:49-58

Omarov, R.T. Rezende, J., and Scholthof, H.B. (2004). Host-specific generation and maintenance of Tomato bushy stunt virus defective interfering RNAs. Molec. Plant Microbe Interact. 17:195-201

Turina, M., Omarov, R., Murphy, J.F., Bazaldua-Hernandez, C., Desvoyes, B., and Scholthof, H.B (2003). A newly identified role for Tomato bushy stunt virus P19 in short distance spread. Molec. Plant Pathol. 4:67-72

Skare, J. M, Wijkamp, I., Rezende, J., Michels G., Rush, C., Scholthof, K.-B. G., and Scholthof, H.B. (2003). Colony establishment and maintenance of the eriophyid wheat curl mite Aceria tosichella for controlled transmission studies on a new virus-like pathogen. J. Virol. Meth. 108:133-137

Desvoyes, B., and Scholthof, H.B. (2002). A Tomato bushy stunt virus mutant inactive for coat protein expression recombines in a host-dependent manner to produce atypical complexes of viral RNA and truncated capsid subunits that benefit systemic spread. Virology 304:434-442

Park, J.-W., Desvoyes, B., and Scholthof, H.B. (2002). Tomato bushy stunt virus genomic RNA accumulation is regulated by interdependent cis-acting elements within the movement protein open reading frames. J. Virol. 76:12747-12757

Desvoyes, B., Faure-Rabasse, S., Chen, M.-H., Park, J.-W., and Scholthof, H.B. (2002). A novel plant homeodomain protein interacts in a functionally relevant manner with a virus movement protein. Plant Physiol. 129:1521-1532

Qiu, W., Park, J.-W., and Scholthof, H.B. (2002). Tombusvirus P19-mediated suppression of virus induced gene silencing is controlled by genetic and dosage features that influence pathogenicity. Molec. Plant-Microbe Interact 15:269-280

Scholthof, K.-B. G., Mirkov, and Scholthof, H.B. (2002). Plant Viral Gene Vectors: Biotechnology Applications in Agriculture and Medicine. "Genetic Engineering, Principles and Methods" 24:67-85

Please visit the Plant Pathology web site and the Lab Web Pages for more information.

 

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