Assistant Professor Washington University in St Louis St Louis, Missouri
Body of Abstract: Plant defense is not a static biological process – it is influenced by dynamic factors such as ontogeny, morphogenesis, tissue type, and the circadian clock. Our research program uses various non‑model species and a hypothesis driven, systems approach to examine how these factors impact plant defense. The Mansfeld lab explores how plants have navigated the fine line between growth and defense by evolving different strategies to optimize interactions with their microbial environments to maximize fitness. For example, we explored available RNA sequencing data in wild (S. pennellii) and domesticated tomato (S. lycopersicum) to investigate the differences in the circadian network dynamics of these two species. Through this re-analysis and Weighted Gene Co-expression Analyses, we identified thousands of genes in modules with circadian misregulation in domesticated tomato. In another collaboration, we use genome assembly of heterozygous species (e.g. Malus spp.) to examine how heterozygous SVs affect allele specific expression (ASE) and gene copy number variation (CNV), and how this, in turn, impacts disease resistance. For example, we’ve identified resistance gene CNV in association with an important fireblight resistance locus in Malus fusca, the pacific crabapple. Our long-term goal is to investigate fundamental mechanisms of defense optimization, deepening our understanding of plant‑biotic interactions and providing direct, translatable implications for agricultural sustainability in a changing climate. We are now recruiting postdoctoral research associates, graduate students and technicians.