Graduate student
University of Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
I hold a MSc in Molecular Microbiology from Youngstown State University where we discovered mercury-resistance genes (mer genes) from the bacterial species; Enterobacter sp. YSU and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia OR02 extracted from a heavy metal-contaminated site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. we revealed that Mer genes facilitate degradation of harmful divalent mercury into harmless, volatile, and monoatomic mercury, allowing these strains to better survive in metal-contaminated environments. This research piqued my interest in the molecular mechanisms of stress tolerance. Therefore, when I joined Dr. Scott Leisner’s lab at the University of Toledo, I began exploring Silicon fertilizers and their beneficial effects on plant immunity. We discovered a new family of plant defensins, "histidine-rich defensin (NtHRD1s)" from Nicotiana tabacum which are Silicon-induced. Transient expression of NtHRD1s in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves provided protection to fungal plant pathogens. We are currently investigating the molecular mechanism of NtHRD1s in more detail.