Kathleen Martin - profile information

Research

My lab is interested at looking at new and divergent plant viruses in the state of Alabama, including cotton leafroll dwarf virus (CLRDV). CLRDV is the causal agent of cotton blue disease and causes leaf curling, reddening on the leaves, stunting and yield loss on cotton plants. This virus is vectored by aphids in a circulative, non-persistent manner and understanding the complex relationship between the virus, aphids, cotton and other infected weedy species is critical for the management of this disease. As the identification of this virus as a causal agent of disease in Alabama was done in 2018, work understanding the genetics and proteins of CLDV is in its infancy compared to other viruses which share a similar genome organization and vector transmission. To do this work, we plan on utilizing modern sequencing techniques to understand the transcriptome of both the aphids and the infected plants, microscopy to understand localization, and cloning techniques to better understand this virus and how to manage it in the field.

Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and Soybean vein necrosis virus (SVNV) are also of interest to understand how viruses that infect both plants and insects are able to function. We are interested in the conserved or divergent mechanisms between such different host cells. To do this work, we utilize microscopy to look at viral proteins in plant cells such as soybean, tobacco and insect cells (Sf9) to determine the localization of viral proteins in the presence and absence of infection. We also look at protein-protein interactions, both virus-virus and virus-host interactions to determine if these are conserved between insects and plants. Since both viruses are in the same viral genus, it is also important to look at the differences and similarities between the two viruses to understand more about the infection cycle in a shared host such as Nicotiana benthamiana. This comparison will prompt new discoveries about how viruses are different even when they seem very similar.