Ph. D., Queen's University, Canada

   

Office:     442B Life Sciences Building

Phone:   1-419-372-0481

Email:     pmorris@bgsu.edu

   

Research:

Molecular plant-microbe interactions

   

 

Research Interests:

Oomycete genomics. The oomycetes which include the Phytophthora species are amongst the most destructive and economically important plant pathogens around the world. Molecular research on these novel eukaryotic pathogens is now progressing rapidly because genomic sequencing of five species have now been completed. We are particularly interested in plasma membrane proteins, because such proteins are in intimate contact with host tissues during infection. Of particular interest to us, are members of the ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) membrane transporter families as well as transporters involved in uptake of amino acids and polyamines. We are making use of a wide range of bioinformatics tools to study the evolution of these proteins and to determine their function. Heterologous expression in the model organism S. cerevisiae has proven to be a particularly valuable tool for the analysis of such proteins.

Polyamine transport. In plants changes in cellular levels of polyamines are strongly correlated with the plant response to stresses such as drought, salinity, temperature fluctuations, and developmental processes such as root growth, and floral initiation. We hypothesize that polyamine transport within and between cells and tissues, is an essential component of the plant response to these environmental cues, but until now, no plant polyamine transporters have been identified. Using a comparative genomics approach, we have identified candidate polyamine transporters and we are now characterizing them using heterologous expression in yeast.

Selected Publications:

Morris, P.F. and V. Phuntumart . 2007. Inventory and comparative evolution of ABC superfamily in the genomes of Phytophthora ramorum and Phytophthora sojae. Fungal Genetics and Biology. (In revision)

Tyler, B.M., S. Tripathy, X. Zhang, P.Dehal, R.H.Y. Jiang, A. Aerts, F.D. Arredondo, L. Baxter, D. Bensasson, J.L. Beynon, J. Chapman, C.M.B. Damasceno, A.E. Dorrance, D. Dou, A.W. Dickerman, I.L. Dubchak, M. Garbelotto, M. Gijzen, S.G. Gordon, F. Govers, N.J. Grunwald, W. Huang, K.L. Ivors, R.W. Jones, S. Kamoun, K. Krampis, K.H. Lamour, M.-K. Lee, D.J. Maclean, W.H. McDonald, M. Medina, H.J.G. Meijer, P.F. Morris, E.K. Nordberg, M.D. Ospina-Giraldo, V. Phuntumart, N.H. Putnam, S. Rash, J.K.C. Rose, Y. Sakihama, A.A. Salamov, A. Savidor, C.F. Scheuring, B.M. Smith, B.W.S. Sobral, A. Terry, T.A. Torto-Alalibo, J. Win, Z. Xu, H. Zhang, I.V. Grigoriev, D.S. Rokhsar, J.L. Boore. 2006. Phytophthora genome sequences uncover evolutionary origins and mechanisms of pathogenesis. Science 313: 1261-1265.

Chibucos, M.C., and P.F. Morris. 2006. Polyamines levels and the kinetic characterization of their uptake in the soybean pathogen Phytophthora sojae. Applied Environ. Biol. 72: 3350-3356.

Connolly M.S., Y. Sakihama, V. Phuntumart, Y. Jiang, F. Warren, L. Mourant and P.F. Morris. 2005. Heterologous expression of a pleiotropic drug resistance transporter from Phytophthora sojae in yeast transporter mutants. Current Genetics 48(6): 356-365.