I am seeking a post-doctoral research associate for my laboratory
at Penn State. The person hired for this position will be involved in
fulfilling the objectives of my recently funded NSF grant "Digestion
of the Caterpillar Midgut by a Maize Defense Protease." The position
will be a combination of plant and insect molecular biology.
Research in my lab using corn lines that are genetically resistant to
fall armyworm has identified a novel defense that corn uses to deter
herbivores. In response to caterpillar attack, a cysteine protease
accumulates in the plant at the caterpillar-feeding site. This
protease is similar to papain, the protein-degrading enzyme that is
present in meat tenderizers. This defensive protease, called
Mir1-CP, has been shown to attack and degrade the peritrophic
membrane (PM) of the fall armyworm and other caterpillars. The PM
lines the midgut, surrounds the food bolus and protects the insect's
digestive track from toxins and pathogens. It is essential for
optimal nutrient utilization and PM disruption often results in
caterpillar death. This project will determine if there are
differences in susceptibility to Mir1-CP among several economically
important caterpillar pests. It will determine if PM protein
composition contributes to resistance or susceptibility to Mir1-CP
attack. Finally, it will determine if the caterpillar is able to
recover from exposure to diets containing Mir1-CP. The techniques of
proteomics and molecular biology will be used to accomplish the
objectives.
If you are interested in applying for this position, please contact
me by email at dsl14 from psu.edu.
--
Dawn S. Luthe
Professor of Plant Stress Biology
116 ASI Building
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA 16802
phone 814-863-3542
cell 814-308-4922
