Peter Moffett
Scientist
Office/Lab: Room 219/212
Contact: pm99@cornell.edu / 607-254-1362
Affiliations:
Adjunct Assistant Professor in Cornell University’s Department of Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology
Graduate Field: Plant Pathology and Plant-Microbe Biology
Research Summary
The Moffett lab is interested in understanding the molecular basis of pathogen defense afforded by plant disease resistance (R) genes. Plant genomes contain hundreds of R genes that encode NB-LRR proteins, so named because they possess nucleotide-binding and leucine-rich repeat domains. NB-LRR proteins are highly variable both within and between species, and confer resistance to viruses, bacteria, fungi, oomycetes, nematodes and insects.
Our main experimental model is the potato Rx gene, which confers resistance to potato virus X (PVX) and functions in tobacco. The latter affords a number of technical advantages as a model plant, including ease of protein expression and virus induced gene silencing (VIGS).
Our goals are to understand the molecular basis by which closely related NB-LRR proteins are able to recognize different pathogens and how this recognition is subsequently translated into the initiation of defense responses. To do so, we are studying the protein-protein interactions that take place within the Rx protein as well as between Rx and other cellular proteins. We have recently identified a protein, RanGAP2 that interacts with the Rx protein. RanGAP2 appears to be involved in the recognition process of Rx as well as another NB-LRR protein, Gpa2, which is highly similar to Rx but confers resistance to the potato pale cyst nematode.
We have recently started a project whose goal is to apply our knowledge of NB-LRR protein function to the engineering of crop plants that are resistant to the late blight pathogen Phytophthora capsici.
Additional projects include the identification of the downstream components required for an effective Rx-mediated anti-viral response and defining how NB-LRR proteins cause viruses to be targeted by this response. To study these questions we use various biochemical, genetic, molecular and cell biology methodologies.
Publications
Gregory J. Rairdan, Sarah M. Collier, Melanie A. Sacco, Thomas T. Baldwin, Teresa Boettrich and Peter Moffett. 2008. The coiled-coil and nucleotide-binding domains of the potato Rx disease resistance protein function in pathogen recognition and signaling. The Plant Cell 0:
Rairdan, G., P. Moffett. 2007. Brothers in arms? Common and contrasting themes in pathogen perception by plant NB-LRR and animal NACHT-LRR proteins. Microbes Infect 0: 677-86
Sacco, M.A, S. Mansoor, P. Moffett. 2007. A RanGAP protein physically interacts with the NB-LRR protein Rx, and is required for Rx-mediated viral resistance. Plant J 0: 82-93
Rairdan, G. J., P. Moffett. 2006. Distinct Domains in the ARC Region of the Potato Resistance Protein Rx Mediate LRR Binding and Inhibition of Activation. The Plant Cell 18: 2082-2093
Sawers, R.J., P.R. Farmer, P. Moffett, T. Brutnell. 2006. In planta transient expression as a system for genetic and biochemical analyses of chlorophyll biosynthesis.. Plant Methods 0: 2:15
Moffett, P., J. P. Rathjen. 2003. Early Signal Transduction Events in Specific Plant Disease Resistance. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 6: 300-306
Lu, R., I. Malcuit, P. Moffett, M. T. Ruiz, J. Peart, A. J. Wu, J. P. Rathjen, A. Bendahmane, L. Day, D. C. Baulcombe. 2003. High Throughput Virus-induced Gene Silencing Implicates Heat Shock Protein 90 in Plant Disease Resistance. EMBO Journal 22: 5690-5699
Peart, J. R., R. Lui, A. Sadanandom, I. Malcuit, P. Moffett, D. C. Brice, L. Schauser, D. A. W. Jaggard, S. Xiao, M. J. Coleman, M. Dow, J. D. G. Jones, K. Shirasu, D. C. Baulcombe. 2002. Ubiquitin Ligase-associated Protein SGT1 is Required for Host and Nonhost Disease Resistance in Plants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 99: 10865-10869
Moffett, P., G. Farnham, J. Peart, D. C. Baulcombe. 2002. Interaction Between Domains of a Plant NBS-LRR Protein in Disease Resistance-related Cell Death. EMBO Journal 21: 4511-4519
Bendahmane, A., G. Farnham, P. Moffett, D. C. Baulcombe. 2002. Constitutive Gain-of-function Mutants in a Nucleotide Binding Site-Leucine Rich Repeat Protein Encoded at the Rx Locus of Potato. The Plant Journal 32: 195-204
Baulcombe, D. C., A. Hamilton, O. Voinnet, R. Lu, J. R. Peart, I. Malcuit, P. Moffett. 2002. Sense and Susceptibility: Dissecting Disease Resistance Using Viruses and Silencing. Biology of Plant-Microbe Interactions 3:
Lab Members
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