Research Opportunities Are Avalable for the First-Year Scholars Program
Fall 2026 • Spring 2027 • Summer 2027
Illuminating Plant Disease: Tracking Bacterial Infection in Living Plants
Plant diseases threaten crop productivity and food security worldwide. One bacterial pathogen, Xanthomonas vasicola, causes leaf streak disease in several economically important crops. Despite its agricultural significance, many questions remain about how this pathogen spreads through plant tissues, which cell types it targets, and how plant immune system responds to the infection.
This research project aims to answer these questions by using fluorescent and bioluminescent markers to visualize bacterial infection in living plants. Students will engineer bacteria to produce visible light signals by introducing genes from naturally light-producing organisms, such as green fluorescent protein (GFP) from jellyfish and luciferase from fireflies, into the bacterial genome. These glowing bacterial strains will then be used to infect plants and monitor disease progression over time and at different scales.
Using luciferase-labeled bacteria, students will first examine whole plants and track the spread of infection by detecting and quantifying bioluminescense signal. Students will then use confocal microscopy to observe fluorescently labeled bacteria within plant tissues at high resolution, allowing them to identify where pathogens accumulate and which cell types are most affected during infection.
To better understand how plant cells respond to infection, students will then investigate bacterial effector proteins that manipulate host cells to cause disease. These effectors will be fluorescently tagged and visualized in plant tissues using confocal microscopy to determine where they localize within the cells and which cellular processes they target.
This interdisciplinary project combines molecular biology, microbiology, plant biology, genetics, and advanced bioimaging to address fundamental questions in plant-pathogen interactions and plant immunity. Students will gain hands-on experience in molecular cloning, microbial culture techniques, plant infection assays, fluorescence microscopy, image analysis, data analysis, and learn scientific communication skills.
Students will work as active members of an ongoing research program and contribute to generating original data that address important unanswered questions in plant disease biology. By the end of the program, students will have produced data that they will present at the KSU Symposium of Student Scholars and will contribute to future scientific publications.
Required Skills and Expectations
Interest in molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, and plant biology.
Ability to follow written and verbal laboratory instructions accurately.
Commitment to maintaining sterile working conditions and following biological safety procedures.
Strong attention to detail, organization, and accurate record keeping.
Ability to work both independently and collaboratively as part of a research team.
No prior research experience is required. Motivated students with a strong interest in disease biology are encouraged to apply.