Barbara Baker (molecular biologist)

Last updated
Barbara Joan Baker
Alma materUniversity of California, San Francisco
Awards Member of the National Academy of Sciences (2021) [1]
Scientific career
InstitutionsPlant Gene Expression Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service and University of California, Berkeley
Thesis Analysis of endogenous avian retrovirus DNA and RNA: viral and cellular determinants of retrovirus gene expression  (1981)
Website bakerlab.berkeley.edu/bbaker

Barbara Baker is an American plant molecular geneticist working at the University of California, Berkeley and the United States Department of Agriculture She was elected to the National Academy of Sciences in 2021. [1]

Contents

Education and career

Baker graduated from Los Alamitos High School in 1970 [2] and completed her undergraduate studies at UC San Diego in 1974. She went on to earn her PhD at UC San Francisco with J. Michael Bishop and Harold E. Varmus in 1981, and did postdoctoral research in Germany. [2] [3] As of 2021, Baker is an adjunct professor at the University of California, Berkeley and a senior scientist at the United States Department of Agriculture. [4]

Research

Baker is a plant geneticist working on plant innate immunity, the mechanism by which plants protect themself from diseases. [5] Baker's research includes cloning the N gene for resistance to Tobacco mosaic virus, [6] [7] which was one of the first plant disease resistance genes cloned. [8] She is also known for her research on R-genes and their role as a defense system against plant pathogens. [9] [10] Baker has also examined the genetic conditions behind the susceptibility to disease in tomatoes, [11] potatoes, [12] and the flowering plants in the genus Solanum. [13]

Selected publications

Awards

Related Research Articles

<i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> Model plant species in the family Brassicaceae

Arabidopsis thaliana, the thale cress, mouse-ear cress or arabidopsis, is a small plant from the mustard family (Brassicaceae), native to Eurasia and Africa. Commonly found along the shoulders of roads and in disturbed land, it is generally considered a weed.

<i>Tobacco mosaic virus</i> Infects tomato family, beans, flowers...

Tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) is a positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus species in the genus Tobamovirus that infects a wide range of plants, especially tobacco and other members of the family Solanaceae. The infection causes characteristic patterns, such as "mosaic"-like mottling and discoloration on the leaves. TMV was the first virus to be discovered. Although it was known from the late 19th century that a non-bacterial infectious disease was damaging tobacco crops, it was not until 1930 that the infectious agent was determined to be a virus. It is the first pathogen identified as a virus. The virus was crystallised by W.M. Stanley. It has a similar size to the largest synthetic molecule, known as PG5.

Virusoids are circular single-stranded RNA(s) dependent on viruses for replication and encapsidation. The genome of virusoids consist of several hundred (200–400) nucleotides and does not code for any proteins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant virus</span> Virus that affects plants

Plant viruses are viruses that affect plants. Like all other viruses, plant viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that do not have the molecular machinery to replicate without a host. Plant viruses can be pathogenic to vascular plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plasmodesma</span> A pore connecting between adjacent plant cells

Plasmodesmata are microscopic channels which traverse the cell walls of plant cells and some algal cells, enabling transport and communication between them. Plasmodesmata evolved independently in several lineages, and species that have these structures include members of the Charophyceae, Charales, Coleochaetales and Phaeophyceae, as well as all embryophytes, better known as land plants. Unlike animal cells, almost every plant cell is surrounded by a polysaccharide cell wall. Neighbouring plant cells are therefore separated by a pair of cell walls and the intervening middle lamella, forming an extracellular domain known as the apoplast. Although cell walls are permeable to small soluble proteins and other solutes, plasmodesmata enable direct, regulated, symplastic transport of substances between cells. There are two forms of plasmodesmata: primary plasmodesmata, which are formed during cell division, and secondary plasmodesmata, which can form between mature cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phragmoplast</span> Structure in dividing plant cells that builds the daughter cell wall

The phragmoplast is a plant cell specific structure that forms during late cytokinesis. It serves as a scaffold for cell plate assembly and subsequent formation of a new cell wall separating the two daughter cells. The phragmoplast can only be observed in Phragmoplastophyta, a clade that includes the Coleochaetophyceae, Zygnematophyceae, Mesotaeniaceae, and Embryophyta. Some algae use another type of microtubule array, a phycoplast, during cytokinesis.

<i>Tobamovirus</i> Genus of viruses

Tobamovirus is a genus of positive-strand RNA viruses in the family Virgaviridae. Many plants, including tobacco, potato, tomato, and squash, serve as natural hosts. Diseases associated with this genus include: necrotic lesions on leaves. The name Tobamovirus comes from the host and symptoms of the first virus discovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agroinfiltration</span>

Agroinfiltration is a method used in plant biology and especially lately in plant biotechnology to induce transient expression of genes in a plant, or isolated leaves from a plant, or even in cultures of plant cells, in order to produce a desired protein. In the method, a suspension of Agrobacterium tumefaciens is introduced into a plant leaf by direct injection or by vacuum infiltration, or brought into association with plant cells immobilised on a porous support, whereafter the bacteria transfer the desired gene into the plant cells via transfer of T-DNA. The main benefit of agroinfiltration when compared to the more traditional plant transformation is speed and convenience, although yields of the recombinant protein are generally also higher and more consistent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hypersensitive response</span>

Hypersensitive response (HR) is a mechanism used by plants to prevent the spread of infection by microbial pathogens. HR is characterized by the rapid death of cells in the local region surrounding an infection and it serves to restrict the growth and spread of pathogens to other parts of the plant. It is analogous to the innate immune system found in animals, and commonly precedes a slower systemic response, which ultimately leads to systemic acquired resistance (SAR). HR can be observed in the vast majority of plant species and is induced by a wide range of plant pathogens such as oomycetes, viruses, fungi and even insects.

In enzymology, a protein-secreting ATPase (EC 3.6.3.50) is an enzyme that catalyzes the chemical reaction

In genetic engineering, transposon tagging is a process where transposons are amplified inside a biological cell by a tagging technique. Transposon tagging has been used with several species to isolate genes. Even without knowing the nature of the specific genes, the process can still be used.

Jeffrey Graham (Jeff) Ellis is an Australian plant scientist, and Program Leader at CSIRO Plant Industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FLS2</span>

FLS genes have been discovered to be involved in flagellin reception of bacteria. FLS1 was the original gene discovered shown to correspond with a specific ecotype within Arabidopsis thaliana. Even so, further studies have shown a second FLS gene known as FLS2 that is also associated with flagellin reception. FLS2 and FLS1 are different genes with different responsibilities, but are related genetically. FLS2 has a specific focus in plant defense and is involved in promoting the MAP kinase cascade. Mutations in the FLS2 gene can cause bacterial infection by lack of response to flg22. Therefore,FLS2’s primary focus is association with flg22 while its secondary focus is the involvement of promoting the MAP kinase cascade in plant defense.

Kimberly W. Anderson is an American chemist. She is the Gill Eminent Professor of Chemical Engineering and Associate Dean for Administration and Academic Affairs in the College of Engineering at the University of Kentucky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Georg Jander</span> American plant biologist

Georg Jander is an American plant biologist at the Boyce Thompson Institute in Ithaca, New York. He has an adjunct appointment in the Plant Biology Section of the School of Integrative Plant Sciences at Cornell University. Jander is known for his molecular research identifying genes for biochemical compounds of ecological and agricultural importance, particularly those plant traits involved in resistance to insect pests.

Brian John Staskawicz ForMemRS is professor of plant and microbial miology at the University of California, Berkeley and scientific director of agricultural genomics at the Innovative Genomics Institute (IGI).

Wai-Hong Tham is a Malaysian professor at the University of Melbourne and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI), and joint head of the division of Infectious Disease and Immune Defense. She researches the molecular biology of the malaria parasite Plasmodium vivax.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maureen Hanson</span> American molecular biologist

Maureen Hanson is an American molecular biologist and Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. She is a joint member of the Section of Plant Biology and Director of the Center for Enervating Neuroimmune Disease. Her research concerns gene expression in chloroplasts and mitochondria, photosynthesis, and the molecular basis of the disease Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS).

Patricia C. Zambryski is a plant and microbial scientist known for her work on Type IV secretion and cell-to-cell transport in plants. She is also professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley.

Christoph Benning is a German–American plant biologist. He is an MSU Foundation Professor and University Distinguished Professor at Michigan State University. Benning's research into lipid metabolism in plants, algae and photosynthetic bacteria, led him to be named Editor-in-Chief of The Plant Journal in October 2008.

References

  1. 1 2 "News from the National Academy of Sciences - National Academy of Sciences Elects New Members — Including a Record Number of Women — and International Members". National Academy of Sciences . April 26, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Young, David N. (2021-05-06). "Barbara Baker, Ph.D., a Los Al graduate, elected to National Academy of Sciences" . Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  3. "BBaker | PGEC USDA". pgec.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  4. Young, David N. (2021-05-06). "Barbara Baker, Ph.D., a Los Al graduate, elected to National Academy of Sciences". event-newsenterprise.com. Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  5. Baker, Barbara; Zambryski, Patricia; Staskawicz, Brian; Dinesh-Kumar, S. P. (1997-05-02). "Signaling in Plant-Microbe Interactions". Science. 276 (5313): 726–733. doi:10.1126/science.276.5313.726. PMID   9115193.
  6. Whitham, Steve; Dinesh-Kumar, S. P.; Choi, Doil; Hehl, Reinhard; Corr, Catherine; Baker, Barbara (1994-09-23). "The product of the tobacco mosaic virus resistance gene N: Similarity to toll and the interleukin-1 receptor". Cell. 78 (6): 1101–1115. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(94)90283-6. ISSN   0092-8674. PMID   7923359. S2CID   41173100 . Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  7. Whitham, S.; McCormick, S.; Baker, B. (1996-08-06). "The N gene of tobacco confers resistance to tobacco mosaic virus in transgenic tomato". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 93 (16): 8776–8781. Bibcode:1996PNAS...93.8776W. doi: 10.1073/pnas.93.16.8776 . ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   38750 . PMID   8710948.
  8. Staskawicz, B. J.; Ausubel, F. M.; Baker, B. J.; Ellis, J. G.; Jones, J. D. (1995-05-05). "Molecular genetics of plant disease resistance". Science. 268 (5211): 661–667. Bibcode:1995Sci...268..661S. doi:10.1126/science.7732374. ISSN   0036-8075. PMID   7732374. S2CID   6154978 . Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  9. Kuang, Hanhui; Wei, Fusheng; Marano, María Rosa; Wirtz, Uwe; Wang, Xiaoxue; Liu, Jia; Shum, Wai Pun; Zaborsky, Jennifer; Tallon, Luke J.; Rensink, Willem; Lobst, Stacey (2005). "The R1 resistance gene cluster contains three groups of independently evolving, type I R1 homologues and shows substantial structural variation among haplotypes of Solanum demissum". The Plant Journal. 44 (1): 37–51. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2005.02506.x . ISSN   1365-313X. PMID   16167894.
  10. Hu, Gongshe; DeHart, Amy K. A.; Li, Yansu; Ustach, Carolyn; Handley, Vanessa; Navarre, Roy; Hwang, Chin-Feng; Aegerter, Brenna J.; Williamson, Valerie M.; Baker, Barbara (2005). "EDS1 in tomato is required for resistance mediated by TIR-class R genes and the receptor-like R gene Ve". The Plant Journal. 42 (3): 376–391. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2005.02380.x . ISSN   1365-313X. PMID   15842623.
  11. Schornack, Sebastian; Ballvora, Agim; Gürlebeck, Doreen; Peart, Jack; Ganal, Martin; Baker, Barbara; Bonas, Ulla; Lahaye, Thomas (2004). "The tomato resistance protein Bs4 is a predicted non-nuclear TIR-NB-LRR protein that mediates defense responses to severely truncated derivatives of AvrBs4 and overexpressed AvrBs3". The Plant Journal. 37 (1): 46–60. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-313X.2003.01937.x . ISSN   1365-313X. PMID   14675431.
  12. Huang, Sanwen; Vossen, Edwin A. G. Van Der; Kuang, Hanhui; Vleeshouwers, Vivianne G. A. A.; Zhang, Ningwen; Borm, Theo J. A.; Eck, Herman J. Van; Baker, Barbara; Jacobsen, Evert; Visser, Richard G. F. (2005). "Comparative genomics enabled the isolation of the R3a late blight resistance gene in potato". The Plant Journal. 42 (2): 251–261. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-313X.2005.02365.x . ISSN   1365-313X. PMID   15807786.
  13. Brigneti, Gianinna; Martín-Hernández, Ana M.; Jin, Hailing; Chen, Judy; Baulcombe, David C.; Baker, Barbara; Jones, Jonathan D. G. (2004). "Virus-induced gene silencing in Solanum species". The Plant Journal. 39 (2): 264–272. doi:10.1111/j.1365-313X.2004.02122.x. ISSN   1365-313X. PMID   15225290.
  14. "ARS Plant Molecular Geneticist Barbara Baker Elected to National Academy of Sciences : USDA ARS". www.ars.usda.gov. April 29, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2021-10-02.