Investigator:
Thomas A. MillerI am responsible for teaching insect physiology and toxicology. My research started on the physiology of the insect circulatory system then switched to insect neurophysiological techniques aimed at describing the mode of action of neurotoxic insecticides. I briefly studied insecticide resistance in cotton pests coinciding with the introduction of synthetic pyrethroids, and then worked on the physiology of cotton pests, especially diapause in the pink bollworm, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders). I was asked by USDA-APHIS to explore strategies for improving the sterile insect technique for controlling pink bollworm by replacing radiation with conditional lethal genes. In the summer of 2004 we created our first transgenic pink bollworm with a functioning lethal RIDL gene supplied by Luke Alphey of Oxford University. Our collaborators in USDA-APHIS have applied for permits to field release these transgenic insect strains meant for population suppression. Work on insect transformation brought us in contact with Professor Frank Richards at Yale Medical School who pioneered paratransgenesis for use in disrupting insect-vectored transmission of human diseases. Frank suggested that paratransgenesis could be used to control any insect-vectored plant disease in California. Dave Lampe of Duquesne University in Pittsburgh in 2004 created our first transgenic symbiotic bacteria that produce a lethal gene product that neutralizes the pathogenic bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa that is carried by leafhoppers and causes Pierce’s disease in grapevines. We call this new strategy, Symbiotic Control. The Environmental Protection Agency calls this a microbial pesticide. Dr. Miller's favorite books. |
Postdoctoral:
Blake BextineDr. Bextine focuses on manipulation of insect vectors
indirectly through the genetic manipulation of symbiotic microbial
biota with emphasis on Xylella fastidiosa/GWSS interations.
During summer of 2005 Blake took a faculty position at the
University of Texas, Tyler.
Email: bbextine@uttyler.edu For more information, visit Blake's website here. |
Paulo LacavaDr. Lacava finished a Ph.D. with professor J. L. Azevedo
at
the Genetics Department, Escola Superior de Agricultura "Luiz de
Queiroz" University of Sao Paulo, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil in
March of 2005 where he worked on Citrus Variegated Chlorosis disease of
citrus. He was invited for a postdoctoral to work on Pierce's disease.
His research interest is in endophytic bacteria and the interaction
with Xylella fastidiosa. Contact Information: |
Xiaoxia RenDr. Ren arrived at UC Riverside in August of 2002. She achieved genetic transformation of tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens, in December of 2003 and worked on making the transformation system stable. We were never able to achieve this because of the presence of active mobile elements that made the strains unstable. Education: Ph.D., Entomology, June 2002, Nanjing
Agricultural
University,
Nanjing, China |
Steve ThibaultGraduate student who did pink bollworm genetic transformation (1992 - 1998). Steve was single-handedly responsible for genetic transformation of pink bollworm, which was achieved in February of 1998. The secret to success was Steve designing a new promoter based on the Actin A3 promoter form silkworm, Bombyx mori. Steve made some special modification in the promoter sequence based on literature suggestions. Whatever he did, it worked first time. He left graduate school soon after the June graduation ceremony in 1998 and his dissertation research was then written up by John Peloquin. The work was published in 2000 and lead directly to Professor Miller being awarded the Gregor Mendel Gold Medal award in 2003 from the Czech Academy of Sciences. The work also lead indirectly to our collaborator Bob Staten (USDA-APHIS, Phoenix, AZ) winning the Secretary's Honor Award (the highest award given by the USDA) for initiating the pink bollworm project and developing transgenic pink bollworm for field applications in cotton crop protection. Contact Information: He stayed there 1998-2005 when their project supported by Bayer Agrochemical Company was discontinued. Steve was subsequently hired by amgen: Amgen 1120 Veterans Blvd South San Francisco, CA 94080 |
Yu Jung KimDr. Kim finished a Ph.D. with Peter Atkinson in 2002 and stayed for two postddoctorals, one with Alex Raikhel and back with Peter Atkinson until February 2005. She then came to work on the pink bollworm project with us. On 28 November 2005, Yu Jung started working at UC San Diego in the Medical School. She can be reached at the email listed below. Education: Contact Information: |
Graduate Students:
Arinder Kumar AroraPh.D. student in the Cellular Molecular and
Developmental
Biology program at UCR. Arrived for graduate school in Fall of 2004
intending to do research on some aspect of symbiotic control of
Pierce’s disease. Curriculum Vitae: Contact Information: |
Jennifer L. ParkerPh.D. student, Cellular Molecular and Developmental Biology graduate program. Arrived in the lab November, 2003 during first year of graduate program. Chose to do graduate on some aspect of the Pierce’s disease project in the Entomology Department. Her current research focuses on identifying the bacterial endophytes living in grapevines that are resistant to Pierce's Disease and on identifying several unknown species of bacteria isolated from GWSS. The identification process is primarily based on 16S and gyrB gene sequence analysis. In addition, she is characterizing the bacterium Alcaligenes xylosoxidans denitrificans using the same techniques for use in obtaining a molecular description of the symbiont. Identifying this bacterium is critical to the progress of the project. Curriculum Vitae: |
Jose Luis RamirezMS student who completed his thesis on sharpshooter
feeding
March 2006.
Is pursuing a Ph.D. at John's Hopkins University beginning Fall 2006.
|
Robin BromleyM.S. Thesis (in progress January 2006): Curriculum Vitae |
Surachet (Lek) CharoenkajonchaiPh.D. student, Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology graduate program. Arrived in the lab November 2004. Currently working with issues in signaling in Xylella fastidiosa in grape vines. Curriculum Vitae: |
Lab Assistants:
Dave HarshmanContact Information: |
Tara L. MastroTara is working with "Lek" on the Xylella signaling project. In addition, she is looking into conditions conducive to stomatal opening and closing as pertains to Xylella aggregation in the xylem. Curriculum Vitae: Contact Information: |
Jennifer C. PhillipsJennifer is working on her pre-requisite courses for admission into an MS in Public Health program. Currently, she is investigating new techniques for culturing Xylella fastidiosa, assisting the graduate students with their research, and managing the lab. Curriculum Vitae: 369 Entomology Department |
Rachel J. ServicePh.D. student, Biochemistry graduate program. Arrived in the lab June 2006. Currently assisting with issues in xylem and soil chemistry to determine impact on poorly transmitting Xylella fastidiosa by GWSS on synthetic grape vines in vitro as well as statistics work done in a vineyard of Temecula Valley. Curriculum Vitae: |