Students in this program will enhance their ability to design and use molecular approaches to investigate plant disease, increase basic knowledge, and develop new strategies for disease control. Programs leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees are offered.

An exciting new field with old roots

Before the discovery of plant pathogens--the viruses, bacteria, fungi, nematodes and other organisms that cause plant diseases--prehistoric farmers recognized that certain plants had greater resilience against the various maladies that plagued their crops. Seeds or other propagules from these plants were saved, increased, and shared with neighbors. Without knowing the basis for disease resistance, these farmers were selecting plants with genes for resistance to various pathogens.

In the 1950's, a seminal discovery was made by University of Minnesota, Department of Plant Pathology, alumnus H. H. Flor, a geneticist working with flax plants and a foliar disease called flax rust. He discovered that for every gene in the flax plant that led to disease resistance, there was complementary gene in the pathogen. This became widely known as the gene-for-gene concept. Later, it was proposed that the protein product of the plant gene recognizes the protein encoded by the gene in the pathogen and this recognition--this molecular communication, results in a cascade of biochemical events in the plant that we observe as disease resistance.

With the advent of tools of molecular biology, it became possible to isolate the genes encoding these proteins in plants and pathogens. Today we know much about the structure of these proteins and are beginning to decipher how they function to bring about disease resistance, how they have evolved over time, and their other roles in metabolism.

The Emphasis in Molecular Plant Pathology will prepare you to enter this exciting field of research and obtain employment in university, government, and private research labs.

The program features:

• Opportunities to work with faculty doing research on plant disease resistance genes
• Opportunities to work with faculty doing research on microbial genes involved in disease and plant-microbe interactions
• Collaborations with researchers in the Center for Microbial and Plant Genomics at the University of Minnesota
• An exciting curriculum focused on molecular plant pathology
• The opportunity for first year Ph.D. students to conduct research in up to three different labs (do "rotations")
• State-of-the-Art equipment and facilities for conducting research

When applying for graduate studies, please indicate your interest in the Emphasis in Molecular Plant Pathology.

The emphasis in molecular plant pathology is offered as a minor for students majoring in other fields.*

Course requirements for M.S. students wishing to emphasize molecular plant pathology (Plan A only).

Prerequisite: PlPa 5201 4 cr Biology of Plant Disease or equivalent and BioC 4125 Laboratory in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology or equivalent..

(PlPa) courses (14 credits)
PlPa (5302/8302) 3 cr Genomics of Plant-Associated Microbes Must be taken in conjunction with PlPa 5300 Current Topics in Molecular Plant Pathology.
PlPa 5300 1 credit Current Topics in Molecular Plant Pathology**

One of the two following courses:
PlPa 5301 3 cr Plant Genomics
PlPa 8103 3 cr Physiological and Molecular Plant-Microbe Interaction

Also required:
PlPa 8200 1 cr Seminar
Six additional credits are required in Plant Pathology courses.

Thesis credits PlPa 8777 10 cr. Thesis Credits, Master's To meet the Graduate School Master's Degree requirements, 6 cr are needed in one or more related fields outside the major.
Suggested courses:

Agro 8241 3 cr Molecular and Cellular Genetics of Plant Improvement
BioC 5361 3 cr Microbial Genomics
EEB 5221 3 cr Molecular and Genomic Evolution
GCD 5036 3 cr Molecular Cell Biology
Pbio 514 3 cr Plant Cell and Molecular Biology

*The official designated minor on transcript is Plant Pathology.

** Required for students taking Genomics of Plant-Associated Microbes. Other students may take Current Topics in Molecular Plant Pathology alone.

Ph.D. Degree with Emphasis in Molecular Plant Pathology

Course requirements for Ph.D. students wishing to emphasize molecular plant pathology.

Prerequisite:
PlPa 5201 3 cr. Biology of Plant Disease or equivalent and BioC 4125 Laboratory in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology or equivalent.

Plant Pathology (PlPa) courses (17 credits). These include the Plant Pathology courses required for the M.S. degree with emphasis in molecular plant pathology. These courses can be taken before admission to the Ph.D. program as part of M.S. requirements.

Courses required:
PlPa 5301 3 cr Plant Genomics
PlPa 5303/8302) 3 cr. Genomics of Plant-Associated Microbes. Must be taken in conjunction with PlPa (5300) Current Topics in Molecular Plant Pathology*
PlPa 8103 3 cr Physiological and Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
PlPa 5102/8102 3 cr Epidemiology and Genetics of Host-Parasite Interaction
PlPa 8200 2 cr Seminar (only 1 cr if PlPa 8200 or equivalent taken at the MS level)
PlPa 8005 2 cr Supervised Classroom or Extension Teaching Experience

* One credit is required during the Ph.D. program in addition to any prior credit for this course obtained at the MS level.

Thesis Research:
PlPa 8888 Thesis Research - 24 cr total

Laboratory Rotations:
With approval of the DGS, Ph.D. students pursuing the molecular emphasis may, in their first year of residence, spend 12 weeks in one research laboratory or a 6-week period in each of two laboratories. The effort will be the equivalent to a half-time research assistantship. The purpose is to broaden the students' background in laboratory methods and research approaches before beginning Ph.D. thesis research.

To meet the Graduate School Ph.D. requirements, 12 cr are needed in one or more related fields outside the major.
Suggested Courses:

Agro 8241 3 cr Molecular and Cellular Genetics of Plant Improvement
Agro 8231 4 cr Cytogenetics
AnSc/MVB 5200 4 cr Statistical Genetics and Genomics
BioC 5361 Microbial Genomics
Csci 5481 Computational Techniques for Genomics
EEB 5221 Molecular and Genomic Evolution
GCD 5036 3 cr Molecular Cell Biology
GCD 8121 3 cr Advanced Molecular Genetics
MICa 8002 Structure, Function, and Genetics of Bacteria and Viruses
MICa 8006 Protein Sequence Analysis
Pbio 514 3 cr Plant Cell and Molecular Biology