Malinee Sriariyanun, a recent graduate student studying a plant pathogen that causes bacterial leaf blight in rice, has been awarded the John E. Kinsella Memorial Prize for outstanding research on her doctoral dissertation.
Using genetic analysis Sriariyanun isolated and characterized a protein from a strain of the bacterium Xanthomonas that triggers an immune response in rice. This research could lead to the development of chemical treatments to activate an immune response in rice to ward off disease. In nominating her for the award, plant pathology graduate group chair Bruce Kirkpatrick said Sriariyanun’s work “is not only a valuable contribution to the field of plant pathology but also has wider applications in the realms of animal and human health.”
The Kinsella memorial prize was established in 1994 by the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at UC Davis in honor of the late dean and food science and technology professor, John Kinsella. Graduate groups can nominate one dissertation each year for the quality and originality of an individual’s work, its multidisciplinary impact, and its importance to the college’s mission. The recipient of the prize is awarded $3,000.
Sriariyanun’s trajectory to successful scientist began in junior high school in her native Bangkok, Thailand, where she was among a handful of students selected to learn about research in a government program to promote scientific talent. There she had her first opportunity to work on tissue cultures of rice to observe how a hormone affected root growth.
“I liked working in the rice lab and, of course, rice is a very important crop plant in Thailand,” she says.
In 2006, she came to UC Davis on a fellowship sponsored by the Thai government to continue her graduate studies in the laboratory of plant pathology professor Pamela Ronald. “The reason I asked Pam to be my adviser is I wanted to work in rice-related research,” Sriariyanun said. “I intend to use my knowledge to go back to my country to help farmers improve rice production. The way we culture rice in the fields is very old fashioned and much rice is lost to disease and destruction from flooding.”
In 1995 the Ronald lab discovered the Xa21 gene in rice, which confers immunity to Xanthomonas. Subsequent discoveries in flies, humans, mice, and other plants uncovered similar genes or “pattern recognition receptors” involved in immune response. Sriariyanun’s research builds on this work and has resulted in four scientific papers with two more in development. One of those papers, published in Science magazine, has been one of the most-cited papers in plant and animal science in the last two years.
Sriariyanun’s research has helped improve the understanding of the intricate relationship between pathogen, host, and the molecular interchange that influences virulence and stimulates immune response. “(Her) results demonstrate the presence of an integrated regulatory circuit that the bacterium utilizes to respond to environmental fluctuations,” Kirkpatrick said.
The gene identified in Xanthomonas - Ax21 - is also present in Xylella fastidiosa, the causal agent of Pierce’s disease in grapes, and the human pathogen, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, which can infect the respiratory tract.
“Malinee’s work will contribute to the development of novel mechanisms for disease control and positively impact improvement in - and sustainability of - global agriculture,” Ronald said. “Her hard work, creative thinking, and excellent scholarship have produced important results that have advanced fundamental knowledge relevant to both the plant and animal kingdoms.”
Sriariyanun received her doctoral degree in March and is excited about returning to Thailand for a faculty position at King Mongkut's University of Technology, North Bangkok. “The most important thing I learned from this research is how to work in a scientific way, how to plan an experiment, how to question in a reasonable way, and how to find a strategy to figure out a question,” she said. “I am grateful to the Thai government and to Professor Ronald for giving me the opportunity to study and work at UC Davis. Sharing opinions and learning from my colleagues and friends inspired me and has motivated me for future research. I will not be walking alone in this career path.”
Contact:
John Stumbos
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
(530) 754-4979
jdstumbos@ucdavis.edu.
