Melissa G Mitchum

Plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs) cause billions of dollars in annual yield losses and represent a major impediment to meeting the challenge of feeding a population projected to reach 9 billion by 2050. Our lab studies plant-nematode interactions with an emphasis on the sedentary endoparasitic cyst and root-knot nematodes, two of the most economically important groups of PPNs. These nematodes form parasitic relationships with host plants by establishing permanent feeding sites within the root. The feeding site serves as the sole nutritive source for the nematode to complete its life cycle at the expense of the host. We seek to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying nematode parasitism of host plants and determine how some plants are able to resist infection by nematodes.