MSc Exit Seminar – Michael Greenberg (Guttman Lab)

Host Specificity of Pseudomonas syringae in Common Bean Plants (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Abstract

Pseudomonas syringae is a phytopathogenic bacterial species with a wide host-range, encompassing numerous plants of agricultural importance. Here, I make use of machine learning and host-range testing to analyze the host specificity of P. syringae in common bean plants in order to understand the evolution of bean isolation. The first method that I used was to analyze gene content using random forest machine learning. The model identified type 3 secretion as an important predictor for determining if a P. syringae is able to grow on bean plants. AvrB is interesting since it elicits an immune response in soybean and common bean varieties, but this immune response can be prevented when HopF2 is present. I also designed a new method of bean infection with the goal of using it in order to screen the P. syringae species complex on bean plants, taking advantage of the seedborne nature of bean pathogens.