Darrell Desveaux

Campus

St. George (downtown)

CSB Appointment

Full

Research Areas

Bioinformatics / Computational Biology, Biotechnology, Chemical Biology, Genetics / Genomics, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Pathology, Plant Biology, Proteomics, Quantitative Biology /Modelling, Structural Biology, Systems Biology

Education

Ph.D. University of Montreal 2002
M.Sc. McGill University 1998
B.Sc. McGill University 1997

Titles and Honors

Canada Research Chair in Plant-Microbe Systems Biology

Primary Undergraduate Department

Cell & Systems Biology

Graduate Programs

Cell & Systems Biology
Genome Biology & Bioinformatics

Academic or Administrative Appointments

Associate Chair for Graduate Studies

Research Description

Strains of the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae can infect and cause disease in hundreds of plant species. Like many Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, the ability of P. syringae to cause disease is dependent on the type III secretion system and the effector proteins delivered into host cells via this system. A current challenge in the study of plant pathology is to understand the pathogenic advantage conveyed by type III effectors on susceptible host plants. P. syringae possesses an arsenal of type III effector proteins (up to 40 in some strains) which it injects into host cells. These effectors play a central role in determining the outcome of an interaction with a potential host. The Desveaux lab aims to understand how the network of biological events induced by the arsenal of P. syringae type III effectors allows this plant pathogen to overcome its host’s defences and establish and/or maintain a favourable environment for pathogenesis. Since host targets of type III effectors include critical components of disease resistance signalling networks, we also contribute to the understanding of host defence responses. We are using proteomics, structural biology, chemical biology, genetics and biochemistry to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of pathogen virulence and host resistance.