Vanessa Vaughn
Post Doctoral Associate
Citrus Research and Education Center
University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL 33850-2299
Tel: (979) 492-7490, Email: vaug0606@gmail.com
Education
Ph.D. Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Plant Pathology, Graduation: May 2014
Dissertation: Characterization of salA, syrF, and syrG regulatory networks involved in plant
pathogenesis by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a
Advisor: Dr. Dennis Gross
B.S.
University of Idaho, Moscow, ID
Molecular Biology/Biochemistry, May 2007
Awards and Honors
Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society
2011-2013
Research Experience
Post Doctoral Associate
December 2013-June 2015
Citrus Research and Education Center
University of Florida, Lake Alfred, FL
Project: Control HLB by understanding mechanisms of defoliation, dieback, and root decline

Characterized plant hormones SA, ABA, and JA utilizing LC-MS in the roots and leaves
of healthy and Las infected citrus

Gene expression analysis of genes involved in callose synthesis, PP2 proteins, and
biosynthesis of the plant hormones GA, ABA, auxin, ethylene, and SA via qRT-PCR

Identified citrus trees with a secondary infection of Phytophthora in the roots using PCR
Graduate Research Assistant
August 2009-December 2013
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Project 1: Identification and characterization of the syrG regulon and how it relates to plant
pathogenicity.

Performed functional characterization of salA, syrF, and syrG mutants in P.s.s. B728a in
relation to plant pathogencity and secondary metabolism production

Conducted Yeast-two-hybrid analysis on SyrG to identify new components of the syrG
regulon

Gained extensive experience in molecular biology and genetic techniques that included
generation of deletion mutants, qRT-PCR, plant pathogenicity assays, and
yeast-two-hybrid
Project 2: Define and characterize the promoter regions upstream of syrF and syrG.

Defined the transcriptional start sites of syrF and syrG utilizing primer extension analysis

Identified essential promoter regions of syrF and syrG using GFP reporter constructs and
assayed for GFP fluorescence.
Project 3: Characterization of three ECF Sigma Factors in Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae
B728a

Generated deletion mutants of ecf6, ecf11, and ecf18 and characterized their functional role
in regards to plant pathogencity, bacterial population, secondary metabolism, swarming motility, toluene
tolerance, and oxidative stress resistance

Performed qRT-PCR expression anaylsis of genes in the genomic neighborhood of each
sigma factor gene
Project 4: Development and testing of the prototype Pathogen Detection Lab-On-a-Chip
(PADLOC) for field plant disease diagnostics

Identify and optimized DNA extraction procedures that can be applied in a field setting

Optimize real-time PCR parameters that were applied to PADLOC prototype

Tested PADLOC prototype using Pseudomonas syrinage pv. tabaci, P.s.s. B728a, and
P.s.t. DC3000 as model organisms for bacterial plant pathogens
Research Assistant
September 2007-August 2009
Dr. Herman Scholthof’s Virology lab
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology,
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Project : Identification and evaluation of the ZC disease on potato in Texas

Propagated plants symptomatic with ZC and grafted diseased tissue on healthy plants
(tomato and potato plants) to induce infection

Ran protein gels and western blots to identify novel proteins expressed in diseased tissue

PCR screened of putative ZC samples for C. liberibacter
Peer Reviewed Publications
• Thakur, P. B., Vaughn-Diaz, V. L., Greenwald, J. W., Gross, D. C. 2013. Characterization of Five
ECF Sigma Factors in the Genome of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a. PLoS ONE 8(3):
e58846. doi:10. 1371/journal.pone.0058846
• Koo, C., Malapi-Wight, M., Kim, H.S., Cifci, O. S, Vaughn-Diaz, V. L., Ma, B., Kim, S., Abdel-Raziq,
H., Ong, K., Jo, Y., Gross, D. C., Han, A. 2013. Development of a Real-Time Microchip PCR System
for Portable Plant Disease Diagnosis. PLoS ONE 8(12): e82704. doi:10. 1371/journal.pone.0082704
Published Abstracts (Poster Research Presentations)
• Malapi-Nelson, M. M., V. L. Vaughn, B. Ma, A. Han, D. Gross, and W.B. Shim. 2010. Development of
prototype Pathogen Detection Lab-On-a-Chip (PADLOC) system for real-time on-field plant disease
diagnostics. Phytopathology 100:S76
• Vaughn, V. L., D. Gross. 2012. Characterization of salA, syrF, and syrG regulatory networks involved
in plant pathogenesis by Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae B728a. Phytopathology 102:S4
Teaching/Training Experience
Teaching Assistant
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Course: BESC 201 Intro Bioenvironmental Science
January 2013-May 2013
Guest Demonstration
2011
Application and methodology of inoculating bean with Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola via vacuum
infiltration.
Course: PLPA 618 Bacterial Plant Diseases
Training of REU Summer Interns
Molecular biology and genetic techniques
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology, Texas A&M University
2011-2012
Professional Memberships
• American Phytopathology Society (APS)
• National Society for Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources
and Related Science (MANRRS)
2010-Present
2009-2011
Leadership/Service Activities
• Graduate Student Council Representative, Texas A&M University
 Plant Pathology and Microbiology Graduate Student Club Member
References
• Dr. Nian Wang
Department of Microbiology and Cell Science
University of Florida
Citrus Research & Education Center
700 Experiment Station Rd.
Lake Alfred, FL 33850
Phone: (863) 956-8828
Email: nianwang@ufl.edu
2011
2009-2013
• Dr. Dennis Gross
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Texas A&M University
2132 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843
Phone: (979) 458-0637
Email: d-gross@tamu.edu
 Dr. Elizabeth Pierson
Department of Horticulture Sciences
Texas A&M University
2133 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843
Phone: (979) 862-1307
Email: eapierson@tamu.edu
 Dr. Won-Bo Shim
Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology
Texas A&M University
2132 TAMU
College Station, TX 77843
Phone: (979) 458-2190
Email: wbshim@tamu.edu