Gitta Coaker

Research in the Coaker lab focuses on biochemical interactions between pathogens and their plant hosts.  We are investigating the plant response to  vascular pathogens (Candidatus Liberibacter and Clavibacter) as well as foliar pathogens (Pseudomonas syringae and Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici). 

A central pathogen virulence mechanism is their ability to secrete pathogen proteins, called effectors, that modulate their host during infection. Coaker and her lab members use effectors as molecular probes to better understand how bacteria cause disease. They also investigate the role of post-translational modifications during plant immune signaling, with a focus on kinase-mediated signaling.