Judith K Brown

Judith K Brown

Professor, Plant Science
Regents Professor, Plant Sciences
Research Associate Professor, Entomology
Professor, Entomology / Insect Science - GIDP
Professor, BIO5 Institute
Member of the General Faculty
Member of the Graduate Faculty
Primary Department
Department Affiliations
Contact
(520) 621-1402

Work Summary

Unravel the phylodynamics and transmission-specific determinants of emerging plant virus/fastidious bacteria-insect vector complexes, and translate new knowledge to abate pathogen spread in food systems.

Research Interest

Judith Brown, PhD, and her research interests include the molecular epidemiology of whitefly-transmitted geminiviruses (Begomoviruses, Family: Geminiviridae), the basis for virus-vector specificity and the transmission pathway, and the biotic and genetic variation between populations of the whitefly vector, B. tabaci, that influence the molecular epidemiology and evolution of begomoviruses. Keywords: Plant viral genomics, emergent virus phylodynamics, functional genomics of insect-pathogen interactions

Publications

Brown, J. K. (2014). First report of the leaf curl complex: Mesta yellow vein mosaic virus, Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite, and Cotton leaf curl Burewala alphasatellite infecting cotton in Pakistan.. Plant Disease (Short report), 98, 1447.

Hameed, U., Ur-Rehman, Z., Herrmann, H.W., Haider, M.S. and Brown, J.K. 2014. First report of Okra enation leaf curl virus and associated Cotton leaf curl Multan betasatellite and Cotton leaf curl Multan alphasatellite infecting cotton in Pakistan: A new member of the cotton leaf curl disease complex. Plant Dis. 98:1447.

Rosell, R. C., Torres-Jerez, I., & Brown, J. K. (1999). Tracing the geminivirus-whitefly transmission pathway by polymerase chain reaction in whitefly extracts, saliva, hemolymph, and honeydew. Phytopathology, 89(3), 239-246.

PMID: 18944765;Abstract:

A membrane feeding system and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to track squash leaf curl virus (SLCV) DNA in whole whitefly body extracts and in saliva, honeydew, and hemolymph of its whitefly vector, Bemisia tabaci, and a whitefly nonvector, Trialeurodes vaporariorum. SLCV ingestion was monitored by PCR in whiteflies that were given acquisition access periods (AAPs) ranging from 0.5 to 96 h on virus-infected plants. SLCV detection by PCR in whole body extracts was considered reflective of virus ingestion. As whiteflies were given longer AAPs, the number of whiteflies that ingested SLCV increased. SLCV DNA was detected in honeydew of vector and nonvector whiteflies, indicating that virions, viral DNA, or both passed unimpeded through the digestive system. SLCV DNA was detected in saliva and hemolymph of B. tabaci, but not in these fractions from nonvector whiteflies, despite virus ingestion by both. Although vector and nonvector whiteflies both ingested SLCV, only in the vector, B. tabaci, did virus cross the gut barrier, enter the hemolymph, or pass into the salivary system. These results suggest that digestive epithelia of nonvector whiteflies did not permit SLCV passage from the gut to hemocoel, whereas virus effectively crossed the analogous gut barrier in vector whiteflies.

Brown, J. K. (2014). Diversification of penaeid shrimp infectious myonecrosis virus in Indonesia.. Virus Res., 189, 97-105.

Naim, S., Brown, J.K., and Nibert, M.L. 2014. Diversification of penaeid shrimp infectious myonecrosis virus in Indonesia. Virus Res. 189: 97-105.

Idris, A., Shahid, M., Briddon, R., Khan, A., Zhu, J., & Brown, J. (2011). An unusual alphasatellite associated with monopartite begomoviruses attenuates symptoms and reduces betasatellite accumulation. J Gen Virol, 92, 706-717.
Brown, J. K. (2014). Isolation and characterization of nine microsatellite locifrom the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci biotype B. J. Insect Sci., 14, 148.

Hadjistylli, M., Schwartz, S.A., Brown, J.K., and Roderick, G.K. 2014. Isolation and characterization of nine microsatellite locifrom the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci biotype B. J. Insect Sci. 14: 148. doi: 10.1093/jisesa/ieu010.