U.S. Department of Agriculture - Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS)
Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit
915 Mitch Daniels Blvd
West Lafayette, Indiana, 47907
About the Helm Lab
Research in the Helm lab is centered on understanding the genetic and molecular mechanisms that underlie fungal pathogenicity as well as resistance against these organisms. Our research projects involve studies in cereal grains (wheat, barley, and maize) as well as model host plants such as Nicotiana benthamiana. The three major research projects in the Helm lab are aimed at: 1) investigating the molecular interactions between maize and the tar spot fungal pathogen (Phyllachora maydis) with a focus on how effector proteins contribute to fungal virulence, 2) dissecting how NLR proteins from cereal grains (wheat, barley, maize, and sorghum) activate immune signaling and 3) determining the roles of Fusarium graminearum effector proteases in plant pathogenesis with the goal bioengineering genetic-based resistance against this fungal pathogen.
The Helm Lab is part of the USDA-ARS Crop Production and Pest Control Research Unit on the campus of Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. We are also associated with the Department of Agronomy as well as the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University.
We are always looking for talented, excited graduate students or post-docs interested in the genetic and mechanistic basis of disease resistance in cereal grains!
Contact Info:
Dr. Matthew Helm
USDA-ARS
915 Mitch Daniels Blvd
West Lafayette, IN 47907
Email:
Meet the Team
Matthew Helm, PhD
USDA-ARS Principle Investigator
Email:
Bachelors of Science from Manchester University
PhD from Indiana University
Area of Expertise: Plant immunity, plant disease resistance proteins, NLR proteins, effectors, molecular plant-microbe interactions, agricultural biotechnology
Namrata Jaiswal, PhD
USDA-ARS Postdoctoral Research Associate
Email: Namrata.Jaiswal@usda.gov
Bachelors of Science from Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University
PhD from Banaras Hindu University
Namrata is leading our work aimed at investigating how NLR proteins from cereal grains (wheat, barley, maize, and sorghum) activate immune signaling. She is also using the 'decoy engineering' strategy to engineer genetic-based disease resistance to Fusarium Head Blight in cereal grains.
Abbie Rogers
PhD student (co-mentored by Dr. Anjali Iyer-Pascuzzi)
Email: roger351@purdue.edu
Bachelors of Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison
Abbie is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Purdue University. Her Ph.D. research is, in part, focused on understanding the molecular functions of candidate effectors produced by the maize tar spot pathogen (Phyllachora maydis).
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Terri Cameron, PhD
Research Technician and Lab Manager
Email: Terri.Cameron@usda.gov
Bachelors of Science from Grove City College
PhD from Brigham Young University
Terri is responsible for general lab management and organization. She also assists lab members with technical aspects of their research projects.
Former Helm lab members
Ariana Myers
Research Technician and Lab Manager
Current position: Research Associate at Axbio Inc.
Publications
(† co-first authors) (*corresponding author) (^member of the Helm lab)
Rogers, A.†^, Jaiswal, N.†^, Roggenkamp, E., Kim, H.-S., MacCready, J.S., Chilvers, M., Scofield, S.R., Iyer-Pascuzzi, A., and Helm, M.* 2024. Genome-informed trophic classification and functional characterization of virulence proteins from the maize tar spot pathogen Phyllachora maydis
Preprint on bioRxiv: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.22.576543
Hiles, R., ^Rogers, A., ^Jaiswal, N., Zhang, W., Butchacas, J., Merfa, M., Klass, T., Kaser, E., Jacobs, J., Staiger, C., Helm, M., and Iyer-Pascuzzi, A.* A Ralstonia solanacearum type III effector alters the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton to promote bacterial virulence in plants
Preprint on bioRxiv: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.01.565113
Gomez-Gutierrez, S., Million, C., ^Jaiswal, N., Gribskov, M., Helm, M., and Goodwin, S.* Mechanisms of infection and response of the fungal wheat pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici during compatible, incompatible, and non-host interactions
Preprint on bioRxiv: DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.11.20.567875
^Jaiswal, N., and Helm, M.* 2024. Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 induces defense responses in diverse maize inbred lines. PhytoFrontiers. DOI: ttps://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-11-23-0149-SC
Caldwell, D. L., Da Silva, C. R., McCoy, A. G., Avila, H., Bonkowski, J. C., Chilvers, M. I., Helm, M., Telenko, D., and Iyer-Pascuzzi, A.S.* 2024. Uncovering the infection strategy of Phyllachora maydis during maize colonization: a comprehensive analysis. Phytopathology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-08-23-0298-KC
^Jaiswal, N., ^Myers, A., ^Weese, T.L., Carter, M.E., Scofield, S.R., and Helm, M.* 2023. Analysis of cell death induction by the barley NLR immune receptor PBR1. PhytoFrontiers. 3: 663-678. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTOFR-01-23-0005-R
Mewa, D.B., Lee, S., Liao, C.J., M. Adeyanju, A., Helm, M., Lisch, D., and Mengiste, T.* 2023. ANTHRACNOSE RESISTANCE GENE2 confers fungal resistance in sorghum. Plant J. 113: 308-326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16048
Helm, M.,†* Singh, R.,† Hiles, R., ^Jaiswal, N., ^Myers, A., Iyer-Pascuzzi, A., and Goodwin, S.B. 2022. Candidate effector proteins from the maize tar spot pathogen Phyllachora maydis localize to diverse plant cell compartments. Phytopathology. 112: 2538-2548. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/PHYTO-05-22-0181-R
Commentary on Publication
Awarded “Editor’s Pick” for the December 2022 issue of Phytopathology
Helm, M.,* Singh, R., Goodwin, S.B., Caldwell, D., and Iyer-Pascuzzi, A.S. 2022. Tar Spot of Maize: current knowledge of genetic interactions and future research prospects to improve disease resistance.
Pre-print on Authorea: 10.22541/au.164642664.47870546/v2
Margets, A., Rima, S., Helm, M., and Carter, ME*. 2021. Molecular mechanism and structure—Zooming in on Plant Immunity. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact. 34: 1346-1349. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-08-21-0208-MR
Commentary on Publication
Review solicited by the MPMI editorial board
Pottinger, SE., Bak, A., Margets, A., Helm, M., Tang, L., Casteel, C., and Innes, RW*. 2020. Optimizing the PBS1 decoy system to confer resistance to Potyvirus infection in Arabidopsis and soybean. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact. 33: 932-944. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-07-19-0190-R
Commentary on Publication
Awarded “Best Student Paper for 2020” by the MPMI editorial board
Helm, M., Qi, M., Sarkar, S., Yu, H., Whitham, SA., and Innes, RW*. 2019. Engineering a decoy substrate in soybean to enable recognition of the Soybean Mosaic Virus NIa protease. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact. 32: 760-769. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-12-18-0324-R
Carter, M.†, Helm, M.†, Chapman, A., Wan, E., Restrepo-Sierra, AM., Innes, RW*., Bogdanove, AJ.,* and Wise, RP. 2019. Convergent evolution of effector protease recognition by Arabidopsis and barley. Mol Plant-Microbe Interact. 32: 550-565. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-07-18-0202-FI
Kim, S.H., Qi, D., Ashfield, T., Helm, M., and Innes, RW*. 2016. Using decoys to expand the recognition specificity of a plant disease resistance protein. Science. 351: 684-687. DOI: 10.1126/science.aad3436