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.
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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.
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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!
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Contact Info:
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Dr. Matthew Helm
USDA-ARS
915 Mitch Daniels Blvd
West Lafayette, IN 47907
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Email:
Meet the Team
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Former Helm lab members
Publications
(† co-first authors) (*corresponding author) (^member of the Helm lab)
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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
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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
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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
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^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
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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
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^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
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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
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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
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Commentary on Publication
Awarded “Editor’s Pick” for the December 2022 issue of Phytopathology
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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
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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
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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