Luciana Cursino Parent

Cornell University New York State Agricultural Experiment Station

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Luciana Cursino Parent
Post-doctoral Research Associate

Cornell University
Department of Plant Pathology
New York State Agriculture Experiment Station
Geneva, NY 14456

2005 PhD, Agronomy-Microbial Genetics and Plant Breeding, Universidade de São Paulo

2001 MS, Genetics, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

1999 BS, Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

E-mail: lcs33@cornell.edu

Hosts: Tom Burr and Harvey Hoch

Research Focus

I am interested in the function and expression of genes that affect bacteria-plant interactions. I presently am using gene disruption techniques to study pathogenesis-related genes on the grape pathogens Xylella fastidiosa Temecula1 and Agrobacterium vitis S4. Through studies of gene expression and antibody display methods we hope to increase our understanding of genes involved in these interactions. More importantly, I hope that my research contributes to the future application of this knowledge. The understanding of plant-pathogen interaction may be useful to control the disease caused by X. fastidiosa and A. vitis and this makes the study more challenging and interesting. A better understanding of the above pathosystems may also contribute to understanding host-pathogen interactions in similar pathosystems.

Professional Experience

2006-present	Post-Doctoral Research associate, Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University. I am presently using knockout and complementation assays to study regulatory genes related to pathogenesis on X. fastidiosa and A. vitis.
2005-2006	Recent-Doctor fellow, Department of General Biology, UFMG, Brazil. I conducted studies on Metagenomics and Biodiversity of soil bacteria from the Brazilian Atlantic Florest.
2001-2003	Ph.D candidate, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, ESALQ/USP, Brazil. The first part of my Ph.D. work focused on identifies antagonistic substances produced by citrus endophytic bacteria active against X. fastidiosa CVC strain.

2003-2004	Research Scholar fellow, Department of Food Science and Tecnology, Cornell University. Supervisor: Randy W. Worobo. The second part of my Ph.D. work focused on identify and characterize the antimicrobial peptide produced by the citrus endophyte Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens.

2004-2005	Ph.D candidate, Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, ESALQ/USP, Brazil. The last part of Ph.D. work focused on determining the genes responsible for the Endophyticin L, the novel bacteriocin produced by C. flaccumfaciens, which seem to play a role in the Citrus Variegated Chlorosis suppression.
1999-2001	Master candidate, Department of General Biology, UFMG, Brazil. My M.S. work focused on characterizing genetically the colicins produced by an Escherichia coli isolated from Amazonian Indians with strong probiotic potential.
1999-1999	Undergraduate Research Internship, Department of General Biology, UFMG, Brazil. During my undergraduate work I conducted experiments on the action of Ascorbic acid on the antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains.
1997-1999	Undergraduate Research Assistant, Department of General Biology, UFMG, Brazil. During my undergraduate work I conducted research on genetic engineering of wild and improved bacterial strains to mercury bioremediation.
1995-1997	Undergraduate Research Assistant (volunteer) Department of General Biology, UFMG, Brazil During my volunteer undergraduate studies I worked on identifying mercury resistant bacteria and its genetic factors.

Professional Activities

Professional Societies and Working Groups
American Phytopathological Society

Awards and Honors

1998	Award for the best undergraduate research work (Biological Sciences and Veterinary areas) in the VII Week of Scientific Initiation at UFMG, Brazil.
1997-1999	Undergraduate Scholarship. Supervisor: Dr. Andréa M.A. Nascimento at Department of General Biology, UFMG. Responsible for conducting the research: Genetic engineering of wild and improved strains for mercury bioremediation. The scholarship for this project was supported by CNPq agency.
1999-2001	M.S. Scholarship. Supervisors: Dr. Andréa M.A. Nascimento and Dr. Edmar Chartone-Souza at Department of General Biology UFMG. Responsible for conducting the research: Research of antagonistic substances in bacterial populations from human and aquatic environment and characterization of two colicins of the Escherichia coli strain with probiotic potential. The scholarship of this project was supported by FAPEMIG-FIEMG-IEL/BIOBRÁS convene.
2001-2005	Doctoral- Scholarships Supervisors: Dr. João Lucio de Azevedo at Department of Genetics ESALQ/USP and Dr. Randy W. Worobo at Department of Food Science and Tecnology, Cornell University Responsible for the research project: Selection and genetics of endophytic bacteria to the biocontrol of Xyllella fastidiosa.The Brazilian agencies CNPq and CAPES supported Luciana’s scholarships in Brazil and USA, respectively.

Publications

Refereed journal articles

Burr, T. J., Hao, G., Cursino L., Setubal, J. (2006) Quroum-sensing regulation of grape necrosis and tobacco HR induced by A. vitis. Proceedings of 27th Annual Grown Gall Conference p. 27.

Cursino, L., Li, Y, Burr, T. J., Hoch, H. C.(2006) The roles that different pili classes in xylella fastidiosa play in colonization of grapevines and pierce’s disease pathogenesis. Proceedings of the 2006 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium p.124-126.

Cursino L., Smajs D., Smarda J, Nardi R.M.D., Nicoli J.R., Chartone-Souza E., Nascimento A.M. A. (2006) Exoproducts of the Escherichia coli strain H22 inhibiting some enteric pathogens both in vitro and in vivo, Journal of Applied Microbiology 100 (4): 821-829.

De la Fuente, L.,Galvani, C. D.,Cursino, L., Burr, T.J., Hoch, H. C. (2007) Xylella fastidiosa movement and biofilm formation studied in artificial xylem vessels. Phytopathology 97 (7): S26-S26 Suppl.

Cursino, L., Li, Y., De la Fuente, L., Galvani, C. D. Burr, T. J, Hoch, H. C. (2007) The roles that different pili classes in xylella fastidiosa play in colonization of grapevines and pierce’s disease pathogenesis: chemosensory cluster controlling twitching motility. Proceedings of 2007 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium p.123-126.

Lima-Bittencourt C.I., Cursino L., Gonçalves-Dornelas, H., Pontes, D.S., Nardi, R.M., Callisto, M., Chartone-Souza, E., Nascimento, A.M.A. (2007) Multiple antimicrobial resistance in Enterobacteriaceae isolates from pristine freshwater.Genetics and Molecular Research. 6(3):510-21.

Smajs, D., Strouhal, M., Matejková, P., Cejková, D., Cursino, L., Chartone-Souza, E., Smarda. J., Nascimento, AM.A. (2008) Complete sequence of low-copy-number plasmid MccC7-H22 of probiotic Escherichia coli H22 and the prevalence of mcc genes among human E. coli. Plasmid.59(1):1-10.

Cursino, L., SM. Oberdá, R.V. Cecílio, R.M. Moreira, E. Chartone-Souza, and A.M.A.Nascimento (1999). Mercury concentration in the sediment at different gold prospectingsites along the Carmo stream, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and frequency of resistant bacteriain the respective aquatic communities Hydrobiologia 394:5-12.

Cursino, L., S.V.M. Mattos, F. Galarza, E. Chartone-Souza, V. Azevedo, D. Bücker, A.M.A., Nascimento (2000). Capacity of mercury volatilization by mer (from Escherichia coli) and glutathione S-transferase (from Schistosoma mansoni) genes cloned in Escherichia coli. The Science of the Total Environment 26:109-113.

Cursino, L. Chartone-Souza, E., Nascimento, A.M.A. (2002) Updated aspects of Colicins of Enterobacteriaceae. Brazilian J. Microbiol. 33: 187-197.

Nascimento, A. M. A. Cursino, L., Gonçalves-Dornellas, H. Reis, H. Marini, M. Â Chartone-Souza (2003) Antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in birds from the brazilian atlantic forest., E. The Condor 105:358-361.

Cursino, L., Mattos, S.V.M., Silva, N. O., Chartone-Souza, E., Nascimento, A.M.A. (2003) Measurement of volatilized mercury by a mini-system: a simple, reliable and reproducible technique. Braz. Arch. Biol. Technol. 46:729-732.

Cursino, L. Chartone-Souza, E., Nascimento, A.M.A. (2005) Synergic interaction between ascorbic acid and antibiotics against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Braz. Arch. Biol. Technol. 48:379 -384.

Cursino, L., Smajs, D., Smarda, J., Nardi, R.M.D., Nicoli, J., Chartone-Souza, E. Nascimento A.M.A. (2006) Exoproducts of the probiotic strain Escherichia coli H22 inhibiting enteric pathogens both in vitro and in vivo. J. Appl. Microbiol.

Extension and online publications

Cursino, L. Is it the end of science? Boletim UFMG. Belo Horizonte, MG- Brazil N.1295, p.2-2, 2000. (Available online at http://www.ufmg.br/boletim/bol1295/) Article in Portuguese.

Cursino, L. Graduate students: ‘live or let die”. Jornal da Ciência On-line, N.2191, 2003. (Available on line at http://www.jornaldaciencia.org.br/Detalhe.jsp?id=69640) Article in Portuguese.

Cursino, L. and Carvalho, L. Benches and Patents: a difficult colloquium. Jornal da Ciência On-line, N.2443, 2003.(Available on line at http://www.jornaldaciencia.org.br/Detalhe.jsp?id=15468)Article in Portuguese.

New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, 630 West North Street, Geneva, New York 14456
Telephone: 315.787.2011

Last Modified: February 28, 2008
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