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Viroid replication and pathogenesis provide model systems in which
molecular mechanisms controlling host-pathogen interaction and gene
expression in uninfected plant cells are accessible to experimental
manipulation. My laboratory is using site-directed mutagenesis and a
variety of other recombinant DNA-based techniques to explore the
relationship between the biological properties of viroids and their
unusual structures. Areas of current interest include (i) identification
of structural features controlling host range, (ii) characterization of
pathways used by viroids to enter and exit the nucleus, move from cell to
cell, and transit the vascular system, and (iii) development of improved
viroid-based citrus dwarfing agents. I am also an Adjunct Professor at the Center
for Agricultural Biotechnology, University of Maryland, College Park.
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