Our research focuses on understanding the genetic architecture underlying host and nonhost resistance. We use natural and induced variation within host, intermediate host, and nonhost species to identify the genetic loci specifying resistance. Our efforts are concentrated on the cereal rusts and their interaction with several grass species, including wheat (Triticum aestivum), barley (Hordeum vulgare), oat (Avena sativa), and purple false brome (Brachypodium distachyon). We apply a suite of approaches to rapidly accelerate our research, including genetics, bioinformatics, molecular biology, and next-generation sequencing.
Current projects in the group include:
– Genetic architecture underlying host species specificity of stripe rust
– Multiple pathogen resistance specificity at the Mla locus
– Map-based cloning of adult plant resistance QTLs to barley stripe rust
– Distribution, diversity, and expression of the barley NB-LRRome
– Nonhost resistance in Brachypodium spp. to wheat stripe rust
– Suppression of resistance in polyploid genomes
Latest Publications

Panstruga R, Moscou MJ (2020)
What is the molecular basis of nonhost resistance? Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 2020 Aug 18. doi: 10.1094/MPMI-06-20-0161-CR.
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Read AC, Hutin M, Moscou MJ, Rinaldi FC, Bogdanove AJ (2020)
Cloning of the rice Xo1 resistance gene and interaction of the Xo1 protein with the defense-suppressing Xanthomonas effector Tal2h. Mol Plant Microbe Interact. 2020 Aug 4. doi: 10.1094/MPMI-05-20-0131-SC.
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Read AC, Hutin M, Moscou MJ, Rinaldi FC, Bogdanove AJ (2020)
Cloning of the rice Xo1 resistance gene and interaction of the Xo1 protein with the defense-suppressing Xanthomonas effector Tal2h. bioRxiv preprint May 29, 2020 doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.26.116731
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Wei B, Moscou MJ, Sato K, Gourlie R, Strelkov S, Aboukhaddour R (2020)
Identification of a Locus Conferring Dominant Susceptibility to Pyrenophora tritici-repentis in Barley. Front Plant Sci. 2020 Feb 28;11:158. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.00158. eCollection 2020.
Read moreGroup Members
-
Dr Matthew Moscou
Group Leader -
Diana Gomez De La Cruz
PhD Student -
Ifeoluwa Ifekoya
Visiting Scientist -
Dr Inmaculada Hernandez-Pinzon
Research Assistant -
James Russell
Visiting Student -
Molly Bergum
PhD Student -
Dr Phon Green
Research Assistant -
Mr Samuel Holden
PhD Student -
Mrs Sue Banfield
Laboratory Assistant