Welcome to the Bacterial Plant Pathology Laboratory
at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Research
Plant diseases caused by bacteria result in significant economical loss to the U.S. agriculture annually. Our research aims to provide support to mitigate bacterial plant diseases and to minimize the damage to the plant agriculture. To do so, we utilize molecular, genetic, and genomic tools to provide better understanding of how bacterial plant pathogens cause infection on host plants, and how the bacterial pathogens adapt to new hosts or spread to new geographical regions. In addition to providing answers to these basic research questions, we also aim to use applied research to address the immediate needs of the farmers, by providing information of antibiotic resistance in the pathogen population, developing more effective biological controls, and by exploring other novel management materials such as antisense antimicrobials and nanoparticles.
Impact of microbiome to plant health.
We aim to study how members of microbiome, through interacting with the host and with the pathogen, affect the plant disease occurrence. We are focusing on the microbiome on apple flowers and the disease fire blight.
Pathogenicity of the fire blight pathogen and host resistance against fire blight.
We are using genetic, genomics and transcriptomic approaches to elucidate mechanism of the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora in causing disease symptoms on plant hosts. We are also trying to identify mechanism of resistance of an apple cultivar that displayed hypersensitive response upon exposure to the fire blight pathogen.
Heterogeneity in pathogen population.
Traditional plant pathology often studies the interaction of a single pathogen species with a single host, and assume that all pathogen cells within the same species behave homogeneously during the interaction with the host. We found evidence that a homogeneous bacterial population can divide into multiple subpopulations of unique functions. We are investigating this phenomenon in the context of a pathogen-host interaction and trying to understand the molecular mechanism and biological significance of this "devision of labor" to the pathogenicity and infection.
Organic disease management of fire blight
We aim to identify and deploy sustainable, effective and environmental friendly disease management solutions against fire blight, the most devastating disease of apple. We particularly focus on identifying management options for organic growers in Eastern United States under the humid weather conditions.
Publications
Peer reviewed articles (Corresponding author underlined)
April, 2020
Li, K., Wu, G., Liao, Y., Zeng, Q., Wang, H., and Liu, F. (2020) RpoN1 and RpoN2 play different regulatory roles in virulence traits, flagellar biosynthesis, and basal metabolism in Xanthomonas campestris. Mol. Plant Path. https://doi.org/10.1111/mpp.12938
August, 2019
Yuan, X., Zeng, Q., Xu, J., Severin, G.B., Zhou, X., Waters, C.M., Sundin, G.W., Ibekwe, A.M., Liu, F., and Yang, C.H. Tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle enzymes and intermediates modulate intracellular cyclic di-GMP levels and the production of plant-cell-wall degrading enzymes in soft rot pathogen Dickeya dadantii. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 33:296-307
August 2019
June 2019
Shidore, T., Zeng, Q., and Triplett, L.R. Survey of toxin–antitoxin systems in Erwinia amylovora reveals insights into diversity and functional specificity. Toxins11:206
June 2019
Yuan, X., Zeng, Q., Khokhani, D., Severin, G., Waters, C., Xu, J., Zhou, X., Sundin, G.W., Liu, F. Q.,​ and Yang, C.H. A Feed-forward signaling circuit controls bacterial virulence through linking cyclic di-GMP and two mechanistically distinct sRNAs; ArcZ and RsmB. Environ. Microbe. 21:2755-2771
March, 2019
Schachterle, J., Zeng, Q., and Sundin, G.W. Three Hfq-dependent small RNAs regulate flagellar motility in the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Mol. Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1111/mmi.14232
June, 2018
Cui, Z., Yuan, X., Yang, C.H., Huntley, R.B., Sun, W., Wang, J., Sundin, G.W., and Zeng, Q. Development of a method to monitor gene expression in single bacterial cells during the interaction with plants and use to study the expression of the type III secretion system in single cells of in potato. Front. Microbiol. 9:1429.
May 2018
Steven, B., Huntley, R. B., and Zeng, Q. The influence of flower anatomy and apple cultivar on the apple flower phytobiome. Phytobiomes Journal (cover paper) 2:171-179
April 2018
Giordano, P.R., Wang, J., Vargas, J.M., Jacobs, J. Chilvers, M.I., and Zeng, Q. Using a genome-based PCR primer prediction pipeline to develop molecular diagnostics for the turfgrass pathogen Acidovorax avenae. Plant Disease102, 2224-2232
January, 2018
Yuan, X., Tian, F., He, C., Severin, G.B., Waters, C.M., Zeng, Q., Liu, F., Yang, C.-H. The diguanylate cyclase GcpA inhibits the production of pectate lyases via the H-NS protein and RsmB regulatory RNA in Dickeya dadantii. Mol. Plant Path. 19:1873-1886
January, 2018
Zeng, Q., Cui, Z., Wang, J., Childs, K. L., Sundin, G. W., Cooley, D. R., Yang, C.-H., Garofalo, E., Eaton, A., Huntley, R. B., Yuan, X., and Schultes N. P. Comparative genomics of Spiraeoideae-infecting Erwinia amylovora strains provides novel insight to genetic diversity and identifies the genetic basis of a low virulence strain. Mol. Plant Path. (cover paper) 19:1652-1666
October, 2017
Zeng, Q., Wang, J., Bertels, F., Giordano, P.R., Chilvers, M., Huntley, R.B., Sundin, G.W., Vargas, J. M., Yang, C.-H. Recombination of virulence genes in divergent Acidovorax avenae strains that infect a common host. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 30:813-828
June, 2017
Slack, S., Zeng, Q.,Outwater, C., and Sundin, G. W. Microbiological examination of Erwinia amylovoraexopolysaccharide ooze. Phytopathology 107: 403-411
May, 2017
Patel, R. R., Sundin, G. W., Yang, C.-H., Wang, J., Huntley, R. B., Yuan, X., and Zeng, Q. Antisense peptide nucleic acid (PNA)-cell penetrating peptide (CPP) causes bactericidal effect in the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Front. Microbiol. 8:687.
January 25, 2025
Article in an Academic Journal
January 25, 2025
Publication of Latest Findings
People
Quan Zeng, PhD
Principle Investigator
Quan grew up in Shandong China, the largest apple producing province in China. He attended Nanjing Agricultural University for his undergraduate study before he came to the U.S. in 2006 for graduate school. Quan received his PhD degree from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2011 and postdoctoral training at Michigan State University. Quan joined CT Ag Exp Station in 2014. Besides work, he enjoys spending time with his family, hiking, and playing and watching basketball. He is a loyal fan of Milwaukee Bucks and Michigan State basketball and football teams.
Zhouqi Cui, PhD
Postdoctoral research associate
Zhouqi received her BS in Horticulture from Nanjing Agricultural University, and her PhD in Plant Pathology from Zhejiang University in China. She joined Zeng lab in December 2016.
Regan B. Huntley
Lab Manager
Regan joined Zeng lab in 2014. Before this, she worked in a plant development and physiology lab for more than 20 years.
Publications
Extension articles
June, 2019
Zeng, Q., Cooley, D., and Schultes, N. Use of biological controls and sterilants as alternatives to streptomycin against fire blight blossom infections in apples. Fruit Notes84:1-7
October 2017
Zeng, Q. Fire blight and streptomycin resistance. Plant Management Network, APS Crop Protection and Management Collection. https://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/edcenter/seminars/outreach/Apple/FireBlight/
November, 2017
Zeng, Q., Schultes, N., and Cooley, D.R. Managing Fire Blight Under Humid Climate Conditions in Eastern United States. Proceedings for the New England Vegetable and Fruit Conference.
May, 2015
Zeng, Q. Fire Blight Management at Bloom: Understanding Management from Disease Biology. Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Fact Sheet. http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/plant_pathology_and_ecology/fire_blight_management_during_bloom_05-07-15.pdf
Feburary, 2015
Zeng, Q. Winter and Early-Season Fire Blight Management.Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station Fact Sheet. http://www.ct.gov/caes/lib/caes/documents/publications/fact_sheets/plant_pathology_and_ecology/winter_and_early_season_fire_blight_management_02-18-15.pdf
Available Positions
Postdoc
Postdoc positions may be available depending on the funding situation. Please contact Quan Zeng (quan.zeng@ct.gov) for more information.
Graduate student
I recruit graduate students through my joint appointment at University of Connecticut. If you are interested in doing research in my lab, please contact me. quan.zeng@ct.gov
Fellowship
USDA and NSF offer postdoctoral fellowships. Not only they provide training/research opportunities, but also can be helpful for your career development. If you are interested in research in my lab and would like to write a proposal, please contact me (quan.zeng@ct.gov).
Contact Us
Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology,
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment StationÂ
Jenkins-Waggoner Laboratory 106
123 Huntington Street,
New Haven, CTÂ 06511, U.S.A.
203-974-8613
