Leonardo De La Fuente - Assistant Professor

     Ph.D. 2005, Washington State University

                                          225 Rouse Life Sciences Building

                                               Auburn University , AL 36849

                                                Office: (334) 844 2582

                                                 Lab: (334) 844 5015

                                                  Fax: (334) 844 1947

                                                 lzd0005@auburn.edu

EDUCATION

2005. Ph.D., Plant Pathology, Department of Plant Pathology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.      

2000. M.Sc, Biology, PEDECIBA (Program for the Development of Basic Sciences), University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay.

1996. B.Sc., Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences. University of the Republic, Montevideo, Uruguay.

RESEARCH FOCUS

The research conducted in my laboratory focuses on the interactions between plant and associated bacteria. I am especially interested in plant pathogenic bacteria in aspects such as infection processes, host colonization, biofilm formation and molecular interactions. Questions about the biology of the pathogenic bacteria are being studied using microbiology and molecular biology techniques, as well as nanotechnology.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

2008-present. Assistant Professor, Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University.

2005-2008. Postdoctoral Associate. Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University. Supervisors: Harvey Hoch and Tom Burr. Use of ‘artificial’ xylem vessels (microfluidic chambers) to study biological aspects of the bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa, such as xylem colonization, biofilm formation and twitching movement.

• Graduate research assistant. Department of Plant Pathology. Washington State University. Advisers: D.M. Weller and L.S. Thomashow. I studied ecological and physiological aspects of rhizosphere colonization by Pseudomonas fluorescens producing the antibiotic 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol (DAPG).

1999-2001. Research assistant for Project “Reduction of the chemical inputs in a vegetable crop by the use of beneficial rhizospheric microorganisms.” Project Director: Philippe Lemanceau (INRA, Dijon, France). Funded by European Union. INCO-DC EU. In this joint project among European and South American laboratories, we studied the use of beneficial Pseudomonas and mycorrhizas to improve tomato yield.

1998-2001. Teaching assistant. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of the Republic. Montevideo, Uruguay. Professors: Susana Castro, Adriana Estévez, Claudio Martínez. 2000. Biochemistry, Microbiology and Molecular Biology courses for graduates and undergraduates students.

1997-1998. Teaching assistant. Nitrogen Fixation and Mycorrhizal Fungi Associate Unit. Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Agrononomy, University of the Republic. Montevideo, Uruguay. Professor: Lillián Frioni. 1997. Microbiology courses for graduates and undergraduates students.

1993-2001. Research scholar. Department of Biochemistry, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE). Montevideo, Uruguay. Supervisor: Alicia Arias. I studied the use of native fluorescent Pseudomonas strains to protect forage legumes against seedling diseases. The mechanisms of biocontrol elucidated in P. fluorescens UP61 included the production of antibiotics with broad range of activity against phytopathogens. I studied the interactions among biocontrol P. fluorescens strains and commercially available rhizobial strains used as inoculants in Uruguay

AWARDS AND HONORS

Storkan-Hanes-McCaslin Foundation. 2004-2005. Grant: “Ecology of rhizosphere fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. involved in suppression of soilborne pathogens”.

Graduate and Professional Students Association of the Washington State University. Graduate student travel grant to attend the 2004 APS Annual Meeting held at Anaheim, California (USA)

APS Student Travel Award to attend the 2003 APS Annual Meeting held at Charlotte, North Carolina  (USA)

International Foundation for Science (IFS) (Sweden). 1999-2000. Grant: “Native fluorescent Pseudomonas as biocontrol agents of alfalfa seedling diseases”

M. Sc. Scholarship. PEDECIBA Biology (Program for the Development of Basic Sciences), University of the Republic. Montevideo, Uruguay. 1999-2000.

ELECTED AND APPOINTED OFFICES

2003-2004. Senator of the students of the Department of Plant Pathology at the Graduate and Professional Students Association (GPSA) of the Washington State University.

2000-2001. Member of the Board of Directors of the Uruguayan Society of Microbiology (SUM).

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES

American Phytopathological Society

PUBLICATIONS

• De La Fuente, L., T.J. Burr, and H.C. Hoch. 2008. Type I and type IV pili influence the rapid formation of cell aggregates of Xylella fastidiosa. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 74: 5579-5582.
• De La Fuente, L., O.V. Mavrodi, N. Bajsa, and D.V. Mavrodi. 2008. Antibiotics produced by fluorescent Pseudomonas. In Prospects and Applications for Plant-Associated Microbes. A Laboratory Manual, Part A: Bacteria, pp. 81-84. S. Sorvari and A. M. Pirttilä (Eds.). BioBien Innovations, Piikkiö, Finland.
• Cursino, L., Y. Li, L. De La Fuente, C.D. Galvani, P. Zaini, H.C. Hoch, and T.J. Burr. 200X. Identification of pilL and chpY as components of a chemosensory signal transduction system that controls twitching motility in Xylella fastidiosa. Manuscript in preparation.
• De La Fuente, L. et al. 200X. The signal molecule DSF influences twitching motility of Xylella fastidiosa. Manuscript in preparation.
• De La Fuente, L., T.J. Burr, and H.C. Hoch. 2007. Mutations in type I and type IV pilus biosynthetic genes affect twitching motility rates in Xylella fastidiosa. Journal of Bacteriology, 189:7507-7510.
• De La Fuente, L., E. Montanes, Y. Meng, Y. Li, T.J. Burr, H.C. Hoch, and M. Wu. 2007. Assessing adhesion forces of type I and type IV pili of Xylella fastidiosa using a microfluidic flow chamber. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 73:2690-2696.
• Li, Y., G. Hao, C.D. Galvani, Y. Meng, L. De La Fuente, H.C. Hoch, and T.J. Burr. 2007. Type I and type IV pili of Xylella fastidiosa affect twitching motility, biofilm formation, and cell-cell aggregation. Microbiology, 153:719-726.
• De La Fuente, L., D.V. Mavrodi, L.S. Thomashow, and D.M. Weller. 2007. Utilization of trehalose, benzoate, valerate, and seed and root exudates by genotypes of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol producing Pseudomonas fluorescens. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 39:2712–2722.
• Weller, D.M., B.B. Landa, O.V. Mavrodi, K. Schroeder, L. De La Fuente, S. Blouin-Bankhead, R. Allende-Molar, R.F. Bonsall, D.V. Mavrodi, and L.S. Thomashow. 2007. Role of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol-producing fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. in the defense of plant roots. Plant Biology, 9:4-20.
• De La Fuente, L., B.B. Landa, and D.M. Weller. 2006. Host crop affects rhizosphere colonization and competitiveness of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol-producing Pseudomonas fluorescens. Phytopathology, 96:751-762.
• De La Fuente, L., D.V. Mavrodi, B.B. Landa, L.S. Thomashow, and D.M. Weller. 2006. phlD-based genetic diversity and detection of genotypes of 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol-producing Pseudomonas fluorescens. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 56:64-78.
• Validov, S., O. Mavrodi, L. De La Fuente, A. Boronin, D. Weller, L. Thomashow, and D. Mavrodi. 2005. Antagonistic activity among 2,4-diacetylphloroglucinol-producing fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. FEMS Microbiology Letters, 242:249-256.
• De La Fuente, L., L.S. Thomashow, D.M. Weller, N. Bajsa, L. Quagliotto, L. Chernin, and A. Arias. 2004. Pseudomonas fluorescens UP61 isolated from birdsfoot trefoil rhizosphere produces multiple antibiotics and exerts a broad spectrum of biocontrol activity. European Journal of Plant Pathology, 110:671-681.
• De La Fuente, L., L. Quagliotto, N. Bajsa, E. Fabiano, N. Altier, and A. Arias. 2002. Inoculation with Pseudomonas fluorescens biocontrol strains does not affect the symbiosis between rhizobia and forage legumes. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 34:545-548.
• Pérez, C., L. De La Fuente, A. Arias, and N. Altier. 2001. Uso de Pseudomonas fluorescentes nativas para el control de enfermedades de implantación en Lotus corniculatus. Agrociencias, 5:41-47.
• De La Fuente, L., N. Bajsa, P. Bagnasco, L. Quagliotto, L. Thomashow and A. Arias. 2000. Antibiotic production by biocontrol Pseudomonas fluorescens isolated from forage legume rhizosphere. Proceedings of the 5th International PGPR Workshop. Córdoba, Argentina.
• Bagnasco, P., L. De La Fuente, F. Noya, G. Gualtieri, and A. Arias. 1998. Fluorescent Pseudomonas spp. as biocontrol agents against forage legume root pathogenic fungi. Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 30:1317-1322.
• Chernin, L., L. De La Fuente, V. Sobolev, S. Haran, C. E. Vorgias, A. Oppenheim, and I. Chet. 1997. Molecular cloning, structural analysis and expression in Escherichia coli of a chitinase from Enterobacter agglomerans. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 63:834-839.
• Fabiano, E., P. R. Gill, F. Noya, P. Bagnasco, L. De La Fuente, and A. Arias. 1996. Siderophore-mediated iron acquisition mutants in Rhizobium meliloti 242 and its effect on the nodulation kinetic on alfalfa nodules. Symbiosis, 19:197-211.