Building Careers in Plant
Pathology and Microbiology
A Graduate Student Profile of Angela Records
Angela Records is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology, working
in the lab of Dr. Dennis Gross. Angela's project centers on the bacterial plant pathogen
Pseudomonas syringae. There are over 40 known pathovars of P. syringae, each with the ability
to cause disease on a specific host plant. Angela is interested in understanding the molecular
basis for this host specificity as well as the evolutionary mechanisms driving pathogenicity.
The lab has identified a 20 kb region of the P. syringae genome, which is present in certain P.
syringae pathovars but absent in others. Based on characteristics of this sequence, as well the
characteristics of its predicted gene products, it is likely that the region represents a
pathogenicity island. Portions of the island are conserved among certain human pathogens,
suggesting that the region may provide some insights into the evolution of both plant and
animal bacterial pathogens. Angela is working to understand the functions of the genes in the
region, as well. After completing her Ph.D., Angela wishes to pursue a career in academia working
as a university professor.
Angela Records is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Plant Pathology & Microbiology, working
in the lab of Dr. Dennis Gross. Angela's project centers on the bacterial plant pathogen
Pseudomonas syringae. There are over 40 known pathovars of P. syringae, each with the ability
to cause disease on a specific host plant. Angela is interested in understanding the molecular
basis for this host specificity as well as the evolutionary mechanisms driving pathogenicity.
The lab has identified a 20 kb region of the P. syringae genome, which is present in certain P.
syringae pathovars but absent in others. Based on characteristics of this sequence, as well the
characteristics of its predicted gene products, it is likely that the region represents a
pathogenicity island. Portions of the island are conserved among certain human pathogens,
suggesting that the region may provide some insights into the evolution of both plant and
animal bacterial pathogens. Angela is working to understand the functions of the genes in the
region, as well. After completing her Ph.D., Angela wishes to pursue a career in academia working
as a university professor.