Donna Gibson
Research Leader, USDA-ARS, 
Biological Integrated Pest Management Research Unit
Supervisory Plant Physiologist
Donna.Gibson@ars.usda.gov

Adjunct Associate Professor and Research Affiliate
Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University

(607) 255-2359, 255-0271 (Voice)
(607) 255-1132 (FAX)

Education
Ph.D., University of South Carolina, 1979
B.S. Longwood College, 1972

Research Interests
The major thrust of this research program is the discovery of new natural products which provide safer means of pest control or have high intrinsic value for the public. We search for naturally occurring compounds produced in plants, fungi, or bacteria that are capable of protecting crops from pests, and possess high target selectivity, environmental compatibility, and novel modes of action. Our search strategies have recently been expanded to include molecular screening of genomic DNA for presence of key biosynthetic enzymes for secondary metabolites of interest. These compounds may also play roles in pathogenicity, virulence, or defense, and these roles are investigated as part of our research on pest/pathogen biology. This research complements work on development of fungi as biological controls since we are using insect-pathogenic fungi from the ARS Collection of Entomopathogenic Fungi as principal source materials. It is expected that the search for natural products may also identify some compounds which may have limited use in agriculture, but may have broader utility and economic competitiveness in other arenas, such as in pharmaceuticals. Production and use strategies are a necessary followup activity to the identification and characterization work. Emphasis is placed on the most economic means of production, but our bias is fermentation technology for those biochemicals with complex structures. Fermentation technology is an emerging field for production of plant pharmaceuticals, where we have been one of the leaders in production of taxol via cell culture. Likewise, the emphasis on use strategies explores the most economic and efficacious means of using these natural products, including their use as lead chemistries.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Johnson, E.G., Sparks, J.P., Dzikovski,B., Crane,B.R.,Gibson, D.M., Loria, R. 2008.  Plant-Pathogenic Streptomyces Species Produce Nitric Oxide Synthase-Derived Nitric Oxide in Response to Host Signals. Chemistry & Biology 15, 43–50.

Krasnoff, S.B., Keresztes, I., Gillilan, R.E., Szebenyi, D.M.E., Donzelli, B.G.G., Churchill, A.C.L., Gibson, D.M. 2007.  Serinocyclins A and B, Novel Heptapeptides from Metarhizium anisopliae.  Journal of Natural Products 70: 1919-1924.

Joshi, M.V., Bignell, D.R.D., Johnson, E.G., Sparks, J.P. Gibson, D.M., Loria, R. 2007. The AraC/XylS regulator TxtR modulates thaxtomin biosynthesis and virulence in Streptomyces scabies. Molecular Microbiology 66: 633-642.

Johnson, E.G., Joshi, M.V., Gibson, D.M., Loria, R. 2007. Cello-oligosaccharides released from host plants induce pathogenicity iin scab-causing Streptomyces species.  Plant and Molecular Plant Pathology  71: 18-25.

Pryor, S.W., Siebert, K.J., Gibson, D.M., Gossett, J.M., Walker, L.P. 2007.  Modeling Production of Antifungal compounds and their role in Biocontrol product Inhibitory Activity.  Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 55: 9530-9536.

Pryor, S.W., Gibson, D.M., Hay, A.G., Gossett, J.M., Walker, L.P. 2007.  Optimization of Spore and Lipopeptide Production during the Solid-state Fermentation of Bacillus subtilis.  Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 143: 63-79.

Oide, S., Krasnoff, S.,B., Gibson, D.M., and Turgeon, B.G. 2007. Intracellular Siderophores Are Essential for Ascomycete Sexual Development in Heterothallic Cochliobolus heterostrophus and Homothallic Gibberella zeae. Eukaryotic Cell 6: 1339-1353.

Wach, M.J., Krasnoff, S.B., Loria, R., Gibson, D.M. 2007. Effect of carbohydrates on the production of  thaxtomin A by Streptomyces acidiscabies.  Archives of Microbiology 188:81-88.

Schroeder, F.C., Gibson, D.M., Churchill, A.C.L.,Sojikul, P., Wursthorn, E.J., Krasnoff, S,B.,Clardy, J. 2007. Differential Analysis of 2D NMR Spectra: New Natural Products from a Pilot-Scale Fungal Extract Library. Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 46: 901-904.

Kornfeld, A.,Kaufman, P.B.,C.R., Gibson, D.M., Bolling, S.F.,Warber, S.L. Chang, S.C., Kirakosyan, A. 2007.  The production of hypericins in two selected Hypericum perforatum shoot cultures is related to differences in black gland structure. 2007. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 45: 24-32.

Pryor, S.W., Gibson, D.M.,Bergstrom, G.C.,Walker, L.P. 2007. Minimization of Between-well Sample Variance of Antifungal Activity Measurements Using a High-Throughput Screening Microplate Bioassay. Biotechniques 42: 168-172.

Pryor, S.W., Gibson, D.M.,Krasnoff, S.B.,Walker, L.P. 2006.  Identification of Antifungal Compounds in a Biological Control Product Using a Microplate Inhibition Bioassay. Transactions of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 49(5):1643-1649.

Gibson, D.M., Krasnoff, S.B., Churchill, A.C.L. 2006.  Searching for Polyketides in Insect Pathogenic Fungi. In: Polyketides: Biosynthesis, Genetics, and Biological Activity. ACS Book Series, Ed. A. Rimando and S. Bauer, pp. 48-67.

Oide, S., Moeder, W.,Krasnoff, S.,Gibson, D., Haas, H., Yoshioka, K., and Turgeon, B.G. 2006. NPS6, Encoding a Non-Ribosomal Peptide Synthetase Involved in Siderophore-Mediated Iron Metabolism, is a Conserved Virulence Determinant of Plant Pathogenic Ascomycetes. The Plant Cell. 18: 2836-2853.

Kim, B.J., Gibson, D.M., Shuler, M.L. 2006.  Effect of the plant peptide regulator phytosulfokine-alpha, on the growth and taxol production from Taxus sp. suspension cultures.  Biotechnology and Bioengineering 95: 8-14.

Krasnoff, S.B., Sommers, C.H., Moon, Y-S., Donzelli, B.G.G, Vandenberg, J.D., Churchill, A.C.L., Donna M. Gibson, D.M. 2006. Production of Mutagenic Metabolites by Metarhizium anisopliae. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 54: 7083-7088.

Krasnoff, S.B., Lobkovsky, E.B., Wach, M.J., Loria, R., Gibson, D.M. 2005.  Chemistry and Phytotoxicity of Thaxtomin A alkyl ethers.  Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 53: 9446-9451.

Kim, B.J., Gibson, D.M., Shuler, M.L. 2005.  Relationship of viability and apoptosis to taxol production in Taxus sp. suspension cultures elicited with methyl jasmonate.  Biotechnology Progress 21: 700-707.

Krasnoff, S.B., Gibson, D.M., Reategui, R., Wagenaar, M.M., Gloer, J.B. 2005. Cicadapeptins I and II: New Aib-containing peptides from the entomopathogenic fungus Cordyceps heteropoda. Journal of Natural Products 68: 50-55.

Kers, J.A., Cameron, K.D., Joshi, M.V.,Bukhalid, R.A., Morello, J.E.,Wach, M.J., Gibson, D.M., Loria, R. 2005. A large, mobile pathogenicity island confers plant pathogenicity on Streptomyces species.  Molecular Microbiology 55: 1025-1033.

Wach, M.J., Kers, J.A., Krasnoff, S.B., Loria, R., Gibson, D.M. 2005.  Nitric oxide synthase inhibitors and nitric oxide donors modulate the biosynthesis of thaxtomin A, a nitrated phytotoxin produced by Streptomyces spp.  Nitric Oxide 12: 46-53.

Kim, B.J., Gibson, D.M., Shuler, M.L. 2004.  Effect of subculture and elicitation on instability of taxol production in Taxus sp. suspension cultures.  Biotechnology Progress 20: 1666-1673.

Ireland, C.M., Aalbersberg, W., Andersen, R.J., Ayral-Kaloustian, S.,  Berlinck, R., Bernan, V.S., Carter, G.T., Churchill, A.C.L., Clardy, J., Concepcion, G.P., De Silva, E.D., Discafani, C., Fojo, T,  Frost, P., Gibson, D., Greenberger, L.M., Greenstein, M., Harper, M.K., Mallon, R., Loganzo, F., Nunes, M., Poruchynsky, M.S., Zask, A. Anticancer Agents from Unique Natural Products Sources Pharm. Bio. 2003 41Supplement:15-38.

Kers, J.A., Wach, M.J., Krasnoff, S.B., Widom, J., Cameron, K.D., Bukhalid, R.A., Gibson, D.M., Crane, B.R., Loria, R. 2004.  Nitration of a peptide phytotoxin by bacterial nitric oxide synthase. Nature 429: 79-82.

Kirakosyan, A., Sirvent, T.M., Gibson, D.M., and Kaufman, P.B. 2004. The production of hypericins and hyperforin by in vitro cultures of Hypericum perforatum. Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry 39: 71-81.

Sirvent TM, Krasnoff SB, Gibson DM. 2003. Induction of hypericins and hyperforins in Hypericum perforatum in response to damage by herbivores. Journal of Chemical Ecology 29:2631-45.

Kirakosyan, A., Gibson, D.M., Sirvent, T. 2003. A comparative survey of Hypericum perforatum plants as sources of hypericins and hyperforin. Journal of Herbs, Spices, and Medicinal Plants 10:73-88.

Naill, M., Gibson, D., Shuler, M. and S. Roberts. 2003. A Simple Method for Enhancing Paclitaxel Release from Taxus canadensis Cell Suspension Cultures Utilizing Cell Wall Digesting Enzymes. Plant Cell Reports 21: 1217-1220.

Duke, S.O., Baerson,S., Dayan,F.E.,  Rimando, A.,  Scheffler, B., Wedge, D., Akey, D.H.,  Arthur,F.H., De Lucca,A.J., Gibson, D.M.,  Harrison, H.F.,Jr., Peterson,J.K., Gealy,D.R., Tworkoski, T., Wilson, C.L. 2003. ARS research on natural products for pest management. Pest Management Science 59: 708-717.

Brincat, M.C., Gibson, D.M., and Shuler, M. 2002. Alterations in taxol production in plant cell culture via manipulation of the phenylalanine ammonia lyase pathway. Biotechnology Progress 18: 1149-1156.
Gibson, D.M. 2002. Bringing science and technology to bear on high-value plants and fungi: case studies for production of natural products, Proceedings of the Inter-American conference series on Globalization of Agricultural Research, published on CD by CATIE, 2002.

Wagenaar, M.M., Gibson, D.M., and Clardy, J. 2002. Akanthomycin, a new antibiotic pyridone from the entomopathogenic fungus Akanthomyces gracilis.  Organic Letters 2: 671-673.

Healy, F.G., Krasnoff, S.B., Wach, M., Gibson, D.M., and Loria, R. 2002. Involvement of a cytochrome P450 monooxygenase in Thaxtomin A biosynthesis by Streptomyces acidiscabies.  Journal of Bacteriology 184: 2019-2029.

Sirvent, T., Gibson, D.M. 2002. Induction of hypericins and hyperforin in Hypericum perforatum L. in response to biotic and chemical elicitors. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 60: 311-320.

Lastra, C.C., Gibson, D.M., Hajek, A.E. 2001. Survival and differential development of Entomophaga maimaiga and Entomophaga aulicae (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales) in Lymantria hemolymph.  Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 78: 201-209.

Sirvent, T., Walker, L., Vance, N., Gibson, D.M. 2001.Variation in Hypericins from wild populations of Hypericum perforatum in the Pacific Northwest. Economic Botany 56: 41-48.

Walker, L., Sirvent, T., Gibson, D., Vance, N. 2001.  Regional differences in hypericin and pseudohypericin concentrations and five morphological traits among Hypericum perforatum L. plants in northwestern United States.  Canadian Journal of Botany 79: 1248-1255.

Lee, T., Yun, S-H., Hodge, K.T., Humber, R.A., Krasnoff, S.B.,Turgeon G.B.,Yoder, O.C., Gibson, D.M 2001. Polyketide synthase genes in invertebrate-associated fungi. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 56:181-187.

Healy, F.B., Krasnoff, S.B., Gibson, D.M., Loria, R. 2000. The txtAB genes of the plant pathogen Streptomyces acidiscabies encode a peptide synthetase required for phytotoxin thaxtomin A production and pathogenicity. Molecular Microbiology 38: 794-804.

Sirvent, T. and Gibson, D.M. Rapid isocratic HPLC analysis of hypericins. 2000. Journal of Liquid Chromatography and Related Technologies 23:251-259.

Ketchum, R.E.B., Tandon, M., Gibson, D.M., Begley, T., Shuler, M.L. 1999. Isolation of Labelled 9-dihydrobaccatin III and Related Taxoids from cell cultures of Taxus canadensis elicited with methyl jasmonate. Journal of Natural Products 62: 1395-1398.

Krasnoff, S.B., Faloon, D., Williams, J.E., Gibson, D.M 1999. Toxicity of xanthene dyes to entomopathogenic fungi. Biocontrol Science and Technology 9: 215-222.

Ketchum, R.E.B., J. V. Luong, and D.M. Gibson. 1999.  Efficient extraction of paclitaxel and related taxoids from leaf tissue of Taxus using a potable solvent system.  Journal of Liquid Chromatography and Related Technologies 22:1715-1732.

Shen, X., Krasnoff, S.B., Lu, S., Dunbar, D.C., O'Neal, J, Turgeon, B.G., Yoder, O.C., Gibson, D.M., and Hamann, M.T. 1999. The characterization of 6-epi-3-anhydroophiobolin B from a wild-type strain of Cochliobolus heterostrophus. Journal of Natural Products 62:895-897.

Gibson, D.M. and S. B. Krasnoff. 1999. Exploring the Potential of Biologically Active Compounds from Plants and Fungi. Biologically Active Natural Products: Agrochemicals. CRC Press, pp. 231-242.

Ketchum, R.E.B., D. M. Gibson, R. B. Croteau, and M. L. Shuler.  1999.  The kinetics of taxoid accumulation in cell suspension cultures of Taxus following elicitation with methyl jasmonate.  Biotechnology and Bioengineering 62: 97-105.

Sanchez de Viala, S., B.B. Brodie, E. Rodriguez, and D.M. Gibson. 1998.  The potential of thiarubrine C as a nematocidal agent against plant-parasitic nematodes.  Journal of Nematology 30: 192-200.