Contact:

612-625-3780

Education:

• PhD plant pathology and plant-microbe biology, Cornell University

• BA biology, Franklin and Marshall College

I am interested in fundamental questions at the nexus of evolution, ecology, and plant pathology, in ways that inform disease-control efforts. My work uses inferences from in-vitro experimentation between pathogens and their host or their environment to inform large-scale population genomic, metabolomic, and transcriptomic efforts. The impact of this work can be expanded through bioinformatic approaches that use publicly available datasets to provide relevant evolutionary contexts and identify associated patterns that can only emerge from Big Data.

• Publications

  • (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)
  • Synergism between pathogens in the 2022 Fusarium head blight outbreak in Ethiopia under investigation-(Other)
    Degenring, L., Gemechu, A., Drott, M.T. 2024. Synergism between pathogens in the 2022 Fusarium head blight outbreak in Ethiopia under investigation. U.S. Wheat and Barley Scab Initiative Scab News. 24(2):1-10.
    
  • Development and validation of a diagnostic high resolution melting curve assay for the NX-2 chemotype of Fusarium graminearum-(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    
    
  • A new and effective method to induce infection of Phyllachora maydis into corn for tar spot studies in controlled environments -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Solorzano, J.E., Issendorf, S.E., Drott, M.T., Check, J.C., Roggenkamp, E.M., Cruz, C.D., Kleczewksi, N.M., Malvick, D.K. 2023. A new and effective method to induce infection of Phyllachora maydis into corn for tar spot studies in controlled environments. Plant Methods. 19. Article 83. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13007-023-01052-8.
    
  • Mining for a new class of fungal natural products: The evolution, diversity, and distribution of isocyanide synthase biosynthetic gene clusters -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Nickles, G.R., Oestereicher, B., Keller, N.P., Drott, M.T. 2023. Mining for a new class of fungal natural products: The evolution, diversity, and distribution of isocyanide synthase biosynthetic gene clusters. Nucleic Acids Research. 51(14):7220-7235. https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkad573.
    
  • Aneuploidy formation in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus flavus in response to azole stress -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Barda, O., Sadhasivam, S., Gong, D., Doron-Faigenboim, A., Zakin, V., Drott, M.T., Sionov, E. 2023. Aneuploidy formation in the filamentous fungus Aspergillus flavus in response to azole stress. Microbiology Spectrum. 11(4). Article e04339-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/spectrum.04339-22.
    
  • Amanita thiersii and Amanita foetens are closely related but genetically and geographically distinct taxa, leaving the origins of A. thiersii and its range expansion enigmatic -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Dunkirk, N., Wang, Y., Drott, M.T., Elmore, H., Robledo, G., Tulloss, R.E., Pringle, A. 2023. Amanita thiersii and Amanita foetens are closely related but genetically and geographically distinct taxa, leaving the origins of A. thiersii and its range expansion enigmatic. F1000Research. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.134814.1.
    
  • Pangenomics of the death cap mushroom Amanita phalloides, and of Agaricales, reveals dynamic evolution of toxin genes in an invasive range -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Drott, M.T., Chul Park, S., Wang, Y., Harrow, L., Keller, N.P., Pringle, A. 2023. Pangenomics of the death cap mushroom Amanita phalloides, and of Agaricales, reveals dynamic evolution of toxin genes in an invasive range. The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-023-01432-x.
    
  • LaeA-regulated fungal traits mediate bacterial community assembly -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Tannous, J., Cosetta, C.M., Drott, M.T., Rush, T.A., Abraham, P.E., Giannone, R.J., Keller, N.P., Wolfe, B.E. 2023. LaeA-regulated fungal traits mediate bacterial community assembly. mBio. 14(3). Article e00769-23. https://doi.org/10.1128/mbio.00769-23.
    
  • Lipo-Chitooligosaccharides induce specialized fungal metabolite profiles that modulate bacterial growth -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Rush, T.A., Tannous, J., Lane, M.J., Gopalakrishnan Meena, M., Carrell, A.A., Golan, J.J., Drott, M.T., Cottaz, S., Fort, S., Ané, J., Keller, N.P., Pelletier, D.A., Jacobson, D.A., Kainer, D., Abraham, P.E., Giannone, R.J., Labbe, J.L. 2022. Lipo-Chitooligosaccharides induce specialized fungal metabolite profiles that modulate bacterial growth. mSystems. 7(6). Article e01052-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.01052-22.
    

• Projects

  Development of Fusarium Head Blight Control Strategies to Support East African Agriculture Cooperative Agreement (A)   Accession Number:445066

  Plant-Fungal Interactions and Host Resistance in Fusarium Head Blight of Barley and Wheat In-House Appropriated (D)   Accession Number:441767

  Comparative Genomic Analysis of Fusarium Species Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement (N)   Accession Number:443738

  Barley Fusarium Head Blight Resistance Genomics Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (S)   Accession Number:437198

  Corn Mycotoxin Mitigation Initiative Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (S)   Accession Number:442329

  Development of Fusarium Head Blight Control Strategies to Support East African Agriculture Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (S)   Accession Number:445388

  Identifying New Targets for Fusarium Head Blight Control Through Genomics Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (S)   Accession Number:446558