Dr. Bradley I. Hillman

Contact Information

Mailing Address

Rutgers University
Department of Plant Biology & Pathology
Foran Hall/ Cook Campus
59 Dudley Rd.
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
hillman@aesop.rutgers.edu

Campus Location

Office: Room 339 Foran Hall, 732-932-9375 ext. 334
NJAES Office: Room 113 Martin Hall, 732-932-1000, ext. 579
Lab: Room 339 Foran Hall, 732-932-9375 ext. 333

Research Interests

I study viruses of plants and fungi, and molecular biology of selected fungi. Some projects are molecular investigations, some are more applied, and some involve questions about population biology and evolution.

Viruses of the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica

Biological control of the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica, with double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses has been of interest to the plant pathology community since the 1970's. Over the last ten years, we have described many different viruses that cause hypovirulence in the fungus. These viruses each have distinct life cycles, mechanisms of replication, population structures, and effects on the host fungus. Most are cytoplasmic, but one is localized in the mitochondria. We have also characterized two class II transposons present in the nuclear genome of C. parasitica. Our recent work focuses on two reoviruses that cause hypovirulence and distinct phenotypes in the fungus. These are of particular interest because they represent the first members of the reovirus family identified in a filamentous fungus, and because they are closely related to the human pathogen Colorado tick fever virus.

Virus diseases of blueberries and cranberries

This has been a major applied focus of my research. Overall goals have been detection, analysis, and control of two important virus diseases of blueberry, one an RNA virus (genus Carlavirus), Blueberry scorch virus (BlScV) and one a DNA virus, (family Caulimoviridae), Blueberry red ringspot virus (BRRV). Recent research is focused on BlScV.

We sequenced the complete genomes of two distinct strains of BlScV and assembled full-length infectious cDNA clones of both. These are being used for investigation of viral gene functions by domain swapping and site-directed mutagenesis. We demonstrated that the large replicase gene product was post-translationally processed, and determined by site-directed mutagenesis which amino acid residues were involved in this processing event. We are currently examining other areas of the viral genome. Toward developing transgenic, virus-resistant plants, a number of cDNA clones for expression of various BlScV regions in plants were constructed and delivered to a collaborator at the USDA. Blueberry and Chenopodium protoplast systems were developed examine BlScV replication during co-transfection with constructs expressing the viral coat protein or replicase genes.

BlScV has become a major disease problem in the Northeast U.S., Northwest U.S., and Canada. We initiated a project to improve rapid serological and PCR detection of the virus and have provided reagents to the N.J. State Department of Agriculture for testing of more than 30,000 plants. Nearly a hundred virus isolates from various fields have been sequenced to provide a clear picture of the population biology of the virus within the Northeast US. Finally, aphid vector species of greatest importance to BlScV transmission in the Northeast U.S. have been identified. We are overlaying the cycles of these aphids in blueberry fields to determine the times of year that are most critical to transmission in New Jersey.

Biology and control of anthracnose disease of turfgrass

Anthracnose disease, caused by Colletotrichum graminicola, is among the most important diseases of turfgrass in the U. S. Heterogeneity among C. graminicola isolates has been noted in the past, as have differences in response of the disease to control measures. Using differential pathogenicity tests, differential responses to fungicides, ITS sequences, and specific coding sequences, we are examining fungal isolates from different regions to determine whether race-specific or clade-specific differences can be identified. The infection process on annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass is being investigated using C. graminicola isolates from different races that have been transformed to express the GFP or DsRed reporter genes.

Publications

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Teaching - Current Courses

1. Comparative Virology (11:126:407) - undergraduate course
2. Plant Virology (16:765:535) - graduate course
3. Perspectives in Agriculture and the Environment (11:015:101) - undergraduate course

Advising

Undergraduate students in Biotechnology Curriculum

Current lab personnel

1. Jeff Amos, technician
2. Jo Anne Crouch, Ph.D. student
3. Daniela Linder-Basso, post-doctoral researcher
4. Pongtharin Lotrakul, visiting Scientist
5. Natasa Petrovic, visiting Scientist

Rutgers Affiliations

1. Rutgers Plant Biology Graduate Program
2. New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station
3. Center for Turfgrass Science
4. Evolutionary Biology at Rutgers University

Other Affiliations

1. American Phytopathological Society
2. American Type Culture Collection
3. International Committee for the Taxonomy of Viruses

Dr. Bradley I. Hillman joined the department in 1989 and was promoted to Professor in 2001.