Dr. Barbara Zilinskas

Contact Information

Mailing Address

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

Campus Location

Office: Room 296D Foran Hall, 732-932-9711 x232
Lab: Room 292 Foran Hall, 732-932-9711 x288

Research Interests

There are two major areas of research that are currently being investigated in my laboratory. These include: 1) the molecular and physiological responses of plants to environmental stress, and 2) turfgrass improvement through genetic modification mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens.

With regard to the former research area, we have focused our attention on oxidative stress and the mechanisms found in plants to alleviate damage from reactive oxygen species (ROS). Reactive oxygen is produced as an inevitable byproduct of metabolism; its production is exacerbated under environmentally stressful conditions, such as exposure to drought, extreme temperatures, high light intensities and the atmospheric pollutant, ozone. ROS have been shown to be important in signal transduction, and therefore their presence in plant cells must be kept at an optimum balance. However, if the plant’s capacity is insufficient to remove excess ROS effectively, i.e., before the ROS exert their negative effects on cellular components, then oxidative stress ensues. We have been studying the important role played by enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidants in minimizing oxidative stress during environmental perturbations.

In the second area of research, we have developed an efficient and reliable system for turfgrass transformation mediated by Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We are currently using this technology to genetically modify several turfgrass species by introducing genes that may provide increased tolerance to disease and environmental stress. We are cooperating with the Rutgers turfgrass breeding program and the turf industry in an effort to bring new stress-tolerant cultivars for commercial use.

Publications

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Rutgers Affiliations

1. Rutgers Biotechnology Undergraduate Program
2. Rutgers Plant Biology Graduate Program
3. Rutgers Graduate Program in Biochemistry
4. Rutgers Graduate Program in Molecular Genetics and Microbiology
5. Center for Turfgrass Science
6. Link 3

Dr. Zilinskas joined the department in 1993 and serves as the Biotechnology Undergraduate Curriculum Coordinator.