EXPERTISE
Dr. Triplett is a plant microbiologist and molecular geneticist. She studies the DNA sequences of plant-infecting bacteria to answer questions about their virulence mechanisms and phylogenetic diversity, and to develop diagnostic tools for disease detection.

RESEARCH INTERESTS In the past, her research has characterized the molecular interactions between Xanthomonas oryzae and rice, focusing on resistance to a few secreted proteins that act as toxins or transcriptional activators. She is now continuing that line of research on other plant pathogenic Xanthomonas species that infect a variety of crops.

B.A.(2004); Earlham College, Biology                                                

Ph.D.(2009); Michigan State University, Plant Pathology

APPOINTMENTS

2019-present   Associate Agricultural Scientist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES)  

2014-2019       Assistant Agricultural Scientist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment             

                        Station (CAES)

2011-2013       USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow, Colorado State University

2010-2014       Postdoctoral Scientist, Colorado State University

2006-2009       Graduate Research Assistant, Michigan State University

2004-2006       Plant Science Fellow, Michigan State University

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

(* indicates shared lead authorship)

T. Shidore, C.D. Broeckling, J.S. Kirkwood, J.J. Long, J. Miao, B. Zhao, J.E. Leach, and L.R. Triplett. 2017.  PLOS Pathogens 13: e1006442.

T. Shidore and L.R. Triplett. 2017. Toxin-antitoxin systems: Implications for plant disease. Annual Review of Phytopathology 55, doi: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-80516-035559. 

Leach, J.E., L.R. Triplett, C.T. Argueso, and P. Trivedi. 2017. Communication in the phytobiome. Cell 169: 587-596.

Langlois, P.A., J. Snelling, J.P. Hamilton, C. Bragard, R. Koebnik, V. Verdier, L.R. Triplett, J. Blom, N.A. Tisserat, and J.E. Leach. 2017. Characterization of the Xanthomonas translucens complex using draft genomes, comparative genomics, phylogenetic analysis, and diagnostic LAMP assays. Phytopathology 107: 519-527.

Read, A.C., F.C. Rinaldi, M. Hutin, Y.-Q. He, L.R. Triplett, and A. J. Bogdanove. 2016. Suppression of Xo1-mediated disease resistance in rice by a truncated, non-DNA-binding TAL effector of Xanthomonas oryzae. Front. Plant Sci., doi: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01516.

Triplett, L.R., T. Shidore, J. Long, J. Miao, S. Wu, Q. Han, C. Zhou, H. Ishihara, J. Li, B. Zhao, and J.E. Leach. 2016. AvrRxo1 is a bifunctional type III secreted effector and toxin-antitoxin system component with homologs in diverse environmental contexts. PLOS ONE 11: e0158856

Triplett, L.R, S.P. Cohen, C. Heffelfinger, C.L. Schmidt, C. Tekete, V. Verdier, A.J. Bogdanove, and J.E. Leach. 2016. A resistance locus in the American heirloom rice variety Carolina Gold Select is triggered by diverse TAL effectors and is effective against African strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola. Plant Journal 87:472-48

Han, Q., C. Zhou, S. Wu, Yi Liu, L.R. Triplett, J. Miao, J. Tokuhisa, L. Deblais, H. Robinson, J.E. Leach, J. Li, and B. Zhao. 2015. Crystal structure of Xanthomonas AvrRxo1-ORF1, a type III effector with a polynucleotide kinase domain, and its interactor AvrRxo1-ORF2. Structure 23:1900-09.

Triplett, L.R., V. Verdier, T. Campillo, C. Van Malderghem, I. Cleenwerk, M. Maes, L. Deblais, R. Corral, O. Koita, B. Cottyn, and J. Leach. 2015. Characterization of a novel clade of Xanthomonas isolated from rice leaves in Mali and proposal of Xanthomonas maliensis sp. nov. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 107:869-881

Wonni, I., B. Cottyn, L. Detemmerman, S. Dao, L. Ouedraogo, S. Sarra, C. Tekete, S. Poussier, R. Corral, L. Triplett, O. Koita, R. Koebnik, J. Leach, B. Szurek, M. Maes, and V. Verdier. 2014. Analysis of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola population in Mali and Burkina Faso reveals a high level of genetic and pathogenic diversity. Phytopathol. 104: 520-531

Verdier, V.*, L.R. Triplett*, A.W. Hummel, R. Corral, R. Andres Cernadas, C.L. Schmidt, A.J. Bogdanove, and J.E. Leach. 2012. TAL effectors targeting OsSWEET genes enhance virulence on diverse rice varieties when expressed individually in a TAL effector-deficient strain of Xanthomonas oryzae. New Phytol.196: 1197-1207. (*shared lead authorship)

Triplett, L., J. Hamilton, C.R. Buell, N.A. Tisserat, V. Verdier, F. Zink, and J.E. Leach. 2011. Genomic analysis of Xanthomonas oryzae from rice grown in the US reveals substantial divergence from known X. oryzae pathovars. Appl. Env. Microbiol. 77: 3930-3937.

P.A. Fory, L. Triplett, C. Ballen, J. F. Abello, J. Duitama, M. G. Aricapa, G. A. Prado, F. Correa, J. Hamilton, J. E. Leach, J. Tohme, and G. M. Mosquera. 2014. Comparative analysis of two emerging rice seed bacterial pathogens. Phytopathol.104: 436-444

Triplett, L., W. Wedemeyer, and G.W. Sundin. 2010. Homology-based modeling of the Erwinia amylovora type III secretion chaperone DspF used to identify amino acids required for virulence and interaction with the effector DspE. Res. in Microbiol. 161: 613-618.

Triplett, L., M. Melotto, and G.W. Sundin. 2009. Functional analysis of the N-terminus of the Erwinia amylovora secreted effector DspA/E reveals features required for secretion, translocation, and binding to the chaperone DspB/F. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact. 22: 1282-1292.

SYNERGISTIC ACTIVIES

Professional Service. Associate Editor of the journals Phytopathology (2015- ) and Phytobiomes (2016- ). Session co-organizer and moderator at the Annual Meetings of the American Phytopathological Society (APS, 2013 and 2014) and the Congress of the International Society of Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (2016).

Advising and Mentoring. Currently mentors two postdoctoral researchers (one co-mentored with Jan Leach), one undergraduate student, and one medical student researcher. Previously served as advisor to one Master’s student and directed the student projects of six undergraduate researchers and two rotation students.

Teaching and outreach. Guest course lecturer at Mitchell College, Quinnipiac University, and Southern Connecticut State University (2015-16). Display organizer at CAES Plant Science Day public outreach event (2015- ). Invited speaker at Yale Green Café outreach event (2015).