Dr. Joe Louis

Joe's picture
Assistant Professor of Entomology
Department of Entomology
212 Entomology Hall
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, Nebraska 68583-0816
Telephone: (402) 472-8098
FAX: (402) 472-4687
Email: JOELOUIS@UNL.EDU

 

Appointment:
80% Research, 20% Teaching

Education:
  1. BS, Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University, 2003
  2. MS, Entomology, Kansas State University, 2006
  3. PhD, Molecular Biology, University of North Texas, 2011
Professional Interests - Plant resistance to insects, Plant signaling mechanisms, Induced defenses, Insect effectors

Professional Responsibilities
Research:
The Molecular Plant-Insect Interactions Lab’s research focus is on identifying the key components/genes/signaling mechanisms that are involved in modulating plant defenses upon insect herbivory and to understand the mechanisms by which insect salivary proteins/effectors alter the plant defense responses.
Teaching:
ENTO 409/809, Insect Control by Host Plant Resistance
ENTO 835, Chemical Ecology of Insect-Plant Interactions

Publications:
  1. Tetreault HM, Grover S, Scully ED, Gries T, Palmer N, Sarath G, Louis J and Sattler SE. Global responses of resistant and susceptible sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) to sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari). Frontiers in Plant Science (under review).
  2. Chapman K, Marchi-Werle L, Hunt TE, Heng-Moss T and Louis J (2018). Abscisic and jasmonic acids contribute to soybean tolerance to the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura). Scientific Reports, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33477-w
  3. Nalam VJ, Louis J, Patel M and Shah J (2018). Arabidopsis-Green Peach Aphid interaction: rearing the insect, no-choice and fecundity assays, and electrical penetration graph technique to study insect feeding behavior. Bio-protocol, 8(15): e2950.
  4. Basu S, Varsani S and Louis J (2018). Altering plant defenses: Herbivore-associated molecular patterns and effector arsenal of chewing herbivores. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 31(1): 13-21.
  5. Mondal HA, Louis J, Archer L, Patel M, Nalam VJ, Sarowar S, Sivapalan V, Root DD and Shah J (2018). Arabidopsis ACTIN-DEPOLYMERIZING FACTOR3 is required for controlling aphid feeding from the phloem. Plant Physiology, 176: 879-890.
  6. Koch KG, Donze-Reiner T, Baird LM, Louis J, Amundsen K, Sarath G, Bradshaw JD, Heng-Moss T (2018). Evaluation of greenbug and yellow sugarcane aphid feeding behavior on resistant and susceptible switchgrass cultivars. BioEnergy Research, 8: 165-174.
  7. Nalam VJ, Louis J and Shah J (2018). Plant defense against aphids, the pest extraordinaire. Plant Science, DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.04.027
  8. Koch K, Chapman K, Louis J, Heng-Moss T and Sarath, G (2016). Plant tolerance: A unique approach to control hemipteran pests. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7:1363.
  9. Ray S, Basu S, Rivera-Vega L, Acevedo FE, Louis J, Felton GW and Luthe DS (2016). Lessons from the far end: caterpillar frass-induced defenses in maize, rice, cabbage and tomato. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 42:1130-1141.
  10. Varsani S, Basu S, Williams WP, Felton GW, Luthe DS and Louis J (2016). Intraplant communication in maize contributes to defense against insects. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 11, e1212800
  11. Louis J, Basu S, Varsani S, Castano-Duque L, Jiang V, Williams WP, Felton GW and Luthe DS. (2015). Ethylene contributes to maize insect resistance1-mediated maize defense against the phloem-sap sucking corn leaf aphid. Plant Physiology, 169: 313-324.
  12. Louis J and Shah J (2015). Plant defence against aphids: the PAD4 signalling nexus. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66 (2): 449-454.
  13. Louis J, Luthe DS and Felton GW (2013). Salivary signals of European corn borer induce indirect defenses in tomato. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 8, e27318.
  14. Louis J, Peiffer M, Ray S, Luthe DS and Felton GW (2013). Host-specific salivary elicitor(s) of European Corn Borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) induce defenses in tomato and maize. New Phytologist, 199: 63-73.
  15. Louis J and Shah J (2013). Arabidopsis thaliana - Myzus persicae interaction: shaping the understanding of plant defense against phloem-feeding aphids. Frontiers in Plant Science, 4: 213.
  16. Cao T, Lahiri I, Singh V, Louis J, Shah J and Ayre BG (2013). Metabolic engineering of raffinose-family oligosaccharides in the phloem reveals alterations in carbon partitioning and enhances resistance to green peach aphid. Frontiers in Plant Science, 4: 263.
  17. Louis J, Gobbato E, Mondal HA, Feys BJ, Parker JE and Shah J (2012). Discrimination of Arabidopsis PAD4 activities in defense against green peach aphid and pathogens. Plant Physiology, 158: 1860-1872. (Cover article April 2012).
  18. Louis J, Mondal HA and Shah J (2012). Green peach aphid infestation induces Arabidopsis PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 expression at site of stylet penetration. Plant Signaling & Behavior, 7: 11, 1431-1433.
  19. Singh V, Louis J, Ayre B, Reese JC and Shah J (2011). TREHALOSE PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE11-dependent trehalose metabolism promotes Arabidopsis thaliana defense against the phloem-feeding insect, Myzus persicae. The Plant Journal, 67 (1): 94-104.
  20. Zhu L, Reese JC, Louis J, Campbell L and Chen MS (2011). Electrical penetration graph (EPG) analysis of the feeding behavior of soybean aphids on soybean cultivars with antibiosis. Journal of Economic Entomology, 104 (6): 2068-2072.
  21. Louis J, Kukula K-L, Singh V, Reese JC, Jander G and Shah J (2010). Antibiosis against the green peach aphid requires the Arabidopsis thaliana MYZUS PERSICAE INDUCED LIPASE1 gene. The Plant Journal, 64 (5): 800-811.
  22. Pallipparambil GR, Reese JC, Avila CA, Louis J and Goggin FL (2010). Mi-mediated aphid resistance in tomato: tissue localization and impact on the feeding behavior of two potato aphid isolates with differing levels of virulence. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 135: 295-307.
  23. Louis J, Leung Q, Pegadaraju V, Reese JC and Shah J (2010). PAD4-dependent antibiosis contributes to the ssi2-conferred hyper-resistance to the green peach aphid. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 23 (5): 618-627.
  24. Mutti NS, Louis J, Pappan LK, Pappan K, Begum K, Chen MS, Park Y, Dittmer N, Marshall J, Reese JC and Reeck GR (2008). A protein from the salivary glands of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, is essential in feeding on a host plant. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 105 (29): 9965-9969.
  25. Pegadaraju V, Louis J, Singh V, Reese JC, Bautor J, Feys BJ, Cook G, Parker JE and Shah J (2007). Phloem-based resistance to green peach aphid is controlled by Arabidopsis PHYTOALEXIN DEFICIENT4 without its signaling partner ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY1. The Plant Journal, 52 (2): 332-341.
  26. Diaz-Montano J, Reese JC, Louis J, Campbell L and Schapaugh WT (2007). Feeding behavior by the soybean aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on resistant and susceptible soybean genotypes. Journal of Economic Entomology, 100 (3): 984-989.
  27. Voothuluru P, Meng J, Khajuria C, Louis J, Zhu L, Starkey S, Wilde GE, Baker CA and Smith CM (2006). Categories and inheritance of resistance to Russian wheat aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) biotype 2 in a selection from wheat cereal introduction 2401. Journal of Economic Entomology, 99 (5): 1854-1861.
Book Chapters
  1. Felton GW, Chung SC, Estrada-Hernandez MG, Louis J, Peiffer M and Tian D (2014). Herbivore oral secretions are the first line of protection against plant induced defenses. Annual Plant Reviews, 47: 37-76.
  2. Louis J, Singh V and Shah J (2012). Arabidopsis thaliana aphid interaction. The Arabidopsis Book, 10: e0159. (Invited book chapter).
  3. Parker JE, Rietz S, Wirthmiler L, Bartsch M, Bautor J, Pegadaraju V, Louis J, Singh V, Reese J and Shah J (2008). Processes in plant resistance to invasive pathogens and probing insects. In "Biology of Plant-Microbe Interactions", Vol 6. M. Lorito, S. L. Woo, and F. Scala, eds. IS- MPMI, St Paul, MN.
Selected Honors and Awards
  • Harold and Esther Edgerton Junior Faculty Award, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2016
  • Eric E. Conn Young Investigator Award, American Society of Plant Biologists, 2015
  • International Congress on Insect Neurochemistry and Neurophysiology (ICINN) Student Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry, Toxicology, and Molecular Biology, Entomological Foundation, 2011.
  • Graduate Student Recognition Award for Academic Excellence and Performance, Toulouse Graduate School, University of North Texas, 2011.
  • John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award, Entomological Society of America, 2010.
  • Love of Learning Award, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, 2010.
  • American Society of Plant Biologists Travel Grant, 2010.
  • Lillian & Alex Feir Graduate Student Travel Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry or Molecular Biology, Entomological Foundation, 2009.
  • Gamma Sigma Delta Outstanding Graduate Student Research Award (MS), Kansas State University, 2007.