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Phone: (612) 625-5700
Fax: (612) 624-6777
Email: wiggins@umn.edu

University of Minnesota
Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior
100 Ecology Building
1987 Upper Buford Circle
St. Paul, MN 55108

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Alma E. Rodriguez Estrada

Postdoctoral Associate

Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University, 2008

Contact Information

Phone: 612-624-6794
E-mail: rodri342@umn.edu

Research Interests

Statement

Endophytes are by definition organisms that internally colonize living tissues of plants without causing immediate negative effects. Most plants on earth are colonized by endophytes and consequently, it is predicted that the diversity of these organisms (bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeast) is substantial and so is the variety of chemical compounds that they produce (antibiotics, antioxidants, pigments, enzymes, phenolic compounds, organic alcohols, etc.). Secondary metabolites produced by endophytic fungi posse a wide range of biological activities and therefore, they are the focus of numerous researches aiming for the screening and discovery of natural products.

The origin, evolution, diversity and ecology of endophytic fungi in grasses have been studied in depth. But few studies have been devoted to endophytic fungi in other plant systems. I work with Dr. Georgiana May whose research interests are the evolutionary interactions between Zea maize (corn) and Ustilago maydis (pathogenic fungus), among others. Our current project focuses on a comprehensive understanding of the evolution and ecology of the interacting fungi U. maydis (corn smut) and endophytic isolates of Fusarium verticillioides and F. gramminearum. In vitro and in vivo approaches are undertaken in order to study the diversity of secondary metabolites produced during these complex interactions and their ecological roles. In collaboration with Dr. Kistler at the cereal disease laboratory (USDA), we are undertaking functional studies where gene expression and metabolic profiles are analyzed complimentarily.

Selected Publications

Rodriguez Estrada, A. E., Royse, D. J. and Jimenez-Gasco, M. M. 2009. Improvement of yield of Pleurotus eryngii var. eryngii by substrate supplementation and use of a casing overlay. Bioresource Technology 100:5270-5276

Rodriguez Estrada, A. E., Royse, D. J. and Jimenez-Gasco, M. M. 2008. Nucleotide sequence polymorphisms of the partial ß-tubulin gene in two varieties of Pleurotus eryngii. 17th Congress of the International Society for Mushroom Science. Cape Town, South Africa. Mushroom Science 17:83-96 (CD-ROM)

Rodriguez Estrada, A. E. and Royse, D. J. 2008. Pleurotus eryngii and P. nebrodensis: from the wild to the commercial production. Mushroom News. 56:4-11

Rodriguez Estrada, A. E. and Royse, D. J. 2007. Yield, size and bacterial blotch resistance of Pleurotus eryngii grown on cottonseed hulls/oak sawdust supplemented with manganese, copper and whole ground soybean. Bioresource Technology 98:1898-1906

Rodriguez Estrada, A. E. and Royse, D. J. 2005. Determination of Pseudomonas tolaasii threshold concentrations required to produce symptoms of bacteria blotch disease in Pleurotus eryngii. Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Mushroom Biology and Mushroom Products [Acta Edulis Supplement] 12:379-382

Mata, G. and Rodriguez Estrada, A. E. 2005. Studies on laccase and biomass production in vitro and culture of a Mexican wild strain of Agaricus bisporus (J.Lge) Imbach: a comparison with commercial strains. International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms 7:431-432

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