Nevin D. Young

Research Interests

Biological research has been transformed by the new science of genomics. Genomics is a powerful set of tools for understanding the structure and function of every single gene and protein. Using genomics, scientists dissect the interrelationships among genetic networks and explore the molecular basis of biological process.

My colleagues and I use genomics to understand the genetic organization of legumes, the plant family that includes crops like soybean, pea, and alfalfa. A key starting point toward our goal is sequencing the complete genome of a simple model legume known as Medicago truncatula. With this information, we are working to understand the molecular evolution that has taken place over millions of years and resulted in the modern crops.

Of special interest to us are the genes responsible for defending against disease pathogens. These so-called disease resistance genes are an especially interesting and important gene family in plants. Understanding the molecular evolution and genomic organization of plant resistance genes is essential for sustainable use of genetic resistance in agriculture.

Selected Publications

Ameline-Torregrosa, C., Wang, B.B., Denny, R.L., O’Bleness, M., Despande, S., Zhu, H., Roe, B., Young, N.D., Cannon, S.B. (2008) Identification and characterization of NBS-LRR encoded genes in the model plant Medicago truncatula. Plant Physiology 146: 5-21.

Cannon, S.B., Sterck, L., Rombauts, S., Sato, S., Cheung, F. Gouzy, J.P., Wang, X., Mudge, J., Vasdewani, J., Schiex, T., Spannagl, M., Monaghan, E., Nicholson, C., Humphray, S.J., Schoof, H., Mayer, K.F.X., Rogers, J., Quétier, F., Oldroyd, G.E., Debellé, F., Cook, D.R., Roe, B.A., Town, C.D. Tabata, S., Van de Peer, Y., Young, N.D. (2006) Legume evolution viewed through the Medicago truncatula and Lotus japonicus genomes. Proceedings National Academy Sciences USA, 103:14959-14964.

Innes R.W., Ameline-Torregrosa C., Ashfield T., Cannon E., Cannon S.B., Chacko B., Chen N.W., Couloux A., Dalwani A., Denny R., Deshpande S., Egan A.N., Glover N., Hans C.S., Howell S., Ilut D., Jackson S., Lai H., Mammadov J., Campo S.M., Metcalf M., Nguyen A., O'Bleness M., Pfeil B.E., Podicheti R., Ratnaparkhe M.B., Samain S., Sanders I., Segurens B., Sevignac M., Sherman-Broyles S., Thareau V., Tucker D.M., Walling J., Wawrzynski A., Yi J., Doyle J.J., Geffroy V., Roe B.A., Maroof M.A., Young N.D. (2008) Differential accumulation of retroelements and diversification of NB-LRR disease resistance genes in duplicated regions following polyploidy in the ancestor of soybean. Plant Physiology 148:1740-1759.

Branca A., Paape T., Zhou P., Briskine R., Farmer A.D., Mudge J., Bharti A.K., Woodward J.E., May G.D., Gentzbittel L., Ben C., Denny R., Sadowsky, M.J., Ronfort J., Bataillon T., Young N.D., Tiffin P. (2011) Whole-genome nucleotide diversity, recombination, and linkage-disequilibrium in the model legume Medicago truncatula. Proceedings National Acadeny Sciences USA, doi:10.1073/pnas.1104032108

Young, N.D. and Udvardi, M. (2009) Translating Medicago truncatula genomics to crop legumes. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 12:193-201.