Judith P. Sinn

Judith P. Sinn

  • Assistant Research Professor
320 Buckhout Lab (office)
307 Buckhout Lab (lab)

University Park, PA 16802

Areas of Expertise

  • Molecular biology
  • Plant bacteriology
  • Development of novel controls for citrus greening and fire blight
  • Genetics of virulence and auxotrophy in Erwinia amylovora

Education

  • B.S., Environmental Resource Management, Penn State
  • M.S., Plant Pathology, Penn State

Program Interests

As Senior Research Assistant in Dr. Tim McNellis' lab, my research focuses on host and pathogen genes and proteins involved in bacterial disease processes. We employ molecular and genetic tools to elucidate mechanisms contributing to host susceptibility and pathogen virulence.  Current work includes mutational studies with Erwinia amylovoraPantoea ananatis, and Xanthomonas campestris pv pelargoniia, causal agents of fire blight of pome fruits, center rot of onion, and bacterial blight of geranium, respectively, and a project involving citrus greening disease (huánglóngbìng), caused by Candidatus Liberibacter.

Publications

Assessment of Grapefruit Expressing Anti-NodT Antibody for Huanglongbing Resistance
PhytoFrontiers, Vosburg, Chad, Sinn, Judith, Orbovic, Vladimir, Ferrarezi, Rhuanito, Macias, J. Martin, Taylor, Earl, Hilf, Mark, McCollum, Greg, Gottwald, Tim, Stover, Ed, McNellis, T, 2024

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase is required for fire blight disease establishment in apple fruitlets
Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology, Schultes, Neil P., Sinn, Judith P., McNellis, Timothy W., 2023

Putative transcription antiterminator RfaH contributes to Erwinia amylovora virulence
Molecular Plant Pathology, Klee, Sara, Sinn, Judith P., Held, Jeremy, Vosburg, Chad, Vosburg, J, Holmes, Aleah, Lehman, Brian, Peter, K, McNellis, Timothy, 2022

Virulence genetics of an erwinia amylovora putative polysaccharide transporter family member
Journal of Bacteriology, Klee, Sara, Sinn, Judith P., Christian, Elena, Holmes, Aleah, Zhao, Kaixi, Lehman, Brian, Peter, Kari A., Rosa, Cristina, McNellis, Timothy, 2020

Flowering Locus T chimeric protein induces floral precocity in edible citrus
Plant Biotechnology Journal, Sinn, Judith P., Held, Jeremy B., Vosburg, Chad, Klee, Sara M., Orbovic, Vladimir, Taylor, Earl L., Gottwald, Tim R., Stover, Ed, Moore, Gloria A., McNellis, Timothy W., 2020

Extragenic suppression of elongation factor P gene mutant phenotypes in erwinia amylovora
Journal of Bacteriology, Klee, Sara, Sinn, Judith P., Holmes, Aleah, Lehman, Brian, Krawczyk, Teresa, Kraczyk, Teresa, Peter, Kari A., McNellis, Timothy W., 2019

The apple fruitlet model system for fire blight disease, Klee, Sara, Sinn, Judith, McNellis, Timothy, 2019

Erwinia amylovora auxotrophic mutant exometabolomics and virulence on apples
Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Klee, Sara, Sara, Klee, Sinn, Judith, Finley, Melissa, Allman, Erik, Smith, Philip B., Aimufua, Osaretin, Sitther, Viji, Lehman, Brian, Kraczyk, Teresa, Krawczyk, Teresa, Peter, Kari A., McNellis, Timothy, 2019

An Erwinia amylovora yjeK mutant exhibits reduced virulence, increased chemical sensitivity and numerous environmentally dependent proteomic alterations
Molecular Plant Pathology, Klee, Sara M., Mostafa, Islam, Chen, Sixue, Dufresne, Craig, Lehman, brian L., Sinn, Judith P., Peter, Kari A., McNellis, Timothy W., 2018

New Insights into Elongation Factor P and Erwinia Amylovora Virulence., Klee, Sara, Mostafa, Islam, Sinn, Judith, Chen, Sixue, McNellis, Timothy, 2018

A role for Erwinia amylovora elongation factor P in fire blight disease development
Phytopathology, Klee, Sara, Mostafa, Islam, Chen, Sixue, Dufresne, Craig, Lehman, Brian, Sinn, Judith, Peter, K, McNellis, T, 2017

Identification and characterization of virulence genes in Erwinia amylovora, Christian, Elena, Klee, Sara, Sinn, Judith, McNellis, T, 2017

Phenotypic effects of anti-Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus antibody expression in grapefruit.
Phytopathology, McNellis, T, Sinn, Judith, Gottwald, T, Orbovic, V, 2016

A thief in the blight: what can Erwinia amylovora bacteria steal from their host?
Phytopathology, Ramos, Laura, Sinn, Judy, Pfefufer, Emily, Peter, Kari, McNellis, T, 2015

Expression of a single-chain antibody recognizing an extracellular loop of the Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus NodT protein in Citrus x paradisi, McNellis, T, Sinn, Judith, Orobovic, V., Gottwald, T., 2015

Erwinia amylovora pyrC mutant causes fire blight despite pyrimidine auxotrophy
Letters in Applied Microbiology, Ramos, L. S., Sinn, J. P., Lehman, B. L., Pfeufer, E. E., Peter, K. A., McNellis, T. W., 2015