Dr. Kirk Czymmek

Associate Professor

Contact

Czymmek

Office: 117B DBI

Mailing address:
Department of Biological Sciences
Wolf Hall
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716

Phone: (302) 831-3450
Fax: (302) 831-2281
E-mail: kirk@udel.edu

Go to top of page

Education

B.S.: State University of New York - Oswego
Ph.D.: Michigan State University
Postdoctoral: Central Research and Development - Plant Molecular Genetics, DuPont Company

Go to top of page

Research Interests

My lab is interested in using contemporary molecular cytology, preparation and imaging technologies to understand aspects of fungal cell biology, namely fungal-plant pathogenic interactions and mechanisms of fungal hyphal tip growth. Our model systems include the rice pathogen Magnaporthe grisea, which is the causal agent of rice blast disease and is of worldwide economic importance, and Phytophthora phaseoli, which is the causal agent of downy mildew in lima bean a very important processing crop in the Delmarva Peninsula. Currently, my lab, in collaboration with DuPont Ag Biotech, is utilizing spectral variants of green fluorescent protein (GFP) tagged fungal hyphae and four-dimensional imaging techniques to visualize entire host-pathogen encounter sites in planta, over time. In addition, my lab is involved with in vivo time-course imaging of the effect of fungicides on specific fungal structures and organelles with specific fusion proteins.

Go to top of page

Research Group

• Elizabeth Adams, Ph.D. - Associate Scientist (Ph.D., University of East Anglia, United Kingdom).
• Shannon Modla, M.S. - Research Associate I (M.S., University of North Carolina Wilmington). Interested in the ultrastructure of the blue crab exoskeleton and its role in the calcification of crustacean cuticle. Recent interests have been in developing new techniques and applications for correlating biological structures by confocal and electron microscopy.
• Deborah Powell, B.S., MT(ASCP) - Research Associate II (B.S., University of Delaware).
• David Scheiblin, B.A. - Confocal Teaching Assistant (B.A., University of Delaware).
• Kalyani Telu, B.S. - Graduate Student (B.S., Acharya N.G. Ranga Agricultural University, India). Investigating differential mRNA localization of fusarium hyphal tips in order to understand differences in gene expression at the very apex from the nuclear zone of Fusarium oxysporum pathogen.

Selected Publications

Anobile, J.M., Arumugaswami, V., Downs, D., Czymmek, K., Parcells, M., and C.J. Schmidt. 2006. Nuclear Localization and Dynamic Properties of the Marek's Disease Virus Oncogene Products Meq and Meq/vIL8. J. Virology 80: (3) 1160-1166.

Liu, Y., Schiff, M., Czymmek, K., Talloczy, Z., Levine, B., and S.P. Dinesh-Kumar. 2005. Autophagy regulates programmed cell death during the plant innate immune response. Cell 121: 567-577.

Czymmek, K.J., Bourett, T.M., Shao, Y., DeZwaan, T.M., Sweigard, J.A., and R.J. Howard. 2005. Live-cell imaging of tubulin in the filamentous fungus Magnaporthe grisea treated with anti-microtubule and anti-microfilament agents. Protoplasma 225: 23-32.

Czymmek, K.J. 2005. Exploring fungal activity with confocal and multiphoton microscopy. In: The Fungal Community, J. Dighton and D.T. Wicklow, ed., New York, Marcel Dekker.

Czymmek, K.J., Bourett, T.M., and R.J. Howard. 2004. Fluorescent Protein Probes in Fungi. In: Microbiol Imaging (T. Savidge and C. Pothulakis, Eds.). Methods in Microbiology, Vol. 34., Elsevier (London), pp. 27-62.

Howard, R.J., Bourett, T.M., and K.J. Czymmek. 2004. Essential microscopy-based technology for studies of fungal pathogen-plant host interactions. Microscopy & Microanalysis. 10 (Suppl. 2): 218-219.

Fuchs, U., Czymmek, K.J., and J.A. Sweigard. 2004. Five hydrophobin genes in Fusarium verticilliodes include two required for microconidial chain formation. Fungal Gen. and Biol. 41: 852-864.

Haynes, J.G., Czymmek, K.J., Carlson, C.A., Veereshlingam, H., Dickstein, R., and D.J. Sherrier. 2004. Rapid analysis of legume root nodule development using confocal microscopy. New Phytol. 163: 661-668.

Biehn, S.E., Czymmek, K.J., Leavens, K.L., and N.J. Karin. 2004. Expression of the Sarco/Endoplasmic Ca2+-ATPase, SERCA1a, in Fibroblasts Induces the Formation of Organelle Membrane Arrays. Exper. Cell Res. 292: (1) 78-88.

Zhang, C., Czymmek, K.J., and A. Shapiro. 2003. Nitric oxide does not trigger early programmed cell death events but may contribute to cell-to-cell signaling governing progression of the Arabidopsis hypersensitive response. Molec. Plant Microbe Interact. 16: (11) 962-972.

Bourett, T.M., Sweigard, J.A., Czymmek, K.J., Carroll, A., and R.J. Howard. 2002. Reef coral fluorescent proteins for visualizing fungal pathogens. Fungal Gen. and Biol. 37: (3) 211-220.

Czymmek, K.J., Bourett, T.M., Dezwaan, T.M., Sweigard. J.A., and R.J. Howard. 2002. Utility of cytoplasmic fluorescent proteins for live-cell imaging of Magnaporthe grisea in planta. Mycologia 94: (2) 280-289.

O'Donnell, L.A., Clemmer, J.A., Czymmek, K., and C.J. Schmidt. 2002. Marek's disease virus VP22: Subcellular localization and characterization of carboxyl terminal deletion mutations. Virology 292: (2) 235-240.

French, M.M., Gomes, R.R., Timpl, R., Hook, M., Czymmek, K.J., Farach-Carson, M.C., and D.D. Carson. 2002. Chondrogenic Activity of the Heparin Sulfate Proteoglycan, Perlecan, Maps to the N-terminal Domain I. J. Bone Min. Res. 17: (1) 48-55.

Kirn-Safran C.B., Julian J., Fongemie J.E., Hoke D.E., Czymmek K.J.C., and D.D. Carson. 2002. Changes in the cytologic distribution of heparin/heparan sulfate interacting protein/ribosomal protein L29 (HIP/RPL29) during in vivo and in vitro mouse mammary epithelial cell expression and differentiation. Devlopmental Dynamics 223: (1) 70-84.

Reed, N.A., Oh, D.J., Czymmek, K., and M.K. Duncan. 2001. An immunohistochemical method for the detection of proteins in the vertebrate lens. J. Immunol. Methods. 253: 243-252.

Czymmek, K., Wagner, R.C., Hossler, F.E., and R. Kao. 2000. Imaging and volumetric quantitation of vascular corrosion casts with laser scanning confocal microscopy. Proceedings of the 58th Annual Meeting of the Electron Microscopy Society of America, Philadelphia, PA. August 2000. (ed.) G. W. Bailey, San Francisco Press, Inc., San Francisco.

Bourett, T.M., Czymmek, K.J. and R.J. Howard. 1999. Ultrastructure of chloroplast protuberances in rice leaves preserved by high-pressure freezing. Planta 208: 472-479.

Bourett, T.M., Czymmek, K.J. and R.J. Howard. 1998. An improved method for affinity probe localization in whole cells of filamentous fungi. Fungal Gen. and Biol. Invited Article. Cover Photo. 24: 3-13.

Czymmek, K.J., Bourett, T.M., and R.J. Howard. 1996. Fluorescence immunolocalization of tubulin and actin in sectioned fungal hyphae after freeze-substitution and methacrylate de-embedment. J. Microsc. 181: 153-161.

Czymmek, K.J., Whallon, J.H. and K.L. Klomparens. 1994. Confocal microscopy in mycological research. Review Article Exp. Mycol. 18: 275-293.

Czymmek, K.J. and K.L. Klomparens. 1992. The ultrastructure of ascosporogenesis in freeze-substituted Thelebolus crustaceus: enveloping membrane system and ascospore initial development. Can. J. Bot. 70: 1669-1683.

Go to top of page