Robert E Pruitt

Botany and Plant Pathology

Professor

Phone

765.496.6794

Fax

765.494.5896

Office

Lilly Hall Room B476

Department of Food Sciences

Courtesy Professor of Food Sciences

Email

pruittr@purdue.edu

Dr. Bob Pruitt’s research is presently focused on two areas that use basic science techniques to address applied problems. The first involves studying the nature of bacterial interactions with plants, with a particular focus on human pathogens that contaminate fresh produce. The goals of this research are to understand how pathogenic bacteria are introduced into the plant system and what bacterial, plant and environmental factors allow them to survive and proliferate. Experiments utilize techniques ranging from traditional microbiology and genetics to modern sequencing methods to examine the microbial communities associated with commercial produce. The second area is to try and develop a modern plant molecular genetic/genomic system to apply to the study of weed science. Availability of a genome sequence together with a comprehensive set of molecular markers would greatly simplify the study of the natural and selected variation in weed traits that affect weed life history as well as those that impact agriculture.

Patents

Pruitt, R. E. A novel method for site-directed modification of endogenous target genes.

Selected Publications

Deering, A., Pruitt, R., Mauer, L., & Reuhs, B. (2012). Examination of the Internalization of Salmonella serovar Typhimurium in Peanut, Arachis hypogaea, using Immunocytochemical Techniques. Food Research International, 45, 1037-1043. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996911000846

Deering, A., Mauer, L., & Pruitt, R. (2012). Internalization of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella spp. in plants: A review. Food Research International, 45, 567-575. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0963996911000846

Deering, A., Mauer, L., & Reuhs, B. (2011). Identification of the Cellular Location of Internalized Escherichia coli O157:H7 in Mung Bean, Vigna radiata, by Immunocytochemical Techniques. Journal of Food Protection, 74(8), 1224-1230.

Deering, A., Nail, S., Wee, B., & Pruitt, R. (2008). Addressing photosynthesis using a plant physiology experiment at the middle school: Perspectives from a visiting scientist. The Hoosier Science Teacher, 34.

Lolle, S., Victor, J., Young, J., & Pruitt, R. (2005). Genome-wide non-Mendelian inheritance of extra-genomic information in Arabidopsis. Nature.

Pruitt, R. (2005). Novel patterns of inheritance in hothead mutants of Arabidopsis.

Pruitt, R. (2005). Role of the extracellular matrix in regulating epidermal cell interactions.

Pruitt, R. (2004). A novel mode of inheritance in plants.

Pruitt, R. (2004). Molecular Genetics of the FDH/FAE1 Gene Family of Arabidopsis.

Lolle, S., Victor, J., & Pruitt, R. (2004). Mutations in HOTHEAD Reveal Epigenetic Inheritance of DNA Sequence Information in Arabidopsis.