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Kay Scheets
Oklahoma State University
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Botany
Address: 104 Life Sciences East, OSU, Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-5348 Fax: 405-744-7074
Email: kay.scheets@okstate.edu
URL: http://botany.okstate.edu/faculty/Scheets/Scheets.html
Ph.D., Biochemistry, 1986, Kansas State University Lab Photo
Postdoctoral: Plant Molecular Biology, 1986-87, Kansas State University
Molecular Plant Virology, 1987-90, Oklahoma State University
Research Emphasis: Molecular virology of cereal-infecting viruses and seed specific expression in cereal crops
Related Activities: American Phytopathological Society, American Society for Virology
 
Research Description:

My research focuses on how viruses infect, replicate, and move within monocots. We have studied Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) interactions with Maize chlorotic mottle virus (MCMV), but most recent work involves MCMV and Maize necrotic streak virus (MNeSV), which are both members of the family Tombusviridae. Our laboratory uses reverse genetics to introduce mutations into the cDNA clones of these viruses which can be used to synthesize infectious RNA in vitro. The effects of these mutations on replication in protoplasts, and on the ability of the virus to infect and move throughout the plant can then be assessed. Both cis- and trans-acting factors can be studied using this system. These clones are also being used to determine the methods of viral gene expression and regulation. We are also interested in constructing viral vector(s) for expression of foreign genes in monocots, or for virus-induced gene silencing in monocots.

Another research interest involves the tissue-specific expression of foreign genes in wheat seeds using a storage protein (gliadin) promoter as a method of producing value-added wheat. This is a collaboration between Arron Guenzi in Plant and Soil Sciences, and Patricia Rayas-Duarte in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
 
Recent Publications:

Scheets K (2007) Machlomovirus (Tombusviridae). In: Mahy, B. and van Regenmortel, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Virology, 3rd ed. Elsevier, London. In press.

Scheets K, Redinbaugh MG (2006) Infectious cDNA transcripts of Maize necrotic streak virus: infectivity and translational characteristics. Virology 350:171-183

Wren JD, Roossinck MJ, Nelson RS, Scheets K, Palmer MW, Melcher U (2006) Plant virus biodiversity and ecology. PLoS Biol. 4(3):e80

Della Vedova CB, Lorbiecke R, Kirsch H, Schulte MB, Scheets K, Borchert LM, Scheffler BE, Weinand U, Cone KC, Birchler JA (2005) The dominant inhibitory chalcone synthase allele C2-Idf (Inhibitor diffuse) from Zea mays (L.) acts via an endogenous RNA silencing mechanism. Genetics 170:1989-2002

Guenzi AC, Scheets K, Green JL, Fellers JP (2004) Development and characterization of a nonmorphogenic cell line of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Plant Cell Tissue Organ Cult. 78:21-28

Scheets K (2004) Machlomovirus genus. pp. 410-411 In: Lapierre, H. and Signoret, P. (eds) Viruses and Virus Diseases of Poaceae (Gramineae)

Scheets K (2004) Maize chlorotic mottle virus. pp. 642-644 In: Lapierre, H. and Signoret, P. (eds) Viruses and Virus Diseases of Poaceae (Gramineae)

Scheets K (2004) Corn lethal necrosis. pp. 622-623 In: Lapierre, H. and Signoret, P. (eds) Virus Diseases of Poaceae (Gramineae)

 
Selected Additional Publications:

Scheets K (2002) Machlomovirus (Tombusviridae). In CA Tidona, G Daria, eds, The Springer Index of Viruses. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York Tokyo.

Scheets K (2000) Maize chlorotic mottle machlomovirus expresses its coat protein from a 1.47-kb subgenomic RNA and makes a 0.34-kb subgenomic RNA. Virology 267:90-101.

Scheets K (1998) Maize chlorotic mottle machlomovirus and Wheat streak mosaic rymovirus concentrations increase in the synergistic disease corn lethal necrosis. Virology 242:28-38.

Scheets K, Khosravi-Far R, Nutter RC (1993) Transcripts of a Maize chlorotic mottle virus cDNA clone replicate in maize protoplasts and infect maize plants. Virology 193:1006-1009. Scheets K, Hedgcoth C (1988) Nucleotide sequence of a gamma-gliadin gene: Comparisons with other gamma-gliadin sequences show the structure of gamma-gliadin genes and the general primary structure of gamma-gliadins. Plant Sci 57:141-150.