Teresa Pawlowska

My current work is focused on evolution and ecology of symbiotic associations formed by fungi with bacteria. My research group is unraveling the principles governing formation and evolutionary stability of fungal-bacterial mutualisms as well as fungal defense mechanisms deployed in interactions with antagonistic bacteria. Research topics include:

• the role of endosymbiotic bacteria in ecological community assembly and evolutionary diversification of early divergent Mucoromycota fungi,
• the impact of endosymbiotic bacteria on phenotypic diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomeromycotina),
• the mechanisms of innate immunity in Mucoromycotina molds.

Outreach and Extension Focus

I direct the NSF-funded REU summer program “Microbial Friends & Foes” aimed at increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in science.

Selected Journal Publications

• Lastovetsky O.A., L.D. Krasnovsky, X. Qin, M.L. Gaspar, A.P. Gryganskyi, M. Huntemann, A. Clum, M. Pillay, K. Palaniappan, N. Varghese, N. Mikhailova, D. Stamatis, T.B.K. Reddy, C. Daum, N. Shapiro, N. Ivanova, N. Kyrpides, T. Woyke, T.E. Pawlowska. 2020. Molecular dialogues between early divergent fungi and bacteria in an antagonism versus a mutualism. mBio 11: e02088-02020, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio.02088-20, Abstract, Nat Rev Microbiol: In Brief.
• Pawlowska, T. E., Gaspar, M. L., Lastovetsky, O. A., Mondo, S. J., Real-Ramirez, I., & Bonfante, P. (2018). Biology of fungi and their bacterial endosymbionts. Annual Review of Phytopathology. 56:289-309.
• Lastovetsky, O. A., Ahn, E., Mondo, S. J., Toomer, K. H., Johnson, L. M., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2018). Distribution and population structure of endobacteria in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at North Atlantic dunes. The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology. 12:3001–3013.
• Naito, M., Desirò, A., Gonzalez, . B., Tao, G., Morton, . B., Bonfante, P., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2017). 'Candidatus Moeniiplasma glomeromycotorum', an endobacterium of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 67:1177–1184.
• Mondo, S. J., Lastovetsky, O. A., Gaspar, M., Schwardt, N. H., Barber, C. C., Riley, R., Sun, H., Grigoriev, I. V., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2017). Bacterial endosymbionts influence host sexuality and reveal reproductive genes of early divergent fungi. Nature Communications. 8:9.
• Naito, M., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2016). Defying Muller’s Ratchet: Ancient heritable endobacteria escape extinction through retention of recombination and genome plasticity. mBio. 7:e02057-15.
• Lastovetsky, O. A., Gaspar, M., Mondo, S. J., LaButti, K. M., Sandor, L., Grigoriev, I. ., Henry, S. A., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2016). Lipid metabolic changes in an early divergent fungus govern the establishment of a mutualistic symbiosis with endobacteria. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 113:15102-15107.
• Mondo, S. J., Salvioli, A., Bonfante, P., Morton, J. B., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2016). Nondegenerative evolution in ancient heritable bacterial endosymbionts of fungi. MBE: Molecular Biology and Evolution. 10.1093/molbev/msw086.
• Naito, M., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2016). The role of mobile genetic elements in evolutionary longevity of heritable endobacteria. Mobile Genetic Elements. 6:e1136375.
• Naito, M., Joseph, M. B., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2015). Minimal genomes of mycoplasma-related endobacteria are plastic and contain host-derived genes for sustained life within Glomeromycota. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 10.1073/pnas.1501676112.
• Toomer, K. H., Chen, X., Naito, M., Mondo, S. J., den Bakker, H. C., VanKuren, N. W., Lekberg, Y., Morton, J. B., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2015). Molecular evolution patterns reveal life history features of mycoplasma-related endobacteria associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Molecular Ecology. 10.1111/mec.13250.
• Lastovetsky , O. A., Krasnovsky, L. D., Qin, X., Gaspar, M. L., Gryganskyi, A. P., Huntemann, M., Clum, A., Pillay, M., Palaniappan, K., Varghese, N., Mikhailova, N., Stamatis, D., Reddy, T., Daum, C., Shapiro, N., Ivanova, N., Kyrpides, N., Woyke, T., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2020). Molecular dialogues between early divergent fungi and bacteria in an antagonism versus a mutualism. mBio. 11:e02088-20.
• Carter , M. E., Carpenter, S. C., Dubrow, Z. E., Sabol, M. R., Rinaldi, F. C., Lastovetsky, O. A., Mondo, S. J., Pawlowska, T. E., & Bogdanove, A. (2020). A TAL effector-like protein of an endofungal bacterium increases the stress tolerance and alters the transcriptome of the host. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 117:17122–17129.
• Espino-Vázquez, A. N., Bermúdez-Barrientos, J. R., Cabrera-Rangel, J. F., Córdova-López, G., Cardoso-Martínez, F., Martínez-Vázquez, A., Camarena-Pozos, D. A., Mondo, S. J., Pawlowska, T. E., Abreu-Goodger, C., & Partida-Martínez, L. P. (2020). Narnaviruses: novel players in fungal–bacterial symbioses. The ISME Journal. 14:1743–1754.
• Arroyo, F. A., Pawlowska, T. E., Choat, J. H., Clements, K. D., & Angert, E. R. (2019). Recombination contributes to population diversification in the polyploid intestinal symbiont Epulopiscium sp. type B. The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology. 13:1084–1097.
• Pawlowska, T. E., Gaspar, M. L., Lastovetsky, O. A., Mondo, S. J., Real-Ramirez, I., & Bonfante, P. (2018). Biology of fungi and their bacterial endosymbionts. Annual Review of Phytopathology. 56:289-309.
• Lastovetsky, O. A., Ahn, E., Mondo, S. J., Toomer, K. H., Johnson, L. M., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2018). Distribution and population structure of endobacteria in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at North Atlantic dunes. The ISME Journal: Multidisciplinary Journal of Microbial Ecology. 12:3001–3013.
• Naito, M., Desirò, A., Gonzalez, . B., Tao, G., Morton, . B., Bonfante, P., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2017). 'Candidatus Moeniiplasma glomeromycotorum', an endobacterium of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 67:1177–1184.
• Mondo, S. J., Lastovetsky, O. A., Gaspar, M., Schwardt, N. H., Barber, C. C., Riley, R., Sun, H., Grigoriev, I. V., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2017). Bacterial endosymbionts influence host sexuality and reveal reproductive genes of early divergent fungi. Nature Communications. 8:9.
• Naito, M., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2016). Defying Muller’s Ratchet: Ancient heritable endobacteria escape extinction through retention of recombination and genome plasticity. mBio. 7:e02057-15.
• Lastovetsky, O. A., Gaspar, M., Mondo, S. J., LaButti, K. M., Sandor, L., Grigoriev, I. ., Henry, S. A., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2016). Lipid metabolic changes in an early divergent fungus govern the establishment of a mutualistic symbiosis with endobacteria. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 113:15102-15107.
• Mondo, S. J., Salvioli, A., Bonfante, P., Morton, J. B., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2016). Nondegenerative evolution in ancient heritable bacterial endosymbionts of fungi. MBE: Molecular Biology and Evolution. 10.1093/molbev/msw086.
• Naito, M., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2016). The role of mobile genetic elements in evolutionary longevity of heritable endobacteria. Mobile Genetic Elements. 6:e1136375.
• Naito, M., Joseph, M. B., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2015). Minimal genomes of mycoplasma-related endobacteria are plastic and contain host-derived genes for sustained life within Glomeromycota. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 10.1073/pnas.1501676112.
• Toomer, K. H., Chen, X., Naito, M., Mondo, S. J., den Bakker, H. C., VanKuren, N. W., Lekberg, Y., Morton, J. B., & Pawlowska, T. E. (2015). Molecular evolution patterns reveal life history features of mycoplasma-related endobacteria associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Molecular Ecology. 10.1111/mec.13250.

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Presentations and Activities

• Distribution and population structure of endobacteria in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at North Atlantic dunes. 11th International Mycological Congress. July 2018. Mycological Society of America (MSA), the International Mycological Association (IMA), the Latin American Mycological Association (ALM), the Puerto Rican Mycological Society (SPM), Universidad del Turabo and Meet Puerto Rico. San Juan, Puerto Rico.
• Distribution and population structure of endobacteria in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi at North Atlantic dunes. 22nd Congress of the International Organization for Mycoplasmology. July 2018. International Organization for Mycoplasmology. Portsmouth, NH.
• Evolution in the microbiomes of fungi. Department of Microbiology. May 2018. China Agricultural University. Beijing, China.