Professor of Plant Pathology
gary_payne@ncsu.edu
Department of Plant Pathology,
223 Partners III, Box 7567
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, NC 27695-7567
Phone: 919.515.6994
Lab: 919.515.6995
Fax: 919.513.0024

Research

Genomic approaches and field studies are being used in my program to improve food safety and to understand fungal biology and secondary metabolism. Gene expression profiling is being used to characterize the regulatory circuits in Aspergillus flavus governing aflatoxin biosynthesis and to elucidate the molecular response in maize kernels to Aspergilus flavus infection.. Field and laboratory studies are focused on understanding the ecology of Aspergillus flavus and Fusarium verticillioides and the inheritance of resistance to the fungi. Maize seed proteins inhibitory to mycotoxin-producing fungi are being isolated and characterized to better understand resistance mechanisms in seeds.