Michael P. Timko

Office Address: 280 Gilmer Hall
Lab: 434 982-5779

Education

Rutgers University, College of Agriculture,  B.S., with High Honors, 1975
Rutgers University,  Ph.D., 1980
Brandeis University, Postdoctoral Associate, 1980-1982
Rockefeller University, Postdoctoral Associate, 1982-1986

Research Interests

Our research is conducted at the cellular and organismal level using a wide range of  biochemical, molecular, and genomic approaches in the laboratory and  in silico (computational/ bioinformatic). Our interest can be divided into three main themes. The first focuses on understanding the molecular components and signaling pathways that govern the interaction of the parasitic angiosperms Striga and Alectra with their host species.  Through comparative functional genomics we are defining the host defense components and parasite virulence effectors underlying compatible and incompatible host-parasite association. These studies also include an examination of the evolution of parasitism in the Orobanchaceae as a way of determining what makes parasitism in angiosperms an attractive life-history option. A second area of research focuses on the phytohormonal and developmental regulation of secondary metabolism in plants, with a particular emphasis on nicotine and related alkaloids in tobacco. By targeted manipulation we are attempting to define a cause and effect relationship between the presence of specific plant alkaloid constituents and their derivatives in tobacco smoke, tobacco smoke condensates, or smokeless tobacco extracts and their effects on human cellular function leading to disease using differentiated bronchial and oral cell cultures as models. The final area of work in the lab centers on the development and use of herbal and probiotic-based therapeutics and nutraceuticals for the treatment of human disease.

For more information about research interests, visit my lab webpage.

Representative Publications

Canales Holzeis C, Gepts P, Koebner R, Mathur PN, Morgan S, Muñoz Amatriaín M, Parker TA, Southern EM, and Timko MP (2024) The Kirkhouse Trust: Successes and challenges in twenty years of supporting independent, contemporary grain legume breeding projects in India and African countries. Plants 13, 1818. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13131818: Special Issue "Food Security: Successes and Struggles of Impact-Focused Crop Improvement Projects".

Allen Z, Kernodle SP, Shi R, Liu H, Timko MP, Steede T, Dewey RE, and Lewis RS (2025) BBL enzymes exhibit enantiospecific preferences in the biosynthesis of pyridine alkaloids in Nicotiana tabacum L. Phytochemistry 232, 114363; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytochem.2024.114363

Ijaz F, Sameeullah M, Farid A, Malik MS, Batool N, Mirza B, Timko MP, Liu H, Lossl AG, and Waheed MT (2025) In silico designing and characterization of outer membrane protein (OmpC) gene from Salmonella enterica and its expression in Nicotiana tabacum for developing a plant-based vaccine against salmonellosis. Microbial Pathogenesis 199, 107725; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micpath.2024.107225

Fang N, Du Z, Liu X, Tian T, Chai M, Wang W, Du Y, Zhao S, Timko MP, Xue Z, Zhang Z, and Zhang H (2025) Engineering tobacco for efficient astaxanthin production using a linker-free monocistronic dual-protein expression system and interspecific hybridization method. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 221, 109607; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2025.109607

Ohlson EW, Zhang X, Hicks RK, and Timko MP (2025) Identification of candidate genes for improving phosphorus use efficiency in a cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) multi-parent advanced generation inter-cross (MAGIC) population. Euphytica 221: 61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10681-025-03510-x

Shen Y, Qu W, Song M, Zhang T, Liu C, Shi X, Xu X, Jiang J, Ding L, Mo F, Mao Z, Huang M, Xu Z, Chen J, Shen E, Jian R, Liu J, Timko MP, Chen Y, Fan L, Zheng S, and Wang Y (2025) Single-microbe RNA sequencing uncovers unexplored specialized metabolic functions of keystone species in the human gut.  iMeta e70035. https://doi.org/10.1002/imt2.70035

Zhang D, and Timko MP (2025) Identification of a papain-like cysteine protease functioning as an avirulence factor in Striga-cowpea interactions. Plants (Basel) 14(10): 1427. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/plants14101427

Zhang D, Liu H, and Timko MP (2025) Functional characterization of avirulence factors in the haustorial secretome of the parasitic weed Striga gesnerioides L. (Walp). Plant and Cell Physiology. pcaf054. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcaf054. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40396650. Special Issue “The Biology of Parasitic Plants-Mechanisms, Diversity, and Evolution”

Nabaei SH, Lenfant R, Rajan VG, Chen D, Timko MP, Campbell B, and Heydarian A (2025) Detecting plant VOC traces through indoor air quality sensors. Indoor Air, Volume 2025, Article ID 7134467, 20 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/ina/7134467

Liu H, Farmer R, Payyavula R, Kudithipudi C, and Timko MP (2026) Functional characterization of HAIRPLUS (NtHAP) genes involved in trichome development and specialized metabolism of tobacco. Plant Biotechnology Journal, 2026; 0:1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/pbi.70655