Dr. Ross Nazar

Education

• B.Sc. Toronto
• Ph.D. Toronto

Research

Role of RNA processing as a quality control mechanism; studies on the structure, synthesis and regulation of eukaryotic ribosomes in normal and oncogenic tissues; structure and function of the "ribosome assembly chaperone"; regulation of ribosomal protein genes in eukaryotes; PCR-based diagnostics for plant pathogens; regulation of plant defense gene expression.

Selected Publications

• E.J. Robb and R.N. Nazar. 2021. Tomato Ve-resistance locus: resilience in the face of adversity? Planta 254:126-136. doi: 10.1007/s00425-021-03783-1.
• R.N. Nazar, X. Xu, T.W. Kim, S.W. Lee and J. Robb. 2020. The Ve-resistance locus, a plant signalling intercept. Planta. 252: 7-11. doi: 10-1007/s00425-020-03412-3.
• R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. 2019. Signaling crosstalk in the Ve-resistance locus of tomato. Atlas of Science, Research, April 24 (atlasofscience.org).
• R.N. Nazar, C.D.M. Castroverde, X.Xu, A. Kurosky and J. Robb. 2019. Wounding induces tomato Ve1 R-gene expression. Planta 248: 1779-1797. doi: 10.1007/s00425-019-03121-6.
• C.D.M. Castroverde, L.G. Morais de Avila, V.A. Romero, J. Blaya-Fernandez, R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. 2019 Differential repression of the Ve R-genes in tomato, Plant Gene, https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.plgene.2019.100174
• M. Mackey, A. Kurosky, J. Robb and R.N. Nazar. 2018 A Graft Mimic Strategy for Verticillium Resistance in Tomato. Molecular Biotechnology 60:665-669. doi: 10.1007/s12033-018-0101-8.
• R.N. Nazar, X.Xu, A. Kurosky and J. Robb. 2018. Antagonistic function of the Ve R-genes in tomato. Plant Molecular Biology 98: 67-79. doi: 10.1007/s11103-018-0764-3.
• R.N.Nazar, X. Xu, J. Blaya Fernandez, H. Shittu, A. Kurosky and J. Robb. 2018. Defence cascade in Verticillium-infected grafted tomato. Plant Signaling & Behaviour: 13:e1475807. doi: 10.1080/15592324.2018.1475807.
• R.N.Nazar, X. Xu, H. Shittu, A. Kurosky and J. Robb. 2018. Tomato Ve resistance locus; defense or growth. Planta 247: 1339-1350. doi: 10.1007/s00425-018-2869-y.
• C.D.M. Castroverde, X. Xu, J. Blaya-Fernandez, R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. 2017. Epistatic influence in tomato Ve1-mediated resistance. Plant Biology 1: 843-847.
• C.D.M. Castroverde, X. Xu, R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. 2017. Biotic factors that induce the tomato Ve1 R-gene. Plant Sience 265: 61-69.
• X. Xu, J. Robb and R.N. Nazar. 2017. A “whole pot” strategy for root growth quantification or microbiota root interaction studies. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 111:154-156.
• C.D. M. Castroverde, R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. 2016. Verticillium Ave1 effector induces tomato defense gene expression independent of Ve1 protein. Plant Signaling & Behaviour 11: e1245254 (.doi.org/10.1080/15592324.2016.1245254).
• J. Robb, H. Shittu, K.V. Soman, A. Kurosky, and R.N. Nazar. 2012. Arsenal of elevated defense proteins fails to protect tomato against Verticillium dahliae. Planta 236: 623-633.
• C.D.M. Castroverde, R.N. Nazar and J. Robb.2010. Defence genes in tomato. In: Tomatoes: Agricultural Practices, Pathogen Interactions and Health Effects. Ed. E.D. Aube and F.M. Poole. Nova Science Publishers, Hauppauge, pp. 1-40.
• C.D.M. Castroverde, R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. 2010. Defense Genes in Tomato. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. New York City, NY, USA.
• S. Nabavi and R.N. Nazar. 2010. Fail-safe termination elements: a common feature of the eukaryotic genome? FASEB J. 24: 684-688.
• Nabavi, S. and Nazar, R.N. 2010, Pac1 endonuclease and Dhp1p 5'-->3' exonuclease are required for U3 snoRNA termination in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. FEBS Lett. 584: 3436-3441.
• S. Nabavi and R.N. Nazar. 2010. Cleavage-induced termination in U2 snRNA gene expression. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 12: 461-465.
• R.N. Nazar, P. Chen, D. Dean and J. Robb. 2010. DNA chip analysis in diverse organisms with unsequenced genomes. Mol Biotechnol. 44: 8-13.
• E.F. Fradin, Z. Zhang, J.C. Juarez Ayala, C.D.M. Castroverde, R.N. Nazar, J. Robb, C.-M. Liu and B.P.H.J. Thomma. 2009. Genetic Dissection of Verticillium Wilt Resistance Mediated by Tomato Ve1. Plant Physiol. 150: 320-332.
• H.O. Shittu, D.C. Castroverde, R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. 2009. Plant-endophyte interplay protects tomato against a virulent Verticillium. Planta 229: 415-426.
• H.O. Shittu, A.S. Shakir, R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. 2009. Endophyte-induced Verticillium protection in tomato is range-restricted. Plant Signaling & Behavior 4: 160-161.
• J. Robb, C.D.M. Castroverde, H.O. Shittu and R.N. Nazar. 2009. Patterns of Defence Gene Expression in the Tomato-Verticillium Interaction. Botany 87: 993-1006.
• Nabavi S., Nellimarla S. and R.N. Nazar 2008. Post-transcriptional regulation of the U3 small nucleolar RNA. J. Biol. Chem. 283: 21404-10.
• S. Nabavi and R.N. Nazar. 2008. Non-polyadenylated RNA polymerase II termination is induced by transcript cleavage. J. Biol. Chem. 283: 13601-10.
• K. Spasov and R.N. Nazar. 2008. RAC protein induces enzymatic access to the maturing 3'-end of the 25S rRNA in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 368: 374-378.
• Chang A, Lim MH, Lee SW, Robb J, Nazar RN. 2008. Tomato pal gene family: Highly redundant but strongly underutilized. J. Biol. Chem., first online.
• Nabavi S, Nazar RN. 2008. U3 snoRNA promoter reflects the RNA's function in ribosome biogenesis. Curr. Genet. 54: 175-84.
• H.O. Shittu, C.D.M. Castroverde, R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. 2008. Plant-endophyte interplay protects tomato against a virulent Verticillium. Planta., first online.
• Robb J., B. Lee and R.N. Nazar. 2007. Gene suppression in a tolerant tomato-vascular pathogen interaction. Planta. 226: 299‚Äì309.
• R.N. Nazar and J. Robb. Borrowing from biology. 2007. Science. 318: 565.
• Abeyrathne PD, Nazar RN. Parallels in rRNA processing: conserved features in the processing of the internal transcribed spacer 1 in the pre-rRNA from Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Biochemistry. 2005 Dec 27;44(51):16977-87.
• Nabavi S, Nazar RN. Simplified one-tube "megaprimer" polymerase chain reaction mutagenesis. Anal Biochem. 2005 Oct 15;345(2):346-8.
• Nazar RN. Ribosomal RNA processing and ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes. IUBMB Life. 2004, 6(8):457-65.
• Yi JY, Seo HW, Yang MS, Robb EJ, Nazar RN, Lee SW Plant defense gene promoter enhances the reliability of shiva-1 gene-induced resistance to soft rot disease in potato. Planta. 2004 Nov;220(1):165-71.
• Ivakine E, Spasov K, Frendewey D, Nazar RN. (2003) Functional significance of intermediate cleavages in the 3'ETS of the pre-rRNA from Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Nucleic Acids Res. 31(24): 7110-6.
• Lee Y, Nazar RN. (2003) Terminal structure mediates 5 S rRNA stability and integration during ribosome biogenesis. J Biol Chem. 278(9): 6635-41.
• Volossiouk T, Robb EJ Nazar RN. (2003) Avoiding false positives in PCR-based identification methods for non-sterile plant pathogens. Can. J. Plant Pathol. 25: 192-19.
• Nazar RN. (2003) Ribosome Biogenesis in Yeast: rRNA Processing and Quality Control. In: Applied Mycology & Biotechnology, Volume 3: Fungal Genomics and Bioinformatics (Arora, D.K. and Khachatourians, G.G., eds) pp. 161-185, Elsevier Inc. Science & Technology/Academic Press, San Diego, CA.
• Song X, Nazar RN. (2002) Modification of rRNA as a 'quality control mechanism' in ribosome biogenesis. FEBS Lett. 523(1-3): 182-6.
• Abeyrathne PD, Lalev AI, Nazar RN. (2002) RAC protein binding site in the internal transcribed spacer 2 of pre-rRNA transcripts from Schizosaccharomyces pombe. J Biol Chem. 277(24): 21291-9.
• Spasov K, Perdomo LI, Evakine E, Nazar RN. (2002) RAC protein directs the complete removal of the 3' external transcribed spacer by the Pac1 nuclease. Mol Cell. 9(2): 433-7.
• Nazar RN, Abeyrathne PD, Intine RV. (2002) Polymerase chain reaction-mediated mutagenesis in sequences resistant to homogeneous amplification. In: Methods in Molecular Biology: In Vitro Mutagenesis Protocols, 2nd Edition (Braman, J., ed) 282: 117-26.
• Lalev AI, Nazar RN. (2001) A chaperone for ribosome maturation. J Biol Chem. 276: 16655-9.
• Abeyrathne PD, Nazar RN. (2000) Plasmid-enhanced strategy for PCR-mediated mutagenesis with difficult DNA templates. Biotechniques 29: 1172-4, 1176. No abstract available.
• Lalev AI, Abeyrathne PD, Nazar RN. (2000) Ribosomal RNA maturation in Schizosaccharomyces pombe is dependent on a large ribonucleoprotein complex of the internal transcribed spacer 1. J Mol Biol. 302: 65-77.
• Leal-Klevezas DS, Martinez-Soriano JP, Nazar RN. 2000. Cotranscription of 5S rRNA-tRNA(Arg)(ACG) from Brassica napus chloroplasts and processing of their intergenic spacer. Gene 253: 303-11.
• Lalev AI, Nazar RN. (1999) Structural equivalence in the transcribed spacers of pre-rRNA transcripts in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Nucleic Acids Res. 27: 3071-8.
• Shwed PS, Nazar RN. (1999) Terminator element mutations affect both the efficiency and position of RNA polymerase I termination in Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Nucleic Acids Res. 27: 2883-8.
• Intine RV, Good L, Nazar RN. (1999) Essential structural features in the Schizosaccharomyces pombe pre-rRNA 5' external transcribed spacer. J Mol Biol, 286: 695-708.
• Lalev AI, Nazar RN. (1998) Conserved core structure in the internal transcribed spacer 1 of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe precursor ribosomal RNA. J Mol Bio, 284: 1341-1351.
• Intine RV, Nazar RN. (1998) PCR-mediated mutagenesis in sequences recalcitrant to homogeneous amplification. Biotechniques, 25: 364-366.
• Heinz R, Lee SW, Saparno A, Nazar RN. Robb J. (1998) Cyclical systemic colonization in Verticillium-infected tomato. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 52: 385-396.