Lindsay R. Triplett

Expertise
Dr. Triplett serves as Vice Director, and Chief Scientist for the Department of Plant Pathology and Ecology. She is a plant microbiologist and molecular geneticist. She studies the DNA sequences of plant-infecting bacteria to answer questions about their virulence mechanisms and phylogenetic diversity, and to develop diagnostic tools for disease detection.

Research Interests 
Dr. Triplett is a plant pathologist with experience in molecular plant-microbe interactions of bacterial plant pathogens, as well as persistence mechanisms that allow pathogens to survive chemical exposure. Recently her program is focused on microbial soil predators and their effect on pathogen survival, signaling, and behavior in the plant microbiome.

Education

2022-present   Vice Director, The CAES

2022-present   Chief Scientist and Department Head, Plant Pathology and Ecology, The CAES

2019-2022       Associate Agricultural Scientist, The CAES

2014-2019       Assistant Agricultural Scientist, The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES)

2011-2013       USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellow, Colorado State University

2010-2014       Postdoctoral Scientist, Colorado State University

2006-2009       Graduate Research Assistant, Michigan State University

2004-2006       Plant Science Fellow, Michigan State University

Selected publications from the author, Lindsay.Triplett@ct.gov

(* indicates shared lead authorship)

R.R. Patel, L.R. Triplett, S.J. Taerum, S.L. Nason, C.O. Wilson, and B.Steven. 2025. Diverse soil protists show auxin-regulated growth in partnership with auxin-producing bacteria. ISME J. 19:wraf234.

Corso, G., L.R. Triplett, and D.J. Gage. 2025. Neuromorpha vorax: a previously unculturable cosmopolitan protist with an unexpectedly complex life cycle belonging to Glissomonadida Clade-U/Group-TE. mBio 16:e00848-25.

Taerum, S.J., R.R. Patel, J.E. Alamo, D. Gage, B. Steven, and L.R. Triplett. 2025. Rhizosphere-colonizing bacteria persist in the protist microbiome. mSphere, 10(5), pp.e00037-25. (Featured as Editor’s Pick).

Taerum, S.J., Patel, R.R., Micciulla, J., B. Steven, D. Gage, and L.R. Triplett. 2024. Establishment and effect of a protist consortium on the maize rhizosphere. Phytobiomes Journal, 8(4), pp.446-455.

Taerum, S.J., B. Steven, D. Gage, and L.R. Triplett. 2023. Dominance of Ciliophora and Chlorophyta among phyllosphere protists of solanaceous plants. Phytobiomes 7:270-280 (Special Focus Issue on the Phyllosphere, featured as “Trending Research”), doi: 10.1094/PBIOMES-04-22-0021-FI

Triplett, L.R., S.J. Taerum, and R.R. Patel. 2023. Protists at the plant-bacterial interface: Impacts and prospective applications. Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology 125, (Link) 

Martins, S.J., S.J. Taerum, L.R. Triplett, J.B. Emerson, I. Zasada, B.F. de Toledo, J. Kovac, K. Martin, and C.T. Bull. 2022. Predators of soil bacteria in plant and human health. Phytobiomes 6: 184-200. (Featured as Most Read).

E.L. Roberts, W.H. Elmer, R. Silady, and L.R. Triplett. 2022. Lesson plans for a four-part activity introducing field plot experimentation to undergraduate researchers. Plant Health Instructor, DOI: 10.1094/PHI-L-2022-0623-01.

W.H. Elmer, E.L. Roberts, R. Silady, and L.R. Triplett. 2022. Introduction to field plot experimentation: A four-part enrichment activity to enhance summer undergraduate enrichment programs. Plant Health Instructor, DOI: 10.1094/PHI-T-2022-0623-01

Kandel, P.P., M. Naumova, C. Fautt, R.R. Patel, L.R. Triplett, and K.L. Hockett. 2022. Genome mining shows ubiquitous presence and extensive diversity of toxin-antitoxin systems in Pseudomonas syringae. Front. Microbiol. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.815911.

Taerum, S.J., J. Micciulla, G. Corso, B. Steven, D.J. Gage, and L.R. Triplett. 2022. 18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing combined with culture-based surveys of maize rhizosphere protists reveal dominant, plant-enriched and culturable community members. Env. Microbiol. Rep., 14: 110-118.

Elmer, W.H., N. Zuverza-Mena, L.R. Triplett, E.L. Roberts, R.A. Silady, and J.C. White. 2021. Foliar application of copper oxide nanoparticles suppresses Fusarium wilt development on Chrysanthemum. Environ. Sci. Technol. 55: 10805-10810.

Patel, R.R., P. Kandel, E. Traverso, K.L. Hockett, and L.R. Triplett. 2021. Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola uses distinct modes of stationary phase persistence to survive bacteriocin and streptomycin treatments. MBio 12: e00160-21.

Patel, R.R., D.D. Patel, J. Bhatt, P. Thakor, L.R. Triplett, and V.R. Thakkar. 2021. Induction of pre-chorismate, jasmonate, and salicylate pathways by Burkholderia sp. RR18 in peanut seedlings. J. Appl. Microbiol. 131: 1417-1430.

Peng, J., L.R. Triplett, and G.W. Sundin. 2021. Activation of metabolic and stress responses during subtoxic expression of the type I toxin hok in Erwinia amylovora. BMC Genomics 22: 74.

Taerum, S.J., B. Steven, D.J. Gage, and L.R. Triplett. 2020. Validation of a PNA clamping method for reducing host DNA amplification and increasing eukaryotic diversity in rhizosphere microbiome studies. Phytobiomes 4:291-302. (Featured as Editor’s Pick.)

Read, A.C,, M.J. Moscou, A.V. Zimin, G. Pertea, R.S. Meyer, M.D. Purugganan, J.E. Leach, L.R. Triplett, S.L. Salzberg, and A.J. Bogdanove. 2020. Genome assembly and characterization of a complex zfBED-NLR gene-containing disease resistance locus in Carolina Gold Select rice with Nanopore sequencing. PLOS Genetics 16: e1008571. (Featured as cover image).

Karim, S., R.R. McNally, A.S. Nasaruddin, A. Dereeper, R.P. Mauleon, A.O. Charkowski, J.E. Leach, A. Ben-Hur, and L.R. Triplett. 2019. Development of automated primer design workflow Uniqprimer and diagnostic primers for the broad host-range plant pathogen Dickeya dianthicola. Plant Disease 103: 2893-2902. (Featured as Editor’s Pick.)

Shidore, T., Q. Zeng, and L.R. Triplett. 2019. Survey of toxin-antitoxin systems in Erwinia amylovora reveals insights into diversity and functional specificity. Toxins, 11:206.

Peng, J., L.R. Triplett, J. Schachterle, and G. Sundin. 2019. Identification and functional characterization of a chromosomally-encoded hok/sok toxin-antitoxin system in the fire blight pathogen Erwinia amylovora. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 85: e00724-19.

T. Shidore, C. D. Broeckling, J. S. Kirkwood, J. J. Long, J. Miao, B. Zhao, J. E. Leach, and L. R. Triplett. (2017).  PLOS Pathogens, 13: e1006442.

T. Shidore and L.R. Triplett. (2017). Toxin-antitoxin systems: Implications for plant disease. Annual Review of Phytopathology, 55, DOI: 10.1146/annurev-phyto-80516-035559. 

Leach, J. E., L. R. Triplett, C. T. Argueso, and P. Trivedi. (2017). Communication in the phytobiome. Cell, 169, 587-596.

Langlois, P. A., J. Snelling, J. P. Hamilton, C. Bragard, R. Koebnik, V. Verdier, L. R. Triplett, J. Blom, N. A. Tisserat, and J. E. Leach. (2017). Characterization of the Xanthomonas translucens complex using draft genomes, comparative genomics, phylogenetic analysis, and diagnostic LAMP assays. Phytopathology, 107, 519-527.

Read, A. C., F. C. Rinaldi, M. Hutin, Y.-Q. He, L. R. Triplett, and A. J. Bogdanove. (2016). Suppression of Xo1-mediated disease resistance in rice by a truncated, non-DNA-binding TAL effector of Xanthomonas oryzae. Front. Plant Sci., DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2016.01516.

Triplett, L. R., T. Shidore, J. Long, J. Miao, S. Wu, Q. Han, C. Zhou, H. Ishihara, J. Li, B. Zhao, and J. E. Leach. (2016). AvrRxo1 is a bifunctional type III secreted effector and toxin-antitoxin system component with homologs in diverse environmental contexts. PLOS ONE, 11, e0158856

Triplett, L. R., S. P. Cohen, C. Heffelfinger, C. L. Schmidt, C. Tekete, V. Verdier, A. J. Bogdanove, and J. E. Leach. (2016). A resistance locus in the American heirloom rice variety Carolina Gold Select is triggered by diverse TAL effectors and is effective against African strains of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola. Plant Journal, 87, 472-48

Han, Q., C. Zhou, S. Wu, Yi Liu, L. R. Triplett, J. Miao, J. Tokuhisa, L. Deblais, H. Robinson, J. E. Leach, J. Li, and B. Zhao. (2015). Crystal structure of Xanthomonas AvrRxo1-ORF1, a type III effector with a polynucleotide kinase domain, and its interactor AvrRxo1-ORF2. Structure, 23, 1900-09.

Triplett, L. R., V. Verdier, T. Campillo, C. Van Malderghem, I. Cleenwerk, M. Maes, L. Deblais, R. Corral, O. Koita, B. Cottyn, and J. Leach. (2015). Characterization of a novel clade of Xanthomonas isolated from rice leaves in Mali and proposal of Xanthomonas maliensis sp. nov. Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 107, 869-881

Wonni, I., B. Cottyn, L. Detemmerman, S. Dao, L. Ouedraogo, S. Sarra, C. Tekete, S. Poussier, R. Corral, L. Triplett, O. Koita, R. Koebnik, J. Leach, B. Szurek, M. Maes, and V. Verdier. (2014). Analysis of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola population in Mali and Burkina Faso reveals a high level of genetic and pathogenic diversity. Phytopathol., 104, 520-531.

P. A. Fory, L. Triplett,C. Ballen, J. F. Abello, J. Duitama, M. G. Aricapa, G. A. Prado, F. Correa, J. Hamilton, J. E. Leach, J. Tohme, and G. M. Mosquera. (2014). Comparative analysis of two emerging rice seed bacterial pathogens. Phytopathol.,104, 436-444.

Verdier, V.*, L. R. Triplett*, A. W. Hummel, R. Corral, R. Andres Cernadas, C. L. Schmidt, A. J. Bogdanove, and J. E. Leach. (2012). TAL effectors targeting OsSWEET genes enhance virulence on diverse rice varieties when expressed individually in a TAL effector-deficient strain of Xanthomonas oryzae. New Phytol., 196, 1197-1207. (*shared lead authorship)

Triplett, L., J. Hamilton, C. R. Buell, N. A. Tisserat, V. Verdier, F. Zink, and J. E. Leach. (2011). Genomic analysis of Xanthomonas oryzae from rice grown in the US reveals substantial divergence from known X. oryzae pathovars. Appl. Env. Microbiol., 77, 3930-3937.

Triplett, L., W. Wedemeyer, and G. W. Sundin. (2010). Homology-based modeling of the Erwinia amylovora type III secretion chaperone DspF used to identify amino acids required for virulence and interaction with the effector DspE. Res. in Microbiol., 161, 613-618.

Triplett, L., M. Melotto, and G. W. Sundin. (2009). Functional analysis of the N-terminus of the Erwinia amylovora secreted effector DspA/E reveals features required for secretion, translocation, and binding to the chaperone DspB/F. Mol. Plant-Microbe Interact., 22, 1282-1292.

Synergistic Activities

Professional Service. Associate Editor of the journals Phytopathology (2015- ) and Phytobiomes (2016- ). Session co-organizer and moderator at the Annual Meetings of the American Phytopathological Society (APS, 2013 and 2014) and the Congress of the International Society of Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (2016).

Advising and Mentoring. Currently mentors two postdoctoral researchers (one co-mentored with Jan Leach), one undergraduate student, and one medical student researcher. Previously served as advisor to one Masters' student and directed the student projects of six undergraduate researchers and two rotation students.

Teaching and outreach. Guest course lecturer at Mitchell College, Quinnipiac University, and Southern Connecticut State University (2015-16). Display organizer at CAES Plant Science Day public outreach event (2015- ). Invited speaker at Yale Green Café outreach event (2015).