Dr. Joe Louis

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Dr. Joe Louis

Professor Entomology University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Contact

Address
ENTO 212
Lincoln, NE 68583-0816
Phone
402-472-8098 On-campus 2-8098
Email
joelouis@unl.edu

Dr. Louis is interested in plant resistance to insects, plant signaling mechanisms, induced defenses, and insect effectors. His research areas include Molecular Genetics/Insect Genetics, Chemical Ecology, Plant Resistance to Insects, and Plant-Insect Interactions.

Education

  • B.S. in Agriculture, Kerala Agricultural University, 2003
  • M.S. in Entomology, Kansas State University, 2006
  • Ph.D. in Molecular Biology, University of North Texas, 2011

Awards & Honors

  • Outstanding Postdoc Mentor Award, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2023)
  • Plant-Insect Ecosystems (P-IE) Recognition Award in Entomology, Entomological Society of America (2022)
  • Named Harold W. Eberhard Professor of Agricultural Entomology by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2022) 
  • NSF CAREER Award (2019)
  • Early Career Innovation Award, Entomological Society of America (2019)
  • Harold and Esther Edgerton Junior Faculty Award, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2016)
  • Eric E. Conn Young Investigator Award, American Society of Plant Biologists (2015)
  • International Congress on Insect Neurochemistry and Neurophysiology (ICINN) Student Recognition Award in Insect Physiology, Biochemistry, Toxicology, and Molecular Biology, Entomological Foundation (2011)
  • John Henry Comstock Graduate Student Award, Entomological Society of America (2010)

Teaching

  • ENTO 409/809, Insect Control by Host Plant Resistance
    ENTO 835, Chemical Ecology of Insect-Plant Interactions 

Professional Society Memberships

  • Entomological Society of America (ESA)
  • American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB)
  • International Society for Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (IS-MPMI)

Research

The Molecular Plant-Insect Interactions Lab’s research focus is on identifying the key components/genes/signaling mechanisms that are involved in modulating plant defenses upon insect herbivory and to understand the mechanisms by which insect salivary proteins/effectors alter the plant defense responses.

Selected Publications

  1. Kundu P, Shinde S, Grover S, Sattler SE and Louis J (2025). Caffeic acid O-methyltransferase-dependent flavonoid defenses promote sorghum resistance to fall armyworm infestation. Plant Physiology, 197(3): kiaf071.   
  2. Shinde S, Ikuze E, Kaler E, Verma K and Louis J (2025). Fall armyworm frass induce sorghum defenses against insect herbivores. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 51: 39. 
  3. Grover S, Mou DF, Shrestha K, Puri H, Pingault L, Sattler SE and Louis J (2024). Impaired Brown midrib12 function orchestrates sorghum resistance to aphids via an auxin conjugate indole‐3‐acetic acid–aspartic acid. New Phytologist, 244: 1597–1615.
  4. Shinde S, Kundu P and Louis J (2024). Beyond bites: differential role of fall armyworm oral secretions and saliva in modulating sorghum defenses. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 37: 232-238.
  5. Archer L, Mondal HA, Behera S, Twayana M, Patel M, Louis J, Nalam VJ, Keereetaweep J, Chowdhury Z and Shah J (2023). Interplay between MYZUS PERSICAE-INDUCED LIPASE1 and OPDA signaling in limiting green peach aphid infestation on Arabidopsis thaliana. Journal of Experimental Botany, 74: 6860-6873.
  6. Mou DF, Kundu P, Pingault L, Puri H, Shinde S and Louis J (2023). Monocot crop-aphid interactions: Plant resilience and aphid adaptation. Current Opinion in Insect Science, 57: 101038.
  7. Grover S, Puri H, Xin Z, Sattler S and Louis J (2022). Dichotomous role of jasmonic acid in modulating sorghum defense against aphids. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 35: 755-767. 
  8. Pingault L, Varsani S, Palmer N, Ray S, Williams WP, Luthe DS, Ali JG, Sarath G and Louis J (2021). Transcriptomic and volatile signatures associated with maize defense against corn leaf aphid. BMC Plant Biology, 21: 138.
  9. Zogli P, Pingault L, Grover S and Louis J (2020). Ento(o)mics: the intersection of “omic” approaches to decipher plant defense against sap-sucking insect pests. Current Opinion in Plant Biology, 56: 153-161.
  10. Varsani S, Grover S, Zhou S, Koch KG, Huang P-C, Kolomiets M, Williams WP, Heng-Moss T, Sarath G, Luthe DS, Jander G and Louis J (2019). 12-Oxo-phytodienoic acid acts as a regulator of maize defense against corn leaf aphid. Plant Physiology, 179: 1402-1415
  11. Palmer NA, Basu S, Heng-Moss TM, Bradshaw JD, Sarath G and Louis J (2019). Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda Smith) feeding elicits differential defense responses in upland and lowland switchgrass. PLoS One, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218352.
  12. Tetreault HM, Grover S, Scully ED, Gries T, Palmer N, Sarath G, Louis J and Sattler SE (2019). Global responses of resistant and susceptible sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) to sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari). Frontiers in Plant Science, 10: 145.
  13. Chapman K, Marchi-Werle L, Hunt TE, Heng-Moss T and Louis J (2018). Abscisic and jasmonic acids contribute to soybean tolerance to the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura). Scientific Reports, 8: 1514.
  14. Basu S, Varsani S and Louis J (2018). Altering plant defenses: Herbivore-associated molecular patterns and effector arsenal of chewing herbivores. Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions, 31(1): 13-21.
  15. Mondal HA, Louis J, Archer L, Patel M, Nalam VJ, Sarowar S, Sivapalan V, Root DD and Shah J (2018). Arabidopsis ACTIN-DEPOLYMERIZING FACTOR3 is required for controlling aphid feeding from the phloem. Plant Physiology, 176: 879-890.
  16. Koch K, Chapman K, Louis J, Heng-Moss T and Sarath, G (2016). Plant tolerance: A unique approach to control hemipteran pests. Frontiers in Plant Science, 7:1363.
  17. Ray S, Basu S, Rivera-Vega L, Acevedo FE, Louis J, Felton GW and Luthe DS (2016). Lessons from the far end: caterpillar frass-induced defenses in maize, rice, cabbage and tomato. Journal of Chemical Ecology, 42:1130-1141.
  18. Louis J, Basu S, Varsani S, Castano-Duque L, Jiang V, Williams WP, Felton GW and Luthe DS. (2015). Ethylene contributes to maize insect resistance1-mediated maize defense against the phloem-sap sucking corn leaf aphid. Plant Physiology, 169: 313-324.
  19. Louis J and Shah J (2015). Plant defence against aphids: the PAD4 signalling nexus. Journal of Experimental Botany, 66 (2): 449-454.
  20. Felton GW, Chung SC, Estrada-Hernandez MG, Louis J, Peiffer M and Tian D (2014). Herbivore oral secretions are the first line of protection against plant induced defenses. Annual Plant Reviews, 47: 37-76.
  21. Louis J, Peiffer M, Ray S, Luthe DS and Felton GW (2013). Host-specific salivary elicitor(s) of European Corn Borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) induce defenses in tomato and maize. New Phytologist, 199: 63-73.
  22. Louis J, Gobbato E, Mondal HA, Feys BJ, Parker JE and Shah J (2012). Discrimination of Arabidopsis PAD4 activities in defense against green peach aphid and pathogens. Plant Physiology, 158: 1860-1872. (Cover article April 2012).
  23. Singh V, Louis J, Ayre B, Reese JC and Shah J (2011). TREHALOSE PHOSPHATE SYNTHASE11-dependent trehalose metabolism promotes Arabidopsis thaliana defense against the phloem-feeding insect, Myzus persicae. Plant Journal, 67 (1): 94-104.
  24. Louis J, Kukula K-L, Singh V, Reese JC, Jander G and Shah J (2010). Antibiosis against the green peach aphid requires the Arabidopsis thaliana MYZUS PERSICAE-INDUCED LIPASE1 gene. Plant Journal, 64 (5): 800-811.
  25. Mutti NS, Louis J, Pappan LK, Pappan K, Begum K, Chen MS, Park Y, Dittmer N, Marshall J, Reese JC and Reeck GR (2008). A protein from the salivary glands of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, is essential in feeding on a host plant. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 105 (29): 9965-9969.