About

Chad Jordan is a Professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at North Carolina State University. He holds a Ph.D. in Botany from NC State University and a B.A. in Biology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He is the Undergraduate Program Director for the Plant Biology program and is recognized as an Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor. His teaching includes courses such as Perspectives on Botany, Plant Life, Plants in Folklore, Myth, and Religion, Whole Plant Physiology, Culinary Botany, Plant Anatomy, and Introduction to Plant Biotechnology. His research focuses on plant biology, with publications including studies on the signature in the taproots of Echinacea species and gene silencing in tobacco related to geminivirus. He is actively involved in the department's educational and research missions, contributing to the advancement of plant sciences.

Research topics

• Biology
• Botany

Selected publications

• Annual Signature in the Taproots of Echinacea laevigata and E. pallida (Asteraceae, Heliantheae)

  Castanea · 2020 · 2 citations

  • Biology
  • Botany

  The annual signature of the roots of relatively few species of North American herbaceous perennials is known, which is unfortunate, considering the potential contributions an increased understanding of age structure of populations of such species could represent. To help fill this gap, we briefly communicate here results of recent work on Echinacea laevigata and E. pallida (Asteraceae, Heliantheae), both species of conservation concern in the eastern United States. Analysis of cross-sections of individuals of known age of both species revealed an annual signature consistent with that reported for other herbaceous perennials, namely the development of clusters of vessels with conspicuously large diameters, marking annual spring root growth, followed by vessels of reduced diameter in the remainder of the year.

  PublisherDOI

• Antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties of tamarillo fruit ( <i>Cyphomandra betacea</i> Sendt.) extracts on LPS‐activated RAW 264.7 macrophages

  The FASEB Journal · 2012-04-01

  articleSenior author

  Tamarillo, or tree tomato, is native to South America. We examined the in vitro antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory properties of ethanolic extracts of skins, seeds, pulp, and whole tamarillo fruit in an LPS (lipopolysaccharide) induced RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cell model. Chemically, tamarillo skin exhibited the highest total phenol (116.75 ± 2.78 mg gallic acid/g tamarillo), Trolox® equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) (67,018.7 ± 2,539.9 meq Trolox®/g tamarillo) and ORAC values (4,684.9 ± 267.5 μM Trolox®/100 ml). The highest anthocyanin values (17.86 ± 0.85 mg/g) were associated with the seeds. MTT (3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assays were used to determine non‐toxic tamarillo extract doses and viability in RAW 264.7 cells. In the absence of LPS stimulation, tamarillo seeds and whole fruit, but not skin or pulp extracts, significantly induced NO formation (P &lt; 0.05). In contrast, tamarillo skin, but not seeds, pulp, or whole tamarillo extracts significantly suppressed NO formation (P &lt; 0.05) in the presence of LPS stimulation. These results suggest that the tamarillo fruit extracts modulate NO formation in the RAW 264.7 model and that these effects vary depending on the composition of the extract in question, such that seeds are net inducers of NO, while skins inhibit LPS‐induced NO formation.

  PublisherDOI

• Effects of aromatic alcohols on inflammatory response in RAW 264.7 cells

  The FASEB Journal · 2012-04-01

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The aromatic alcohols (AOH) tyrosol (TY), tryptophol (TRY), and 2‐phenylethanol (2PE) are signaling molecules secreted by yeast and bacteria and consumed in fermented products. Since the majority of the immune system resides in the intestinal tract, AOH may influence immune signaling. This study examined effects of AOH on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ) induced inflammation 18 and 30 hours post induction in RAW 264.7 mouse macrophage cells. Cell viability, Prostaglandin E 2 (PGE 2 ), and Nitric Oxide (NO) were assessed using MTT assay, ELISA, and Griess reagent, respectively. At 18 hours post induction, TY and TRY inhibited PGE 2 production by 86% and 92%, while 2PE increased PGE 2 production by 32%. At 30 hours post induction, PGE 2 production was inhibited by 83% and 92% by TY and TRY, while PGE 2 production was increased 37% by 2PE. PGE 2 comparisons were highly significant (p &lt; 0.001). At 18 hours post induction, TRY inhibited NO production by 16% (p&lt;0.05), while TY and 2PE showed no effect. At 30 hours post induction, NO production was inhibited 13% by TRY (p &lt; 0.001) and increased 16% by 2PE (p &lt; 0.001) while TY showed no effect. TRY also resulted in more typical cell morphology compared to TY and 2PE. TY and TRY showed anti‐inflammatory activity by inhibiting PGE 2 production, but only TRY reduced NO production. 2PE showed immune stimulatory activity by increasing NO and PGE 2 production.

  PublisherDOI

• Geminivirus-induced gene silencing of the tobacco retinoblastoma-related gene results in cell death and altered development

  Plant Molecular Biology · 2007-07-17 · 38 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Geminivirus-induced Gene Silencing as a Method to Determine the Role of Essential Cell Cycle Genes in Plant Development

  NCSU Libraries Repository (North Carolina State University Libraries) · 2005-05-19

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Tomato Golden Mosaic Virus (TGMV) is a DNA virus that replicates and transcribes its genome in plant nuclei. TGMV was modified to serve as a gene silencing vector in Nicotiana benthamiana by insertion of small fragments (120 &amp;#8212; 160 bp) downstream of the viral BR1 gene. Inoculation by microprojectile bombardment resulted in local silencing after 5-7 days and persistent systemic silencing. Previously, TGMV vectors were used to silence genes needed for chlorophyll biosynthesis. The purpose of my research was to determine if TGMV vectors could be used to provide information about genes essential for DNA replication and plant development.\n\nI tested TGMV vectors containing 120 &amp;#8212; 150 bp inserts from genes encoding the N. benthamiana proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and N. tabacum retinoblastoma-related protein (pRBR). PCNA is essential for DNA replication and pRBR is needed for cell cycle control. TGMV-mediated silencing of PCNA resulted in an irreversible cessation of primary growth. Leaves were clustered, showed truncated expansion, and fused with the stem at their base. Meristematic-like structures that were elongate, lacked leaf primordia, and contained files of cells that did not expand were found, but only in a small proportion of silenced plants. Immunolocalization demonstrated that PCNA expression was silenced throughout these structures. These experiments provided the first evidence that TGMVinduced silencing could down-regulate expression in meristems, and suggested that proper PCNA expression could be required for cell expansion as well as primary growth.\n\nTGMV-mediated gene silencing of RBR resulted in delayed programmed cell death in mature tissues, as demonstrated by Trypan blue staining. Wild type TGMV infectionsproduced severe symptoms but did not result in cell death. Systemically silenced leaves of TGMV::RBR inoculated plants had developmental defects that were distinct from symptoms. Flower corollas were abnormally curled and some flowers were infertile. A low but reproducible proportion of progeny derived from the seed of curled flowers also had abnormal leaf growth suggestive of an epigenetic modification. The onset of cell death in mature tissues of pRBR-silenced plants and the developmental defects in new growth suggests that pRBR may have distinct roles in dividing cells and differentiated tissues.

  Publisher

• Silencing of a meristematic gene using geminivirus‐derived vectors

  The Plant Journal · 2001-08-01 · 202 citations

  articleOpen access

  Geminiviruses are DNA viruses that replicate and transcribe their genes in plant nuclei. They are ideal vectors for understanding plant gene function because of their ability to cause systemic silencing in new growth and ease of inoculation. We previously demonstrated DNA episome-mediated gene silencing from a bipartite geminivirus in Nicotiana benthamiana. Using an improved vector, we now show that extensive silencing of endogenous genes can be obtained using less than 100 bp of homologous sequence. Concomitant symptom development varied depending upon the target gene and insert size, with larger inserts producing milder symptoms. In situ hybridization of silenced tissue in attenuated infections demonstrated that silencing occurs in cells that lack detectable levels of viral DNA. A mutation confining the virus to vascular tissue produced extensive silencing in mesophyll tissue, further demonstrating that endogenous gene silencing can be separated from viral infection. We also show that two essential genes encoding a subunit of magnesium chelatase and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) can be silenced simultaneously from different components of the same viral vector. Immunolocalization of silenced tissue showed that the PCNA protein was down-regulated throughout meristematic tissues. Our results demonstrate that geminivirus-derived vectors can be used to study genes involved in meristem function in intact plants.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Linda Hanley‐Bowdoin

  North Carolina State University

  2 shared

• G. Keith Harris

  North Carolina State University

  2 shared

• Dominique Robertson

  2 shared

• Alexander Krings

  North Carolina State University

  1 shared

• Charles G. Peele

  Io Therapeutics (United States)

  1 shared

• Nooduan Muangsan

  Suranaree University of Technology

  1 shared

• Alexandria D. Szakacs

  North Carolina State University

  1 shared

• Erin Egelkrout

  Applied Biotechnology Institute

  1 shared

Labs

• Plant and Microbial BiologyPI

Awards & honors

• Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor, Plant Biology…