Nikolaos Skandalis, PhD

Plants are colonized by commensal, symbiotic, plant-associated and pathogenic bacteria. Several prokaryotic species antagonize for this niche by using antibiotics and enhancing their competence. Moreover, they have evolved to interact with the plant host. Dr. Skandalis’s main research interest is the control of plant pathogenic bacteria with the lowest environmental impact. He translates basic research of the triple interaction among plants, bacterial pathogens and bacterial biological control agents (BCA) to outcomes that would support disease management strategies under field conditions. His recruitment at the USC Keck School of Medicine provides a unique opportunity to combine his specialties in plant-microbe interactions with substantial knowledge of established USC faculty in antibiotic resistance, to study the effect of modern agriculture to transmission of antibiotic resistance in the food chain. He is also involved in multidisciplinary projects that led to the development of environmental friendly plant protection products that have either a direct effect against pathogenic bacteria (silver or copper nanoparticles, natural extracts, dual function fertilizers) or elicit plant defenses (organic pesticides, bacterial elicitors).

• Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology: Fellowship for post-graduate studies, 2001-2005
• Novartis Pharmaceuticals UK Ltd: Novartis award for best MSc thesis project, 1998
• Greek Fellowship Foundtain (IKY): Fellowship for Post-graduate studies, 1997-2001

• The Effect of Silver Nanoparticles Size, Produced Using Plant Extract from Arbutus unedo, on Their Antibacterial Efficacy Nanomaterials (Basel). 2017 Jul 10; 7(7). . View in PubMed
• Effect of pyraclostrobin application on viral and bacterial diseases of tomato Plant Disease. 2017; 7(100):1321-1330. . View in PubMed
• Plant Pathology 2016; 884. . View in PubMed
• Bacteria Murmur: Application of an Acoustic Biosensor for Plant Pathogen Detection PLoS One. 2015; 10(7):e0132773. . View in PubMed
• Targeting injectisomes of virulence: Benefits of thirty years of research on bacterial secretion systems, to crop protection Hellenic Plant Protection Journal. 2012; (5):31-47. . View in PubMed
• Phytobacterial Type VI Secretion System – Gene Distribution, Phylogeny, Structure and Biological Functions Plant Pathology. 2011. . View in PubMed
• In silico analysis reveals multiple putative type VI secretion systems and effector proteins in Pseudomonas syringae pathovars Mol Plant Pathol. 2010 Nov; 11(6):795-804. . View in PubMed
• Playing the HRP: Evolution of Our Understanding of HRP genes Ann Rev Phytopathology. 2010; (48):347-370. . View in PubMed
• Engineered polyamine catabolism preinduces tolerance of tobacco to bacteria and oomycetes Plant Physiol. 2009 Apr; 149(4):1970-81. . View in PubMed
• Evolution of the Oomycete Chitin Synthase genesPhytopathol. Mediterr. 2009; (48):334. . View in PubMed
• Molecular polymorphism between populations of Pseudoperonospora cubensis from Greece and the Czech Republic and their phytopathological and phylogenetic implications. Plant Pathology. 2009; (58):933-943. . View in PubMed
• Cell wall chitosaccharides are essential components and exposed patterns of the phytopathogenic oomycete Aphanomyces euteiches Eukaryot Cell. 2008 Nov; 7(11):1980-93. . View in PubMed
• Bacterial Species isolated from untreated olive mill wastewaters reduce its toxic load and produce high added value antioxidants FEBS J. 2008; (275):363-364. . View in PubMed

• Kay, Steve