Frédéric Marsolais, Ph. D.

Image Frédéric Marsolais
Research Scientist

Research program in protein chemistry of pulses

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
London, Ontario

Current research and/or projects

Current research focuses on the protein chemistry of legumes and amino acid metabolism in seed.

Research and/or project statements

  • Soybean protein and pathology: genomic approaches to improving soybean for Canadian growers
  • Genetic improvement of protein and seed quality traits in pea
  • Asparagine metabolism and function in nitrogen signaling

Recent publications

Research articles

  1. Xiong R, Wang A, Marsolais F, Todd C (2022) A fast and efficient method to introduce Apple Latent Spherical Virus to legume plants via Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation of hairy roots. Legume Sci. 3, e154. doi:10.1002/leg3.154
  2. Palmer JP, Pajak A, Robson B, Zhang B, Joshi J, Diapari M, Pauls KP, Marsolais F (2021) PECTIN ACETYLESTERASE 8 influences pectin acetylation in the seed coat, seed imbibition and dormancy in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). Legume Sci 3, e130. doi:10.1002/leg3.130
  3. Luo Y, Na R, Nowak J, Qiu Y, Lu QS, Yang C, Marsolais F, Tian L. (2021) Development of a Csy4-processed guide RNA delivery system with soybean-infecting virus ALSV. BMC Plant Biol. 21, 419. doi:10.1186/s12870-021-03138-8
  4. Kambhampati S, Pajak A, Marsolais F (2021) Evidence that class I glutamine amidotransferase, GAT1_2.1, acts as a glutaminase in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Sci 312, 111033. doi:10.1016/j.plantsci.2021.111033
  5. Fu Y-B, Cober ER, Morrison MJ, Marsolais F, Peterson GW, Horbach C (2021) Patterns of genetic variation in a soybean germplasm collection as characterized with genotyping-by-sequencing. Plants 10, 1611. doi: 10.3390/plants10081611. Special Issue on “Genetic Diversity, Conservation and Innovative Plant Breeding Strategies”
  6. Song J, Xie X, Chen C, Shu J, Thapa RK, Nguyen V, Bian S, Kohalmi SE, Marsolais F, Zou J, Cui Y (2021) Endosperm-synthesized pioneer-like transcription factor LEAFY COTYLEDON1 enables embryo maturation in Arabidopsis. Nat Commun 12, 3963. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-24234-1. Featured on Editors’ Highlights Focus webpage of “Plants and agriculture” in Nat Commun
  7. Viscarra-Torrico RC, Aga Pajak A, Soler Garzón A, Zhang B, Pandurangan S, Diapari M, Song Q, Conner RL, House JD, Miklas PN, Hou A, Marsolais F (2021) Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) with increased cysteine and methionine concentration. Legume Sci. e103. doi: 10.1002/leg3.103
  8. Arshad M, Puri A, Simkovich AJ, Renaud J, Gruber MY, Marsolais F, Hannoufa A (2020) Label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of alfalfa in response to microRNA156 under high temperature. BMC Genomics 21, 758. doi: 10.1186/s12864-020-07161-1
  9. Reinprecht Y, Schram L, Marsolais F, Smith TH, Hill B and Pauls KP (2020) Effects of nitrogen application on nitrogen fixation in common bean production. Front. Plant Sci. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2020.01172.
  10. Islam N, Bett KE, Pauls KP, Marsolais F, Dhaubhadel S (2020) A basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, PvTT8, encoded by the P gene, regulates postharvest seed coat darkening in pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Plants, People, Planet 2, 663-677. doi: 10.1002/ppp3.10132.
  11. Jiang Y, MacLean DE, Perry GE, Marsolais F, Hill B, Pauls KP (2020) Evaluation of beneficial and inhibitory effects of nitrate on nodulation and nitrogen fixation in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Legume Sci. 2, e45. doi: 10.1002/leg3.45.
  12. Xiong R, Pajak A, Wang A, Yoshikawa N, Marsolais F, Todd CD (2019) Agrobacterium-mediated inoculation of asymptomatic Apple latent spherical virus as gene silencing vector in pea (Pisum sativum L.). Legume Sci. 1, e14. doi: 10.1002/leg3.14.  
  13. Wilker JL, Navabi A, Rajcan I, Marsolais F, Hill B, Torkamaneh D, Pauls PK (2019) Agronomic performance and nitrogen fixation of heirloom and conventional dry bean varieties under low-nitrogen field conditions. Front Plant Sci. 10, 952. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2019.00952. Research Topic: Legumes for Global Food Security
  14. Joshi J, Saboori-Robat E, Solouki M, Mohsenpour M, Marsolais F (2019) Distribution and possible biosynthetic pathway of non-protein sulfur amino acids in legumes. J Exp Bot 70, 4115-4121. doi: 10.1093/jxb/erz291. Special issue: Sulfur nutrition: impacts on plant development, metabolism, and stress responses.
  15. Joshi J, Renaud J, Sumarah M, Marsolais F (2019) Deciphering S-methylcysteine biosynthesis in common bean by isotopic tracking with mass spectrometry. Plant J 100, 176-186. doi: 10.1111/tpj.14438 (Cover figure)
  16. Chen C, Shu J, Li C, Thapa R, Nguyen V, Yu K, Yuan Z-C; Kohalmi S, Liu J, Marsolais F, Huang S, Cui Y (2019) RNA polymerase II independent recruitment of SPT6L at transcription start sites in Arabidopsis. Nucl Acids Res 47, 6714-6725. doi: 10.1093/nar/gkz465
  17. Saboori-Robat E, Joshi J, Pajak A, Solouki M, Mohsenpour M, Renaud J, Marsolais F. (2019) Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) accumulates most S-methylcysteine as its γ-glutamyl dipeptide. Plants 8, 126. doi: 10.3390/plants8050126. Special Issue "Advances in Plant Sulfur Research"
  18. Ajewole A, Santamaria-Kisiel L, Pajak A, Jaskolski M, Marsolais F (2018) Structural basis of potassium activation in plant asparaginases. FEBS J 285, 1528-1539. doi.: 10.1111/febs.14428
  19. Duwadi K, Austin RS, Mainali HR, Bett K, Marsolais F, Dhaubhadel, S (2018) Metabolomics and transcriptomics of two pinto bean cultivars that differ in postharvest seed coat darkening reveal extensive differences in proanthocyanidin biosynthesis and accumulation. BMC Genomics 19, 260. doi: 10.1186/s12864-018-4550-z
  20. Balasubramanian PM, Rupert T, Marsolais F, Park SJ, Navabi A, Smith TH, Khanal R, Burt AJ, Pauls KP (2018) AAC Argosy navy dry bean. Can J Plant Sci 98, 199–202. doi: 10.1139/CJPS-2017-0176
  21. Balasubramanian PM, Rupert T, Marsolais F, Park SJ, Navabi A, Smith TH, Khanal R, Burt AJ, Pauls KP (2018) AAC Shock navy dry bean. Can J Plant Sci 98, 203–206 doi: 10.1139/CJPS-2017-0175
  22. Chen C, Li C, Wang Y, Renaud J, Tian G, Kambhampati S, Saatian B, Vi N, Hannoufa A, Marsolais F, Yuan Z-C, Yu K, Austin RS, Liu J, Kohalmi SE, Wu K, Huang S, Cui Y. (2017) Cytosolic acetyl-CoA promotes histone acetylation predominantly at H3K27 in Arabidopsis. Nat Plants 3, 814-824. doi: 10.1038/s41477-017-0023-7

Book

  1. The Common Bean Genome (2017) Perez de la Vega M, Santalla M, Marsolais F (eds). Series Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-63526-2

Book Chapters

  1. Wiesinger JA, Marsolais F, Glahn RP (2021) Health implications and nutrient bioavailability of bioactive compounds in dry beans and other pulses. In Dry Beans and Pulses Production, Processing and Nutrition, 2nd ed. Siddiq M, Uebersax MA, eds. Wiley. pp. 505-529. doi: 10.1002/9781119776802
  2. Kambhampati S, Ajewole E, Marsolais F. (2018) Recent advances in asparagine metabolism. In Progress in Botany Vol. 79. Cánovas FM, Lüttge U, Matyssek R (eds). Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland. pp. 49-74. doi: 10.1007/124_2017_13
  3. Joshi J, Pandurangan S, Diapari M, Marsolais F (2017) Comparison of gene families: seed storage proteins. In The Common Bean Genome. Perez de la Vega M, Santalla M, Marsolais F (eds). Series Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland. pp. 201-217. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-63526-2_10
  4. Pérez de la Vega M, Santalla M, Marsolais F (2017) Prospects: the importance of common bean as a model crop. In The Common Bean Genome. Perez de la Vega M, Santalla M, Marsolais F (eds). Series Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland. pp. 289-295. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-63526-2_13

Professional activities / interests

  • Member, Editorial Board, Legume Science
  • Associate Editor, Frontiers in Plant Science, Specialty Section Plant Breeding
  • Member, Editorial Board, Agronomy

Education and awards

  • B. Sc. Microbiology, Laval University, 1992
  • M. Sc. Biology, Laval University, 1995
  • Ph. D. Biology, Concordia University, 2001
  • NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow, 2001-2003
  • Distinguished Achievement Award, Bean Improvement Cooperative, 2019

International experience and/or work

  • Research Associate, Department of Biology, Duke University, 2001-2002
  • Research Associate, Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2002-2003

Key publications

  1. Wiesinger JA, Marsolais F, Glahn RP (2022) Health implications and nutrient bioavailability of bioactive compounds in dry beans and other pulses. In Dry Beans and Pulses Production, Processing and Nutrition, 2nd ed. Siddiq M, Uebersax MA, eds. Wiley. pp. 505-529. doi: 10.1002/9781119776802

    2021 - View publication details

  2. Arshad, M., Puri, A., Simkovich, A.J., Renaud, J., Gruber, M.Y., Marsolais, F., Hannoufa, A. (2020). Label-free quantitative proteomic analysis of alfalfa in response to microRNA156 under high temperature. BMC Genomics, [online] 21(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12864-020-07161-1

    2020 - View publication details

  3. Islam, N.S., Bett, K.E., Pauls, K.P., Marsolais, F., Dhaubhadel, S. (2020). Postharvest seed coat darkening in pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) is regulated by Psd, an allele of the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor P. Plants People Planet, [online] 2(6), 663-677. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.10132

    2020 - View publication details

  4. Marsolais F. (2019) Soybean Research Initiatives. Oral presentation. Soy Canada Annual General Meeting. London, June 18, 2019.

    2020 - View publication details

  5. Marsolais F, Hou A, Conner RL, Pajak A (2019) Development of edible bean germplasm lines with improved cysteine and methionine concentration. Poster presentation. 2019 Biennial Bean Improvement Cooperative Meeting. Fargo, ND, November 3-6

    2019 - View publication details

  6. Reinprecht Y, Schram L, Qiu T, Baerg L, Marsolais F, Smith T, Pauls KP (2019) Effects of nitrogen application on nitrogen fixation in common bean production. 2019 Biennial Bean Improvement Cooperative Meeting. Fargo, ND, November 3-6

    2019 - View publication details

  7. Joshi, J., Renaud, J.B., Sumarah, M.W., Marsolais, F. (2019). Deciphering S-methylcysteine biosynthesis in common bean by isotopic tracking with mass spectrometry. Plant Journal, [online] 100(1), 176-186. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/tpj.14438

    2019 - View publication details

  8. Wilker JL, Navabi A, Rajcan I, Marsolais F, Hill B, Torkamaneh D, Pauls PK (2019) Agronomic performance and nitrogen fixation of heirloom and conventional dry bean varieties under low-nitrogen field conditions. Oral presentation. Plant Canada. University of Guelph. July 7-10.

    2019 - View publication details

  9. Marsolais F (2018) Improvement of sulfur amino acid concentration in common bean. Invited full talk. Sulfur in agriculture and ecophysiology session. 11th International Plant Sulfur Workshop. Conegliano, Italy, September 16-20

    2018 - View publication details

  10. Reinprecht Y, Schram L, Qiu T, Baerg L, Marsolais F, Smith TH, KP Pauls (2018) Effect of cultivar mixtures on yield in common bean. Poster presentation. National Association of Plant Breeders Annual Meeting. Guelph, ON, August 7-10

    2018 - View publication details

  11. Joshi J, Renaud JB, Marsolais F (2018) Biosynthesis of S-methylcysteine in developing seeds of common bean as studied by isotopic tracking and high resolution mass spectrometry. Poster presentation. Plant Biology 2018, Montreal, July 13-18

    2018 - View publication details

  12. Islam NS, Marsolais F, Dhaubhadel S (2018) Arabidopsis TT8 orthologue of pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) regulates proanthocyanidin genes and seed coat darkening. Plant Biology 2018, Montreal, July 13-18

    2018 - View publication details

  13. Puri A, Hannoufa A, Marsolais F (2018) Quantitative proteome analysis of alfalfa in drought stress under the influence of miR156 (Medicago sativa). North American Alfalfa Improvement Conference. Logan, Utah, June 4-6

    2018 - View publication details

  14. Duwadi, K., Austin, R.S., Mainali, H.R., Bett, K., Marsolais, F., Dhaubhadel, S. (2018). Slow darkening of pinto bean seed coat is associated with significant metabolite and transcript differences related to proanthocyanidin biosynthesis. BMC Genomics, [online] 19(1), http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12864-018-4550-z

    2018 - View publication details

  15. Joshi J, Pandurangan S, Diapari M, Marsolais F. Comparison of gene families: seed storage proteins. In The Common Bean Genome. Perez de la Vega M, Santalla M, Marsolais F (eds). Series Compendium of Plant Genomes. Springer International Publishing, Cham, Switzerland. pp. 201-217. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-63526-2_10

    2017 - View publication details

  16. Palmer J, Pajak A, Marsolais F (2017) Identification and characterization of a pectin acetylesterase from the seed coat of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Oral presentation. 2017 Eastern Regional Meeting of the Canadian Society of Plant Biologists. Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, November 25, 2017

    2017 - View publication details

  17. Palmer J, Pajak A, Marsolais F (2017) Identification and characterization of a pectin acetylesterase from the seed coat of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris). Oral presentation. 2017 Biennial Bean Improvement Cooperative Meeting. East Lansing, MI, October 29-November 1

    2017 - View publication details

  18. Islam, N., Marsolais, F. and Dhaubhadel, S. (2017) Identification and characterization of slow darkening gene in pinto bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Biennial Bean Improvement Cooperative Meeting, East Lansing, MI, Oct 29-31

    2017 - View publication details

  19. Pajak A, Santamaria-Kisiel L, Marsolais F (2016) Mapping of a pepsin-resistant peptide and identification of glycosylation sites in the α subunit of the 11S globulin legumin from common bean. Oral presentation. Tenth Canadian Pulse Research Workshop, Winnipeg , October 25-28

    2017 - View publication details

  20. Chen, C., Li, C., Wang, Y., Renaud, J., Tian, G., Kambhampati, S., Saatian, B., Nguyen, V., Hannoufa, A., Marsolais, F., Yuan, Z.C., Yu, K., Austin, R.S., Liu, J., Kohalmi, S.E., Wu, K., Huang, S., Cui, Y. (2017). Cytosolic acetyl-CoA promotes histone acetylation predominantly at H3K27 in Arabidopsis. Nature Plants, [online] 3(10), 814-824. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41477-017-0023-7

    2017 - View publication details

Contact

Research facility

London Research and Development Centre
1391 Sandford Street
London, ON N5V 4T3
Canada

Expertise

Agriculture›Enzymology
Agriculture›Genomics›Functional
Agriculture›Nutrition›Crop
Agriculture›Proteomics
Agriculture›Pulses
Plant›Cereals and pulses
Plant›Oilseeds

Affiliations

  • Adjunct Research Professor (Tier 1), Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario
  • Member, Research Subcommittee, Ontario Pulse Committee
  • Member, Bean Improvement Cooperative
  • Member, AOCS, Protein and co-Products Division
  • Member, Canadian Society of Plant Biologists

Language

English
French