Eli Borrego Headshot

Eli Borrego

Assistant Professor

Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences
College of Science
Program Faculty, School of Chemistry and Materials Science

585-475-2184
Office Hours
To meet with me please schedule with this link: https://calendly.com/ejbsbi
Office Location
Office Mailing Address
Rochester Institute of Technology Gosnell School of Life Sciences 85 Lomb Memorial Dr. Rochester NY, 14623,

Eli Borrego

Assistant Professor

Thomas H. Gosnell School of Life Sciences
College of Science
Program Faculty, School of Chemistry and Materials Science

Education

BS, Texas A&M University-Kingsville; Ph.D, Texas A&M University

Bio

My expertise is in the genetics and biochemistry of lipid signaling during plant defense responses. I was broadly trained in genetics, biochemistry, plant pathology, entomology, and multi-omic technologies to answer fundamental questions in agriculturally-relevant processes. 

My research program seeks to elucidate the physiological and ecological roles of oxygenated lipids (oxylipins) in plant interactions with microbes, insects, and other stresses. Oxylipins are a chemical group of oxygenated lipids found ubiquitously throughout all kingdoms of life and possess potent signaling activity. With very few exceptions, their role in plants is largely unknown. The two best-studied plant oxylipins are jasmonic acid, a classic phytohormone involved in insect and pathogen defense, and green leaf volatiles, the smell of freshly cut grass used by plants to warn themselves and each other of incoming danger. 

We utilize genetic, molecular, and biochemical approaches with genomic, transcriptomic, metabolomic, and lipidomic technologies to address problems such as insect and pathogen resistance and drought tolerance.

I also have extensive experience providing technical training, supervision, and mentoring to undergraduate students; across all my positions, I have trained 86 individuals with at least 10 having since received graduate degrees (5 Ph.D.) and four medical doctorates. As a first-generation college student, I believe that “education is the great equalizer” and have been inspired to encourage the advancement of diverse students through research training and professional development. Under the looming uncertainty of climate change, water scarcity, and an increasing human population, I am motivated to prepare the next generation of scientists to face the challenge of feeding the world.

I was born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley and graduated high school from the Science Academy of South Texas in 2004. I earned a B.S. in Plant and Soil Science from Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2008, and a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Texas A&M University in 2014. I started my adventures at RIT in the Fall of 2019. 

585-475-2184

Areas of Expertise

Select Scholarship

Journal Paper
Bennett, John, et al. "Identification of naturally occurring atoxigenic strains of Fusarium verticillioides and their potential as biocontrol agents of mycotoxins and ear rot pathogens of maize." Crop Protection. (2023): 1. Web.
Yuan, Peiguo, et al. "9,10-KODA, an α-ketol produced by the tonoplast-localized 9-lipoxygenase ZmLOX5, plays a signaling role in maize defense against insect herbivory." Molecular Plant. (2023): 1. Print.
Helliwell, Emily, et al. "Transgenic soybeans expressing phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate-binding proteins show enhanced resistance against the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora sojae." Frontiers in Microbiology. (2022): 1. Print.
Borrego, Eli, et al. "Oxylipin biosynthetic gene families of Cannabis sativa." PLOS ONE. (2023): 1. Print.
Fitoussi, Nathalia, et al. "Oxylipins are Implicated as Communication Signals in Tomato–root‑knot Nematode (Meloidogyne javanica) Interaction." Scientific Reports 11:326. (2021): 1-16. Web.
Sun, Pingdong, et al. "An updated census of the maize TIFY family." PLOS ONE 16. 2 (2021): 1-19. Web.
Shi, Yannan, et al. "A Rapid Pipeline for Pollen- and Anther-Specific Gene Discovery Based on Transcriptome Profiling Analysis of Maize Tissues." International Journal of Molecular Sciences. (2021): 1. Web.
Park, Yong-Soon , et al. "Fusarium verticillioides induces maize-derived ethylene to promote virulence by engaging fungal G-protein signaling." Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions. (2021): 1. Print.
Fontes-Puebla, Anna, et al. "Maize biochemistry in response to root herbivory was mediated by domestication, spread, and breeding." Planta. (2021): 1. Web.
Wang, Ken-Der, et al. "Oxylipins Other Than Jasmonic Acid Are Xylem-Resident Signals Regulating Systemic Resistance Induced by Trichoderma Virens in Maize." The Plant Cell 32. 1 (2020): 166-185. Print.
Gorman, Zachary, et al. "Green leaf volatiles and jasmonic acid enhance susceptibility to anthracnose diseases caused by Colletotrichum graminicola in maize." Molecular Plant Pathology. (2020): 1-14. Print.
He, Yongming, et al. "Relative contribution of LOX10, green leaf volatiles and JA to woundinduced local and systemic oxylipin and hormone signature in Zea mays (maize)." Phytochemistry 174. (2020): 112334. Print.
Adegbaju, Muyiwa S., et al. "Differential Evolution of α-Glucan Water Dikinase (GWD) in Plants." Plants. (2020): 1. Web.
Jochum, Michael D, et al. "Bioprospecting Plant Growth-promoting Rhizobacteria that Mitigate Drought Stress in Grasses." Frontiers in Microbiology 10. (2019): 2106. Web.
Lei, Jiaxin, et al. "CIRCADIAN CLOCK-ASSOCIATED 1 Controls Resistance to Aphids by Altering Indole Glucosinolate Production." Plant Physiology 181. 3 (2019): 1344-359. Print.
Dai, Yanwan, et al. "Rosette Core Fungal Resistance in Arabidopsis Thaliana." Planta 250. 6 (2019): 1941-1953. Print.
Invited Paper
Parthasarathy, Anutthaman, et al. "Amino acid-derived defense metabolites from plants: A potential source to facilitate novel antimicrobial development." Journal of Biological Chemistry. (2021). Print.

Currently Teaching

BIOL-216
1 Credits
This laboratory course will address the fundamental concepts of Molecular Biology. Students in this laboratory will complement their understanding of core concepts in Molecular Biology through the implementation and practice of laboratory techniques used by Molecular Biologists. Laboratory techniques and projects will focus on recombinant DNA technology and the detection and tracking of biomolecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins.
BIOL-220
3 Credits
This course provides a foundational understanding of fungal and insect biology. The first half of the semester will explore fugal cell biology, diversity, and reproduction, the role of fungi as pathogens and beneficial symbiotes, and fungal interactions with humans. The second half of the semester will explore insect morphology, physiology, reproduction, and the interaction of insects with other organisms (e.g., plants, fungi, humans, and other animals).
BIOL-295
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed student project or research involving laboratory work, computer modeling, or theoretical calculations that could be considered of an original nature. The level of study is appropriate for students in their first three years of study.
BIOL-298
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed tutorial of appropriate topics that are not part of the formal curriculum. The level of study is appropriate for student in their first three years of study.
BIOL-301
1 - 4 Credits
This course allows students to assist in a class or laboratory for which they have previously earned credit. The student will assist the instructor in the operation of the course. Assistance by the student may include fielding questions, helping in workshops, and assisting in review sessions. In the case of labs, students may also be asked to help with supervising safety practices, waste manifestation, and instrumentation.
BIOL-403
4 Credits
This course is primarily focused on biochemical and pathological aspects of a plant's life. This course provides an understanding of why protein catalysts are important in the field of plant biochemistry and plant pathology. More specifically, the role enzymes play in the basic cellular processes of plant growth and development is presented. Topics related to plant pathology are presented; such as plant disease epidemics, plant diagnosis, plant diseases caused by fungi, bacteria, nematodes, viruses, and plant-pathogen interaction, at the ecological, physiological and genetic level.
BIOL-495
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed student project or research involving laboratory or field work, computer modeling, or theoretical calculations that could be considered of an original nature. The level of study is appropriate for students in their final two years of study.
BIOL-498
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed tutorial of appropriate topics that are not part of the formal curriculum. The level of study is appropriate for student in their final two years of study.
BIOL-798
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed, graduate level tutorial of appropriate topics that are not part of the formal curriculum.
ENVS-790
1 - 4 Credits
The thesis option will be available to environmental science graduate students only with prior written approval of program faculty. Students will submit a proposal to a faculty member who agrees to serve as the student's thesis committee chair. The proposal will describe the basic research question to be investigated and the experimental protocols to be employed. Proposals will be reviewed by the program faculty who will give permission to register for thesis credit. This course may be taken several times over the course of a student's graduate program, for variable credits. A written thesis and oral defense are required at the completion of the thesis research.
ENVS-795
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a graduate level, faculty-directed, student project or research involving laboratory or field work, computer modeling, or theoretical calculations that could be considered of an original nature. The level of study is appropriate for students in Environmental Science graduate program.
ENVS-798
1 - 4 Credits
This course is a faculty-directed tutorial of appropriate topics that are not part of the formal curriculum. The level of study is appropriate for student in the Environmental Science graduate program.

In the News

  • December 3, 2021

    man in a corn field looking at a stalk.

    Growing faculty diversity

    RIT has modernized its approach to recruiting faculty members to improve representation. Assistant Professor Eli Borrego, pictured above, is an expert in the genetics and biochemistry of plant-microbe and plant-insect communication and ecology, and he was introduced to RIT through the Future Faculty Career Exploration Program.

Featured Work