Siela Maximova
Research Professor of Plant Biotechnology Co-Director, Endowed Program in the Molecular Biology of Cocoa

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421 Huck Life Sciences
University Park, PA - snm104@psu.edu
- 814-863-7286
Research Summary
Molecular basis of plant-pathogen and plant-endophyte interactions. Biotechnology of tree crops. Development of sustainable energy crops.
Huck Graduate Students
Huck Affiliations
Publication Tags
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Cacao Theobroma Cacao Genes Arabidopsis Transcription Factors Gene Expression Genomics Leaves Phytophthora Cadmium Evaluation Colombia Infection Genotype Seeds Chocolate Proanthocyanidins Tissues Flavonoids Flowering Synthesis Genome Tropical Plants Salicylic Acid Somatic EmbryogenesisMost Recent Publications
Evaluation of cacao projects in Colombia: The case of the rural Productive Partnerships Project (PAAP)
A Gil, M Brennan, Mark A. Brennan, Jr., A Chaudhary, Siela N. Maximova, 2023, Evaluation and Program Planning on p. 102230
Transcriptomic analyses of cacao flavonoids produced in photobioreactors
Adriana M. Gallego, Luisa F. Rojas, Wilmar G. Valencia, Lucía Atehortúa, Aura I. Urrea, Andrew S. Fister, Mark J. Guiltinan, Siela Maximova, Natalia Pabón-Mora, 2021, BMC Genomics
Inter-species functional compatibility of the Theobroma cacao and Arabidopsis FT orthologs: 90 million years of functional conservation of meristem identity genes
S. F. Prewitt, A. Shalit-Kaneh, S. N. Maximova, M. J. Guiltinan, 2021, BMC Plant Biology
Soil and plant genomics survey of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta Region, Colombia
Z Libohova, J.M. Martín-López, M da Silva, C Lagoueyte, J Cruz, P Drohan, Siela Maximova, M Guiltinan, M.G. Ferruzzi, Daniel Guarin, P Reich, C Kome, Y.P. Zapata, G Gallego-Sánchez, C Quintero, C Botero, Noah Winters, M Robotham, 2021,
Cadmium phytoextraction by Helianthus annuus (sunflower), Brassica napus cv Wichita (rapeseed), and Chyrsopogon zizanioides (vetiver)
B Benavides, Jhony Benavides, Patrick Drohan, J. T. Spargo, S. N. Maximova, M. J. Guiltinan, Douglas Miller, 2021, Chemosphere on p. 129086
Antiradical Activity of Hydrolysates and Extracts from Mollusk <i>A. broughtonii</i> and Practical Application to the Stabilization of Lipids.
O Tabakaeva, W Piekoszewski, T Kalenik, Siela Maximova, A Tabakaev, D Poleshyk, L Proniewicz, 2020, Foods (Basel, Switzerland)
Widely distributed variation in tolerance to Phytophthora palmivora in four genetic groups of cacao
Andrew Fister, Mariela Leandro-Muñoz, Dapeng Zhang, James H. Marden, Peter Tiffin, Claude dePamphilis, Siela Maximova, Mark J. Guiltinan, 2020, Tree Genetics and Genomes
Clovamide, a Hydroxycinnamic Acid Amide, Is a Resistance Factor Against Phytophthora spp. in Theobroma cacao
Benjamin Knollenberg, Guo-Xing Li, Joshua D. Lambert, Siela N. Maximova, Mark J. Guiltinan, 2020, Frontiers in Plant Science on p. 617520
Gene Expression Modularity Reveals Footprints of Polygenic Adaptation in Theobroma cacao
Tuomas Hämälä, Mark J. Guiltinan, James H. Marden, Siela N. Maximova, Claude dePamphilis, Peter Tiffin, 2020, Molecular Biology and Evolution on p. 110-123
Metabolomic profile of cacao cell suspensions growing in blue light/dark conditions with potential in food biotechnology
Adriana M. Gallego, Luisa F. Rojas, Héctor A. Rodriguez, Conrado Mora, Lucía Atehortúa, Aura I. Urrea, Mark J. Guiltinan, Siela N. Maximova, Emmanuel Gaquerel, Martha Zuluaga, Natalia Pabón-Mora, 2019, Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture on p. 275-294
Most-Cited Papers
Transient expression of CRISPR/Cas9 machinery targeting TcNPR3 enhances defense response in theobroma cacao
Andrew S. Fister, Lena Landherr, Siela N. Maximova, Mark J. Guiltinan, 2018, Frontiers in Plant Science
Pervasive effects of a dominant foliar endophytic fungus on host genetic and phenotypic expression in a tropical tree
Luis C. Mejía, Edward A. Herre, Jed P. Sparks, Klaus Winter, Milton N. García, Sunshine A. Van Bael, Joseph Stitt, Zi Shi, Yufan Zhang, Mark J. Guiltinan, Siela N. Maximova, 2014, Frontiers in Microbiology
Proanthocyanidin synthesis in Theobroma cacao: Genes encoding anthocyanidin synthase, anthocyanidin reductase, and leucoanthocyanidin reductase
Yi Liu, Zi Shi, Siela Maximova, Mark J. Payne, Mark J. Guiltinan, 2013, BMC Plant Biology
Enhanced somatic embryogenesis in Theobroma cacao using the homologous BABY BOOM transcription factor
Sergio L. Florez, Rachel L. Erwin, Siela N. Maximova, Mark J. Guiltinan, Wayne R. Curtis, 2015, BMC Plant Biology
Characterization of a stearoyl-acyl carrier protein desaturase gene family from chocolate tree, theobroma cacao L
Yufan Zhang, Siela N. Maximova, Mark J. Guiltinan, 2015, Frontiers in Plant Science on p. 1-12
The salicylic acid receptor NPR3 is a negative regulator of the transcriptional defense response during early flower development in Arabidopsis
Zi Shi, Siela Maximova, Yi Liu, Joseph Verica, Mark J. Guiltinan, 2013, Molecular Plant on p. 802-816
The Theobroma cacao B3 domain transcription factor TcLEC2 plays a duel role in control of embryo development and maturation
Yufan Zhang, Adam Clemens, Siela N. Maximova, Mark J. Guiltinan, 2014, BMC Plant Biology on p. 106
Dynamic changes in pod and fungal physiology associated with the shift from biotrophy to necrotrophy during the infection of Theobroma cacao by Moniliophthora roreri
Bryan A. Bailey, Jayne Crozier, Richard C. Sicher, Mary D. Strem, Rachel Melnick, Marcelo F. Carazzolle, Gustavo G.L. Costa, Gonçalo A.G. Pereira, Dapeng Zhang, Siela Maximova, Mark Guiltinan, Lyndel Meinhardt, 2013, Physiological and Molecular Plant Pathology on p. 84-96
Protocol: Transient expression system for functional genomics in the tropical tree Theobroma cacao L.
Andrew S. Fister, Zi Shi, Yufan Zhang, Emily E. Helliwell, Siela N. Maximova, Mark J. Guiltinan, 2016, Plant Methods
Tc-MYBPA is an Arabidopsis TT2-like transcription factor and functions in the regulation of proanthocyanidin synthesis in Theobroma cacao
Yi Liu, Zi Shi, Siela N. Maximova, Mark J. Payne, Mark J. Guiltinan, 2015, BMC Plant Biology
News Articles Featuring Siela Maximova
Oct 16, 2023
Grants awarded to Penn State faculty for tropical ecosystems research in Belize
Three projects have been awarded seed grants as part of the Penn State-Belize Foundation for Research and Environmental Education Research and Education Initiative to develop agroforestry systems .
Full Article
Sep 14, 2023
Penn State-led team to study climate-threatened Colombian Paramos’ soil microbes
Estelle Couradeau will lead an international team researching how climate change will affect soil microbes in the ecologically fragile and important Paramos ecosystem in Colombia’s Andes Mountains.
Full Article
Dec 23, 2020
Discovery of chemical clue may lead to solving cacao's black pod rot mystery
The finding of relatively high levels of the antimicrobial compound clovamide in the leaves of a disease-resistant strain of cacao has significant implications for breeding trees that can tolerate black pod rot, according to Penn State researchers who conducted a novel study.
Full Article
Dec 06, 2019
Novel way to ID disease-resistance genes in chocolate-producing trees found
Chocolate-producing cacao trees that are resistant to a major pathogen were identified by an international team of plant geneticists. The findings point the way for plant breeders to develop trees that are tolerant of the disease.
Full Article
Nov 06, 2019
Global Faculty Fellow will create connections between Penn State and Colombia
Siela Maximova, research professor of plant biotechnology, has been named a Global Faculty Fellow in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences and a Land Grant University U.S.-Colombia Fulbright Scholar.
Full Article
Oct 24, 2019
These Kids Have Come 500 Miles To Do Science And Make A Difference
The road between Arauquita, relatively near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, and the nation’s capital in Bogota stretches over 800 kilometers (500 miles), but for one week in October, a special group bridged that gap in more ways than one.
Full Article
Apr 02, 2019
Guiltinan, Maximova receive the 2019 Kopp International Achievement Award
Mark Guiltinan, professor of plant molecular biology, and Siela Maximova, research professor of plant biotechnology, both in the College of Agricultural Sciences, are the recipients of Penn State's 2019 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award.
Full Article
Sep 15, 2018
Searching for Chocolate’s Roots, and Enemies, in Colombia’s Wilderness
A newfound peace has spurred the hunt for disease-resistant wild cacao within the nation’s borders.
Full Article