Noel T. Keen (1940-2002) made pioneering contributions to molecular plant pathology during a period when the study of disease mechanisms was transformed by the new tools of molecular genetics. His primary contributions involved race-specific elicitors of plant defenses and bacterial pectic enzymes. In collaboration with Brian J. Staskawicz and Frances Jurnak, respectively, Noel cloned the first avirulence gene and determined that pectate lyase C possessed a novel structural motif, known as the parallel beta-helix. Noel received his B.S. and M.S. from Iowa State University in Ames and his Ph.D. from the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1968. He joined the faculty of the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California at Riverside the same year and remained there his entire career. He served as Chair of the department from 1983 to 1989 and in 1997 assumed the William and Sue Johnson Endowed Chair in Molecular Plant Pathology. He became a Fellow of the American Phytopathological Society in 1991, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1996, a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 1997, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1997. He was serving as President of the American Phytopathological Society (2001-2002) at the time of his death.

中文翻译：

---

Noel T.Keen-分子植物病理学的先驱

Noel T. Keen（1940-2002）在疾病机理的研究被分子遗传学的新工具所转化的时期，对分子植物病理学做出了开创性的贡献。他的主要贡献涉及植物防御和细菌果胶酶的种族特异性激发子。Noel分别与Brian J. Staskawicz和Frances Jurnak合作，克隆了第一个无毒力基因，并确定果胶酸裂合酶C具有新颖的结构基序，称为平行β-螺旋。Noel拥有艾姆斯爱荷华州立大学的理学学士和硕士学位以及博士学位。1968年从威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校的植物病理学系毕业。同年，他加入了加州大学里弗赛德分校的植物病理学系，至今仍在他的整个职业生涯中工作。他在1983年至1989年期间担任该部门的主席，并于1997年担任William和Sue Johnson捐赠的分子植物病理学主席。他于1991年成为美国植物病理学会的会员，于1996年成为美国科学促进协会的会员，于1997年成为美国微生物学会的会员，并于1997年成为美国国家科学院的会员。他去世时担任美国植物病理学会主席（2001-2002）。