Alexander V. Karasev was born and raised in the former USSR, where he completed his undergraduate studies at the Moscow Academy of Veterinary Medicine in 1979. He obtained a PhD from Moscow State University in 1985 and then worked as a researcher in the Institute of Microbiology in Moscow, focusing on the molecular biology of several plant viruses infecting vegetables. Karasev moved to the United States in 1992 and joined Bill Dawson's lab as a post-doctoral associate to work on citrus tristeza virus (CTV) and other closteroviruses—first at the University of California, Riverside (1992–1993) and later at the University of Florida as an assistant in plant virology (1994–1998). In 1998, Karasev accepted an assistant professor position at Thomas Jefferson University and developed a research program on the use of plant viruses as vectors for the production of biomedicals in plants. In 2006, he moved to the Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology, and Nematology at the University of Idaho (UI) as an assistant professor; he advanced to associate professor in 2011 and to full professor in 2014.
Karasev is an internationally recognized authority in the field of plant virology and renowned for his original research on closteroviruses and potyviruses, two groups of economically important plant viruses. His research is broad in scope and emphasizes translational research that combines advances from his basic research efforts with practical implications for virus detection, diagnosis, and management. At the University of Florida, Karasev pioneered genome sequencing of CTV, the cause of a devastating disease that affects the citrus industry worldwide. Complete sequencing of the CTV genome—the largest among positive-strand RNA viruses—represented a major scientific breakthrough that continues to facilitate pioneering research on CTV genome replication strategies, characterization of subgenomic and defective-interfering molecules in infected tissue, the roles of virus-encoded proteins, and other aspects of citrus tristeza disease complex. In 2002, the journal Virology identified the publication on the CTV genome sequence as the most-cited plant virology paper published in its 50-year history. In addition to studying CTV, Karasev has been involved in the characterization of several other closteroviruses of economic importance for woody and herbaceous crops (such as beet, pineapple, tomato, and grapevine). His seminal work on the evolution and taxonomy of closteroviruses, published almost 20 years ago in Annual Review of Phytopathology, remains a pre-eminent reference for these viruses.
Since joining the University of Idaho in 2006, Karasev has developed an internationally renowned program in plant virology focused on viruses of potato, legumes, and other crops of importance in the Pacific Northwest. A major emphasis of his current research is potato virus Y (PVY), a main virus affecting the potato industry. During the past 12 years, Karasev's research has focused on understanding interactions between plant viruses and their hosts and how resistance genes drive virus evolution. He has characterized local and global PVY populations, revealing a close link between shifts in virus strain composition in the field and the introduction of new, strain-specific resistance genes in newly released potato cultivars. His laboratory was the first to detect and characterize a number of new and emerging PVY strains/recombinants. In collaboration with colleagues from several universities and the USDA, Karasev is spearheading an effort to use this information to improve the potato certification system in the United States to better manage these emerging viruses. He is also working with potato breeding programs to improve virus resistance in legumes, such as common bean and peas. In 2012, when the devastating zebra chip disease was found in Idaho, his lab was at the forefront of detection and diagnosis efforts. The research provided much of the expertise that informed the implementation of efficient management strategies and resulted in virtual disappearance of the disease from the state.
Karasev has always been a committed teacher and an inspiring mentor. He has developed and taught several undergraduate and graduate courses at UI and neighboring Washington State University (WSU). He has mentored 19 graduate students and served on graduate committees for 21 students at UI and/or WSU. Karasev has published 116 articles (many in prestigious peer-reviewed journals), authored 20 book chapters, and presented numerous invited talks at national and international conferences. As a recognized expert, he held a series of guest lectures in various countries (including Mexico, France, Ecuador, Australia, Brazil, and Kazakhstan) and developed collaborations with numerous institutions in the United States and abroad. During the last 10 years, Karasev has secured nearly $5.5 million to support his program.
The quality of Karasev's scientific work has been recognized by multiple awards from UI, from the potato industry, and from the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Furthermore, Karasev is an expert in taxonomy of several groups of plant viruses and over the past 20 years has contributed to the classification and nomenclature of potyviruses, closteroviruses, and secoviruses. He is currently a chair of the Secoviridae Study Group at the ICTV.
In addition to his impeccable scientific and teaching career, Karasev has distinguished himself through exemplary professional service. He has been a member of The American Phytopathological Society (APS) since 1992 and has served in many capacities. He is currently a member of four APS committees: the Nominations Committee and three subject-matter committees. In addition, he is the editor-in-chief of Plant Disease (2019–2021) and a member of the APS Publications Board. In the past, he has chaired the APS Virology Committee (2005–2006) and was an associate editor (2006–2008) and a senior editor of Phytopathology (2009–2011) and Plant Disease (2013–2018). Furthermore, Karasev co-edited a book on CTV for APS PRESS, which was published in 2010. He has also continuously supported the APS Annual Meeting by organizing or chairing special sessions and workshops.
