Khwannarin (Biu) Khemsom

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Profile

PhD (Qu)

khemsom.1@osu.edu

Office:

Selby Hall (Wooster)

Professional Information

Degrees & Credentials:

MS Biotechnology, Mahidol University, Thailand

BS Biology/Genetics, Honors, Kasetsart University, Thailand

Biography:

Khwannarin Khemsom is from Nakhonpathom, Thailand. She goes by Biu, a nickname given by her grandmother. She earned her undergraduate degree in Genetics and a Master’s in Biotechnology. She previously worked as an electron microscope research associate at Ohio State before pursuing her PhD in the Department of Plant Pathology. Her research focuses on understanding viral replication and evolution to develop strategies for managing viral diseases.

Publications under the Works tab

Presidential Fellow, Graduate School, Ohio State (2026-2027)

Research Areas

Mechanisms of bottlenecked reproduction by two plant viruses, with the ultimate goal of developing management strategies for virus diseases

The evolutionary force driving iteron diversification among geminiviruses
Turnip crinkle virus (TCV) non-coding RNA replication through circularized intermediates
The number of TCV genome copies translocating cell-to-cell

Oral Presentations

Khemsom, K. (Invited. Expected on October 27, 2025). Dissecting tomato yellow leaf curl virus evolution through iteron motif changes. Department of Plant Pathology and Environmental Microbiology Autumn Seminar Series, Penn State University, University Park, PA, United States.

Khemsom, K. (February 14, 2025). Does a viral non-coding RNA replicate through circularized intermediates? Department of Plant Pathology Spring Seminar Series, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, United States.

Khemsom, K., Ren, R., Han, J., Perdoncini Carvalho, C., & Qu, F. (June 25, 2024). Iteron motifs regulate tomato yellow leaf curl virus replication through DNA secondary structure rather than Rep-interaction. 2024 Annual Meeting of American Society for Virology, Columbus, OH, United States.

Perdoncini Carvalho, C., Han, J., Ren, R., Mlotshwa, S., Khemsom, K., & Qu, F. (June 26, 2023). Alpha-helices within p28 of turnip crinkle virus (TCV) interact with each other to elicit TCV superinfection exclusion. 2023 Annual Meeting of American Society for Virology, Athens, GA, United States.

Khemsom, K. (May 19, 2023). Determining the number of viral genomes translocating from one cell to the next by sequentially complementing viral replication and cell-to-cell movement. 2023 Plant Pathology Spring Symposium, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH, United States.

Romsang, A., Saninjuk, K., Duang-nkern, J., Khemsom, K., Vattanaviboon, P., & Mongkolsuk, S. (August 7, 2018). Iron-sulfur proteins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa: cellular roles and regulations in multiple stress response. The 13^th International Symposium of the Protein Society of Thailand (PST2018), CRI Convention Center, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand.

Phuphuripan, N., Khemsom, K., Duang-nkern, J., Mongkolsuk, S., & Romsang, A. (June 3, 2017). Protein purification and characterization of transcriptional regulators in response to reactive chlorine species in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The 12^th Science and Technology Conference for Youths, Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok, Thailand.

Auwattanamongkol, T., Khemsom, K., Mongkolsuk, S., & Romsang, A. (June 4, 2017). Construction of Pseudomonas aeruginosa genomic library in order to identify antibiotic and antiseptic resistance mechanisms. The 12^th Science and Technology Conference for Youths, Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok, Thailand.

Nasathit, B., Khemsom, K., Ngamwongsatit, B., & Romsang, A. (June 4, 2017). Effect of natural extracts on bacterial growth and biofilm formation in Salmonella spp. to replace an antibiootucs treatment. The 12^th Science and Technology Conference for Youths, Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok, Thailand.

Poster Presentations

Khemsom, K., Ren, R., Han, J., Perdoncini Carvalho, C., Snider, E. M., Zhang, D. & Qu, F. (August 5, 2025). Iteron motifs of a geminivirus repress viral replication and systemic spread [Poster presentation]. Plant Health 2025, the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society, Honolulu, HI, United States.

Perdoncini Carvalho, C., Wang, D., Han, J., Khemsom, K. & Qu, F. (August 5, 2025). Natural selection remedies for a viral replicase with a mutation that compromises subgenomic RNA synthesis. Plant Health 2025, the 2025 Annual Meeting of the American Phytopathological Society, Honolulu, HI, United States.

Khemsom, K., Perdoncini Carvalho, C., Mlotshwa S., Han, J.,Ren. R., & Qu, F. (June 25, 2023). Determining the number of viral genome copies entering a new cell by sequentially complementing the replication and cell-to-cell movement defects of a turnip crinkle virus mutant 2023 Annual Meeting of American Society for Virology, Athens, GA, United States.

Mlotshwa, S., Zhang, S., Perdoncini Carvalho, C., Ren, R., Khemsom, K., & Qu, F. (June 25, 2023). Repair of turnip crinkle virus (TCV) genomic RNA terminal deletions is drastically improved by cell-to-cell spread. 2023 Annual Meeting of American Society for Virology, Athens, GA, United States.

Nontaleerak, B., Thumrongtharadol, J., Khemsom, K., Nopnipa, S., Panbangred, W., & Romsang, A. (October 7, 2019). Isolation and physiological characterization of beneficial anaerobic microbiota in commercial chicken guts. The 45th Congress on Science and Technology of Thailand, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Keerathiwattanarat, C., Duang-nkern, J., Khemsom, K., Mongkolsuk, S., & Romsang, A. (October 7, 2019). Physiological function analysis of novel gene cassette conferring paraquat susceptibility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The 45th Congress on STT, Mae Fah Luang University, Chiang Rai, Thailand.

Pinijwattananon, T., Duang-nkern, J., Khemsom, K., Mongkolsuk, S., & Romsang, A. (November 22, 2018). Pseudomonas aeruginosa cdhR encoding a small protein contributes to the susceptibility against biocide used in the hospitals. The 30^th Annual Meeting of the Thai Society for Biotechnology & International Conference (TSB2018), Bangkok, Thailand.

Kajornchaitut, T., Khemsom, K., Duang-nkern, J., Mongkolsuk, S., & Romsang, A. (November 22, 2018). Mutation on the gene pqsA encoding phenazine biosynthesis protein contributes to the susceptibility against cephalosporins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The 30^th Annual Meeting of the Thai Society for Biotechnology & International Conference (TSB2018), Bangkok, Thailand.

Romsang, A., Phuphuripan, N., Duang-nkern, J., Nontaleerak, B., Khemsom, K., & Mongkolsuk, S. (July 11, 2017). Activation of Reactive Chlorine Species-mediated stress response protein through AraC-family transcriptional regulator in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The 5^th Conference of the Asia Pacific Protein Association (APPA) and the 12^th International Symposium of the Protein Society of Thailand (PST2017), Chonburi, Thailand.

Pinyosiritorn, P., Khemsom, K., Oonsuk, S., Thepsingha, W., & Romsang, A. (June 3, 2017). Characterization of bacterial strains in bacteriology laboratory classes and risk assessment analysis in biosafety. The 12^th Science and Technology Conference for Youths, Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (BITEC), Bangkok, Thailand.

Khemsom, K., Romsang, A., Duang-nkern, J., & Mongkolsuk, S. (November 13, 2016). Characterization of a gene encoding AtfA-homolog factor against oxidative stress in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The 8^th Princess Chulabhorn International Science Congress, Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.

Travel Awards and Scholarships

Travel awards
- Plant Pathology Graduate Students Association, Ohio State
- Plant Protection Endowment, Ohio State
- American Society for Virology (ASV)
Scholarship
- Center for Emerging Bacterioal Infections, Bangkok Thailand (master's degree scholarship)

Involvement and Service

Plant Pathology Graduate Student Association (PPGSA), Ohio State. President (2025-current), Plant Sale Committee Chair (2024-2025), Travel Award Committee Chair (2023-2024), Retreat Committee Member (2023-2025)
Plant Science Symposium, Ohio State. President, Poster Committee Chair, Advertising Committee Chair, Registration Chair (2023-2025)
Graduate Student Advisory Council, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State. Member (2025-current)
American Phytopathological Society Graduate Student Committee. Member (2025-current)
2024 Annual Meeting of American Society for Virology Organization Committee
Genetics Student Association, Kasetsart University. President (2014-2015), Treasurer (2012-2014)

Works

Publications

Khemsom, K., Ren, R., Han, J., Perdoncini Carvalho, C., Snider, E., Zhang, D., & Qu, F. (2025). Rescue of tomato yellow leaf curl virus mutants with heterologous iterons through in planta evolution. https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.01529-25.

Khemsom, K., Perdoncini Carvalho, C., Wang, D., Han, J., Qu, F. (2025). Reconciling natural selection and neutral theory – it’s about escaping deaths, not maximizing fitness. Preprints, DOI:10.20944/preprints202505.1639.v1.

Qu, F., Khemsom, K., Perdoncini Carvalho, C., & Han, J. (2024). Quasispecies are constantly selected through virus-encoded intracellular reproductive population bottlenecking. Journal of Virology, 98(4), e00020-24. https://doi.org/10.1128/jvi.00020-24

Perdoncini Carvalho, C., Han, J., Khemsom, K., Ren, R., Camargo, L. E. A., Miyashita, S., & Qu, F. (2023). Single-cell mutation rate of turnip crinkle virus (-)-strand replication intermediates. PLOS Pathogens, 19(8), e1011395. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1011395

Romsang, A., Duang-nkern, J., Khemsom, K., Wongsaroj, L., Saninjuk, K., Fuangthong, M., Vattanaviboon, P., & Mongkolsuk, S. (2018). Pseudomonas aeruginosa ttcA encoding tRNA-thiolating protein requires an iron-sulfur cluster to participate in hydrogen peroxide-mediated stress protection and pathogenicity. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 11882. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30368-y

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