Principal Investigator/Project Leader:
Sponsoring Unit(s):
Department of Project:
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Dept.
Project Description:
Unique among crop species, legumes produce their own nitrogen nutrient through a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria collectively known as rhizobia. This nitrogen-fixing symbiosis is a complex system, and currently we know too few of the molecular players involved. This project will optimize two methods to reduce the activity of a given gene, and use these methods to screen for legume genes required for the function of the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. The result of such endeavors should be a comprehensive list of legume genes playing critical roles in interacting with their rhizobial symbionts, and help unveil crucial biological processes in the interaction between plants and beneficial microbes.
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