Objective
Research objectives and content
The symbiotic interaction of the bacterium Rhizobium with the root nodules of leguminous plants i crucial for nitrogen fixation. It has been shown that Nod-factors secreted by the bacteria are important for signaling the plant cells to initiate the early steps of nodulation. One of these steps is the deformation a root hairs. This morphological change is the result of re-establishing polar growth and is driven by changes in the actin cytoskeleton. In other systems, rho proteins play an important role in polar growth and in mechanisms controlling actin cytoskeleton configuration. The recent identification of a rho family protein in these plants in T. Bisseling's group suggests that this GTPase may regulate the actin cytoskeleton in this system. The aim of my proposal is to study the actin cytoskeleton in living root hair using actin-GFP constructs and the potential regulation of the actin configuration by the novel rho-protein in more detail. This project has two experimental goals. First, to visualize the actin cytoskeleton in living root hairs. Second, to overexpress the wild type and different mutants of the rho-protein and to correlate these conditions with a morphological and biochemical characterization of the actin cytoskeleton in root hairs.
Training content (objective, benefit and expected impact)
In Ton Bisseling's group I have the opportunity to learn a completely new subject (plant cell biology) as well as molecular biological methods. This project may give insights which are of general importance for signal: tansduction in plants.
Links with industry / industrial relevance (22)
Nitrogen fixation is a crucial process for Agriculture throughout the world.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmicrobiologybacteriology
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- natural sciencesbiological sciencescell biology
- agricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculture
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Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
RGI - Research grants (individual fellowships)Coordinator
6703 HA WAGENINGEN
Netherlands