This award will enable Dr. Jerry D. Johnson from the University of Wyoming to collaborate with Dr. Barry G. Rolfe at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. They will investigate what properties enable the symbiotic bacteria Rhizobium to colonize a broad range of plant hosts including soybean and the non-legume Parasponia. Experiments will be conducted to determine the structure and organization of the individual genetic units responsible for induction of nodule formation on the roots of the host plants. The study of genetic functions involved in Rhizobia- host plant specificity is important for fundamental understanding of bacterial-plant interactions with broad implications for plant health and productivity. Dr. Johnson is currently working on the Frankia group of bacteria, which together with Rhizobium, accounts for most of the bacteria-plant symbiotic relationships capable of reducing molecular nitrogen. Dr. Rolfe's lab is well-suited for sophisticated studies in molecular genetics and has done extensive work with Rhizobium.
