This fellowship supports research and training in the area of metabolic biochemistry. It addresses the important question: how do chloroplasts in the cytoplasm of plant cells communicate with the nucleus? The proper development of plant cells relies upon this communication. The mechanisms for this communication are unclear even after many years of investigation and progress. There is evidence that signals are relayed by the chloroplast and received by the nucleus thus regulating specific genes. The project focuses on the identity of these signals.