Genetics and physiology of nitrogen metabolismin plants

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Plant scientists have long recognized the need to develop crops that absorb and utilize nutrients more efficiently. Despite this, the fundamental mechanisms required for the efficient uptake and utilization of nitrogen (N) in plants are poorly understood, and this lack of understanding hampers efforts to crop nutrient use efficiency. Nitrogen utilization during vegetative growth by plants is one of the key processes in determining the efficiency of crop production and consequently is critically important in determining the degree of environmental damage that results from the overuse of commercial fertilizers. A variety of compounds such as nitrate, amino acids and their derivatives can be used for N transport in the xylem, depending on the species and where the primary site of N assimilation occurs. Thus, the synthesis, transport and regulation of amino acid biosynthesis is a fundamental area of plant biology. The focus of this research will involve studying the role of specific plant aminotransferases and amino acid transporters in nitrogen metabolism and to begin to understand the functional role of the these genes in the synthesis and transport of different amino acids, with the primary focus on alanine. More specifically, we will use the genomics tools including T-DNA knock-outs, antisense knockouts using RNAi and targeted over-expression of specific genes to look at the role of alanine in nitrogen metabolism and signaling. What is of particular interest is to try and use these tools to study the role of specific amino acids in plant N status sensing and signaling.