Catabolic genes and mobile elements of bacterial endophytes

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

We depend on the bacteria of this world to dispose of our garbage. They do most of the work of transforming organic waste and toxic chemicals into the basic building blocks of carbon dioxide, water and mineral salts to be rebuilt into life forms and food. Bacteria live in all environments that have water. This includes the tissues of virtually all plants, where they live and obtain nutrition, and in some cases provide the plant with protection, growth stimulation and even toxin removal. The research proposed here addresses some basic questions about the bacteria within plants, known as bacterial endophytes, and their abilities to break down pollutants: How specific are endophytes to particular plant species? Does the plant host determine what organic compounds endophytes can break down? How important is the site that they grow in versus the species they are in? When in the plant environment, how much genetic transfer can occur between bacteria? We ask these questions by looking at the bacteria in plants from polluted and non-polluted sites. We also look at a particular species of bacteria, known to associate with plants, that carries importance toxin-degrading genes, and investigate how those genes are expressed and shared between bacteria.