Jerry Jiang L&S Biological Sciences
Exploring a lanthanide-dependent alcohol dehydrogenase in S. meliloti
Sinorhizobium meliloti 2011 (S. meliloti) is a nitrogen fixing bacteria that enhances the growth of economically significant crops like alfalfa and fenugreek. Lanthanides are a group of metals that have great importance in modern technologies, but emerging research also indicates that they are involved in biological processes. We’ve recently discovered S. meliloti can grow on methanol, a prevalent substrate in the plant environment, only when lanthanides are added. This suggests that S. meliloti encodes genes involved in lanthanide transport and a lanthanide dependent methanol dehydrogenase. I will create mutant strains lacking putative methanol dehydrogenases and compare these clean deletions to wildtype using both phenotyping experiments and assays to detect alcohol dehydrogenase activity. This work will identify and characterize the lanthanide-dependent methanol dehydrogenase responsible for growth on methanol in S. meliloti. Better understanding of lanthanide and methanol metabolism in S. meliloti may allow us to develop strategies for increasing crop yield through the addition of lanthanides to soil to stimulate root nodule bacteria.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you so much for making my research this summer possible! I am humbled that you have chosen to support my work into lanthanide-dependent methanol metabolism, which has potentials for biomining and improving agricultural yields. I am also grateful for the opportunity to develop as a researcher before I apply to graduate school , which I am able to pursue through your generous donation.