THE ROY LAB
Towards Sustainable N-use
How can we reap the benefits of added N-fertilizer to agricultural productivity without the associated costs to human health, our environment and the rapidly changing climate?
Even though 70% of our atmosphere is Nitrogen, plants cannot access this vital mineral unless it is present in the soil in a plant usable form such as ammonia. Nitrogen in the atmosphere can be "fixed" into ammonia by (1) Lightening (2) beneficial soil bacteria
(3) an industrial process that uses fossil fuels to generate high temperatures and pressure.
Root Nodule Symbiosis
What are some lessons we can learn from the association between legumes and their rhizobial partners that make plant growth N-fertilizer independent?
Nitrogen management necessitates that we either reduce or eliminate agricultural dependency on N-fertilizer. The latter occurs when legumes interact with N-fixing soil rhizobia and acquire enough N for growth, to completely bypass the need for (any!) added N-fertilizer. Understanding the molecular basis of this interaction can help uncover transcription regulators and signaling components that be engineered into non-legumes to confer symbiont accommodation.
Peptide Hormones
Can our understanding of the roles of genome-encoded growth regulators called peptide hormones uncover mechanisms that can be manipulated to optimize plant nitrogen acquisition or associations with beneficial microorganisms?
Peptide hormones in plants, can optimize plant nitrogen acquisition and interactions with beneficial microorganisms. For example, plants produce peptides like C-Terminally Encoded Peptides (CEPs) that act as 'N-hunger' signals to enhance nitrogen uptake in low-nitrogen soils. CLE (CLAVATA3/Endosperm surrounding) peptides regulate nodule formation on legume roots, balancing carbon expenditure and facilitating nitrogen acquisition through symbiotic nitrogen fixation.
Current Projects
Can plants remember
peptide signals?
USDA-NIFA-2022-38821-37353
Collaborators:
Suping Zhou, Tennessee State University
Ali Taheri, Tennessee State University
Antonette Todd, Delaware State University
Mayavan Subramani, Delaware State University
How do legume roots perceive peptides?
National Science Foundation 2217830
Collaborators:
Walter Chazin, Vanderbilt University
Swati Balakrishnan, Vanderbilt University
How can we teach a new generation of researchers about gene editing?
National Science Foundation 2205542
Collaborators:
Suping Zhou, Tennessee State University
Ali Taheri, Tennessee State University
Mary Williams, ASPB
Vicky Caruana, Parity Coaching
Robin Taylor, RTRES Consulting
FUNDING SOURCES
Thank you for the support!
