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| Vol. 19, No. 6 | Oct. 7, 1999 |
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| Vol. 19, No. 6 | Oct. 7, 1999 |
Understanding how plants interact with microbes to facilitate the uptake of nutrients, such as nitrogen, is the focus of research by Janine Sherrier, a plant molecular biologist who recently received a dual appointment at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute and the UD.
Because nitrogen is a limited nutrient in soil, many crops and plants are supplemented with nitrogen-rich fertilizers for optimal growth, Sherrier notes. "Consequently, this research could potentially reduce the amount of fertilizer that is necessary for use on soil, which would be very beneficial for the environment," she explains. "It may also lead to improvement of more commercially important plants, such as soybeans or peanuts that naturally form nitrogen-fixing root nodules."
An assistant professor in UD's Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, Sherrier brings with her an extensive background in proteomics-the study of protein function, plant development and plant molecular biology.
Her current research program focuses on the symbiotic relationship between legumes, such as soybeans and the alfalfa relative Medicago, and the bacterium rhizobia. This unique interaction allows the plant to use nitrogen from the air in the same manner that it uses nitrogen from the soil.
The bacteria initiates the formation of a root nodule on the plant, where the bacteria convert nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form that the plant can use. In exchange, the plant produces sugar through photosynthesis and provides that to the bacteria for an energy source.
Sherrier received her Ph.D. in biology at Texas A&M University and her bachelor's degree in biology from Baylor University. She completed three years of postdoctoral work in the proteomics laboratory at the University of Cambridge and two years of postdoctoral work in cell biology and genetics at the John Innes Centre in England.
Designed to position the First State as a center of excellence in biotechnology and the life sciences, the Delaware Biotechnology Institute's mission is to engage in leading-edge scientific discovery, provide biotechnology-based education, promote economic development and create high-quality jobs.
-Ginger Pinholster
