32nd West Coast Biological Sciences Undergraduate Research Conference
Saturday, April 28, 2007 at Loyola Marymount University  

Shown below is an example of an abstract submission that is in the preferred format.

THE USE OF TRANSGENIC ALFALFA PLANTS TO ASSESS THE ROLE OF THE PLANT HORMONE CYTOKININ IN NODULATION INDUCED BY RHIZOBIUM SPP. Jamel Ancheta*, Stephen Darrow, and Cyndi Yap (Gary Kuleck), Loyola Marymount University, Dept. of Biology, 7900 Loyola Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90045.

The interaction between leguminous plants and Rhizobium species is believed to result from a progressively more complex signal exchange between the symbiotic bacteria and the plant as the process of nodulation develops. While evidence suggests that the plant hormone cytokinin is involved, techniques have depended on the exogenous application of the plant hormone. Molecular techniques, however, may provide a more precise control on the intracellular levels of the plant hormone. It is the goal of this project to use existing ipt gene constructs to regenerate transgenic plants containing this cytokinin biosynthetic gene under the regulation of tissue- and environmentally-specific promoters. Currently, Kanamycin-resistant plants, tentatively identified as transgenic, have been created in which the ipt gene has been linked to wound-inducible promoter. Progress towards the verification of transfer of the T-DNA will be discussed and future biological experimentation to be carried out on these plants with respect to their association with Rhizobium meliloti will be described.

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