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Metal homeostasis in nodulated Medicago truncatula

Coordinatore	UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID    more  Organization address address: Calle Ramiro de Maeztu 7 city: MADRID postcode: 28040 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Roberto Cognome: Prieto Email: send email Telefono: 34913366048 Fax: 34913365974
Nazionalità Coordinatore	Spain [ES]
Totale costo	100˙000 €
EC contributo	100˙000 €
Programma	FP7-PEOPLE Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)
Code Call	FP7-PEOPLE-2010-RG
Funding Scheme	MC-IRG
Anno di inizio	2011
Periodo (anno-mese-giorno)	2011-04-01   -   2015-03-31

 Partecipanti

#	participant	country	role	EC contrib. [€]
1	UNIVERSIDAD POLITECNICA DE MADRID  Organization address address: Calle Ramiro de Maeztu 7 city: MADRID postcode: 28040 contact info Titolo: Dr. Nome: Roberto Cognome: Prieto Email: send email Telefono: 34913366048 Fax: 34913365974	ES (MADRID)	coordinator	100˙000.00

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Legumes are the second major food source for humans and livestock, and crucial elements in any sustainable strategy of agriculture, since they are the main responsible of fixed nitrogen in natural ecosystems, and the largest supplier of nitrogen for agriculture. This is due to the establishment in their roots of a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia. In it, the rhizobia colonize a new organ, the nodule. In this organ, a microaerobiotic environment is essential for nitrogenase, the key enzyme of nitrogen fixation, to work. In exchange for fixed nitrogen, the plant provides the rhizobia with fixed carbon and oligonutrients such as iron and copper. Iron and copper play an essential role in the nodule, being involved in nitrogenase enzymatic activity, creation of the microaerobiotic environment, protection against free radical species created as side product of nitrogen fixation, energy obtention, and in producing regulatory free radicals, among other processes. However, essential heavy metals are scarce nutrients in soils, and are a frequent limiting crop yields. Therefore, we hypothesize that the host legume must strive to satisfy the nodule’s demand for more metals, and consequently mobilize these precious nutrients from other parts of the plant. As a consequence, the legume must alter the expression levels of metal homeostasis genes, change the distribution of metal along the plant, express new metal transporters in the nodule, and recover the metals once the nodule senesced. We will test this hypothesis by studying the : i) metal transcriptome in the nodulated plant, ii) metallome in the nodulated plant, iii) functional characterization (biochemical and physiological) of Cu and Fe transporters expressed in the nodule. For this, we will use as a model plant Medicago truncatula, and state of the art technology, such as the new Affymetrix chips or X-ray fluorescence to determine metal distribution.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Legumes are an important food source for humans and livestock and are the largest supplier of nitrogen for agriculture. Researchers are investigating how the plants regulate metal homeostasis in order to improve nitrogen fixation rates and productivity.