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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Origin Of Gene Specificity In The Nitrogen-Fixing Symbiosis, Christina Marie Stonoha-Arther
Origin Of Gene Specificity In The Nitrogen-Fixing Symbiosis, Christina Marie Stonoha-Arther
Doctoral Dissertations
Many legumes form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in the soil. This relationship is beneficial to both the plant and the bacteria; the plant receives nitrogen that is otherwise limited, and the bacteria receive fixed carbon. Upon sensing the bacteria, the plant forms a new organ (the nodule) where the bacteria are housed within the cells. Many genes are required for the proper formation and function of nodules; this dissertation is broadly focused on how genes required for nitrogen-fixing symbiosis are co-opted from other cellular processes and how they are specialized for symbiosis. Protein trafficking from the plant to …
Decoding The Cellular Zipcode: Functional Analysis Of Transit Peptide Motifs And Mechanistic Implications In Plastid Targeting And Import, Kristen N. Holbrook
Decoding The Cellular Zipcode: Functional Analysis Of Transit Peptide Motifs And Mechanistic Implications In Plastid Targeting And Import, Kristen N. Holbrook
Doctoral Dissertations
Eukaryotic organisms are defined by their compartmentalization and various organelles. The membranes that define these organelles require complex nanomachines (known as translocons) to selectively mediate the import of proteins from the cytosol where they are synthesized into the organelle. The plastid, (specifically the chloroplast) which is characteristic of plant cells, possibly represents the most complex system of protein sorting, requiring many different translocons located in the three membranes found in this organelle. Despite having a small genome, the vast majority of plastid-localized proteins are nuclear-encoded and must be post-translationally imported from the cytosol. These proteins are encoded as a larger …