< Back to previous page

Project

The auxin indole-3-acetic acid as signal molecule in bacteria.

The synthesis of the phytohormone indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is not limited to plants. Diverse bacterial species are known to produce auxins. Bacterial IAA production has so far been regarded as an effector molecule, either in relation to virulence (phytopathogens) or in relation to phytostimulation of root development (plant growth promotion). More recently it was found that IAA can act as a signal molecule in some bacteria and lower eukaryotes. In the plant growth promoting rhizobacterium Azospirillum brasilense it was shown that the expression of a key gene in IAA biosynthesis is regulated by the end-product IAA. In this project, we aim to unravel the signal function of IAA on a molecular level based on a transcriptome analysis of IAA-induced A. brasilense cells. In a second part, receptors and transcription factors, involved in auxin signal transduction pathway, will be identified and characterized.
Date:1 Oct 2008 →  30 Sep 2009
Keywords:Indole-3-acetic acid, Auxin, Azospirillum
Disciplines:Microbiology, Systems biology, Laboratory medicine