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Center for Rhizosphere Biology receives $1.1M grantIn June, Jorge Vivanco (Horticulture) and Frank Stermitz (Chemistry) of the Center for Rhizosphere Biology (within Horticulture), received a $1.1M grant from the National Science Foundation to study the role of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters in plants. ABC transporters help control the material that can pass in and out of a cell, and deficiencies in ABC transporters have been implicated in various human diseases, including cystic fibrosis. Vivanco and his colleagues hope to gain a more thorough understanding of root exudation, the process by which plants interact with neighboring plants and other organisms and control the surrounding soil. Such understaning is expected to alter out fundamental understanding of how plants interact with their environment, and will lead to developments in agriculture, biodiversity conservation, and other areas.
In conjunction with the work on ABC transporters, Vivanco and Stermitz will explore the role of biochemistry in ecological interactions in the Amazon rainforest. To this end, they recently visited Tambopata National Reserve in Peru to set up preliminary experiments related to the interaction between the Cecropia tree, neighboring vegetation, and the Azteca ant. It is hopes that this work will lead to a permanent collaboration between the Catholic University of Peru and CSU on the subject of chemical ecology of the tropics.
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