| The Rhizobium legume symbiosis involves a sophisticated infection process. In this process, the bacteria instruct the host root hair to develop a curl, in which the bacteria become entrapped, and to form an infection thread, a new tube-like structure by which they can enter the host cells. The prime objective of this project is to understand an early step in the infection process of legumes by rhizobia, namely root hair curling. For this we have a powerful tool, the hcl (hair curling) Medicago truncatula mutant. The hcl mutation is responsible for a defect in root hair curling and, consequently, infection by rhizobia. We will analyse this mutant with a combination of cell and molecular biological techniques. |
