Exploring The Potential Of AtENOD93 And Arabidopsis thaliana As A Model System To Study ENOD93-like Proteins

Abstract

The human population has increased substantially in recent years and is expected to increase further. To feed this population, it is important to develop an agricultural system that is efficient in terms of resource use. Nitrogen is a prominent nutrient for crop productivity and application of nitrogenous fertilizers has allowed for the current population expansion at the expense of damage to the environment. An avenue for developing efficient agriculture may be through the study and generation of crops that utilize nitrogen efficiently, reducing the need for fertilizers. The OsENOD93-1 gene in rice was found to improve yields under nitrogen-limiting conditions, but other ENOD93 genes exist and warrant further study. In this study, the phenotype of a mutant with the expression of the only Arabidopsis ENOD93 gene knocked-out was characterized and this gene was implicated in the control of the GABA shunt's activity.