Kenneth D. Nadler 
Professor of Plant Biology; 

Ph.D., 1968, The Rockefeller Institute; 
Postdoctoral Fellow, 1968­1970,
University of California, San Diego; 
Visiting Scientist, 1979­1980,
The John Innes Institute, Norwich, UK. 

Email:
nadler@pilot.msu.edu
Phone: (517) 353-5167 
Lab: 353-3221
Home Department: 
Plant Biology

"Leghemoglobins", a family of myoglobin­like proteins found only in nitrogen­fixing legume root nodules, comprise ca. 20% of the soluble nodule protein. Leghemoglobins regulate the oxygen tension in infected nodule tissues and are essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Although these abundant hemoproteins are synthesized and localized in plant cells containing differentiated bacteria, the heme (iron protoporphyrin) prosthetic group apparently is produced by the endosymbiotic rhizobia. Our interests focus on processes involved in heme synthesis in the symbiotic Rhizobium­legume root nodule and their regulation.

Although the pea rhizobium has a number of different iron uptake systems (Nadler et al. 1990) one is essential for symbiotic nitrogen fixation. Cosmid pKN1, encoding elements of this system (Nadler et al. 1990), restores symbiotic nitrogen fixation, leghemoglobin induction and iron uptake to an ineffective mutant strain of R. leguminosarum. The number, organization and regulation of symbiotic iron uptake genes in rhizobia, as included an pKN1, are of immediate interest.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:
Artus, N.N., and K.D.Nadler. (1999). A Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach in an Undergraduate Plant Physiology Class. Plant Physiology. 119: 1177-1186.

Nadler K.,  A. Johnston, J. Chen and T. John (1990) A Rhizobium leguminosarum mutant defective in symbiotic iron acquisition. Journal of Bacteriology 172(2):670­677 Nadler KD, et al.

Verma D. and K. Nadler (1984) The Legume­Rhizobium­Symbiosis: host's point of view. In: Plant Gene Research: Volume 1. Genes Involved in Microbe­Plant Interactions, ed. D.P.S. Verma and Th. Hohn, 58­84. New York: Springer Verlag Publishers.

Bisseling T., C. Been, J. Klugkist, A. van Kammen and K. Nadler (1983) Nodule­specific host proteins in effective and ineffective root nodules of Pisum sativum. EMBO Journal 2 (6):961­966.

Avissar Y . and K. Nadler (1978) Stimulation of tetrapyrrole formation in Rhizobium japonicum by restricted aeration. Journal of Bacteriology 135(3):782­789. Avissar YJ, et al.

Other Publications
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