Morten Egevang Jørgensen receives postdoc grant from Danish Council for Independent Research (FNU)
DynaMo postdoc Morten Egevang Jørgensen has received 1.5 million kr to investigate plant membrane transporter proteins at Würzburg University.
The Danish Council for Independent Research (FNU) has granted an Individual postdoc stipend to Morten Egevang Jørgensen who obtained the PhD degree in DynaMo Center in January 2015 and is currently postdoc at the center.
Project title
Harmonue - cHAnnels foR iMprOved NutrIent Use Efficiency
Institution
University of Würzburg
Granted amount
1.584.100 kr.
Project description
Plants are the primary food source on planet Earth. Nitrate is an essential source of nitrogen for plants and accumulation of nitrate from soil is a key step in nitrogen metabolism and is therefore crucial for yield. The membrane proteins, carrying nitrate into the vasculature for further transport within the plant, is not known. Preliminary work suggests that an anion channel is responsible for the transport of nitrate into the vasculature. The goal of this project is to investigate the physiological role of this channel in nitrate accumulation from the soil, nitrate distribution in the plant, and nitrate signaling. The project has a multidisciplinary approach, combining advanced bioinformatics and molecular biology with the latest techniques in biophysics (eg. Patch Clamp Electrophysiology). The project will provide vital new fundamental knowledge about accumulation, distribution and signaling of nitrate and thus has the potential to improve the yield of future crops.