Dong Wang

The research goal in the Wang Lab is to understand the interaction between eukaryotic hosts and their microbial partners, using the highly evolved symbiotic association between legumes and nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia as a model. These two species undergo a complex series of interactions, resulting in the transformation of free-living bacteria into intracellular organelles – the symbiosomes – dedicated to converting (fixing) atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia for the host. The lab is particularly interested in how the host maintains and controls a large population of intracellular rhizobia: rhizobia are closely related to a number of bacterial pathogens of animals and plants, and use similar strategies to associate with their eukaryotic host. However, their survival and proliferation inside the host cytoplasm is tightly controlled by the host. Understanding how the legume hosts neutralize the potential threat posed by this intracellular bacteria may lead to new strategies to combat infectious diseases. The symbiosomes are compartments that enclose the bacteria with a host-derived membrane. The group is elucidating the nature of the molecular dialog between the host and the microbe across this biological interface.