2025 Internship Project Overview

The objective of this project was to characterize transgenic corn and soybean plants that were genetically engineered to produce novel opines within their root systems. These opines serve as specialized signaling and nutrient molecules designed to foster beneficial interactions with engineered soil microbes. To confirm the success of the genetic modifications, polymerase chain reaction and western blotting were used to verify protein presence and expression in select plant lines. Coupled with this project, rhizobacteria were engineered to be opine-degrading, allowing them to thrive in the rhizosphere of the transgenic plants. This engineered plant-microbe partnership, referred to as opine mutualism, enables the modified rhizobacteria to outcompete native soil bacteria. The result is a synthetic microbial community that enhances root health, promotes plant growth and reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

 

ORGANIZATION/RESEARCH GROUP

Conway Lab, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University

LOCATION

Princeton, New Jersey

 

Interns

Michael Arnwine ’28
Major: Chemical and Biological Engineering
"I learned molecular biology techniques of PCR and western blotting. Additionally, we spent lots of time covering gene editing software, giving me ample experience with the subject. My favorite aspect was that this internship was not pure biology: its goal was to see what we can create with biology."

Click to view the end-of-project presentation

 

Jonathan Conway
Assistant Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering

Mentors

  • Samuel Eastman, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Chemical and Biological Engineering