EDUCATION

1970 B.S. Physics (Honors) California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
1976 Ph.D. Biophysics Stanford University, Stanford, CA

EXPERIENCE

1970 – 1976 PHS Trainee, Stanford, Stanford, CA with Philip Hanawalt
1976 – 1979 Postdoctoral Research, UC San Diego, San Diego with Donald Helinski
1977 – 1978 Smith Kline Fellow, UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
1978 – 1979 NIH Fellow, UC San Diego, San Diego, CA
1979 – 1985 Assistant Professor–Bacteriology and Public Health and Genetics and Cell Biology, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
1984 – present Associate in Biochemistry and Biophysics, Washington State University
1985 - 1987 Associate Professor, Genetics and Cell Biology, WSU
1985 - 1995 Associate Professor of Microbiology, WSU
1986 Associate, Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin
1987 Visiting Scientist, John Innes Institute, Norwich, England
1987 - 1995 Associate Fellow, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Wash. State Univ.
1997 - 1999 Chair, Department of Microbiology, Washington State University
1987 - present Associate in Plant Physiology, Washington State University
1995 - present Fellow, Institute of Biological Chemistry, Washington State University
1995 - present Professor of Microbiology, Washington State University

HONORS

Presidential Scholar from New Mexico, l966
National Merit Scholar, l966 - l970
USPHS Predoctoral Trainee, l970 - l976
Smith Kline Postdoctoral Fellow, l977 - l978
USPHS Postdoctoral Fellow, l978 - l979
Program Manager, USDA-CRGO Nitrogen Fixation and Metabolism, 1988-1989
Adviser of the Year, 2002, College of Sciences, Washington State University.

GENERAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Gene expression and intermediary metabolism in the Rhizobium-legume symbiosis. Development of genetic methods for bacterial genome manipulation.

PUBLICATIONS (since 1997)

Xu, Y., M. W. Mortimer, M. L. Kahn, F. J. Brockman and L. Xun. 1997. Cloning and Sequencing of a Gene Cluster Encoding Nitrilotriacetate Monooxygenase of Chelatobacter heintzii ATCC 29600. J. Bacteriology 179:1112-1116.

Al-Niemi, T. S., T. R. McDermott, and M. L. Kahn. 1997. Phosphorus Metabolism in the Bean - Rhizobium tropici Symbiosis. Plant Physiology 113:1233-1242.

Al-Niemi, T. S., M. L. Summers, J. G. Elkins, M. L. Kahn and T. R. McDermott. 1997. Regulation of the Phosphate Stress Response in Rhizobium meliloti by PhoB Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 63: 4978-4981.

Deng, S., M.L. Summers, M.L. Kahn and T.R. McDermott. 1998. Cloning and characterization of a Rhizobium meliloti nonspecific acid phosphatase. Arch Microbiol 170:18-26.

Al-Niemi, T. S., T. R. McDermott, and M. L. Kahn. 1998. Bacteroid Nutrient Acquisition From the Rhizosphere. Plant and Soil. 198: 71-78.

Kahn, M.L., T. R. McDermott and M.K. Udvardi. 1998. Carbon and Nitrogen Metabolism in Rhizobia. In "The Rhizobiacae", HP Spaink, A. Kondorosi and PJJ Hooykaas, eds. pp 461-485.
Greene, T.W., I.H. Kavakli, M. L. Kahn, and T. W. Okita. 1998. Generation of Up-Regulated Allosteric Variants of Potato ADP-glucose Pyrophosphorylase by Reversion Genetics Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 95:10322-7.

Park, K.S. and Kahn, M.L. 1999. Distribution of two isoforms of NADP-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase in soybean (Glycine max), Plant Molecular Biology 40:13-21.

Mortimer, M. W., T. R. McDermott, G. M. York, G. C. Walker, and M. L. Kahn. 1999. Citrate Synthase Mutants of Sinorhizobium meliloti are Ineffective and Have Altered Cell Surface Polysaccharides. J.Bacteriol. 181, 7608-13.

Crawford, N, Kahn, ML, Leustek, T. Long, SR 2000. Chapter 16: Nitrogen and Sulfur. In "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Plants", B.B. Buchanan et al, eds. American Society of Plant Physiologists, Rockville, MD pp 786-849.

Yurgel, S., M. W. Mortimer, K. N. Rogers, and M. L. Kahn 2000. New substrates for the dicarboxylate transport system of Sinorhizobium meliloti J Bacteriol. 182:4216-21.

Mortimer, M.W. and M.L. Kahn. 2001. A simple method for sending plasmid DNA by mail. BioTechniques 30:1230.

Barnett, MJ., RF Fisher, T Jones, C Komp, AP Abola, F Barloy-Hubler, L Bowser, D Capela, F Galibert, J Gouzy, M Gurjal, A Hong, L Huizar, RW Hyman, D Kahn, ML Kahn, S Kalman, DH Keating, C Palm, MC Peck, R Surzycki, DH Wells, K-C Yeh, RW Davis, NA Federspiel, SR Long. (2001) Nucleotide Sequence and Predicted Functions of the Entire Sinorhizobium meliloti pSymA Megaplasmid. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, U.S.A. 98:9883-8.

Galibert, F, TM Finan, SR Long, A Pühler, P Abola, F Ampe, F Barloy-Hubler, MJ Barnett, A Becker, P Boistard, G Bothe, M Boutry, L Bowser, J Buhrmester, E Cadieu, D Capela, P Chain, A Cowie, RW Davis, S Dréano, NA Federspiel, RF Fisher, S Gloux, T Godrie, A Goffeau, B Golding, J Gouzy, M Gurjal, I Hernandez-Lucas, A Hong, L Huizar, RW Hyman, T Jones, D Kahn, ML Kahn, S Kalman, D Keating, E Kiss, C Komp, V Lelaure, D Masuy, C Palm, MC. Peck, T Pohl, D Portetelle, B Purnelle, U Ramsperger, R Surzycki, P Thébault, M Vandenbol, F-J Vorhölter, S Weidner, DH Wells, K Wong, K-C Yeh, J Batut (2001) The complete genome sequence of the legume symbiont Sinorhizobium meliloti. Science, 293:668-72.

Kahn, M. 2002. Signal transduction in symbiosis: Getting in deeper and deeper. "In Nitrogen Fixation: Global Perspectives." Finan, T.M., M.R.O'Brian, D.B. Layzell,J.K. Vessey and Newton, W (eds.) pp. 115-117.

Kahn, ML, A Parra-Colmenares, CL Ford, F Kaser, D McCaskill, RE Ketchum, 2002 A mass spectrometry method for measuring 15N incorporation into pheophytin. Analytical Biochemistry 307:219-225.

Walt, A and M. L. Kahn. 2002. The fixA and fixB genes are necessary for anaerobic carnitine reduction in Escherichia coli J Bacteriol. 184:4044-4047.

Denison, R. F., C. Bledsoe, M. Kahn, F. O'Gara, E. L. Simms, and L. S. Thomashow. 2002. Cooperation in the rhizosphere and the "free rider" problem. (Ecology, in press)

Grzemski, W., J. P. Akowski and M. L. Kahn. 2002. Altering Bacterial Metabolism in a Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis Using Conditional and Impaired Mutations in Sinorhizobium meliloti Citrate Synthase. (submitted)

Parra A., M.L. Kahn. 2004. Effectiveness of Sinorhizobium meliloti strains on selected isolates of Medicago truncatula. (in preparation)