Research Portfolios
Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
Biological activity and role of syrbactins in host-microbe interactions
Prof. Dr. Robert Dudler, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
aaSyringolin, a representative of syrbactins, constitutes a novel class of proteasome inhibitors secreted by a group of...
Systematic Botany
Chemical and evolutionary ecology of plant - insect interactions
Prof. Dr. Florian P. Schiestl, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Systematic Botany
Plants interact with a vast array of insects in antagonistic and mutualistic associations. Among the various channels...
Chemical Ecology
Chemical signals involved in plant-insect interactions
Prof. Dr. Ted Turlings, BeNeFri, University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Biology
Plants under attack by herbivores initiate the production and release of volatiles that are attractive to the natural...
Chloroplast Metabolism
Chlorophyll breakdown
Prof. Dr. Stefan Hörtensteiner, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
Chlorophyll breakdown is the most obvious sign of leaf senescence, but occurs also during fruit ripening and as response...
Plant Developmental Genetics
Cytokinin's role in embryonic root stem-cell formation
Dr. Bruno Müller, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
Despite the essential role of plants to support animal life on earth, our understanding of plant developmental processes...
Chloroplasts and Photosynthesis
Discovering how chloroplasts are made
Prof. Dr. Felix Kessler, BeNeFri, University of Neuchâtel, Institute of Biology
The chloroplast is the site of photosynthesis in plants. Most of the chloroplast proteins must be imported from the...
Ethnobotany
Ethnobotany
Dr. Caroline Weckerle, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Systematic Botany
Ethnobotanical studies involve the investigation of biocultural diversity and thus the interactions between plants and...
Molecular Plant Physiology - Hormone Transport
Functional interactomics of auxin transport
PD Dr. Markus Geisler, BeNeFri, University of Fribourg, Dept. of Biology
Work in our group is concentrating on the individual roles of auxin catalysts – members of ABCB/PGP- and PIN families -...
Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions
Molecular aspects of symbiosis and pathogenesis in plants
Prof. Dr. Thomas Boller, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Basel, Institute of Botany
Plants interact with microbes (bacteria and fungi), in both friendly and hostile ways – this is the essence of plant...
Plant Developmental Genetics, Hormone Signaling
Molecular genetic control of seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana
Prof. Dr. Luis Lopez-Molina, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Geneva, Department of Botany and Plant Biology
Land plant’s success to colonize different continental environments lies in part in their ability to produce seeds:...
Plant Photoreceptor-Mediated Signal Transduction
Molecular mechanisms of light-regulated growth and development in plants
Prof. Dr. Christian Fankhauser, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Lausanne, Center for Intergrative Genomics
Both genetic and environmental factors influence growth and development of any living organism. Plant development is...
Plant Nutrition
Oxygen isotope in phosphate, a new approach to study the soil/plant system
Dr. Federica Tamburini, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Phosphorus (P) is a major nutrient and an important constituent in cell membranes, DNA and RNA, and energy transporters....
Heat-Shock Biology and the Mechanisms of Chaperone Actions
Perception of stress and the mechanisms of molecular chaperones
Prof. Dr. Pierre Goloubinoff, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Lausanne, Department of Plant Molecular Biology
Our research is focused on molecular chaperones, proteins that assist the (un)folding of other proteins in the cell....
Molecular Studies of Plant-Insect Interactions
Plant defenses against insects
Dr. Philippe Reymond, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Lausanne, Department of Plant Molecular Biology
Plants attacked by insects develop an array of inducible defenses aimed at slowing the growth or development of the...
Functional Genomics
Plant genetic networks – from databases to computational modeling
Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Gruissem, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences
Using a systems biology approach, we are modeling biochemical pathways and regulatory processes that affect plant...
Plant Biochemistry
Plant primary metabolism - From basic research to crop productivity
Prof. Dr. Samuel Zeeman, Zurich-Basel PSC, ETH Zurich, Institute of Agricultural Sciences
The domestication of crops was a landmark in the development of human civilisation. Today, most of our food and many of...
Biochemistry
Structure – function analysis of cutin and the cuticle in Arabidopsis
Dr. Christiane Nawrath, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Lausanne, Department of Plant Molecular Biology
One of the important steps in the evolution of land plants is the formation of a primary barrier at the surface of...
Molecular Genetics & Natural Genetic Variation
The molecular basis of plant growth & development
Prof. Dr. Christian Hardtke, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Lausanne, Department of Plant Molecular Biology
A central feature of plant development is the post-embryonic formation of the majority of plant organs in a reiterative...
Molecular Physiology
The role of ABC and vacuole transporters in plants
Prof. Dr. Enrico Martinoia, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
Using modern molecular, biochemical and electrophysiological approaches as well as classical physiology our laboratory...
Plant Molecular Physiology and Biochemistry
The role of carbon metabolism in drought stress tolerance
Dr. Diana Santelia, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology
Our lab is interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms of carbon partitioning (between starch and sugars) at...
Molecular Plant Physiology
Transport of organic nitrogen in plants and parasitic protozoa
Prof. Dr. Doris Rentsch, BeNeFri, University of Bern, Institute of Plant Sciences
Nitrogen is one of the most limiting nutritional factors for plant growth and productivity. Therefore diverse and...
Plant Molecular Biology
UV-B perception and signalling in plants
Prof. Dr. Roman Ulm, Arc Lémanique PS, University of Geneva, Department of Botany and Plant Biology
Sunlight is of utmost importance to plants, not only as energy source but also as an environmental signal regulating...
Plant-microbe Interactions, Microbiology
Volatile-mediated impact of bacteria on plants
Dr. Laure Weisskopf, Zurich-Basel PSC, University of Zurich, Institute of Plant Biology