The molecular basis of plant growth & development
Molecular Genetics & Natural Genetic Variation
A central feature of plant development is the post-embryonic formation of the majority of plant organs in a reiterative fashion. This build up of organs continues until the plant dies and can last hundreds of years in long-lived plants, like certain trees. Thus the control of plant growth and the elaboration of plant form are central to plant development. Our research revolves around the genetic control of plant growth and development, and the underlying molecular mechanisms. We focus on genes that are responsible for modifying quantitative aspects of growth and morphology. We isolate such genes by exploiting natural genetic variation, for instance as observed in wild Arabidopsis thaliana strains. Arabidopsis is also our model of choice to characterize the cell biological and biochemical functions of the respective proteins. We are particularly interested in genes that determine the growth rate and architecture of the root system, as well as genes that determine the rate of secondary growth, i.e. the thickening of stems. We also investigate the molecular evolutionary aspects of those genes and in their role in other species, with a focus on the monocotyledon model, Brachypodium.
Research topics
Natural genetic variation
Root system growth & architecture
Secondary growth
Plant hormone pathways
Interdisciplinary
Process modeling of root growth (in collaboration with Prof. Richard Smith, Bern; Dr. Ioannis Xenarios, SIB)
Bioinformatics approaches (collaboration with Dr. Ioannis Xenarios, SIB)
