The cluster group of Molecular Plant Physiology (MoPP) trains and mentors the next generation of innovation leaders. The MoPP members jointly thrive to deliver high quality teaching at the University of Freiburg. If you have general questions related to specific courses or lectures, please, address them to the MoPP teaching coordinator Dr. Stefan Kircher.
Ausgewählte Lehrveranstaltungen mit Beteiligung der AG Kleine-Vehn
Bachelorstudiengang
GM-11: Grundmodul „Physiologie“, 3. Semester
Vorlesungen, prakt. Übungen mit Protokoll, Abschlussklausur
PM-18: Profilmodul „Modellpflanze Arabidopsis thaliana“, 4. Semester
Vorlesungen, prakt. Übungen/Semesterprojekt mit Vortrag
Vorlesungen, prakt. Übungen/Semesterprojekt mit Vortrag
VM-11: Vertiefungsmodul „Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie“, 5. Semester
Prakt. Übungen mit Protokoll und Vortrag, Seminar
Masterstudiengang
OM-06: Orientierungsmodul „Einführung in die Pflanzenwissenschaften“, 1. Semester
Vorlesungen, prakt. Übungen, Abschlussklausur
SP1-06: Schwerpunktmodul 1 „Pflanzenwissenschaften“, 2. Semester
SP1-06: Schwerpunktmodul 1 „Pflanzenwissenschaften“, 2. Semester
Vorlesungen, prakt. Übungen mit Protokoll, Seminar
SP2-11: Schwerpunktmodul 2 „Spezielle Themen der Pflanzenwissenschaften“, 3. Semester
SP2-11: Schwerpunktmodul 2 „Spezielle Themen der Pflanzenwissenschaften“, 3. Semester
Vorlesungen, 2 x 4 Wochen Laborprojekte mit Protokoll
Weitere Informationen über die einzelnen Veranstaltungen finden Sie in den Modulhandbüchern, zu finden unter: http://www.bio.uni-freiburg.de/studium/qm/modulhandbuecher.
Are you looking for an exciting research opportunity for your bachelor’s or master’s thesis? Look no further!
- Are you interested in one of the biggest challenges in modern agriculture?
- How does cell wall architecture influence long-distance transport in plants?
- How are sugars and amino acids distributed in the root?
- Would you be motivated by phytohormonal crosstalk project?
- Ever wondered how plants react to a warmer and colder climate?
- What do plants if they are stressed out?
- What can we learn from unicellular organisms?
- What about looking at cells that stretch out?
We are seeking motivated and curious students to join our team to investigate the mechanisms that make plants so special. Scroll down to find out more about each project.
Are you interested in one of the biggest challenges in modern agriculture?
Elke Barbez
Do you want to make a contribution to reducing fertilizer usage and its negative impact on the environment? Then consider joining our research team and embark on an exciting journey to unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying nutrient mining in plant roots. We are looking for a motivated and ambitious candidate to investigate the role of cell wall charge in nutrient acquisition. Our hypothesis is that the cell wall charge is dynamically controlled to optimize the uptake of cationic nutrients, and we aim to dissect this process at the molecular level. With our innovative molecular tools, we will assess the contribution of pectin-dependent cell wall charge and mechanistically dissect how nutrient availability impacts it. In addition, we will identify and characterize novel molecular players in the adaptive regulation of root cell wall charge. This project will establish a new research niche in a highly relevant area of plant development, and you will have the opportunity to make a long term contribution to reducing fertilizer usage and its negative impact on the environment. Join our team and be a part of a cutting-edge research project that has the potential to revolutionize modern agriculture. Apply now to become a part of this exciting opportunity!
How does cell wall architecture influence long-distance transport in plants?
Lothar Kalmbach
Are you interested in understanding how differentiation of a subset of cells enables transport from leaves to roots? Do you want to understand how cell walls are patterned and modified to allow high-volume transport throughout organs?
In plants, the vascular system consists of xylem and phloem, with the xylem transporting water and inorganic nutrients from roots to shoots, and the phloem transporting organic nutrients (i.e. sugars and amino acids) from leaves to roots. The conductive cells of the phloem are sieve elements and are connected to each other through large sieve pores. To make these pores (and ultimately allow efficient transport), transient deposition of callose through polarly localized CALLOSE SYNTHASE 7 (CALS7) is important. In this project, we will explore which molecular factors are involved in localization and activity of CALS7. We will investigate localization and mutant phenotypes of candidate genes, describe their cellular phenotypes in sieve elements, and dissect their role in phloem transport. Ultimately, we want to establish a cellular and developmental framework for tissue-specific callose deposition in a defined developmental context. This project will allow you to investigate plants from micro- to macroscopic scale and combines cell biology, molecular biology, and whole-plant physiology.
How are sugars and amino acids distributed in the root?
Lothar Kalmbach
Are you interested in understanding how photosynthetic products are transported from leaves into roots? Do you want to combine advanced molecular genetics with microscopy and cell biology? Unloading of sugars and amino acids from the central root cylinder into surrounding tissues occurs through cellular connections called plasmodesmata and through dedicated transporter. Such transporter-mediated unloading in roots, however, has been mostly neglected. While their expression is apparent from recent single cell transcriptomes, regulation and cellular localization of such transporter is unknown. Conceptually, transporter-mediated sugar and amino acid unloading should be very important for root growth and development for 2 reasons: i) unlike plasmodesmata, transporters allow for selective exchange of cargo; ii) unlike plasmodesmata-transport that occurs close to the root tip, sugar and amino acid transporter are expressed in the older, differentiating root. Here, demand for organic nutrients should be high due to cell walls being modified with carbon-rich polymers like lignin and suberin. In this project we will map a collection of sugar and amino acid transporter under endogenous conditions in roots. We determine endogenous expression domains, subcellular localization, and responses to hormones and organic nutrients. Finally, to investigate the physiological role of transporter families, we will generate higher-order mutants using genome editing. This project will give you hands-on experience in state-of-the-art molecular genetic techniques, microscopy, and cell biology.
Would you be motivated by phytohormonal crosstalk project?
Chengzhi Ren
Our research focuses on the phytohormonal crosstalk between brassinosteroid (BR) and auxin, and how the PIN-LIKES (PILS) proteins play a critical role in this process. We have discovered that PILS6 has an inhibitory effect on lateral root density, which is required for BR-induced lateral rooting. By using a synthetic promoter-based auxin signaling oscillation assay, we have also found that PILS6 reduces the frequency of oscillations in the oscillation zone (OZ) of root tips, and reduces the numbers of prebranch sites (PBS). We hypothesize that PILS6 functions adjacent to lateral root primordia (LRP) and imposes a negative impact on lateral root development by gating auxin transport from the stele into the primordia, functionally characterizing “feeder cells” for LRP development. This is a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in plant physiology and molecular biology. You will work alongside experienced researchers and use cutting-edge techniques to investigate the complex regulatory networks that control lateral root development. If you are passionate about plant science and want to make a significant contribution to the field, then we encourage you to apply. Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity to conduct groundbreaking research and earn academic credit for your bachelor’s thesis. Contact us today to learn more!
Ever wondered how plants react to a warmer and colder climate?
Sophie Farkas – current bachelor student Federico Grippo
Are you interested in understanding how plants respond to environmental cues and optimize their root architecture for growth and productivity? Our bachelor thesis project focuses on the architecture of the root system and how it provides access to nutrients and water. We investigate the gravitropic set-point angle (GSA) and how it is regulated by temperature and hormonal signals such as cytokinin and auxin. Through our research, we have discovered that the sensing of cold and warm ambient temperature regimes promotes and suppresses the gravitropic growth of lateral roots, respectively. We have also identified candidate genes that quantitatively impact the temperature-dependent setting of GSAs using a genome-wide association study. By joining our project, you will have the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into how plants respond to abiotic stress and optimize their root architecture for growth and productivity. Don’t miss this chance to contribute to cutting-edge research in the field of plant root biology!
What do plants do if they are stressed out?
Seinab Noura – current bachelor student Antonia Gross
Are you interested in investigating how plants respond to stressful environments? Do you want to contribute to the understanding of how phytohormonal crosstalk is coordinated during abiotic stress? Then this Bachelor thesis might be perfect for you! In this project, we aim to unravel the intricate molecular mechanisms underlying plant responses to abiotic stress. Specifically, we will focus on the crosstalk between the central stress-signalling hormone, abscisic acid (ABA), and the growth hormone, auxin. Our investigation will focus on the posttranslational modifications of PIN-LIKES (PILS) auxin transporters at the ER. Through in vitro and in planta experiments, we will provide evidence that PILS proteins are phosphorylated by stress-induced kinases at specific sites, and we will investigate the consequences of this phosphorylation on intracellular auxin transport and abiotic stress tolerance. Join us in this exciting research and contribute to the advancement of our understanding of how plants cope with environmental stresses!
What can we learn from unicellular organisms?
Nibedita Priyadarshini
The plant hormone auxin plays a crucial role in regulating developmental processes in land plants. However, our favourite PIN-LIKES (PILS) proteins preceded the evolution of the canonical auxin response pathway, suggesting that auxin function may have existed before the emergence of multicellularity. In this bachelor thesis, we will investigate the function of PILS proteins in the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. In plants, PILS proteins are localized in the endoplasmic reticulum and control the amount of auxin that enters the nucleus, thereby regulating the rate of TIR1-dependent gene expression. But what did they do before the auxin receptor existed? To figure this out, we will establish Chlamydomonas as a genetic and biochemical high-throughput model system, taking advantage of its ability to grow haploid and the availability of a collection of mutants with known gene disruptions. We will use CRISPR/Cas9 to generate knock-out mutations, and utilize live cell imaging and electroporation to generate stable transgenic lines for imaging studies. The thesis candidate will have a strong interest in plant biology and molecular biology techniques such as PCR, DNA cloning, and protein expression. This project offers an exciting opportunity to investigate the evolutionary origins of auxin signalling and the potential for PILS proteins to function as auxin transceptors.
What about looking at cells that stretch out?
Ann-Kathrin Rößling – current master student Philip Drobny
Are you interested in understanding how plant cells grow and expand during development? Do you want to explore the role of receptor-like kinases in shaping vacuolar morphology? If so, a bachelor thesis project in plant biology might be the perfect opportunity for you! In this project, you will investigate how the receptor-like kinase FERONIA (FER) influences vacuolar size and morphology in plant cells. Using a label-free proteomics approach, we identified potential interaction partners of FER, and now study a candidate protein that shows dual localisation at the plasma membrane and the vacuolar membrane. This is a perfect candidate to transmit a signal from the plasma membrane to an organelle, such as the vacuole. By integrating cell wall signals into growth responses, you will gain insights into the mechanisms underlying vacuolar dynamics which is important during fast cell expansion processes. This project offers an exciting opportunity to gain hands-on experience in plant biology research, for example protein phosphorylation, microscopy, cloning, and/or data analysis.