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? – Elke Barbez
- Do you want to uncover how plant cell walls talk back to stress? – Jędrzej Dobrogojski
- Would you be motivated by phytohormonal crosstalk project? – Chengzhi Ren
- Ever wondered how plants react to a warmer and colder climate? – Sophie Farkas
- What do plants if they are stressed out? – Seinab Noura
- Are you interested in uncovering ancient hormone signalling? Investigating PILS-like proteins in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. – Nibedita Priyadarshini
- What about looking at cells th#at stretch out? – Ann-Kathrin Rößling
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!
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Do you want to uncover how plant cell walls talk back to stress?
Jędrzej Dobrogojski
Are you fascinated by how plants sense and respond to their environment? Would you like to dive into the biochemical mysteries of the cell wall and help uncover its role in plant stress resilience? Then join our research team and explore how the extracellular matrix — once seen as a mere structural support — actively participates in signaling pathways that determine plant survival. Could its hidden chemistry fine-tune redox signals?
During our thesis project you will have an opportunity to work with Arabidopsis lines with altered cell wall composition, advanced redox sensors, and stress treatments to uncover how the extracellular matrix speaks back to the cell. The answers may challenge what we think we know about plant-environment communication.
- In vitro biochemical assays for redox-active compounds
- Histochemical and fluorescence-based detection of oxidative changes
- Live-cell imaging of redox dynamics using biosensors
- Root development analysis under environmental stress
- Genetic and molecular tools to probe cell wall chemistry
- Training in data interpretation, teamwork, and scientific communication
jump back to the summary of research questions
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!
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Ever wondered how plants react to a warmer and colder climate?
Sophie Farkas
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!
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What do plants do if they are stressed out?
Seinab Noura
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!
jump back to the summary of research questions
Are you interested in uncovering ancient hormone signalling? Investigating PILS-like proteins in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.
Nibedita Priyadarshini
Auxin is a key regulator of plant development, with its intracellular distribution mediated by specialized carrier proteins. Among them, PIN-LIKES (PILS) proteins localize to the endoplasmic reticulum and modulate nuclear auxin access in land plants. Interestingly, homologues of PILS are also found in unicellular green algae like Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, which lack canonical auxin signaling components, raising questions about the ancestral role of these proteins.
This project aims to investigate the localization and function of PILS-like proteins in Chlamydomonas, shedding light on their potential involvement in intracellular signaling pathways that may predate land plant evolution. The project will combine bioinformatics (phylogenetic analysis, transmembrane domain prediction), molecular cloning of PILS homologues into GFP-tagged expression vectors, and confocal microscopy for subcellular localization in Chlamydomonas and heterologous systems such as Arabidopsis thaliana. Functional characterization will involve the use of CLiP insertional mutants, coupled with phenotypic assays under exogenous hormone treatments.
This project is ideal for both bachelor’s and master’s students, offering a flexible scope, to learn techniques such as PCR, DNA cloning, microscopy, physiological assays in green algae and protein expression. This project offers an exciting opportunity to investigate the evolutionary origins of auxin signaling and the potential for PILS proteins to function as auxin transporters.
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What about looking at cells that stretch out?
Ann-Kathrin Rößling
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.
jump back to the summary of research questions