Projects
Unravelling the biological role of novel stress-induced peptides (SIPs) in Arabidopsis thaliana. KU Leuven
Plant peptides accommodate a broad functional diversity ranging from development, growth, fertilization, senescence, cell death, symbiotic interactions to stress tolerance. They act as key components of cell-to-cell communication, interfere with signaling and response pathways, or display antimicrobial activity. Nevertheless, the total number of peptides is largely underestimated and different types of peptides are underexplored. Most plant ...
Study of the initiation and growth of root hairs in Arabidopsis thaliana. University of Antwerp
Impact of auxin signaling on root colonization of Arabidopsis thaliana by Azospirillum brasilense. KU Leuven
To grow or not to grow, which genes regulate root cell elongation in Arabidopsis thaliana? University of Antwerp
Unravelling the molecular function of the Arabidopsis thaliana LSU peptide family in the plant stress response using an interactomics-based approach. KU Leuven
Plants defend themselves against pathogens and abiotic stresses using a wide arsenal of defence mechanisms. The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana has four members of the LSU (Low Sulfur Upregulated) gene family (LSU1-4) encoding small proteins with 59-89% sequence similarity and homologues in several other plants and major crops.
Originally, the LSU peptides were characterized as induced during sulfur deficiencies, but ...
Mechanisms of meiotic restitution under heat: Arabidopsis thaliana as a model KU Leuven
The main objective of this research study is to assess the natural genetic variation in heat-induced meiotic restitution in the Arabidopsis thaliana germplasm, and exploit this to characterize underlying cytological mechanisms and to identify determining genetic factors. These insights will provide a fundamental basis for elucidating the molecular mechanisms that underpin heat sensitivity of meiotic cell division in plants. A preliminary ...
Exploring the regulatory network of developmental programmed cell death in Arabidopsis thaliana Ghent University
Programmed Cell Death (PCD) is definded as genetically encoded cellular suicide. PCD was adopted by multicellular organisms to remove unwanted cells in a tightly controlled way. In both plants and animals, PCD plays critical roles in development, abiotic stress response and immunity. Yet, in comparison to animals, the knowledge of the molecular mechanisms that control PCD in plants is still very limited. The lateral root cap of Arabidopsis ...