Projects
Involvement of gibberellins in the regulation of leaf growth upon drought stress in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Ghent University
Drought stress is one of the most important factors limiting crop yield. An important adaptation to drought is leaf growth reduction. This project aims to study the role of gibberellins and DELLAs in this process, including the identification of upstream transcription factors and downstream target genes affecting cell division and/or expansion by growth analysis and molecular characterisation of mutn ants.
Plant growth regulation Ghent University
Carbohydrate is transported to many places within a plant for its growth, but little is yet known of the mechanisms that determine the distribtuion. Non-invasive 11C-based plant research resulted in a succesful mechanistic model "MTF". But observed dynamics were ignored: we will use MTF, and Ghent's software PhytoSim, to mine this un-tapped resource. Further, we will evaluate the potential for plant research in Ghent to use 11C, an ...
Unraveling molecular mechanisms regulating growth under mild osmotic stress through the identification of chemical compounds using quantitative plant phenotyping Ghent University
The aim of this project is to unravel the molecular mechanisms regulating plant growth inhibition upon mild osmotic stress by combining quantitative phenotyping and chemical genetics. A high-throughput imaging platform will allow to identify small molecules positively affecting shoot growth under mild osmotic stress. Promising compounds will then be used as chemical tools to study molecular mechanisms.
Regulation of root hair development by the plant hormone auxin through the receptor-like kinase ERULUS and modulation of cell wall enzyme activity. University of Antwerp
Folates in plant growth and development and their connection with nitrogen metabolism Ghent University
Folates/Vitamin B9 are indispensable for life. Deficiency of folates in humans causes diseases, like neural tube defects and megaloblastic anemia. Folates are biosynthesized only in plants and microorganisms, and thus humans majorly rely on plants for their folate needs. As staple crops like cereals are folate deficient, folate biofortification is a solution to meet the need of poor regions worldwide, where other strategies fail to function. ...
The impact of nutrient homeostasis, the oxidative balance, the cell cycle and their interplay on cadmium-induced plant growth restriction. Hasselt University
Exploring MAP4Ks in plant growth and stress response Ghent University
Inducible lectins and their importance in stress signaling for plant growth and crop protection Ghent University
The main objective of this project is to obtain new and more fundamental insights on the regulation and physiological importance of the Euonymus-related lectins in the induced response of plants against abiotic and biotic stresses. Ultimately these data can be exploited to obtain plants with a better growth, higher yield and better protection against pest insects
The regulation of photosynthesis by ethylene in tomato KU Leuven
Ethylene is a volatile plant hormone that plays a regulatory role in many aspects of vegetative plant growth and development, including the regulation of photosynthesis. It is also regarded as an 'aging' hormone, as it is required for processes such as climacteric fruit ripening, leaf and flower senescence, and abscission. In addition, ethylene is also involved in regulating plant responses to various biotic and abiotic stresses.
It ...