Molecular control of division site establishment in plants

• Applicant: Dr. Sabine Müller
• Subject Area: Plant Cell and Developmental Biology
• Term: from 2010 to 2014
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 167920632

The morphology of a plant is determined by the network of its cell walls. Unlike in other multicellular eukaryotic organisms plant cells are immobilized by cellulosic walls and formed in the positions were they are needed during development. Thus, the shape of a cell is established by its surrounding walls and critically depends on the orientation of cell division and the direction of cell expansion, requiring meticulous spatial control of cell cycle and cell division planes. Both, cell division and expansion are controlled by the cytoskeleton, which facilitates the distribution and organization of a variety of cellular components, including the confined deposition of cell wall material. The cytoskeleton-dependent mechanisms governing the establishment, recognition and maintenance of the division plane throughout cell division are yet poorly understood. Our goal is to elucidate these mechanisms using genetic tools along with confocal imaging.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants