Who we are and what we do

Take a look behind the scenes of our institute and find out what motivates the scientists to pursue their research and which questions they are trying to answer.

From greenhouse to the lab

Mercedes Diez Cocero is a PhD student from Spain at our institute in Potsdam-Golm, Germany. She is interested in photosynthesis and has introduced a gene with potentially beneficial effects into tabacco plants. In this film she explains how she introduces the gene, how she cultivates the plants in the greenhouse, and how she processes the plants so that she can analyze them and learn more about photosynthesis.

Genes on the Move

In addition to the nucleus, chloroplasts and mitochondria also have a genome. Genes can migrate from these organelles into the nucleus. Ralph Bock from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam, Germany, investigates the mechanisms of this migration by simulating evolution in the lab.

Plants, Science, Scientists

At the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Golm near Potsdam researchers investigate metabolic and molecular processes in plant cells, tissues and organs.
They want to understand how plants take up substances and how they store and transport them. They also try to figure out how these different processes interact and are integrated and how plant metabolism and growth are affected by different environmental factors.
In the video the scientists describe what they particularly like about their work.

Cell wall research

At the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam-Golm the name of the working group "Plant cell walls" says it all. Led by Dr. Staffan Persson the group investigates how plant cell walls are constructed. The focus of the research is cellulose, which, together with pectin and hemicellulose, is the main component of cell walls. The researchers hope to elucidate which proteins are involved in building up the world’s most abundant biopolymer. Cellulose is used for industrial purposes in the paper and textile production, and is expected to become an important source of energy in the future. Martin Bringmann, until 2012 a PhD student at the institute, explains the cellulose research.
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