Research Topics

From the interactions within cells to the development of seeds and the communication of roots with fungi — the research groups at the MPI-MP cover a wide range of topics across multiple biological scales.

Petri dishes with samples in a laboratory setup.

Algal Cell Biology and Biophysics

The group of Dr. Adrian Nievergelt is interested in the fundamental molecular processes that define how algal cells work, with a special focus on ciliary biology and intracellular transport mechanisms. more

Lush green plants growing inside a sealed chamber with attached tubes.

Applied Metabolome Analysis

The “Applied Metabolome Analysis” research group of Dr. Joachim Kopka provides gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) based metabolite profiling technologies more

The integration of sequence and gene expression data led to the identification of novel putative regulatory elements in the genome of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Bioinformatics

The Bioinformatics group led by Prof. Dr. Dirk Walther supports the experimental research activities at the institute by applying and developing bioinformatics methods and algorithms for the analyses of complex datasets. more

Fluorescent seedlings display varied intensity against a black background.

Biophysics and Photosynthesis

The mission of Dr. Mark Aurel Schöttler's central infrastructure group “Biophysics and Photosynthesis” is to support photosynthesis-related measurements in the institute. more

Collection of different tomato leaves with varied shapes and textures on a black surface.

Central Metabolism

The group of Dr. Alisdair Fernie focuses on identifying factors involved in metabolic regulation of primary metabolism within both photosynthetic and heterotrophic tissues. more

Epigenetic Mechanisms of Plant Reproduction

The main goal of the research in the group "Epigenetic Mechanisms of Plant Reproduction" led by Prof. Dr. Claudia Köhler is to understand the molecular events regulating seed development and plant speciation. more

Intercellular Macromolecular Transport

The main focus of Dr. Fritz Kragler's group is the characterization of the transport mechanism and function of proteins and RNA molecules moving between cells and via the phloem vasculature to distant plant parts. more

Microscopic view of a plant root with red and yellow particles.

Mycorrhiza and Root Biology

The main focus of the research in the group "Mycorrhiza and Root Biology" led by Prof. Dr. Caroline Gutjahr is to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation of an arbuscular mycorrhiza.
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Young plant in a clear plastic container with nutrient solution.

Organelle Biology and Biotechnology

The overarching goal of the research group led by Prof. Dr. Ralph Bock is to obtain a systems-level understanding of chloroplast and mitochondrial function in the context of the genetic and metabolic networks operating in plant cells. more

Plant Cell Biology and Morphodynamics

The infrastructure group led by Dr. Arun Sampathkumar provides research groups at the MPI-MP with access to a technology platform containing light and electron microscopes, as well as scientific and technical assistance to meet their cell biological needs. more

Advanced sensor equipment monitors crops in a greenhouse environment.

Plant Cultivation and Transformation

The infrastructure group of Dr. Karin Köhl develops and uses reproducible and efficient methods for plant cultivation in phytotrons, greenhouse, polytunnel-screenhouse and in the field. more

Schematic representation: In many virus-host combinations, the viruses are excluded from the stem cells and germline of the host plant, which means that virus-infected plants still produce healthy offspring.

Plant Germline Antiviral Immunity

The group led by Dr. Marco Incarbone is interested in plant host-virus interactions and more specifically those occurring in plant stem cells and reproductive tissues. more

Green plant with leaves covered in white powdery mildew, some leaves are wilted.

Receptor structures at the plant-microbe interface

The independent research group of Dr. Alexander Förderer focuses on the protein structure determination of plant receptors that monitor and mediate responses to environmental microbes. more

Seed Development and Apomixis

The workgroup of Dr. Duarte Figueiredo studies seed development in flowering plants, with the aim of understanding the molecular mechanisms necessary for the formation of a viable endosperm and its surrounding seed coat and is particularly interested in the formation of apomictic seeds more

Potato plants in white bags lined up on a paved walkway.

Synthetic Biology

The lab of Dr. Daniel Dunkelmann develops methods in plant synthetic genomics, with a focus on chloroplast engineering in land plants. We design chloroplast genomes for programmable polymer synthesis, cross-species compatibility, and biocontainment, and pursue broader technology development in plant synthetic… more

Diagram of plant metabolic pathways with experimental data graph.

Systems biology and Mathematical Modelling

The research focus of the group of Dr. Zoran Nikoloski is the development of methods for integration and analysis of 'omics' (time-resolved) data from high-throughput technologies in combination with the existing biological knowledge. more

graphic of mRNA with translating ribosomes and nascent peptide chains

Translational Regulation in Plants

Dr. Reimo Zoschke's group studies translational regulation and ribosome behavior in plants. Their projects focus on plastid translation and its interconnections with cytosolic and mitochondrial protein synthesis. more

Viral Replication and Plant Tolerance

The goal of the research group led by Dr. Marion Clavel is to understand what are the conserved mechanisms deployed by plant viruses to shape a cellular environment conductive to replication of their genetic material and the matching plant pathways that protect host cell against virus-induced damage. more