Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology
Research in the Department of Professor Dr. Ralph Bock focuses on the biology of the two DNA-containing organelles in plants, the plastids (chloroplasts) and the mitochondria, and on the biology of eukaryotic algae. Groups in the Department study the mechanisms and regulation of gene expression in plant cell organelles at all levels, the communication between the organelles and the nucleus, the evolution of the organelles and their genomes, and various aspects of the genetics and cell biology of green and red algae.
The new knowledge generated and the new technologies developed are integrated into the Department’s applied research projects in genetic engineering, experimental genome evolution, biotechnology and synthetic biology.
Major model organisms used by groups in the Department include Arabidopsis, tobacco and other Solanaceae species (e.g., tomato and potato), the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and the red alga Porphyridium purpureum.
Director of Department: Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 biology and genomics.
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