Lieven De Veylder leads the Cell Cycle Group. Correct regulation of the cell cycle is of crucial importance during the development of all multi-cellular organisms. Although for all organisms it is the goal to divide only if the DNA has been replicated correctly and without damage, years of research have revealed many differences between the ways animals and plants control their cell cycle. The group aims to understand how cell-cycle control genes drive plant cell proliferation, and to elucidate how cell division control interacts with different aspects of plant development, such as morphogenesis, architecture and growth, both under control and stress conditions. Identifying the underlying mechanisms that control cell division might open opportunities to adjust plant size, yield, and architecture.
Find out more
Presently, my lab is interested in two areas of plant biology. The first focuses on the elucidation of the mechanism of ethylene signal transduction, which is a plant hormone that regulates many physiological processes throughout a plant's life cycle. Additionally, my lab is interested in examining the mechanism(s) that plants utilize to respond to abiotic stress, particularly aluminum toxicity in acid soil.
Find out more
The work in the lab of Arp Schnittger is centered around the interplay between cell division and development. In particular, the lab studies plant reproduction from the generation of meiocytes through gametophyte development and early seed formation. Due to the relevance for meiotic recombination, the team is also interested in the control of DNA damage response (DDR) and repair. The group has recently discovered that plant-specific B1-type cyclin dependent kinases (CDKB1s) play a major role in DDR and currently explores the regulatory network of their function in DDR. Next to molecular and biochemical techniques such identification of kinase substrates, the lab focuses on live imaging techniques to follow the cellular events in mitosis and meiosis.
Find out more