Prof. Kerstin Kaufmann
Plant cell and molecular biology
Prof. Kaufmann's research and that of her research group is concerned with the molecular mechanisms of gene regulation in plants. Plant developmental processes require coordinated changes in the activity of a large number of genes in the nucleus. These are controlled by specific transcription factors interacting with epigenetic regulators. We are investigating the molecular modes of action and gene regulatory networks of these regulatory proteins.
In addition, Kaufmann and her team are interested in environment-independent variation, and evolutionary changes in these networks. In addition, there is interest in the molecular mechanisms that control the activities of genes during development, using a combination of epigenomics, proteomics, and classical genetics. Their model system is flower development. By combining experimental and computational analyses, the team aims to understand multicellular development at the systems level.
- molecular biological, biochemical and genetic approaches e.g. ChIP-seq, SELEX-seq, protein complex isolation, gene expression studies and classical genetics