Günter Theißen

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Günter Theißen 2015 above Vernazza ( Italy )

Günter Theißen (born January 16, 1962 in Mönchengladbach ) is a German geneticist . He is professor for genetics and head of the structural unit genetics at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena .

Life

Günter Theißen studied biology at Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf and received his doctorate there in 1991 under Rolf Wagner. From 1992 to 2001 he was a group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne . He completed his habilitation in genetics at the University of Cologne in 2000 . In 2001 he was professor of botany at the Westphalian Wilhelms University in Münster and has been professor of genetics at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena since 2002 .

Scientific work

In his research, Theißen is concerned with, among other things, molecular genetics and the evolution of plant development . In particular, he and his group are investigating special transcription factors called MADS box proteins (or MADS domain proteins). They play in areas such as flower development of angiosperms (angiosperms, flowering plants) a major role. His working group could z. B. using the MADS box genes show that the order of the Gnetales is more closely related to the conifers than to the flowering plants . On the basis of experimental findings, Theißen proposed several models for the development and evolution of plants, which received widespread attention. In 2001, for example, he proposed the concept of floral quartets , in which four MADS domain transcription factors work together to determine the identity of the various flower organs. The floral quartet model has passed various experimental tests in recent years, e.g. B.

On the basis of the more recent findings on the developmental genetics of the flower, Theißen also developed models for the development of the flower in evolution. Became known z. B. the “out-of-male” model. It implies that the hermaphroditic flowering of the flowering plant originated from a male cone of the naked plant (gymnosperms) through the apical reduction in the expression of a gene whose activity distinguishes male reproductive organs from female ones.

Theißen is also investigating the question of why many transcription factors are heterodimers, i.e. are composed of two different proteins . Together with Stefan Schuster , his bioinformatics colleague at the University of Jena, he deals with the application of game theory in biology.

Günter Theißen also deals with the mechanisms of macroevolution . He also includes mechanisms of saltatory (erratic) evolution and the hopeful monster hypothesis proposed by Richard Goldschmidt . On the basis of epistemological and epistemological considerations, he acts as a critical voice against pseudo-scientific creationism as well as against excessive claims of the natural science of evolutionary biology .

credentials

  1. ^ R. Melzer, G. Theissen: MADS and more: transcription factors that shape the plant. Methods Mol. Biol. 754 (2011) 3-18
  2. ↑ L. Gramzow, L. Weilandt, G. Theißen: MADS goes genomic in conifers: towards determining the ancestral set of MADS-box genes in seed plants. Ann. Bot. 114 (2014) 1407-1429
  3. ↑ KU Winter, A. Becker, T. Münster, JT Kim, H. Saedler, G. Theissen G .: MADS-box genes reveal that gnetophytes are more closely related to conifers than to flowering plants. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 96 (1999) 7342-7347
  4. ^ G. Theißen: Development of floral organ identity: stories from the MADS house. Curr. Opin. Plant Biol. 4 (2001) 75-85
  5. ↑ G. Theißen, H. Saedler: Floral quartets. Nature 409 (2001) 469-471
  6. ^ R. Melzer, G. Theissen G .: Reconstitution of 'floral quartets' in vitro involving class B and class E floral homeotic proteins. Nucl. Acids Res. 37 (2009) 2723-2736
  7. ↑ S. Puranik, S. Acajjaoui, S. Conn, L. Costa, V. Conn, A. Vial, et al. Structural basis for the oligomerization of the MADS domain transcription factor SEPALLATA3 in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell 26 (2014) 3603-3615
  8. ↑ G. Theißen, A. Becker, C. Kirchner, T. Münster, K.-U. Winter, H. Saedler: How land plants learned their floral ABCs: the role of MADS-box genes in the evolutionary origin of flowers. In: Developmental Genetics and Plant Evolution (QCB Cronk, RM Bateman, JA Hawkins, eds.). Taylor & Francis, London 2002, pp. 173-205
  9. ↑ T. Lenser, G. Theissen, P. Dittrich: Developmental robustness by obligate interaction of class B floral homeotic genes and proteins. PLoS Comput. Biol. 5 (2009) e1000264
  10. ^ S. Hummert, K. Bohl, D. Basanta, A. Deutsch, S. Werner, G. Theissen, A. Schroeter, S. Schuster: Evolutionary game theory: cells as players. Mol. Biosyst. 10 (2014) 3044-3065
  11. ↑ G. Theissen: Saltational evolution: hopeful monsters are here to stay. Theory Biosci. 128 (2009) 43-51

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personal data
SURNAME Theißen, Günter
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German geneticist
DATE OF BIRTH January 16, 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH Mönchengladbach