Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology

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Max Planck Institute for
Molecular Plant Physiology
Category: research Institute
Carrier: Max Planck Society
Legal form of the carrier: Registered association
Seat of the wearer: Munich
Facility location: Potsdam
Type of research: Basic research
Subjects: Natural sciences
Areas of expertise: Physiology , molecular biology , genetics
Basic funding: Federal government (50%), states (50%)
Management: Lothar Willmitzer
Employee: approx. 325
Homepage: www.mpimp-golm.mpg.de

The Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI) in Potsdam was founded in January 1994. The directors of the institute are Lothar Willmitzer (founding director), the English biochemist Mark Stitt and the German Ralph Bock .

Research area

The aim of research at the MPI for Molecular Plant Physiology is to examine and understand the entire plant system with its complex processes such as the uptake of substances, construction, storage, transport and mobilization of plant ingredients. Plant-based ingredients can be low-molecular substances such as sugar , amino acids and vitamins , but also high-molecular polymers such as starch or cellulose . Signal functions of ingredients and regulation factors, e.g. B. to answer the complex of questions how the communication between the different organs of a plant works.

Newly established at the Institute was in 2005, the Plastidenforschung through the expansion of the institute in three departments. Plastids are small cell organelles in which important processes such as B. the generation of energy , the storage of substances and the synthesis of certain vitamins take place. In the future, these cell components could both play a role in the development and production of therapeutic agents in plants for the treatment of diseases and contribute to the environmental safety of genetically modified plants. Evolutionary research and molecular ecophysiology will form further research priorities of the institute in order to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the "plant system".

Research approach

While plant physiology used to be a rather descriptive science, today people try to uncover the secrets of the plant using the methods of molecular biology and genetics.

One approach at the institute to elucidate plant metabolism is to expose plants to different environmental conditions . Changing environmental conditions cause a change in the characteristics of the plant . Characteristic manifestations can not only be externally visible, such as the leaf shape or size, but they can also be invisible, such as the composition of the ingredients. Extensive analyzes can establish a connection between a certain characteristic expression and a gene and thus the function of the gene.

The reverse approach is followed when using plants with different genetic makeup (genetic diversity) with constant growth conditions. On the one hand, the naturally occurring genetic diversity of plants, such as wild types, is used, and on the other hand, plants that are genetically modified are produced by classic mutagenesis (modification of the genetic material through irradiation or the addition of chemicals ) or genetic engineering methods . These different genotypes , i.e. plants that differ in their genetic make-up, are compared with one another. With genetic engineering methods, on the one hand, individual genes can be specifically introduced into the genetic information of the cell nucleus of plants; on the other hand, the relatively new technology of plastid transformation is also used. Here the new gene is not introduced into the DNA of the cell nucleus, but the plastids are used as carriers of the new genes. The transformation and regeneration of so-called transplastomic plants is technically more complex and the transformation efficiency is lower, but if one thinks of later applications, this technology offers the advantage in terms of safety that transgenic plants can hardly spread in the field because the plastids and the genetic material contained therein cannot be spread via pollen .

Both approaches will ultimately lead to the creation of a clear gene-function relationship (functional genomics) in order to understand the molecular, biochemical and physiological network of plants (system biology).

Research objects

Objects of study are primarily the thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), the potato , the tobacco and the tomato . In addition, rice , pumpkin , cucumber , zucchini , ryegrass , soy and Japanese horn clover - each depending on their suitability as a model system - are used to answer specific scientific questions.

The thale cress is the model plant of plant researchers all over the world, comparable to the white mouse among medical professionals. The genome of this rather inconspicuous wild herb has been deciphered and its generation time is short, so that, unlike plants such as tobacco and potatoes, several generations can be produced and examined each year.

Research techniques

The range of investigations at the institute ranges from individual cells, tissues and plant organs to agronomic studies in greenhouses and field experiments. The range of methods includes techniques from molecular biology, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, biophysics and bioinformatics . At the institute, methods have been and are being developed and applied that are capable of measuring metabolites (metabolomics), proteins (proteomics) and enzyme activities in an automated and high-throughput manner, and methods that enable the investigation of protein phosphorylation based on mass spectrometry . These methods are supported by functional and comparative genome research through the introduction of efficient multiparallel analysis approaches in the area of gene expression (transcriptomics) and by developmental and metabolic genetics. The use of bioinformatics is indispensable, as it is used to visually represent the existing knowledge and the newly obtained test results.

International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS)

The Max Planck Institute for Molecular Plant Physiology and the University of Potsdam run the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) Primary Metabolism and Plant Growth , an English-language doctoral program that enables structured doctoral studies. The IMPRS currently comprises around 80 doctoral students.

Infrastructure

The heart of the institute are the facilities for plant cultivation and plant transformation. A 12-person department, the so-called green team , takes care of the cultivation and rearing of the various plants in climatic chambers as well as in the greenhouses and on the open-air areas and offers the Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer as a service for the scientists in the house. 1,600 m² of greenhouse area, 2,000 m² of foil greenhouse, 200 m² of plant growth chambers and 8 hectares of field trial area are available for growing the plants.

Innovations

Metabolite profiling

One of the outstanding achievements of the institute is the development of metabolite profiling, which makes it possible to use the mass spectroscopic methods established in chemistry to visualize and measure the vast amounts of ingredients found in plants. The scientific field of metabolomics emerged from the pioneering work carried out at the institute in this context. With the help of this newly developed method, plant constituents can not only be made visible, but they can also be identified in the future. Results from this research area could gain importance for the health classification of foods .

Spin-offs

The two company spin-offs with well over 150 employees that emerged from the institute show that basic research is innovative.

PlantTec , now Bayer BioScienc GmbH , which deals with starch metabolism in plants, emerged from the first phase of work at the institute, which focused on the elucidation of metabolic pathways and the identification and isolation of the genes involved .

Metanomics , which uses this process on a commercial scale, emerged from the innovation area of ​​metabolite profiling .

Future prospects

Well-founded knowledge of metabolic processes in plants will have an impact on the quality, nutrient composition and health of food , yield security and the industrial and pharmacological use of plants in the future , but on the other hand this knowledge will also be of enormous importance with regard to changing environmental conditions .

Whether a transfer of the knowledge gained through basic research about metabolic pathways in plants will find its way into practical application in Germany or Europe in the near future seems extremely questionable at the moment.

Genetic engineering

The laboratory and greenhouse areas are designed and designated as S1 areas in accordance with the Genetic Engineering Act. S1 is the lowest level and means: "No danger to people, nature or the environment". S1 laboratories in Brandenburg are registered, checked and, if necessary, approved at the Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Regional Planning. Ongoing operation (monitoring of records, compliance with legal provisions and requirements) is monitored by the State Environment Agency. Genetically modified organisms are properly disposed of, d. H. killed by chemicals or heat ( autoclaving = steam pressure sterilization) before disposal in the garbage. This applies to all laboratory waste and parts of plants that are “capable of reproduction”, such as seeds and tubers in the greenhouse area. The remaining plant and soil material is steamed (steam sterilized) and composted.

Prizes awarded

Since 2011, the institute has been awarding a prize for young scientists named after the molecular biologist Jozef Schell , the "Jeff Schell Prize for Young Scientists", each endowed with 2500 euros. The prize money was provided by the company BASF .

Web links

Coordinates: 52 ° 24 ′ 56 ″  N , 12 ° 58 ′ 8 ″  E

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ see the IMPRS homepage at http://www.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/IMPRS-PhD
  2. ↑ http://www.mpimp-golm.mpg.de/17628/2011-06-28_2