Genome Research

Natural genetic variation

Naturally occurring mutations and the resulting genetic variation are essential for driving evolution, domestication and breeding. Natural gene variants provide a great resource for conserving and improving forest ecosystems. For example, alleles conferring field resistance may help to protect tree species challenged by pests and diseases, such as the European ash tree that is severely threatened by an introduced fungus. To this end a thorough understanding of the underlying genetics is crucial. The genetic and molecular elucidation of evolutionary important traits (e.g. dioecy) can furthermore yield insights into fundamental biological processes, and thus inform tree breeding and forest management strategies. Finally, genome-wide adaptive variation can play an important role for forest conservation and adaptation under climate change.

Selected projects:

    Poplar dioecy
    FraxGen
    Beech genomics

Contact: Niels A. Müller

Bioinformatics

With our bioinformatics team we analyze high-throughput DNA- and RNA-sequencing data in order to develop diagnostic molecular markers and to address functional genomics questions. An important step in many of our analysis pipelines is the genome-wide identification and comparison of genetic variants. For the development of molecular markers for species identification, we also employ whole chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes, some of which we assemble de novo and annotate. Finally we develop databases and bioinformatics tools, to support the institute’s infrastructure.

Selected projects:

    TaxGen
    Survivor-Oaks
    Oak defense
    Wood-DNA barcoding
    Development of databases

Contact: Birgit Kersten

Genetic Technologies

Genome editing methods, such as CRISPR/Cas, have been significantly developed in crop plants. Further developments are needed for application in different tree species, and these will be used in particular to research the drought stress tolerance of trees.

More information on the group page.

Contact: Tobias Brügmann

Group leader

    Dr. Niels A. Müller

Scientists

    Dr. Tobias Brügmann
    PD Dr. Birgit Kersten
    Malte Mader
    Alice-Jeannine Sievers

PhD students

    Daniel Bross
    Alexander Fendel
    Melina Krautwurst
    Virginia Zahn

Technicians

    Doris Ebbinghaus
    Annika Eikhof
    Katrin Groppe
    Susanne Jelkmann
    Anke Schellhorn

• Leite Montalvão AP et al. (2022) ARR17 controls dioecy in Populus by repressing B-class MADS-box gene expression. Philos Trans Royal Soc B. link
• Renner SS, Müller NA (2021) Plant sex chromosomes defy evolutionary models of expanding recombination suppression and genetic degeneration. Nature Plants. link
• Leite Montalvão AP et al. (2021) The Diversity and Dynamics of Sex Determination in Dioecious Plants. Frontiers in Plant Science. link
• Müller NA et al. (2020) A single gene underlies the dynamic evolution of poplar sex determination. Nature Plants. link
• Singewar K et al. (2020) Species determination and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Betula inferred from multiple chloroplast and nuclear regions reveal the high methyl salicylate producing ability of the ancestor. Trees. link

• Peer-reviewed
• Non peer-reviewed