Staff profile

The overarching project investigates the origins of intercellular signalling mechanisms in plants. PIN proteins, efflux transporters, mediate auxin movement in and between cells. Auxin gradients determine the growth and architecture of the root meristem. PIN activity is guided by polar sorting towards the apical or basal side of the cell to guide auxin flow. The hydrophilic loop, as the hot spot for phosphorylation sites, is thought to be responsible for this activity. We aim to uncover through genome engineering whether polar sorting is a conserved mechanism by observing PINs in basal and recent land plants.