Polar edge localization in the early-diverging Bryophyte land plants

The process of cell division and polarization is a relatively well-known phenomenon in yeast and animals. The gene expression during development and growth in multicellular organisms is key for the formation of body axis and cell division. If gene expression is altered, the body of the organism of interest can undergo modifications during growth. In plants, the way cell polarity is connected to growth is not well understood, because polarity markers were so far not discovered. The recent identification of the SOSEKI1 (SOK) proteins opens many exciting new avenues for exploring cell polarity and cell division orientation. This project will significantly expand the knowledge on how SOK proteins is responsible for cell polarity during the life cycle of ancestral organisms and the conservation of SOK functions through evolution. Further understanding of SOK genes could help understand even more cell polarization in other multicellular Eukaryotes.

Faculty Supervisor:

Franz Lang

Student:

Partner:

Wageningen University and Research Centre

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Education

University:

Université de Montréal

Program: