Date: 13th October 2021
Time: 13:00
Title: From single cells to flowers: Gene-regulatory mechanisms controlling organ specification in Arabidopsis flowers
Location: Remotely via Zoom
Host: Paula Elomaa
Abstract: Developmental switches and cell fate decisions in plants require coordinated changes in the activities of thousands of genes. These are mediated by concerted activities of transcription factors that integrate growth, patterning and physiological status of cells. How these activities are linked at the molecular level is still poorly understood. Flower development provides an excellent model system to address this question. We use this system to understand mechanisms underlying stage- and organ-specific gene regulatory programs. In this seminar, I will introduce our ongoing research on master transcription factors and their target networks in Arabidopsis flowers. Current research aims at bringing the analysis of gene regulatory networks to the levels of cell types and single cells.
The Kaufmann lab has a strong interest in regulatory genomics of plant reproductive development. We study transcription factor functions at various levels, and recently started to adapt single cell omics technologies to elucidate gene regulatory networks and the underlying cis-regulatory grammar in the flower. By these approaches, we aim to determine the developmental trajectories underlying cellular differentiation in plant organs.