Claudia Köhler

Welcome to Claudia Köhler's Lab

Our lab has a general interest in genetic and epigenetic mechanisms governing seed development and plant speciation. Since recently we became strongly interested in understanding the role of the endosperm in establishing postzygotic hybridization barriers between plants of different ploidy as well as between related plant species. We currently have four major lines of research in the lab:

-Non-cell autonomous signaling mechanisms regulating seed coat growth

-Regulation and function of imprinted genes

-Underlying basis of postzygotic interploidy hybridization barriers (triploid block)

-Underlying basis of postzygotic interspecies hybridization barriers

We apply forward genetic screens, reverse genetic approaches, as well as transcriptional and epigenome profiling using the model organisms Arabidopsis thaliana, Arabidopsis lyrata, Capsella and Primula to identify the underlying mechanisms of seed development and plant speciation.

Our research is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the SLU, the ERC, the VR and the Carl Tryggers Stiftelse.

Professor Short CV and contact information Projects Publications

Members of the group

Selected Publications

Roszak P, Köhler C (2011) Polycomb group proteins are required to couple seed coat initiation to fertilization. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA  108:20826-31 (Medline)

Wolff P, Weinhofer I, Seguin J, Roszak P, Beisel C, Donoghue MT, Spillane C, Nordborg M, Rehmsmeier M, Köhler C. (2011) High-Resolution Analysis of Parent-of-Origin Allelic Expression in the Arabidopsis Endosperm. PLoS Genet. 6:e1002126. (Medline)

Aichinger, E., Villar, C.B., Di Mambro, R., Sabatini, S., Köhler, C. (2011) The CHD3 Chromatin Remodeler PICKLE and Polycomb Group Proteins Antagonistically Regulate Meristem Activity in the Arabidopsis Root. Plant Cell, 23:1047-1060. (Medline)

Weinhofer, I., Hehenberger, E., Roszak, P., Hennig, L., Köhler, C. (2010) H3K27me3 Profiling of the Endosperm Implies Exclusion of Polycomb group Protein Targeting by DNA Methylation. PLoS Genet 6: e1001152. (Medline)

Erilova, E., Brownfield, L., Exner, V., Rosa, M., Twell, D., Mittelsten Scheid, O., Hennig, L., Köhler, C. (2009) Imprinting of the Polycomb Group Gene MEDEA Serves as a Ploidy Sensor in Arabidopsis. PLoS Genet. 5:e1000663. (Medline)

Aichinger, E., Villar, C.B.R., Farrona, S., Reyes, J.C., Hennig, L., Köhler, C. (2009) CHD3 proteins and Polycomb group proteins antagonistically determine cell identity in Arabidopsis. PLoS Genet. (8):e1000605. (Medline)

Köhler, C., Villar, C.B.R. (2008) Programming of gene expression by Polycomb group proteins. Trends Cell Biol. 18:236-243. (Medline)

Köhler, C, Makarevich, G. (2006) Epigenetic mechanisms governing seed development in plants. EMBO Rep. 7:1223-1227. (Medline)

Köhler C, Page DR, Gagliardini V, Grossniklaus U. (2005) The Arabidopsis thaliana MEDEA Polycomb group protein controls expression of PHERES1 by parental imprinting. Nat Genet. 37:28-30. (Medline)

Köhler C, Hennig L, Bouveret R, Gheyselinck J, Grossniklaus U, Gruissem W. (2003) Arabidopsis MSI1 is a component of the MEA/FIE Polycomb group complex and required for seed development. EMBO J. 22:4804-14. (Medline)

Köhler C, Hennig L, Spillane C, Pien S, Gruissem W, Grossniklaus U. (2003) The Polycomb group protein MEDEA regulates seed development by controlling expression of the MADS-box gene PHERES1. Genes & Dev. 17:1540-53. (Medline)