Research in Claudia Köhlers group

Mechanisms of Seed Development and Plant Speciation

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 SLU, the ERC, the VR, and the KAW foundation.

Polycomb Group Proteins

Genomic Imprinting

Plant Speciation