Biochemistry

One of the important steps in the evolution of land plants is the formation of a primary barrier at the surface of aerial organs that limit the loss of water: the cuticle. The plant cuticle has evolved to a complex structure consisting of different lipid-derived compounds that plays a role in different aspects of plant biology ranging from stress protection to organ development. The research in our group is particularly directed on the elucidation of new components important for the formation of the cuticle and their significance for different cuticular functions. Arabidopsis thaliana is used as a model system for these studies.

• ABCG transporters export cutin precursors for the formation of the plant cuticle
  Elejalde-Palmett, Carolina; San Segundo, Ignacio Martinez; Garroum, Imene; Charrier, Laurence; De Bellis, Damien; et al.
  Current Biology  10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.056  MAY 24 2021
• GDSL-domain proteins have key roles in suberin polymerization and degradation
  Ursache, Robertas; Teixeira, Cristovao De Jesus Vieira; Tendon, Valerie Denervaud; Gully, Kay; De Bellis, Damien; Schmid-Siegert, Emanuel; Andersen, Tonni Grube; Shekhar, Vinay; Calderon, Sandra; Pradervand, Sylvain; Nawrath, Christiane; Geldner, Niko; Vermeer, Joop E. M
  Nature Plants  10.1038/s41477-021-00862-9 Published: MAR 2021
• Plant surface metabolites as potent antifungal agents
  Dubey, Olga; Dubey, Sylvain; Schnee, Sylvain; Glauser, Gaetan; Nawrath, Christiane; Gindro, Katia; Farmer, Edward E
  Plant Physiology And Biochemistry,  DOI: 10.1016/j.plaphy.2020.02.026  MAY 2020
• Mutant Muddle: Some Arabidopsis eds5 Mutant Lines Have a Previously Unnoticed Second-Site Mutation in FAH1
  Veeragoni, Sravani Ram; Lange, Birgit; Serrano, Mario; Nawrath, Christiane; Bauer, Sibylle; et al.
  Plant Physiology 182(1): 460-462, DOI: 10.1104/pp.19.01125, JAN 2020
• The Root Cap Cuticle: A Cell Wall Structure for Seedling Establishment and Lateral Root Formation
  Berhin, A; de Bellis, D; Franke, RB; Buono, RA; Nowack, MK; Nawrath, C
  CELL, 176 (6):1367-+; 10.1016/j.cell.2019.01.005 MAR 7 2019
• The beta-Ketoacyl-CoA Synthase HvKCS1, Encoded by Cer-zh, Plays a Key Role in Synthesis of Barley Leaf Wax and Germination of Barley Powdery Mildew
  Li, C; Haslam, TM; Kruger, A; Schneider, LM; Mishina, K; Samuels, L; Yan, HX; Kunst, L; Schaffrath, U; Nawrath, C; Chen, GX; Komatsuda, T; von Wettstein-Knowles, P
  PLANT AND CELL PHYSIOLOGY, 59 (4):806-822; 10.1093/pcp/pcy020 APR 2018
• The Cuticle Mutant eca2 Modifies Plant Defense Responses to Biotrophic and Necrotrophic Pathogens and Herbivory Insects
  Blanc, Catherine; Coluccia, Fania; L'Haridon, Floriane; et al.
  MOLECULAR PLANT-MICROBE INTERACTIONS 31(3): 344-355  https://doi.org/10.1094/MPMI-07-17-0181-R MAR 2018
• The roles of the cuticle in plant development: organ adhesions and beyond 
  Ingram, Gwyneth; Nawrath, Christiane 
  JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, 68 (19): 5307-5321 AUG 30 2017
• Connecting the Molecular Structure of Cutin to Ultrastructure and Physical Properties of the Cuticle in Petals of Arabidopsis 
  Mazurek, Sylwester; Garroum, Imene; Daraspe, Jean; et al. 
  PLANT PHYSIOLOGY, 173 (2): 1146-1163 FEB 2017
• …

• Structure - function analyses of cutin and the cuticle in Arabidopsis
• Transgenic Arabidopsis plants expressing a fungal cutinase
• Permeable cuticle (pec) mutants of Arabidopsis

• FTIR
• Electron microscopy
• Extracellular matrix compounds
• Chemical analysis
• Lipid, cell wall and cuticle analysis
• Responses of plant to environmental changes (drought and pathogens)