Scientific Report 2003 Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research Cologne Scientific Report 2003 Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research Cologne 1 Copyright © 2003 MPIZ Publisher: Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (Max-Planck-Institut für Züchtungsforschung) Editor: Dr. Susanne Benner Copy Editing: Dr. Ruth Willmott, BioScript Graphics and pictures: Authors of the article Portraits: Authors or Maret Kalda Cover picture: Arp Schnittger, University of Cologne, with kind help of the REM-Laboratory, Basel, Switzerland Re-colored scanning electron micrograph showing an Arabidopsis leaf hair (trichome) undergoing cell death. Wild-type trichomes do not die, and in the depicted trichome, cell death was induced by misexpressing trichome- specifically the plant homolog of p27Kip1, the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor KRP1. This finding opens a new link between cell-cycle and cell-death control in plants. All rights reserved. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents Page Introduction . .6 Scientific Organisation Chart . .7 Department of Plant Developmental Biology 9 DIRECTOR: GEORGE COUPLAND Control of Flowering . .10 GEORGE COUPLAND Plant Circadian Biology . .17 SETH JON DAVIS Protein Modifiers in Plants . .20 ANDREAS BACHMAIR Genes and Tools for Molecular Breeding of New Crops . .23 GUIDO JACH Basic Biological Processes in Plant Development . .25 BERND REISS Functional Analysis of Regulators of Sugar and Stress responses in Arabidopsis . .27 CSABA KONCZ Department of Plant Microbe Interactions 31 DIRECTOR: PAUL SCHULZE-LEFERT Recognition and Signalling in Plant Disease Resistance . .32 PAUL SCHULZE-LEFERT Pathogen Defence-Related Promoter Elements and Secondary Products . .36 KLAUS HAHLBROCK Functional Analysis of Plant Defence Responses . .39 ERICH KOMBRINK Transcriptional Regulation of Defence Genes via WRKY Transcription Factors . .42 IMRE E. SOMSSICH Plant Defence Signalling in Response to Pathogens . .45 JANE PARKER CDPKs – Switchboard in Early Plant Stress Signalling . .48 TINA ROMEIS Insertional Mutagenesis in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) using the Maize Transposons Activator and Dissociation (Ac and Ds) . .51 THOMAS KOPREK MLO Proteins as a Model to unravel Molecular Mechanism of Defence Suppression . .53 RALPH PANSTRUGA Genetic Engineering of Cereals: Virus Resistance, Marker Elimination, Insertional Mutagenesis and Tissue-specific Expression . .56 HANS-HENNING STEINBIß 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Department of Plant Breeding and Yield Physiology 59 DIRECTOR: FRANCESCO SALAMINI Einkorn Wheat . .62 FRANCESCO SALAMINI Genome Analysis of Sugar Beet . .67 KATHARINA SCHNEIDER Photosynthesis and related Genomics . .70 DARIO LEISTER Potato Genome Analysis . .74 CHRISTIANE GEBHARDT Molecular Genetics of Crop Plants . .78 WOLFGANG ROHDE Genetic and Molecular Analysis of Shoot Branching in Seed Plants . .81 KLAUS THERES Comprehensive Analysis of Proteininteraction Networks: A Basis for Functional Proteomics and Engineering . .83 JOACHIM UHRIG Molecular Biology of Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus . .86 PETER SCHREIER Functional Analysis of Transcription Factor Gene Families involved in the Formation of Flavonols in Arabidopsis thaliana . .88 BERND WEISSHAAR Department of Molecular Plant Genetics 91 DIRECTOR: HEINZ SAEDLER Origin of Morphological Novelties . .93 HEINZ SAEDLER Comparative Genetics of SBP-Box Genes: A Family of Plant-Specific Transcription Factors . .95 PETER HUIJSER Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms Controlling Antirrhinum Floral Organogenesis . .97 ZSUZSANNA SCHWARZ-SOMMER Networks of interacting Regulatory Factors in Floral Morphogenesis of Antirrhinum and Arabidopsis . .99 HANS SOMMER Regulation of Petal and Stamen Organogenesis . .101 SABINE ZACHGO Biodiversity: Antirrhinum and Misopates – What are the Genetic Differences? . .103 WOLF-EKKEHARD LÖNNIG Cell Signalling: Dissecting Lipid Metabolic and Signalling Pathways in the Epidermis . .106 ALEXANDER YEPHREMOV The Diversity of MADS-box Gene Functions and their Roles in Plant Development and Evolution . .108 THOMAS MÜNSTER Five years ZIGIA (Zentrum zur Identifikation von Genfunktionen durch Insertions mutagenese bei Arabidopsis thaliana) – a Centre for Functional Genomics in A. thaliana . .111 KOEN DEKKER 4 TABLE OF CONTENT Service Groups 115 Central Microscopy (CeMic) . .115 ELMON SCHMELZER Protein Identification and Analysis of Protein Modifications by Mass Spectrometric Methods at the MPIZ . .118 HORST RÖHRIG AND JÜRGEN SCHMIDT ADIS: A core facility for DNA-related technological service at the MPIZ . .120 BERND WEISSHAAR Cereal Transformation Service (ATM) . .122 HANS-HENNING STEINBIß Fungal pathogens, infestation and effects . .123 WERNER JOSEF GIEFFERS Central Scientific Computing (ZWDV) . .125 KURT STÜBER Guest Scientists 127 Cross Talk between Cell Cycle and Development . .127 ARP SCHNITTGER • UNIVERSTITY OF COLOGNE Analysis of the Molecular Basis of Auxin Transport and Cell Polarity . .129 KLAUS PALME • UNIVERSITY OF FREIBURG Supporting Activities 133 International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) on the Molecular Basis of Plant Development and Environmental Interactions . .133 Communicating Science at the MPIZ . .136 IT facilities at the MPIZ . .140 Library Service . .140 Seminars 141 5 Introduction Introduction This year, the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding (MPIZ) is celebrating its 75th anniversary. The Institute was originally founded as the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institute für Züchtungsforschung in Müncheberg with Erwin Baur as its first director. Even at the time of its foundation, core activities were already focussed on plant genetics with model plants, e.g. the genetics of the flowering plant Antirrhinum majus. In 1955, the Institute moved to its cur- rent location and became part of the Max Planck Society (MPG). At this time, major activities were still dedicated to classical breeding. In 1978, Jozef Schell was appointed as head of a department and with him molecular biology and molecular genetics rapidly evolved as powerful tools for the dissection of fundamental plant processes. Clearly, the discovery of plant transformation by Agrobacterium and the modification of the process for plant breeding network can be used to create variation in the trait? How remains an outstanding achievement of Jozef Schell and many of these can be changed without pleiotropic effects? his colleagues. It serves as a convincing example as to how Primary identification and analysis of these pathways will basic research can have a major impact on applied plant be carried out wherever possible using intensely studied breeding. model species, mainly Arabidopsis. Plant biology has undergone a revolution over the last 10 However, striking examples exist in which the activities of years. The study of fundamental problems in model pathways established in Arabidopsis are modified in other species using genetic approaches and the ability to isolate species to generate radically different phenotypes. To cap- genes marked by mutations has provided information on ture and exploit natural genetic diversity that cannot be molecular building blocks that control many plant generated by Mendelian genetics in Arabidopsis, our processes. Large-scale genome projects culminating in the research programmes include a selected number of other sequencing of the complete Arabidopsis genome provided genetically amenable species including crops. Studying a catalogue of the 25,000 genes required to make a plant such ‘Darwinian diversity’ will both test the validity of and presented a dramatic picture of how different the gene trait models formulated on the basis of a single species, complements of plants and animals are. Systematic analy- and provide indications of how flux through and topolo- sis of gene function and the interactions between genes gies of networks can be modified to generate novel varia- and the proteins they encode promise another leap forward tion in the context of breeding programmes. Thus, one in our understanding of plant biology. Furthermore, devel- aspect of our work is dedicated to gain systematically opments in information technology and relational databas- insights in trait (network) evolution. es enable recognition of novel connections between differ- While genetic methods have proven invaluable for the dis- ent molecular layers including DNA sequences, gene section of complex plant traits, small molecules can sig- expression, protein and small molecule profiles. However, nificantly complement this toolbox. Indeed, there is a clear to date, the tremendous increase in knowledge in plant sci- need to develop ‘plant pharmacology’ as a novel research ence has not resulted in a sustained impact on plant breed- branch for understanding the molecular mechanics of ing, and plant breeding is still far from being a rational sci- traits. In principle, it should be possible to identify specif- ence. ic agonists and antagonists from existing chemical com- Future discovery oriented plant biology at the MPIZ will pound libraries for virtually any plant process. The MPIZ utilise integrated approaches to elucidate networks of fun- will initiate future research programmes that aim to devel- damental biological processes in plants. Multidisciplinary op technologies and bioassays for the identification of approaches bridging genetics, biochemistry, cell biology pharmacologically active compounds. This could also and bioinformatics will be essential for in depth under- have practical implications and might offer alternative standing of the molecular mechanics of traits that are rel-