Umeå researcher receives ERC Synergy Grant to study plant development

Stephan Wenkel, Professor in the Department of Plant Physiology.

ImageMattias Pettersson

Despite substantial advancements in the field, the ability to predictively model and re-engineer developmental processes remains a grand challenge. This research is not only fundamental to our understanding of plant biology but also critical for and improving agriculture.

“We will deepen our understanding of protein regulation in plant development, which may open pathways for innovative bioengineering applications in plant biology and beyond,” says Stephan Wenkel, Professor in the Department of Plant Physiology at Umeå University.

The grant will fund the RESYDE project, a six-year partnership between Umeå University, Humboldt-Universitaet zu Berlin (Germany), University of Sydney (Australia), Sainsbury Laboratory and University of Cambridge (UK). The project seeks to unravel the complex processes in plant development called “symmetry breaking” using flowers as a model system.

How an egg becomes a human

Symmetry breaking refers to the process by which a symmetrical structure develops into patterns leading to diverse forms and functions. This fundamental phenomenon is crucial in all multicellular organisms. For example, how a single fertilised egg develops into a human body or how a set of identical plant cells develop into distinct floral organs.

The research teams will leverage their different expertise to take on this challenge in a multidisciplinary approach.

Stephan Wenkel's role, together with his research team, is to investigate microproteins and their role in flower development. Through experiments in which they induce new flower shapes, they want to learn more about the mechanisms that control flower development.

“Understanding how individual cells communicate and cooperate is vital in the progression of the development of flowers. We will also use a method to alter floral symmetry breaking processes to better understand evolutionary floral architectural changes,” says Stephan Wenkel.

Critical for future plant breeding

Studying how flowers have developed and evolved their form is essential because it reveals the intricate co-evolutionary relationships between flowers and their pollinators, such as insects and animals. The complex tissues of flower organs must be fertilised and then develop into fruit and grain, so the specifics of flower function are critical for future plant breeding and agriculture.

Stephan Wenkel conducts his research at Umeå Plant Science Centre, UPSC. Another researcher from UPSC, Stéphanie Robert, Professor at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, also received an ERC Synergy Grant in this year’s call. Read more about her here (SLU.se).