HU biologist Kerstin Kaufmann leads ERC research project to unravel complex pattern formation processes in biological systems.
A collaboration of plant scientists from Europe and Australia has been awarded a prestigious ¤10 million Synergy Grant by the European Research Council ERC. Their research project RESYDE (Re-engineering symmetry breaking in development and evolution) is led by Kerstin Kaufmann from the Institute of Biology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) and is dedicated to one of the most complex questions in the life sciences: How do multicellular organisms generate their intricate forms’ The RESYDE project aims to unravel the processes of symmetry breaking in plant development using flowers of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model system and combining different methods to create a dynamic, virtual model of the developing flower.Symmetry breaking: a fundamental biological phenomenon in multicellular organisms
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. In plants, symmetry breaking processes are driven by a variety of mechanisms, including gene regulation, hormones and cell-to-cell communication. All are essential for understanding how plants build their final structures.Basic research critical for regenerative medicine and agriculture
"By addressing the intricate dynamics of symmetry breaking, this research has the potential to unlock new avenues in plant development and evolutionary biology", says Kerstin Kaufmann. 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 advancing regenerative medicine and improving agriculture.Kerstin Kaufmann from the Institute of Biology at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) is leading the six-year partnership to uncover these pattern formation processes. She will be coordinating the project, in which scientists from HU are collaborating with colleagues from the University of Sydney (Australia), the Sainsbury Laboratory at the University of Cambridge (UK) and Umeå University (Sweden).
Expertise from four universities to take on an interdisciplinary approach
The collaboration will leverage the expertise from research teams within each institute to take on this challenge in a multidisciplinary approach: Kerstin Kaufmann, biologist from Humboldt-Universität and lead investigator, has already made progress on understanding gene-regulatory networks in the developing flower; Associate Professor Marcus Heisler (University of Sydney) has developed live-imaging and advanced experimental approaches; Professor Henrik Jönsson (University of Cambridge) has established an in silico platform that integrates cellular dynamics with the modelling of a central regulatory network governing floral patterning and Professor Stephan Wenkel (Umeå University) has identified innovative proteome-based tools for synthetic biology. Working together, their aim is to re-engineer by design a complex developmental system - the flower."Our research vision of better understanding the evolutionary floral architectural changes at the single cell level was only possible by combining our expertise. This includes genetic, molecular, live imaging, AI and computational and synthetic techniques," says Kerstin Kaufmann.