
Kohlen Group – Hormonal regulation of mitotic re-activation of plant cells
Imagine you were able to grow an extra arm when desired. While most vertebrates are unable to re-activate organ formation, plants have the remarkable capability of continuously re-activating organogenesis throughout their life. Because of this, the full form of the plant body is not predefined during embryogenesis. This plasticity is achieved post-embryonically through the formation of new axes of growth: so-called secondary meristems. These meristems harbour plant stem cells, which are undifferentiated cells that provide a steady supply of organ precursor cells.
The main mechanism by which secondary meristems are initiated is through the activation of lateral organ founder cells. A key feature of this type of meristem initiation is that cells are set aside and retain a stem cell-like identity until they are activated later to form a new meristem. However, in some cases an even greater form of plasticity is achieved: so called de novo meristem initiation. In contrast to founder cells, these meristems are initiated from fully differentiated cells.
As a plant physiologist, I am mainly interested in the mechanisms controlling a plants ability to initiate meristems de novo, and what defines that some tissues are able to do this whereas others cannot. This with an emphasis on plant hormones and gene regulatory networks. My team focusses on analysing the hormonal-transcriptional network during the initiation of de novo meristems at a cell type specific resolution.
Although shoot branching is crucial to determine the overall plant architecture in response to the environment, in agriculture this is often regarded as a problem. Much of a plants resources is invested in the formation of axillary buds and their outgrowth, thus reducing yield. As such, understanding - and ultimately controlling de novo meristem formation could contribute to improve agricultural practice.

Group members
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dr. W (Wouter) Kohlen
Group leader -
AF (Amber) van Seters
Amber is the technical assistant of the group. She is from the Netherlands and finished her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at the HZ (University of Applied Sciences). She is passionate about life sciences in general, and especially about working with plant systems. -
S (Sophia) Müller MSc
Sophia is Wouter’s first PhD student on the VIDI project. She is from Germany and her research interest lies in the molecular processes underlying lateral organ initiation. For this, she uses Medicago truncatula as a model organism. -
K (Kelvin) Adema MSc
Kelvin is the second PhD student on the VIDI project. He did his MSc thesis with Wouter and decided to join Wouter’s group for his PhD. His research interests lie in unravelling gene regulatory networks for which he will apply integrative Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics workflows. -
R (Rens) Holmer PhD
Rens is associated to the VIDI project as a postdoctoral researcher. Together with Kelvin he works on bioinformatics challenges that are inherent to modern high throughput molecular biology research. His interests lie in analysis of high dimensional datasets such as generated with single cell RNA sequencing, data visualization, and incorporating existing biological knowledge in bioinformatics applications.
Publications
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Solanum lycopersicum WAT1 mutant 1 gene, complete cds.
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Inactivation of tomato WAT1 leads to reduced susceptibility to Clavibacter michiganensis through downregulation of bacterial virulence factors
Frontiers in Plant Science (2023), Volume: 14 - ISSN 1664-462X -
Far-red light during cultivation improves postharvest chilling tolerance in basil
Postharvest Biology and Technology 198 (2023). - ISSN 0925-5214 -
Long-lasting impact of chitooligosaccharide application on strigolactone biosynthesis and fungal accommodation promotes arbuscular mycorrhiza in Medicago truncatula
New Phytologist 237 (2023)6. - ISSN 1469-8137 - p. 2316 - 2331. -
Local light signaling at the leaf tip drives remote differential petiole growth through auxin-gibberellin dynamics
Current Biology 33 (2023)1. - ISSN 1879-0445 - p. 75 - 85.E5. -
Over-expression of a YUCCA-Like Gene Results in Altered Shoot and Stolon Branching and Reduced Potato Tuber Size
Potato Research 66 (2023)1. - ISSN 0014-3065 - p. 67 - 84. -
Nutrient regulation of lipochitooligosaccharide recognition in plants via NSP1 and NSP2
Nature Communications 13 (2022)1. - ISSN 2041-1723 -
Low Salicylic Acid Level Improves Pollen Development Under Long-Term Mild Heat Conditions in Tomato
Frontiers in Plant Science 13 (2022). - ISSN 1664-462X -
Medicago SPX1 and SPX3 regulate phosphate homeostasis, mycorrhizal colonization, and arbuscule degradation
The Plant Cell 33 (2021)11. - ISSN 1040-4651 - p. 3470 - 3486. -
Nitrate restricts nodule organogenesis through inhibition of cytokinin biosynthesis in Lotus japonicus
Nature Communications 12 (2021). - ISSN 2041-1723