Eva Sabine Blankertz

Suberin is a hydrophobic biopolymer deposited in the root endodermis that plays a crucial role in regulating the influx of water, nutrients, and other substances while protecting against pathogens and environmental stresses. The process of suberization can be described as a differentiation wavefront moving through the root. The dynamics driving the suberization wavefront are not yet fully understood. Therefore, I will combine experimental approaches and quantitative image analysis to look for changes and new insights into suberin patterning under different environmental cues, such as variable light conditions or hormone treatment in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.