Research Area 3
Synthetic and Reconstruction Biology
RA3 will utilize synthetic biology approaches to reconstruct plant signaling and metabolic pathways in orthogonal systems and obtain a quantitative understanding of pathway architectures within and between cells and their surroundings. These quantitative studies are technically challenging to perform on a cellular level in planta due to the molecular complexity of highly interconnected, often multicellular signaling and metabolic networks and pleiotropism. Reconstruction of plant pathways in heterologous systems enables rapid genetic permutation and testing of genetic diversity of cellular components and their directed evolution on a scale/throughput rate that is not possible in planta. RA3 will implement novel genetic, molecular, and imaging tools and approaches such as synthetic switches, promoters, regulatory modules, dynamic and programmable synthetic gene networks, quantitative biosensors, microfluidics, and 2D/3D tissue printing to accelerate scientific progress. These data will be integrated with mathematical modeling (RA4) to complement and inform the in planta studies proposed in RA1 and RA2.
RA3 will transition from the reconstruction of individual pathways (molecular modules) via multiple pathways within a cell (cellular modules) to interactions of a cell with its surroundings (cell-interface modules). In the future, this work will be extended with the development and deployment of printed cell clusters, tissues, and organoids for the study of functional and architectural features emerging from signaling and metabolic networks.
Coordinators
Prof. Dr. Markus Pauly

Institute for Plant Cell Biology and Biotechnology
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
Members
Dr. Xinhui An

CEPLAS Researcher, Research Area 3
Prof. Dr. Ute Armbruster

Principal Investigator, Research Area 1, 3
Prof. Dr. Ilka Axmann

Dr. Cristina Marí Carmona

Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Area 3
Prof. Dr. George Coupland

Prof. Dr. Gunther Döhlemann

Principal Investigator, Research Area 2,3
Prof. Dr. Oliver Ebenhöh

Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,2,3,4
Prof. Dr. Michael Feldbrügge

Contributing Investigator, Research Area 3
Dr. Pau Formosa-Jordan

Prof. Dr. Wolf B. Frommer

Dr. Rubén Garrido Oter

Contributing Investigator, Research Area 2,3,4
Josepha Grewer

Doctoral Researcher, Research Area 3
Dr. Thomas Hartwig

Dr. Götz Hensel

Dr. Alexander P. Hertle

Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1,3
Prof. Dr. Tatjana Hildebrandt

Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,2,3
Prof. Dr. Martin Hülskamp

Principal Investigator, Research Area 3
apl. Prof. Dr. Peter Jahns

Dr. Tobias Jores

Contributing Investigator, Research Area 3
Prof. Dr. Stanislav Kopriva

Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,2,3,4
Dr. Steven Le Hung Cheng

Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Area 2,3
Prof. Dr. Martin Lercher

Dr. Eliza Loo

Group leader, Research Area 2,3
Dr. André Marques

Contributing Investigator, Research Area 3
Dr. Shizue Matsubara

Contributing Investigator, Research Area 1,3
Benjamin Menn

Doctoral Researcher, Research Area 3
Prof. Dr. Jane E. Parker

Principal Investigator, Research Area 2,3
Prof. Dr. Markus Pauly

Prof. Dr. Paul Schulze-Lefert

Principal Investigator, Research Area 2,3,4
Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Simon

Dr. Jędrzej Jakub Szymański

Dr. Elizaveta Terlova

Prof. Dr. Miltos Tsiantis

Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,3,4
Dr. Uriel Urquiza

Dr. Thirulogachandar Venkatasubbu

Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Area 1,3,4
Dr. Yi Wang

CEPLAS Researcher, Research Area 3, 4
Prof. Dr. Andreas P.M. Weber

Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,3,4
Prof. Dr. Alga Zuccaro

Principal Investigator, Research Area 2,3,4
Dr. Weiliang Zuo

CEPLAS Researcher, Research Area 2,3
Prof. Dr. Matias Zurbriggen

Principal Investigator, Research Area 1,2,3,4