Lohmann group

Few scientific topics currently attract as much attention as stem cells. While public debate has focused on embryonic stem cells from animals and humans, stem cells are common to all multicellular organisms. In most animals, the only “true” totipotent stem cell is the fertilised egg and its immediate descendants. Many plant cells, in contrast, continue to be totipotent throughout the plant’s life, and plant stem cells are much more easily obtained and analyzed than those of animals.

Current Research

• How is stem cell fate initiated and maintained in the shoot apical meristem?
• How are local transcriptional signals integrated with system wide hormonal signals to synchronize stem cell behaviour with the growth status of the entire plant?
• How are environmental signals sensed and relayed to modulate shoot meristem activity?