April 2013 - Seminars - maillist.psb.ugent.be

Upcoming seminars March
by Delphine Verspeel 19 Jan '15

19 Jan '15

Dear All, Enclosed you can find our upcoming seminars for March. Kind regards, Delphine ___________________________________________ Delphine Verspeel Administrative Assistant VIB, Department of Plant Systems Biology Ghent University Technologiepark 927 9052 Gent Belgium Phone: +32/9/33.13.800 Fax: +32/9/33.13.809 Http://www.psb.ugent.be despe(a)psb.vib-ugent.be

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Seminar Prof Waltraud Schulze on Monday, May 6 at 11 am
by Delphine Verspeel 26 Apr '13

26 Apr '13

You are receiving this e-mail because you subscribed to our seminars announcements and reminders service at https://maillist.psb.ugent.be/mailman/listinfo/seminars . If you do not wish to receive this information anymore, please unsubscribe from future mailings at https://maillist.psb.ugent.be/mailman/options/seminars . cid:946540515@15122008-0D1CPSBcid:946540515@15122008-0D23 VIB - Department of Plant Systems Biology Technologiepark 927 B - 9052 Gent/Zwijnaarde Phone: +32 9 33 13 800 Fax: +32 9 33 13 809 Http://www.psb.vib-ugent.be

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PSB event reminder
by contact＠psb.vib-ugent.be 18 Apr '13

18 Apr '13

Calendar Name: seminars Scheduled for: Thursday, April 18 2013, 11:00 - 12:30 Event text: Prof Dirk Inz� Scientific Director Head of Department VIB, Dept. of Plant Systems Biology Ghent University Gent BELGIUM Details: �LEAF growth: from images to molecular networks� ABSTRACT Growth of plants and plant organs is orchestrated by complex molecular networks that integrates both intrinsic development signals encoded by the genome as well as a wide variety of environmental cues such as light, availability of water and minerals, temperature, e.a. Understanding the molecular composition and topology of these networks ultimately will accelerate advanced breeding and gene engineering for higher yielding crops. We have chosen leaves as a model organ to understand growth and size control mechanisms. As leaf growth is a quantitative trait, several (semi-) automated growth analysis platforms were developed to analyze leaf growth over time. Detailed cellular and molecular analysis of numerous Arabidopsis mutants revealed the existence of at least five mechanisms that contribute to final leaf size: i) the initial size of the leaf primordium; ii) cell cycle duration; iii) the developmental timing of the transition from cell division to cell expansion; iv) the timing of meristemoid division; and v) cell expansion. For each mechanism, multiple genes have been identified that when overexpressed or mutated enhance leaf organ size. For example, cell cycle duration appears to be controlled by the ANAPHASE PROMOTING COMPLEX, a multi-protein E3 ligase that is involved in mitosis. On the other hand the transition from cell division to cell expansion during leaf development is mediated by the gibberellic acid (GA) dependent activity of a chromatin remodeling complex. GA levels in the growth zones are regulated by the activity of two stress responsive transcription factors ERF5 and ERF6 and our experimental data show that these transcription factor have a pivotal role in regulation growth in response to the environment. Furthermore, GA also was shown to have an important function in mediating leaf growth in maize and by engineering GA metabolism maize leaves that have a 40% increase in length were obtained. We will discussed our current understanding of growth regulatory networks and how we can use this information to improve crop yield.

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PSB event reminder
by contact＠psb.vib-ugent.be 16 Apr '13

16 Apr '13

Calendar Name: seminars Scheduled for: Thursday, April 18 2013, 11:00 - 12:30 Event text: Prof Dirk Inz� Scientific Director Head of Department VIB, Dept. of Plant Systems Biology Ghent University Gent BELGIUM Details: �LEAF growth: from images to molecular networks� ABSTRACT Growth of plants and plant organs is orchestrated by complex molecular networks that integrates both intrinsic development signals encoded by the genome as well as a wide variety of environmental cues such as light, availability of water and minerals, temperature, e.a. Understanding the molecular composition and topology of these networks ultimately will accelerate advanced breeding and gene engineering for higher yielding crops. We have chosen leaves as a model organ to understand growth and size control mechanisms. As leaf growth is a quantitative trait, several (semi-) automated growth analysis platforms were developed to analyze leaf growth over time. Detailed cellular and molecular analysis of numerous Arabidopsis mutants revealed the existence of at least five mechanisms that contribute to final leaf size: i) the initial size of the leaf primordium; ii) cell cycle duration; iii) the developmental timing of the transition from cell division to cell expansion; iv) the timing of meristemoid division; and v) cell expansion. For each mechanism, multiple genes have been identified that when overexpressed or mutated enhance leaf organ size. For example, cell cycle duration appears to be controlled by the ANAPHASE PROMOTING COMPLEX, a multi-protein E3 ligase that is involved in mitosis. On the other hand the transition from cell division to cell expansion during leaf development is mediated by the gibberellic acid (GA) dependent activity of a chromatin remodeling complex. GA levels in the growth zones are regulated by the activity of two stress responsive transcription factors ERF5 and ERF6 and our experimental data show that these transcription factor have a pivotal role in regulation growth in response to the environment. Furthermore, GA also was shown to have an important function in mediating leaf growth in maize and by engineering GA metabolism maize leaves that have a 40% increase in length were obtained. We will discussed our current understanding of growth regulatory networks and how we can use this information to improve crop yield.

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Seminar Prof Dirk Inzé on Thursday, April 18 at 11 am
by Delphine Verspeel 03 Apr '13

03 Apr '13

You are receiving this e-mail because you subscribed to our seminars announcements and reminders service at https://maillist.psb.ugent.be/mailman/listinfo/seminars . If you do not wish to receive this information anymore, please unsubscribe from future mailings at https://maillist.psb.ugent.be/mailman/options/seminars . cid:946540515@15122008-0D1CPSBcid:946540515@15122008-0D23 VIB - Department of Plant Systems Biology Technologiepark 927 B - 9052 Gent/Zwijnaarde Phone: +32 9 33 13 800 Fax: +32 9 33 13 809 Http://www.psb.vib-ugent.be

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PSB event reminder
by contact＠psb.vib-ugent.be 02 Apr '13

02 Apr '13

Calendar Name: seminars Scheduled for: Tuesday, April 2 2013, 14:00 - 15:30 Event text: Dr Peter Bozhkov Department of Plant Biology and Forest Genetics Uppsala BioCenter Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and Linnean Center for Plant Biology Uppsala SWEDEN Details: �Autophagy: a common mediator of cell death and organismal longevity in plants� ABSTRACT Animals have evolved sophisticated machinery to remove apoptotic bodies and clean up necrotic debris for damping inflammatory response. Plants appear more pragmatic, as they utilize dying cells and cell corpses to construct their bodies, as well as to store and transport nutrients, growth factors, and secondary metabolites. The presence of rigid cell walls and the absence of phagocytosis permit cell corpses to stay post-mortem for a very long time. Disassembly of plant cells during developmental programmed cell death (PCD) is likewise a slow process, which can take up to several days. This mode of PCD is reliant on the gradual engulfment of the cytoplasm by the lytic vacuoles and is hence called vacuolar cell death. We have found that autophagy � a major cellular catabolic process - plays a central role in the execution of vacuolar cell death in the Norway spruce embryo-suspensors. The role of autophagy is cell-autonomous, since down-regulation of ATG genes specifically in the suspensor cells acts as a switch from vacuolar cell death to necrosis, which impairs embryonic patterning and leads to developmental arrest. It has become well known in the last few years that yeasts, worms, flies and mammals with enhanced level of basal autophagy live longer, whereas suppression of autophagy results in premature death or shortened lifespan. Current studies in my laboratory establish autophagy as an important process in the control of plant phenology and longevity. We have found that changes in the expression of some ATG genes can modulate autophagic flux in the leaves of Arabidopsis, which in turn affects phenology and lifespan of the plants. Interestingly, manipulation of both autophagic flux and organismal lifespan can also be achieved in wild type Columbia plants by changing their caloric status through increasing or decreasing light intensity.

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