Metabolic and Regulatory Networks

We study transcripts, proteins, and low molecular weight compounds to understand how they are formed and function at the molecular level.

About the group

The unparalleled metabolic and developmental plasticity observed in plants enables them to thrive in the diverse fluctuating environments encountered in natural and agricultural settings. This adaptability has been driven by organismal and environmental interactions. As a result, plants have evolved intricate molecular networks characterized by interconnected regulatory and metabolic feedback loops. These networks ensure balanced investments of resources into growth and defense

Group leader

Our research group is fascinated by the complexity of these biological systems. We study transcripts, proteins, and low molecular weight compounds to understand how they are formed and function at the molecular level. Our activities span from functional characterization of enzymes, transcription factors, and small ncRNAs, to mechanistic studies on the regulation of transcription and metabolite sensing. Using genome-wide sequencing approaches, metabolomics and bioinformatics, we investigate gene regulatory networks involved in transcriptional regulation and transgenerational memory.

  • Transgenerational plant memory
  • Regulatory protein complexes
  • Coordination of plant defense and development
  • Carbohydrate-active enzymes in opportunistic human pathogens
  • Regulation of non-coding and protein coding transcription
  • Metabolite sensing

  • Transgenerational inheritance of plant resistance: Effects of biotic and abiotic challenges on plant performance across multiple generations
  • Protein level regulation of transcription factor networks: Dynamics of signal integration at the level of transcription factor complexes

Contact

Meike Burow
Professor