Abschlussarbeit

Master Thesis Opportunity in Plant Molecular Biology

Title: Uncovering New Mechanisms of Temperature Sensing in Plants

Background
Global warming is placing unprecedented pressure on agriculture and natural ecosystems. Plants, being immobile, must constantly sense and respond to changes in ambient temperature. Even small shifts can dramatically alter their growth and development.

Thesis Project
In this project, you will investigate the plasticity of shoot traits to temperature. Prion-like domains (PLDs) are unstructured protein domains that can undergo liquid-liquid phase separation. This project will test to what extent variation in PLD-containing proteins underlies differences in reaction norms of shoot traits to temperature in Capsella rubella. You will use state-of-the-art molecular and cell biology approaches to explore how these genes influence plant growth and development at different temperatures.

Experimental approaches can include:

• Generating CRISPR/Cas9 knockout lines in Capsella rubella.
• Performing seedling growth assays under normal and elevated temperatures.
• Studying protein localization and dynamics using confocal microscopy.
• Investigating downstream effects on gene expression using molecular assays (qPCR, reporter lines).

What you will gain:

• Hands-on training in molecular cloning, genome editing, and plant physiology.
• Experience with microscopy and quantitative image analysis.
• Skills in experimental design, data analysis, and scientific communication.
• Insight into how fundamental plant research connects to real-world challenges like climate change.

Who we are looking for:

• Motivated Master students in biology, molecular biology, biotechnology, or related fields.
• Curiosity about plant adaptation and interest in combining molecular and physiological approaches.
• No prior experience in CRISPR or microscopy required — training will be provided.

The thesis will be conducted in the group of Prof. Philip Wigge at the Leibniz Institute of Vegetable and Ornamental Crops (IGZ), working at the interface of molecular genetics, cell biology, and environmental responses in plants. The project is part of the DFG funded Collaborative Research Centre on phenotypic plasticity in plants (CRC1644).

ADAPT 1: Temperature Sensing in Plants: https://igzev.de/en/research/research-groups/adapt-1

Collaborative Research Centre 1644: https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/ppp/
 

Relevant papers:

Activation and memory of the heat shock response is mediated by prion-like domains of sensory HSFs in Arabidopsis. Peng M, Jaeger KE, Lu Y, Fan Z, Zeng W, Sampathkumar A, Wigge PA. Mol Plant. 2025 Mar 3;18(3):457-467. doi: 10.1016/j.molp.2025.01.007. Epub 2025 Jan 9. PMID: 39789846

A prion-like domain in ELF3 functions as a thermosensor in Arabidopsis. Jung JH, Barbosa AD, Hutin S, Kumita JR, Gao M, Derwort D, Silva CS, Lai X, Pierre E, Geng F, Kim SB, Baek S, Zubieta C, Jaeger KE, Wigge PA.Nature. 2020 Sep;585(7824):256-260. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2644-7. Epub 2020 Aug 26. PMID: 32848244 

Temperature Sensing in Plants. Kerbler SM, Wigge PA. Annu Rev Plant Biol. 2023 May 22;74:341-366. doi: 10.1146/annurev-arplant-102820-102235. Epub 2023 Feb 28.

If you are excited to explore how plants sense temperature, we’d love to hear from you! Please send us a short email explaining why you would like to join, along with your contact information, to: wigge@igzev.de and gutsche@igzev.de.