Molecular Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics

We use Arabidopsis trichomes as a model system to study cell-cell communication, cell differentiation and morphogenesis. Genetic screens have revealed a large number of mutants affecting distinct steps of trichome development enabling a further molecular and cell biological analysis. The beauty of this system is that virtually all trichome genes turned out to be relevant for other cell types as well because they are involved in various general mechanisms of plant development (For overview see Hülskamp (2004) Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 5, 471-480).