SFB 572:  Commitment of Cell Arrays and Cell Types

• Subject Area: Biology
• Term: from 2001 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 5484607

This collaborative research centre aims at analysing complex developmental processes of plants and animals by using the methodology of Developmental Biology, i.e. a combination of techniques from Embryology, Genetics, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. Plant and animal development is controlled by endogenous factors and cellular interactions, whereby both types of mechanisms are in mutual interdependence. A consequence of signal processing is a modification of the cellular behaviour in the developing organism, which manifests itself either by the expression of specific cellular traits, like changes of cell shape, movements, modifications of the cell cycle, cell death, etc, or by commitment to a given fate and cytodifferentiation. Depending on the organism, the collaborative research centre aims at
(1) identifying relevant signals either from the environment or from surrounding cells,
(2) the analysis of the molecular changes that follow signal reception, and
(3) the localization of the identified molecules in the corresponding cell organelles.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres

Completed projects

• A1 - The developmental phase change from vegetative to reproductive growth in higher plants: a molecular genetic analysis (Project Head Huijser, Peter )
• A2 - Raum-zeitliche Ausprägung von ROSINA während der Blütenentwicklung und seine mögliche Rolle bei der Steuerung der B-Funktionsgene von Antirrhinum majus (Project Head Saedler, Heinz )
• A03 - Initiation and function of laterial meristems (Project Head Theres, Klaus )
• A04 - The molecular function of DORNRÖSCHEN (DRN) during embryonic patterning and in laterial organ founder cell specification in Arabidopsis thaliana (Project Head Werr, Wolfgang )
• A05 - Matamorphose und Segmentierung bei Aurelia aurita (Cnidara, Syphozoa) (Project Head Berking, Stefan )
• A6 - Festlegung von Körperregionen bei Hydrozoen (Project Head Plickert, Günther )
• A07 - Somitogenese beim Zebrafisch (Project Head Tautz, Diethard )
• A08 - Untersuchungen zur Morphogenese des Proventrikulus-Organs im Drosophila Embryo (Project Head Hoch, Michael )
• A10 - Epidermal pattern formation in Arabidopsis (Project Head Hülskamp, Martin )
• A11 - Die embryonale Entwicklung der Schilddrüse: Organogenese eines einfachen Zellverbandes (Project Head Rohr, Klaus B. )
• A12 - Segmentierung in der Spinne Cupiennius salei (Project Head Damen, Wim )
• A13 - Unravelling the regulation and function of DOG1; a key gene, essential for the induction of seed dormancy in Arabidopsis (Project Head Koornneef, Maarten )
• A14 - Control of plant development by the light environment (Project Head Höcker, Ute )
• A15 - Specification of sporogenous archesporial cells and differential commitment of their derivatives in anthers of Arabidopsis (Male Germ Line Development in Arabidopsis) (Project Head Huijser, Peter )
• A16 - The genetic and cell biological control of gastrulation in Drosophila (Project Head Leptin, Ph.D., Maria )
• B01 - The origin of dorsoventral polarity within the oocyte and the follicular epithelium of Drosophila (Project Head Roth, Siegfried )
• B02 - Zelltyp-Spezifizierung im frühen Nematoden-Embryo (Project Head Schierenberg, Einhard )
• B03 - Mechanismen der Zelltypspezifizierung im sich entwickelnden Zentralnervensystem beim Zebrafisch (Project Head Campos-Ortega, José Antonio )
• B4 - Zellkommunikation und Zellschicksal in Meristemen (Project Head Simon, Rüdiger )
• B05 - Kontrolle der räumlichen Expressionsmuster homeotischer Gene während der Organogense der Antirrhinum majus blüte (Project Head Schwarz-Sommer, Zsuzsanna )
• B06 - Regulation der Aktivität des Notch-Signalwegs und Funktion des Gens defective proventriculus (dve) während der Musterbildung in den Imaginalscheiben von Drosophila melanogaster (Project Head Klein, Thomas )
• B08 - Characterization of the role of FT-signaling in initiating flower development at the shoot apical meristem (Project Head Coupland, Ph.D., George )
• B09 - Polaristaion of the cytoskeleton by substrates of Par-1 kinase (Project Head Riechmann, Veit )
• B10 - Rolle des Zellzyklus für die Zelltypspezifizierung in der Wurzelepidermis von Arabidopsis (Project Head Schnittger, Arp )
• B11 - Regulation of APC/C activity during development by Rca1 (Project Head Sprenger, Frank )
• B12 - Role of Bmp signalling to regulate timing of cell commitment, cell survival and cell movements during early zebrafish development (Project Head Hammerschmidt, Matthias )
• B13 - Specification of sebaceous lineage commitment in mammalian skin development (Project Head Niemann, Catherin )
• B14 - The role of neph proteins in cell type specification, junction remodelling and the organization of epithelial cell arrays (Project Head Benzing, Thomas )
• Z1 - System für die Herstellung von Microarrays mit hoher Dichte (Project Head Tautz, Diethard )
• Z02 - Central tasks of the Collaborative Research Centre (Project Head Werr, Wolfgang )
• Z03 - Confocal microscopy and life imaging (Project Head Hülskamp, Martin )

• Applicant Institution: Universität zu Köln
• Participating Institution: Max-Planck-Institut für Pflanzenzüchtungsforschung
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Wolfgang Werr