Report title: Phloem transport efficiency in relation to plant height

Reporter：Johannes Liesche Professor

Time：10:00 a.m.on January 18.

Site:Conference room 3,building 1.

Johannes Liesche Professor introduction:

Johannes Liesche, PhD, Associate Professor, Doctoral Supervisor. 2004-2008 German diploma at Humboldt University Berlin and University of Edinburgh. 2009-2012 PhD studies at University of Copenhagen and Cornell University.2012-2015 Postdoctoral studies at University of Copenhagen and New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research.

Research interests

Finding ways to increase plant productivity and yield, especially under changing climate conditions, is one of the top priorities for plant biologists. The transport of carbon from the leaves, where it is fixed, to roots, fruits and other organs that depend on carbon import for growth and development, is one potential target that has received relatively little attention so far. The carbon transport system is very complex, strictly regulated and interlinked with many other processes. My research aims at identifying the genetic factors that regulate the distribution of carbon in plants and discovering how carbon allocation is linked to environmental factors and stress responses.

Intercellular transport of carbohydrates can happen via two different pathways: i) active protein-mediated transport across the plasma membrane, ii) passive movement through cell wall channels. Over the last years, I have developed quantitative approaches based on live-cell microscopy and radiography, to measure both, the diffusive transport of carbohydrates through cell wall channels and active trans-membrane transport. In current projects, I am applying these methods in combination with theoretical modeling, metabolite analysis and the various techniques of molecular biology to investigate carbohydrate transport regulation at the cellular and molecular level.