Phase transition is investigated in our department in Antirrhinum majus and in Arabidopsis thaliana . Floral development commences with the formation of floral meristems.
Transcription factors determine flower organ primordium identity and assure organ development.
The factors involved as well as the detailed networking of these factors and their targets is of prime interest within the department. The knowledge accumulated can be applied to design crop plants with respect to their inflorescence or floral architecture. Taxa examined include mosses, ferns, gnetophytes and angiosperms. This element was used to isolate and characterize genes involved in differentiation of epidermal cells initiating a new field of research dealing with cell signaling.