Principipal Investigators in the consortium

P07: WASSENEGGER, Michael (Neustadt, GERMANY)
AgroScience GmbH, AlPlanta-Institute for Plant Research (AlPlanta-IPR)

Since 2004, Dr. Michael Wassenegger heads the AlPlanta-IPR department, Epigenetics in Neustadt. In 1998, he started his scientific career as an independent principal investigator at the Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) for Biochemistry in Martinsried. At the MPI, the Wassenegger group successfully initiated work on viroids, but following the discovery of RNA-directed DNA methylase (RdDM) in 1994, his team concentrated on gene silencing research in plants. In this time period, the first cellular RNA-directed RNA polymerase (RDR) was purified and its biochemical properties were characterised. Moreover, isolation of a full-length RDR cDNA rendered possible to study this enzyme family of which one homologue was identified as a key enzyme of posttranscriptional gene silencing (PTGS) and RNA interference (RNAi). At the AlPlanta-IPR the work on gene silencing was complemented with research topics on epigenetics.

The AlPlanta-IPR is a non-profit research center. The institute is an organization established by the Ministry of Economics, Transportation, Agriculture and Viticulture, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. The  AlPlanta-IPR aims to establish a link between basic and applied research. It develops diagnostic methods, analyses host-pathogen relationships and attempts to improve and optimize crop protection by using advanced technologies. A focus of the AlPlanta-IPR is the introduction of crop resistance against plant pathogens, mainly viruses and viroids. It emphasizes on the improvement of the quality and composition of a given crop. The research group Genomics applies advanced strategies to develop markers for and to elucidate pathways of secondary plant metabolites and is screening for genes that are associated with traits of agronomic interest. In addition, the institute engages in the development of transient plant expression systems for the production of pharmaceuticals, mainly antibodies, and diagnostic proteins. Apart from transient approaches, the AlPlanta-IPR places emphasis on the development of stable plant expression systems. Since March 2004 the institute complemented its activities with the establishment of an independent research group focusing on basic and applied research in the field of gene silencing and epigenetic phenomena. The institute moved into a newly-constructed building in autumn 2004, has about 35 employees, an optimal infrastructure to carry out the proposed projects and is equipped with modern and high quality technical facilities. The AlPlanta-IPR collaborates with numerous international research centers.

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