Plants must ensure that their cellular processes can function at a wide range of temperatures. In response to heat stress, this includes adaptations in leaf shape and leaf movements that increase transpiration and thus reduce the temperature in the leaves. At the cellular level, several proteins are already known to serve as temperature sensors and which control the transcription of heat stress proteins. However, many other mechanisms are not well understood or have not yet been discovered. We are investigating how the lipid membrane adapts to heat stress. On the one hand, many lipids in the membrane are exchanged during temperature changes to ensure the necessary membrane fluidity. On the other hand, membrane-associated proteins often require a specific lipid composition. We are investigating both aspects in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, using mutant lines with an altered sphingolipid composition. Our experiments enable us to better understand the function of sphingolipids in the cell. Ultimately, we are contributing to a better understanding of how plants adapt to high temperatures. This is also important for the breeding of crops more resistant to temperature extremes.

Serendipita indica (Piriformospora indica) and Serendipita herbamans, fungi of the order Sebacinales, colonize the roots of many plant species. This colonization can increase the pathogen resistance of the host plant, not only in the roots but also in the leaves (systemic pathogen resistance). In addition, colonization can lead to accelerated plant development and increased growth.

We are investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying these processes.

Previous publications:

Weiss M, Waller F, Zuccaro A, Selosse MA (2016) Sebacinales - one thousand and one interactions with land plants. New Phytol 211: 20-40

Pedrotti L, Mueller MJ, Waller F (2013) Piriformospora indica root colonization triggers local and systemic root responses and inhibits secondary colonization of distal roots. PLoS One 8: e69352

Molitor A, Zajic D, Voll LM, Pons KHJ, Samans B, Kogel KH, Waller F (2011) Barley leaf transcriptome and metabolite analysis reveals new aspects of compatibility and Piriformospora indica-mediated systemic induced resistance to powdery mildew. Molecular plant-microbe interactions : MPMI 24: 1427-1439

Deshmukh S, Huckelhoven R, Schafer P, Imani J, Sharma M, Weiss M, Waller F, Kogel KH (2006) The root endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica requires host cell death for proliferation during mutualistic symbiosis with barley. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 103: 18450-18457

Waller F, Achatz B, Baltruschat H, Fodor J, Becker K, Fischer M, Heier T, Huckelhoven R, Neumann C, von Wettstein D, Franken P, Kogel KH (2005) The endophytic fungus Piriformospora indica reprograms barley to salt-stress tolerance, disease resistance, and higher yield. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) 102: 13386-13391

About me

I received my Ph.D. (Biology) at the Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg i.Br., Germany. Studies abroad included stays in China, Taiwan and Japan.

I worked at the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), Nara, Japan as a postdoctoral fellow and worked as a group leader at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Germany.

Since 2009 I am leading a small research group at the Chair of Pharmaceutical Biology, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg.

Funding by

We are currently supported by a grant of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

Previous research was supported by: DFG, Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung / Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS),  Ostasien-Stipendienprogramm der Daimler Benz AG / Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes,  Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD).