Niko Geldner

Last updated
Niko Geldner
Born1972 (age 5152)
Nationality German, Swiss
Alma materPh.D. at the University of Tübingen, Germany
Scientific career
Fields Plant biology, cell biology, genetics, arabidopsis
Institutions University of Lausanne
Website https://wp.unil.ch/geldnerlab/

Niko Geldner (born in 1972 in Frankfurt am Main) is a German-Swiss biologist specialised in the study of Plant Cell and Developmental Biology. He is a full professor and the director of the plant cell biology laboratory at the University of Lausanne. [1]

Contents

Education and career

Geldner did his undergraduate studies in the Universities of Mainz, Bordeaux and Tübingen. At the University of Tübingen, he started to work in the laboratory of Gerd Juergens where he received his PhD in 2003 for his work on the role of the ARF-GEF GNOM and its role in the localisation of the PIN1 polar auxin transporter. After a postdoc at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, California, in the lab of Joanne Chory, he started as an assistant professor at the University of Lausanne in 2007, where he was promoted Full Professor in 2018. [1] At the University of Lausanne, Geldner is director of the doctoral school of the faculty of biology and medicine since 2012. [2]

Geldner was elected EMBO member in 2017. [3] In 2021, he was awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant, after receiving previously a ERC Starting and a ERC Consolidator Grant. [4]

Research

Geldner's research at the University of Lausanne is focused on root endodermis, [5] specifically the formation of the Casparian strips and suberin lamellae, which are the protective extracellular diffusion barriers formed by this cell layer. His team identified a group of transmembrane proteins called 'CASPs' (Casparian strip membrane domain proteins), due to their location to the Casparian Strips. [6]

More recently, Geldner and his collaborators uncovered, using a forward genetic screen, a new signaling pathway, initiated by post-translationally sulfated endogenous peptides. [7]

Selected publications

Polar auxin transport

Geldner, N., Friml, J., Stierhof, YD. et al. Auxin transport inhibitors block PIN1 cycling and vesicle trafficking. Nature 413, 425–428 (2001).

Geldner, N., Anders N., Wolters H., et al. The Arabidopsis GNOM ARF-GEF Mediates Endosomal Recycling, Auxin Transport, and Auxin-Dependent Plant Growth, Cell, 112, 219-230

Endomembrane system

Rapid, combinatorial analysis of membrane compartments in intact plants with a multicolor marker set. N Geldner, V Dénervaud‐Tendon, DL Hyman, U Mayer, YD Stierhof. The Plant Journal 59 (1), 169-178

Endodermis

Doblas VG, Smakowska-Luzan E, Fujita S, Alassimone J, Barberon M, Madalinski M, Belkhadir Y, Geldner N. Root diffusion barrier control by a vasculature-derived peptide binding to the SGN3 receptor. Science. 2017 Jan 20;355(6322):280-284.

Adaptation of Root Function by Nutrient-Induced Plasticity of Endodermal Differentiation.Barberon M, Vermeer JE, De Bellis D, Wang P, Naseer S, Andersen TG, Humbel BM, Nawrath C, Takano J, Salt DE, Geldner N. Cell. 2016 Jan 28;164(3):447-59.

Lee Y, Rubio MC, Alassimone J, Geldner N. A mechanism for localized lignin deposition in the endodermis. Cell. 2013 Apr 11;153(2):402-12.

Naseer S, Lee Y, Lapierre C, Franke R, Nawrath C, Geldner N. Casparian strip diffusion barrier in Arabidopsis is made of a lignin polymer without suberin. Proceeding of the National Academy Sci U S A. 2012 Jun 19;109(25):10101-6.

Roppolo D, De Rybel B, Dénervaud Tendon V, Pfister A, Alassimone J, Vermeer JEM, Yamazaki M, Stierhof Y, Beeckman T, Geldner N. A novel protein family directs Casparian Strip formation in the endodermis. Nature. 2011 May 19;473(7347):380-3.

Root-microbe interaction

Zhou F, Emonet A, Dénervaud Tendon V, Marhavy P, Wu D, Lahaye T, Geldner N. Co-incidence of Damage and Microbial Patterns Controls Localized Immune Responses in Roots.Cell. 2020 Feb 6;180(3):440-453.e18.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cell wall</span> Outermost layer of some cells

A cell wall is a structural layer that surrounds some cell types, found immediately outside the cell membrane. It can be tough, flexible, and sometimes rigid. Primarily, it provides the cell with structural support, shape, protection, and functions as a selective barrier. Another vital role of the cell wall is to help the cell withstand osmotic pressure and mechanical stress. While absent in many eukaryotes, including animals, cell walls are prevalent in other organisms such as fungi, algae and plants, and are commonly found in most prokaryotes, with the exception of mollicute bacteria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Root</span> Basal organ of a vascular plant

In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the surface of the soil, but roots can also be aerial or aerating, that is, growing up above the ground or especially above water.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phloem</span> Sugar transport tissue in vascular plants

Phloem is the living tissue in vascular plants that transports the soluble organic compounds made during photosynthesis and known as photosynthates, in particular the sugar sucrose, to the rest of the plant. This transport process is called translocation. In trees, the phloem is the innermost layer of the bark, hence the name, derived from the Ancient Greek word φλοιός (phloiós), meaning "bark". The term was introduced by Carl Nägeli in 1858. Different types of phloem can be distinguished. The early phloem formed in the growth apices is called protophloem. Protophloem eventually becomes obliterated once it connects to the durable phloem in mature organs, the metaphloem. Further, secondary phloem is formed during the thickening of stem structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stoma</span> In plants, a variable pore between paired guard cells

In botany, a stoma, also called a stomate, is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange between the internal air spaces of the leaf and the atmosphere. The pore is bordered by a pair of specialized parenchyma cells known as guard cells that regulate the size of the stomatal opening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Root pressure</span> Transverse osmotic pressure within the cells of a root system

Root pressure is the transverse osmotic pressure within the cells of a root system that causes sap to rise through a plant stem to the leaves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suberin</span> Hydrophobic lipid polyester in plant cell walls

Suberin, cutin and lignins are complex, higher plant epidermis and periderm cell-wall macromolecules, forming a protective barrier. Suberin, a complex polyester biopolymer, is lipophilic, and composed of long chain fatty acids called suberin acids, and glycerol. Suberins and lignins are considered covalently linked to lipids and carbohydrates, respectively, and lignin is covalently linked to suberin, and to a lesser extent, to cutin. Suberin is a major constituent of cork, and is named after the cork oak, Quercus suber. Its main function is as a barrier to movement of water and solutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casparian strip</span> Thickening in the root endodermis of vascular plants

The Casparian strip is a band-like thickening in the center of the root endodermis of vascular plants. The composition of the region is mainly suberin, lignin and some structural proteins, which are capable of reducing the diffusive apoplastic flow of water and solutes into the stele and its width varies between species. The Casparian strip is impervious to water so can control the transportation of water and inorganic salts between the cortex and the vascular bundle, preventing water and inorganic salts from being transported to the stele through the apoplast, so that it must enter the cell membrane and move to the stele through the symplastic pathway, blocking the internal and external objects of the cell. The function of mass transportation are similar to that of animal tissues.. The development of the Casparian strip is regulated by transcription factors such as SHORT-ROOT (SHR), SCARECROW (SCR) and MYB36, as well as polypeptide hormone synthesised by midcolumn cells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abscission</span> Shedding of various parts of an organism

Abscission is the shedding of various parts of an organism, such as a plant dropping a leaf, fruit, flower, or seed. In zoology, abscission is the intentional shedding of a body part, such as the shedding of a claw, husk, or the autotomy of a tail to evade a predator. In mycology, it is the liberation of a fungal spore. In cell biology, abscission refers to the separation of two daughter cells at the completion of cytokinesis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of biochemistry</span> Overview of and topical guide to biochemistry

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to biochemistry:

Polar auxin transport is the regulated transport of the plant hormone auxin in plants. It is an active process, the hormone is transported in cell-to-cell manner and one of the main features of the transport is its asymmetry and directionality (polarity). The polar auxin transport functions to coordinate plant development; the following spatial auxin distribution underpins most of plant growth responses to its environment and plant growth and developmental changes in general. In other words, the flow and relative concentrations of auxin informs each plant cell where it is located and therefore what it should do or become.

Gerd Jürgens is a plant developmental biologist and emeritus Director of the Cell Biology Department at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology and Head of the Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP) at the Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen. He has published extensively in leading journals, including eight papers in the journal Nature as well as various articles in the journals Cell, Science, Journal of Cell Biology and The Plant Journal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exodermis</span> Part of a plant

The exodermis is a physiological barrier that has a role in root function and protection. The exodermis is a membrane of variable permeability responsible for the radial flow of water, ions, and nutrients. It is the outer layer of a plant's cortex. The exodermis serves a double function as it can protect the root from invasion by foreign pathogens and ensures that the plant does not lose too much water through diffusion through the root system and can properly replenish its stores at an appropriate rate.

PIN proteins are integral membrane proteins in plants that transport the anionic form of the hormone auxin across membranes. The discovery of the initial member of the PIN gene family, PIN1, occurred through the identification of the pin-formed1 (pin1) mutation in Arabidopsis thaliana. This mutation led to a stem that lacked almost all organs, including leaves and flowers.

WRKY transcription factors are proteins that bind DNA. They are transcription factors that regulate many processes in plants and algae (Viridiplantae), such as the responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, senescence, seed dormancy and seed germination and some developmental processes but also contribute to secondary metabolism.

Gaseous signaling molecules are gaseous molecules that are either synthesized internally (endogenously) in the organism, tissue or cell or are received by the organism, tissue or cell from outside and that are used to transmit chemical signals which induce certain physiological or biochemical changes in the organism, tissue or cell. The term is applied to, for example, oxygen, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, methane, hydrogen, ethylene, etc.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Didier Trono</span> Swiss virologist

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Gian-Paolo Dotto is an Italian researcher and professor at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston (MA) and the University of Lausanne. His research focuses on genetic and epigenetic determinants of Cancer susceptibility and pre-malignant to malignant conversion.

Ikram Blilou is a Moroccan biologist who is a professor of plant sciences at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. Her research investigates how plants develop resistance to extreme conditions of drought and salinity.

References

  1. 1 2 "Current Lab Members – The Geldner Lab" . Retrieved 2021-02-07.
  2. "UNIL FBM and EPFL Doctoral schools contacts". www.unil.ch. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  3. "Find people in the EMBO Communities". people.embo.org. Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  4. "University of Lausanne Research Newsletter". University of Lausanne. April 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  5. "Our Research – The Geldner Lab" . Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  6. "Scientists investigate an innovative protein family in plants". European Commission, CORDIS. 2011-05-25.
  7. Tena, Guillaume (2017-02-17). "Development: Casparian self-healing". Nature Plants. 3 (3): 17021. doi: 10.1038/nplants.2017.21 . ISSN   2055-0278. PMID   28211851. S2CID   12489531.