Units

Plant Biotechnology

Person in charge of the Unit : Oui

The lab includes 2 permanent researchers, 1 of whom is attached to the FNRS, 4 post-docs, 2 PhD students and 1 technician.
The lab's research concerns the development of vascular plants.
- The main theme of the laboratory is the study of the molecular basis of secondary wall formation in xylem cells of woody plant species. Poplar is used as a model.
- Our second line of research aims to characterise the link between tissue lignification and tolerance to environmental stresses, particularly drought, in tropical field crop species (cowpea, millet, etc.).

Projetcs

Research aimed in the identification of genes involved in wood development in poplar tree.

The results that have already obtained by decreasing the expression of several genes in the lignin biosynthesis pathway suggest that this biosynthesis pathway is probably much more complex than the one described in the literature. In order to better understand the molecular basis of lignification we use the two hybrid system to study the interactions that protein could have between them.