Institute of Plant Genomics and Systems Biology, PGSB, Environmental Health Center, Helmholtz Munich

The PGSB plant genomics group focuses on the analysis of plant genomes, using bioinformatic techniques. Our mission is to develop options for a sustainable use of plants and understand how climate change impacts crops, food security and human health.

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The research group

The Plant Genome and Systems biology group has been involved in the development and implementation of plant genome oriented bioinformatics since the inception of the field. The group has provided essential contributions to the analysis of the milestone Arabidopsis thaliana genome, the first published plant genome. It has additionally led and/or contributed to other well studied plant genomes, ranging from classical model systems to crops with large and complex genomes (maize, rice, tomato, Medicago, Brachypodium, sorghum, barley, wheat, rye and oat) in both German and international collaborations.

Wheat is a staple crop for billions of humans all around the world. However, consumption of wheat products can cause adverse effects for people with wheat sensitivities or celiac disease. We investigate the genes, molecular pathways and natural diversity in cereals that is related to immunopotential properties and their impact on human health.

Our challenge

The yield of many of our major food crops is threatened by a changing climate and pronounced periods of drought and heat. On the other hand, overall harvest needs to be increased due to the growing world population. Cereal genomics holds a key for the targeted and accelerated development of new and climate adapted crop varieties.

PGSB

Analysis of plant genomes: these efforts include structural and functional annotation of genes, transposable elements, transcribed regions and promotor regions as well as comparative genomics and structural genome analyses. The genomic resources generated hereby enable us to identify genes, traits, pathways and crop varieties that shed light into the evolution and domestication of our major crops and can be used for targeted breeding.

PGSB

The large and complex genomes of wheat, barley, rye and oat encode unique properties that are critical for human health. This includes beneficial, nutritional properties such as beta-glucans in oats as well as immunopotential properties e.g. related to glutenins in wheat. We investigate the genes, molecular pathways and natural diversity in plant genomes related to these important traits and their impact on human health.

smart agriculture concept with machine, deep learning, neural network technology, the artificial intelligence network in smart farm to disrupt

PGSB

This research topic deals with the integration and interpretation of large and heterogenous plant genomic data. Multi-scale networks allow e.g. for the integration of transcriptomic and phenotypic data with genome sequence references. The results of this work can accelerate our understanding of molecular pathways and help improve crops and speed up breeding.

News

The oat genome unlocks the unique health benefits of oats

New Research Findings, Environmental Health, PGSB, May 18, 2022

Researchers have succeeded in sequencing and characterizing the entire genome of oat. Compared to other cereals and humans, the oat genome architecture is very complex. Scientists from Helmholtz Munich, Lund University and the ScanOats network…

New Research Findings, PGSB, November 25, 2020

In a landmark discovery for global wheat production, Helmholtz Zentrum München together with an international research team has sequenced the genomes for 15 wheat varieties representing breeding programs around the world, enabling scientists and…

New Research Findings, PGSB, July 27, 2020

German researchers decoded the European maize genome. In comparison to North American maize lines, they discovered variations that underlie phenotypic differences and may also contribute to the heterosis effect. A better understanding of the effect…

Publications

2022 Scientific Article in Plant Journal, The

Lehnert, H. ; Berner, T. ; Lang, D. ; Beier, S. ; Stein, N. ; Himmelbach, A. ; Kilian, B. ; Keilwagen, J.

Insights into breeding history, hotspot regions of selection and untapped allelic diversity for bread wheat breeding.

2022 Scientific Article in Plant Physiology

Zangishei, Z. ; Annacondia, M.L. ; Gundlach, H. ; Didriksen, A. ; Bruckmüller, J. ; Salari, H. ; Krause, K. ; Martinez, G.J.

Parasitic plant small RNA analyses unveil parasite-specific signatures of microRNA retention, loss, and gain.

2022 Scientific Article in The Plant cell

Blankenagel, S. ; Eggels, S. ; Frey, M. ; Grill, E. ; Bauer, E. ; Dawid, C. ; Fernie, A.R. ; Haberer, G. ; Hammerl, R. ; Barbosa Medeiros, D. ; Ouzunova, M. ; Presterl, T. ; Ruß, V. ; Schäufele, R. ; Schlüter, U. ; Tardieu, F. ; Urbany, C. ; Urzinger, S. ; Weber, A.P.M. ; Schön, C.C. ; Avramova, V.

Natural alleles of the abscisic acid catabolism gene ZmAbh4 modulate water use efficiency and carbon isotope discrimination in maize.

2022 Scientific Article in Cell

Hofstatter, P.G. ; Thangavel, G. ; Lux, T. ; Neumann, P. ; Vondrak, T. ; Novak, P. ; Zhang, M. ; Costa, L.T. ; Castellani, M. ; Scott, A. ; Toegelová, H. ; Fuchs, J. ; Mata-Sucre, Y. ; Dias, Y. ; Vanzela, A.L.L. ; Huettel, B. ; Almeida, C.C.S. ; Šimková, H. ; Souza, G. ; Pedrosa-Harand, A. ; Macas, J. ; Mayer, K.F.X. ; Houben, A. ; Marques, A.R.

Repeat-based holocentromeres influence genome architecture and karyotype evolution.

2022 Scientific Article in Communications Biology

Tinker, N.A. ; Wight, C.P. ; Bekele, W.A. ; Yan, W. ; Jellen, E.N. ; Renhuldt, N.T. ; Sirijovski, N. ; Lux, T. ; Spannagl, M. ; Mascher, M.

Genome analysis in Avena sativa reveals hidden breeding barriers and opportunities for oat improvement.

2022 Editorial in Nature Plants

Haberer, G. ; Mayer, K.F.X.

Differential and complementary selection of heterotic groups.

2022 Scientific Article in Plant Communications

Jiang, C. ; Lei, M. ; Guo, Y. ; Gao, G. ; Shi, L. ; Jin, Y. ; Cai, Y. ; Himmelbach, A. ; Zhou, S. ; He, Q. ; Yao, X. ; Kan, J. ; Haberer, G. ; Duan, F. ; Li, L. ; Liu, J. ; Zhang, J. ; Spannagl, M. ; Liu, C. ; Stein, N. ; Feng, Z. ; Mascher, M. ; Yang, P.

A reference-guided TILLING by amplicon-sequencing platform supports forward and reverse genetics in barley.

2022 Scientific Article in Photochemical and Photobiological Sciences

Gracheva, M. ; Homonnay, Z. ; Singh, A. ; Fodor, F. ; Marosi, V.B. ; Solti, Á. ; Kovacs, K.

New aspects of the photodegradation of iron(III) citrate: Spectroscopic studies and plant-related factors.

2022 Scientific Article in New Phytologist

Bazihizina, N. ; Böhm, J. ; Messerer, M. ; Stigloher, C. ; Müller, H.M. ; Cuin, T.A. ; Maierhofer, T. ; Cabot, J. ; Mayer, K.F.X. ; Fella, C. ; Huang, S. ; Al-Rasheid, K.A.S. ; Alquraishi, S.A. ; Breadmore, M. ; Mancuso, S. ; Shabala, S. ; Ache, P. ; Zhang, H. ; Zhu, J.K. ; Hedrich, R. ; Scherzer, S.

Stalk cell polar ion transport provide for bladder-based salinity tolerance in Chenopodium quinoa.

2022 Scientific Article in Nature

Kamal, N. ; Tsardakas Renhuldt, N. ; Bentzer, J. ; Gundlach, H. ; Haberer, G. ; Juhász, A. ; Lux, T. ; Bose, U. ; Tye-Din, J.A. ; Lang, D. ; van Gessel, N. ; Reski, R. ; Fu, Y.B. ; Spégel, P. ; Ceplitis, A. ; Himmelbach, A. ; Waters, A.J. ; Bekele, W.A. ; Colgrave, M.L. ; Hansson, M. ; Stein, N. ; Mayer, K.F.X. ; Jellen, E.N. ; Maughan, P.J. ; Tinker, N.A. ; Mascher, M. ; Olsson, O. ; Spannagl, M. ; Sirijovski, N.

Plant Genome and Systems Biology

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About our Research

The research group

Our challenge

Research Topics

Plant Genome Analysis

Cereal Genomics and Human Health

Plant Systems Biology

News

The Oat Genome Unlocks the Unique Health Benefits of Oats

First Genomic Atlas for Global Wheat Improvement

European and American Maize: Same Same, but Different

Scientists at PGSB

Prof. Dr. Klaus F.X. Mayer

Dr. Manuel Spannagl

Dr. Heidrun Gundlach

Dr. Georg Haberer

Dr. Thomas Lux

Dr. Nadia Kamal

Dr. Maxim Messerer

Vanda Marosi

Sepideh Jafarian

Publications

Insights into breeding history, hotspot regions of selection and untapped allelic diversity for bread wheat breeding.

Parasitic plant small RNA analyses unveil parasite-specific signatures of microRNA retention, loss, and gain.

Natural alleles of the abscisic acid catabolism gene ZmAbh4 modulate water use efficiency and carbon isotope discrimination in maize.

Repeat-based holocentromeres influence genome architecture and karyotype evolution.

Genome analysis in Avena sativa reveals hidden breeding barriers and opportunities for oat improvement.

Differential and complementary selection of heterotic groups.

A reference-guided TILLING by amplicon-sequencing platform supports forward and reverse genetics in barley.

New aspects of the photodegradation of iron(III) citrate: Spectroscopic studies and plant-related factors.

Stalk cell polar ion transport provide for bladder-based salinity tolerance in Chenopodium quinoa.

The mosaic oat genome gives insights into a uniquely healthy cereal crop.

Contact us

Prof. Dr. Klaus F.X. Mayer

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