prof.dr.ir. GC (Gerco) Angenent

prof.dr.ir. GC (Gerco) Angenent

Group leader Plant Developmental Systems (PDS), Professor
Contact

Research interest: My research group is interested in how developmental processes are controlled by transcription factors and chromatin modifications. We aim to unravel transcriptional networks underlying various processes such as flowering time regulation, floral organ development, fruit formation and embryogenesis. We apply various methods, such as ChIP-seq, DAP-seq, RNA-seq, proteomics, microscopy, CRISPR/CAS9 technologies and in vitro assays, to build gene regulatory networks and study the role of genes and proteins involved in these developmental processes. We are using predominantly the model species Arabidopsis and tomato, but also aim to understand to what extent the networks and genes are conserved in other species, including crops.

A main question of our research is:  How do Transcription factors work and what are their target genes?  To answer this question we are studying the properties of transcription factors belonging to the MADS domain, AP2-like or TCP transcription factor families. Since these transcription factors form larger complexes we analyse the components of the complexes by immunoprecipitation followed by MS/MS (Smaczniak et al, 2012) and other biochemical techniques. Furthermore, we are interested in the target genes that they control. A standard technology in our lab is ChIP-seq to identify in vivo binding sites. In addition we use in vitro methods, such as EMSA, and DAP-seq to understand the specificity of binding to certain DNA sequences. Our results show that the composition of the transcription factor complex determines in part the binding specificity to target DNA. We aim to identify downstream target genes by ChIP-seq and RNA-seq approaches and decipher their role in various developmental processes, such as flowering, flower, fruit and embryo development by genetic and molecular studies. A more recent focus of the group are studies to understanding the role of promoter elements (CIS regulatory elements) and how they control transcription. For this purpose we make mutations in promoters using CRISPR/Cas9, aiming at modulating gene expression in vivo.

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The PIs in the group are: 

The Plant Developmental Systems group

Group members (from left to right):

  • prof. dr. Gerco Angenent,  group leader
  • dr. Kim Boutilier, senior researcher
  • dr. Ruud de Maagd, senior researcher
  • prof. dr. Richard Immink, senior researcher
  • dr. Marian Bemer, assistant professor (BioSystematic chair group)
  • dr. Martijn Fiers, researcher
  • dr. Xinping Yang, post-doc
  • dr. Dawit Tekleyohans, postdoc
  • dr. Cristian Pena-Ponton, postdoc
  • Marco Busscher, technician
  • Jan Kodde, technician
  • Tjitske Riksen, technician
  • Mieke Weemen, technician
  • Froukje van der Wal, technician
  • Jacqueline Busscher-Lange, technician
  • Michiel Lammers, technician
  • Chris Roelofsen, technician
  • Suze Blom, PhD student (with Richard Immink)
  • Judit Nadal, PhD student (with Richard Immink)
  • Iris Zahn, PhD student (with Marian Bemer)
  • Gül Hatinoglu, PhD student (with Ruud de Maagd and Richard Immink)
  • Kai Thoris, PhD student (with Marian Bemer)
  • Victor Aprilyanto, PhD student (with Ruud de Maagd)
  • Mengran Li  (with Kim Boutilier)
  • Xiaowei Wang (with Ruud de Maagd)
  • Kailash Pandey, PhD student (with Marian Bemer)
  • Qiqi Li, PhD student (with Richard Immink)
  • Indira Bretones, PhD student (with Marian Bemer)
  • Chris Darmawan, PhD student (with Kim Boutilier)
  • Isabella Sanders, PhD student (with Richard Immink and Marian Bemer)
  • Lotte Zuurveen, PhD student (with Ruud de Maagd)

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The following PhD candidates from our group  successfully defended their thesis recently:

Doctorate degree Judit Nadal Bigas April 12, 2024 Wageningen University

'From Flowers to seeds'

Doctorate degree Francesca Bellinazzo September 8, 2023, Wageningen University.

 

'More than Florigen'

Doctorate degree Ellen Slaman, August 30, 2023

CRISPR specificity in tomato

Doctorate degree Charlotte Siemons, October 26, 2022. Wageningen University

From microspore to haploid embryo. 

Doctorate degree Annemarie Castricum  October 19,  2022, Wageningen University

Elucidation of the morphological and genetic factors influencing fertility in Chrysanthemum

Doctorate degree Lena Maas September 9, 2022 Wageningen University

Regulation of morphogenic genes, exploring the function and cis-regulatory landscape of BABYBOOM and LEAFY COTELEDON1