The leaf epidermis consists of several cell types displaying different shapes depending on their function, including guard cells, trichomes and pavement cells. In many species, pavement cells display intriguing jigsaw puzzle-like shapes, consisting of interdigitating lobes and necks.This project will focus on the characterization of genes identified as potentially regulating lobe formation and cell shape in young pavement cells of the model plant Arabidopsis. Several of the most promising gene candidates will be cloned and tagged with fluroescent marker proteins and their localization will be characterized in detail during pavement cell lobing events. The project will combine cloning and molecular lab work with confocal microscopy techniques.
Supervisor: Stephanie Robert, Dept of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology, SLU.
Tel. 786 86 09. E-mail: