ERC funds fundamental research on chloroplast and mitochondrial inheritance
Dr. Kin Pan Chung, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (MPI-MP) in Potsdam Germany, receives an ERC Starting Grant worth € 1.5 million for the project “CytoInP” to investigate cytoplasmic inheritance in plants. This prestigious grant will enable Chung to expand his newly established team at the Wageningen University & Research (WUR) in the Netherlands, where he will realize this ambitious endeavor.
DNA in Chloroplasts and mitochondria is inherited only from the mother
Plant cells contain genomes in three compartments: the nuclear genome in the nucleus and the cytoplasmic genomes in chloroplasts and mitochondria. These cytoplasmic genomes encode essential proteins for photosynthesis and respiration, making them crucial for plant survival and many agronomic traits. Despite their importance, our knowledge on cytoplasmic genomes is still limited. In particular, our understanding of how these cytoplasmic genomes are passed from one generation to the next remains incomplete. During sexual reproduction, the nuclear genome is inherited from both parents but the cytoplasmic genomes are only inherited from the motherplant. How this selective inheritance of genomes is controlled is largely unknown. Identifying this mechanism might allow crop breeders to control the inheritance of chloroplasts and mitochondria which would revolutionize plant breeding.
CytoInP aims to solve the mystery of maternal inheritance
"My initial motivation is to solve this longstanding puzzle and push the boundaries of our understanding in this field," says Chung. During his time at MPI-MP, Chung and his colleagues conducted an elegant study using Nicotiana tabacum to identify initial factors controlling the maternal inheritance of chloroplasts. He later broadened his research to include mitochondrial inheritance. Chung says: "Our current research focuses on fundamental science. By deepening our understanding of cytoplasmic genetics and inheritance, I aim to translate these findings into developing improved crops and breeding methods." He will realize this vision now as a freshly appointed assistant professor at WUR with his new team.
Starting Grants from the European Research Council (ERC) are among the most prestigious and competitive funding programs in the EU. Funding is provided to leading researchers with ambitious projects that could lead to major scientific breakthroughs. Out of 3474 proposals submitted for ERC starting grants, only 14.2% were selected for funding this year.
Kin Pan Chung worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the MPI-MP in Potsdam-Golm in the "Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology" department, which specializes in mitochondria and chloroplasts biology and biotechnology. Since September, Dr. Chung continues his research as an assistant professor at the Laboratory of Plant Physiology at Wageningen University & Research.
Wissenschaftlicher Ansprechpartner:
Dr. Kin Pan Chung
Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie
chung@mpimp-golm.mpg.de
Wageningen University & Research
kinpan.chung@wur.nl
Weitere Informationen:
https://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-09/erc-2024-stg-statistics.pdf Statistiken zum ERC Starting Grant
https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/erc-2024-starting-grants-results press release des ERC zu den Starting Grants
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