Research topics

 Among the > 100.000 natural compounds produced by plants, many were shown to have pharmaceutical value. Our work focuses on the largest group of plant compounds, the terpenes, which are the main constituents of essential oils, resins and flower volatiles. We study the biosynthesis of plant terpenes and their regulation. One of our goals is the enrichment of pharmaceutically valuable terpenes in plants. In addition, we are interested in the functional roles that terpenes play in plant defense against their natural enemies. These are some of our current research projects:

• The biosynthesis of terpenes in Lamiaceae
• The evolution of diversity of plant natural compounds
• The function of terpenes in plant defense
• The regulation of terpene biosynthesis (SFB648)

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