Seminars

Against scientific mainstream we have developed the moss Physcomitrellapatens as a model system for basic biology as well as for biotechnology. Unique among plants, precise genetic engineering is feasible in moss due to efficient homologous recombination. This gene targeting allows the assignment of functions to genomic loci via reverse genetics. The moss genome harbours approx. 33,000 protein-encoding genes, which are about 10,000 more than humans or the flowering model plant Arabidopsis. In 2010 the US Department of Energy selected the moss genome as one of only a few “plant flagship genomes”, as it is expected to provide tools for solving urgent human needs related to hunger and global climate change. Further, we invented the moss bioreactor for the production of tailored, glyco-engineered recombinant biopharmaceuticals. Even primarily pure basic biology, like the discovery of micro RNA-mediated gene silencing upon environmental stress, may have implications for human health.