Forskningsresultat per år
Forskningsresultat per år
PL 65 (Viikinkaari 1)
00014
Finland
Viikinkaari 1, Biocentre 3
00790 Helsinki
Finland
Forskningsoutput per år
Meristem Activity and Identity Group
Lateral growth in plants originates from the vascular cambium, where stem cells are located. Cambium provides thickness to plant organs by generating conductive tissues - xylem (wood) toward the center and phloem toward the organ periphery. Vascular development continues as long as the plant grows, and proliferation and differentiation of these tissues from the cambium is controlled not only laterally but also along the plant body. As of January 2022, I have started establishing my independent research group at the University of Helsinki. In my research I am interested in understanding molecular mechanisms that regulate cambial development, lateral growth and vascular continuity in plants using tree (poplar and birch) stems and Arabidopsis roots as model systems.
Project overviews
Through a functional genomics approach, we have identified several novel transcription factors (TFs) that are activated by the plant hormone cytokinin, an enhancer of cambial cell division rate and lateral growth in plants. Currently we are exploring how these TFs regulate thickening of plant organs both in hybrid aspen trees and Arabidopsis roots using state-of-the-art molecular biology tools, such as knocking them out via CRISPR-Cas9 or tissue specific inducible overexpression and (live) confocal imaging.
We also would like to study how trees respond to local changes in cambial activity in short and long term and how vascular continuity and physiology along the tree trunk is affected from these changes. For this purpose, we are designing an innovative new system to genetically inhibit lateral growth at different heights along the plant body through inducible knockout of a cambial factor.
Finally, we would like to identify more key loci driving enhanced growth and carbon sink in trees through comparative single cell transcriptome analysis of Arabidopsis, birch and poplar and test systematically the roles of different candidate genes.
Supervision
- 01.09.2021 to present: Supervisor to Master`s Degree student Mr. Suzan Kumer Bhadhury (Erasmus-Mundus MSc, emPLANT, University of Helsinki, preliminary defense date: June 2022)
- 01.09.2019 to present: Co-supervisor for doctoral student MSc. Leo Vainio with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ari Pekka Mähönen (University of Helsinki, preliminary defense date: September 2023)
- 02.09.2019 – 31.01.2019: Supervisor to Erasmus Exchange Technical Degree student Mr. Markus Jan Heidema (From MboRijnland, The Netherlands)
- 25.03.2019 – 16.08.2019: Supervisor to Erasmus Exchange Master`s Degree student Miss. Iris Zahn (From Wageningen University, The Netherlands)
- 01.07.2018 – 31.08.2018: Supervisor to Erasmus Exchange Bachelor`s degree student Miss. Marta Ibáñez Lazaro (from University of Zaragoza, Spain)
Teaching
- Completed course in Pedagogics (Teaching in Higher Education, basic course: 4,5 ECTS, 2011)
- Plant Developmental Biology course (lecturer), University of Helsinki, Finland (February 2020, 2021)
- Advanced Molecular Biology course (laboratory TA), University of Helsinki, Finland (April 2018, 2021)
- Signal Transduction in Plants course (lecturer), University of Helsinki, Finland (October 2020)
- Effects of auxin and cytokinin on organogenesis in tissue culture (laboratory TA), UPSC, Umeå, Sweden, (2010 to 2014)
- Plant Anatomy (laboratory TA), UPSC, Sweden, (2011 to 2013)
Biologi, PhD, SLU, Umea Plant Sci Ctr, Dept Forest Genet & Plant Physiol
Tilldelningsdatum: 27 nov. 2015
Molecular Biology, MSc, Umeå University
Tilldelningsdatum: 13 aug. 2009
Molecular Biology and Genetics, BSc, Istanbul Technical University
Tilldelningsdatum: 8 feb. 2008
Forskningsoutput: Tidskriftsbidrag › Ledare › Vetenskaplig
Forskningsoutput: Tidskriftsbidrag › Kommentar/debatt › Vetenskaplig
Forskningsoutput: Tidskriftsbidrag › Artikel › Vetenskaplig › Peer review
Forskningsoutput: Tidskriftsbidrag › Artikel › Vetenskaplig › Peer review
Forskningsoutput: Tidskriftsbidrag › Översiktsartikel › Peer review
Kucukoglu Topcu, M. & Fatz, W.
01/09/2022 → 31/12/2025
Projekt: Finlands Akademi: Akademiforskarens forskningskostnader
Kucukoglu Topcu, M. & Fatz, W.
01/09/2022 → 31/08/2027
Projekt: Finlands Akademi: Akademiforskare
Helariutta, Y., Kangasjärvi, J., Mähönen, A. P., Hölttä, T., Pyhäjärvi, T. S., Salojärvi, J., Nieminen, K., Shapiguzov, A., Kucukoglu Topcu, M., Sierla, M., Waszczak, C. & Vaten, A.
01/01/2022 → 31/01/2029
Projekt: Forskningsprojekt
Suomen Akatemia Projektilaskutus
01/09/2019 → 31/08/2022
Projekt: Forskningsprojekt
Kucukoglu, Melis (!!Recipient), 3 mars 2020
Pris: Pris och hedersbetygelser
Kucukoglu, Melis (!!Recipient), 2018
Pris: Pris och hedersbetygelser
Kucukoglu Topcu, Melis (!!Recipient), 27 aug. 2015
Pris: Pris och hedersbetygelser
Kucukoglu Topcu, Melis (!!Recipient), juli 2012
Pris: Pris och hedersbetygelser
Kucukoglu Topcu, Melis (!!Recipient), juni 2011
Pris: Pris och hedersbetygelser
Melis Kucukoglu (Närvarande)
Aktivitet: Typer för deltagande i eller organisering av evenemang › Arrangemang av och deltagande i konferens/workshop/kurs/seminarium
Melis Kucukoglu Topcu (Besökande forskare)
Aktivitet: Typer för besök till extern institution › Akademisk besök på annan institution
Melis Kucukoglu (Närvarande)
Aktivitet: Typer för deltagande i eller organisering av evenemang › Arrangemang av och deltagande i konferens/workshop/kurs/seminarium
Melis Kucukoglu (Närvarande)
Aktivitet: Typer för deltagande i eller organisering av evenemang › Arrangemang av och deltagande i konferens/workshop/kurs/seminarium
Melis Kucukoglu Topcu (Besökande forskare)
Aktivitet: Typer för besök till extern institution › Akademisk besök på annan institution