GMI - Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology

Name: GMI - Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology
Address: Dr Bohr Gasse 3, Wien, 1030, AT
Telephone: +431790449000

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österreich
Wien
GMI - Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology

It is the only international center for basic plant research in Austria.

The Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology (GMI) was founded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences in 2000 to promote research excellence in the area of plant molecular biology. Research at the GMI is curiosity driven and covers many aspects of molecular genetics, including basic mechanisms of epigenetics, population genetics, chromosome biology, developmental biology, and stress signal transduction.

08/06/2026

The GMI Communications Team wrapped up an inspiring week at the 2026 ECSITE conference in Gothenburg, where we connected with other science communication professionals to gain new ideas and practical tools.

Some key highlights and take-aways:

Trust and relatability form the cornerstones of scientific engagement through two-way dialogue and personalized experiences.

Using elements of play, object-based learning, and gamification instill wonder and support knowledge acquisition.

Connection with local culture and community deepens the relevance of science in daily life.

Collaboration with other educators, science centers, or content creators is key for broadening engagement with our science.

By incorporating these learnings into communication and outreach activities at the GMI, the team can equip people of all ages and backgrounds with the skills to make informed decisions.

Thank you to ECSITE, especially the organizers and the Universeum, for making this year's conference a great success!

28/05/2026

New study published in Science! “Selective autophagy fine-tunes plant immunity to promote cell survival during viral infection”

Viruses spark deadly pandemics and destroy crops worth billions of dollars each year. Understanding how plants fight back is more critical than ever.

When plants are infected with a virus, they face a difficult trade-off: mounting an immune response strong enough to defend themselves against pathogens while avoiding an overactive response that could further damage their own cells.

In this study,Yasin Dagdas, formerly at the GMI of the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften and now at Heidelberg University, and his team set out to understand how autophagy – the cell’s clean-up and recycling system – mediates plant immune response to viral infection. Led by first and corresponding author Marion Clavel (now a group leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology), the researchers discovered that autophagy acts like a dial, responding to cell damage caused by viruses.

By infecting Arabidopsis with +ssRNA viruses, the team found that this tuning of the immune response prevents cells from dying too quickly. In turn, this process buys plants time to repair cell damage caused by viral infection and improves their chance of survival.

Read more about the study here: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/news/a-balancing-act-how-autophagy-buys-time-during-viral-infection

26/05/2026

The 2026 Mendel Early Career Symposium has come to a close!

Last week, 100 international researchers came together to share their latest findings and create lasting connections. More than just a meeting of minds, the event is a valuable platform for networking and forging new collaborations that will accelerate research and training in plant science.

Featuring 16 talks, over 50 posters, and 2 keynote lectures by Emmanuelle Bayer and Noah Whiteman, the symposium highlighted new developments across molecular, structural, and evolutionary plant biology.

The two-day symposium culminated in a celebratory dinner at the Rathauskeller restaurant located at Vienna City Hall, kindly supported by the City of Vienna.

We thank all speakers and poster presenters for their valuable scientific contributions, our main organizers, Silvia Ramundo and Martina Gsur, and the sponsors for their support in making the Mendel Early Career Symposium a success. Special thanks to Stadt Wien Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften ZEISS Group BioCenter

We look forward to continuing this tradition of fostering scientific excellence and community by welcoming many more early career researchers to the symposium in the future!

See more highlights from the event here: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/news-events/events/mendel-early-career-symposium-2026/photo-album

22/05/2026

The second day of the Mendel Early Career Symposium delivered another full day of outstanding science and discussion!

The sessions on Structural & Molecular Biology and Genetics & Evolutionary Biology explored the frontiers of plant science, spanning from the structural heterogeneity of Rubisco and genomic variability to the evolutionary mechanisms of plant terrestrialization and lichen symbioses.

The scientific program concluded with a keynote lecture by Noah K. Whiteman from the University of California, Berkeley, who presented his group’s research on the genetic basis of plant interactions with other organisms, including Drosophila. He also shared how both serendipitous events and careful planning were key in shaping his career.

A special highlight was the announcement of the winners of the Best Poster and Best Talk awards!
Congratulations to:
-Jan Martinek (Institute of Experimental Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic) – Best Poster: “Lights, Camera, Acidification: Visualizing auxin and apoplastic pH dynamics during Arabidopsis hypocotyl phototropism”
-Lorenz Oberkofler (Faculty of Biology, Genetics, LMU Munich, Germany) – Best Talk: “Pathogen cell wall degrading enzymes facilitate extracellular vesicles to deliver RNA into plants”

Noah K. Whiteman, our keynote speaker, kindly donated two copies of his book Most Delicious Poison: The Story of Nature’s Toxins—from Spices to Vices to the winners.

The award ceremony was followed by the conference dinner at the Rathauskeller at Vienna City Hall, supported by the Stadt Wien – a fitting close to a stimulating two-day program.

21/05/2026

The GMI welcomed 100 international plant biology researchers to the Vienna BioCenter for the first day of the 2026 Mendel Early Career Symposium!

This annual symposium brings together scientific leaders in plant biology across all career stages, promoting networking and future collaborations.

The symposium kicked off with inspiring talk sessions on Molecular & Cell Biology and Developmental Biology, presenting the latest advancements across a range of topics in plant biology – from algal symbiosis and epigenetic mutation mechanisms to developmental adaptations and pathogen–host interactions.

Scientists engaged in lively discussions during the poster session, and learned practical skills on the use of ChimeraX and AlphaFold during the How-Do-You-Do-It? Workshop hosted by Matthias Vorländer (IMP). Emmanuelle Bayer from CNRS University of Bordeaux delivered the first keynote lecture, offering insights into how plant cells communicate across rigid cell walls. She also shared the importance of resilience during her very challenging PhD and throughout her scientific career.

The day concluded with a reception, bringing together all symposium participants for networking over Austrian wine and cheeses.

We extend our gratitude to the main organizers, Martina Gsur and Silvia Ramundo, and sponsors for supporting this event and expanding horizons in plant biology. Stadt Wien BioCenter Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP) ZEISS Group Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften

Read more about the event here: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/news-events/events/mendel-early-career-symposium-2026

08/05/2026

Last month, the GMI welcomed teenage girls for Daughters’ Day - an inspiring day of hands-on science and career exploration.

In the morning, the GMI, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, and the Vienna BioCenter Core Facilites hosted a joint career-panel breakfast followed by interactive lab tours.

The panel brought together early-career researchers, staff, group leaders, directors, and a CEO who shared personal career stories and answered questions - a powerful reminder that scientific pathways are rarely linear and that representation matters.

Visitors then met researchers from the Ramundo and Irwin groups for behind-the-scenes lab demos. The Ramundo Lab showcased techniques for manipulating the chloroplast genome of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, while the Irwin Lab ran interactive stations where participants worked with bacteria, algae, and liverworts, practiced pipetting, and discovered how different model systems help address biological questions.

A big thank you to the Ramundo and Irwin labs - and to our panelists Lauren Alteio, Beatrice Hurbean, Lilith Kleiber, Yan Ma, Sina Metzler, Helena Okulski, Kristina Stapornwongkul, Vivian Tan, Elly Tanaka, Noelia Urban, and Marina Silvestre Vano - for making the day engaging and accessible and for sharing their experiences and insights.

Töchtertag (Daughters’ Day) is Vienna’s annual career-orientation initiative inviting school-aged girls to explore technical, digital, manual, and scientific professions. This year 303 organizations in Vienna participated.

06/05/2026

New paper! “Cell-type specific autophagy in root hair forming cells is essential for salt stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana”

Research led by Jierui Zhao and Peng Gao under the supervision of former GMI group leader Yasin Dagdas investigated how plants fine-tune stress responses at the cellular level. While autophagy is known to play a key role in plant survival, its variation across different cell types has remained largely unexplored.

The team combined genetic analyses, high-resolution imaging, and reporter assays to compare autophagy activity between root hair-forming cells (trichoblasts) and neighboring non-hair cells (atrichoblasts) in Arabidopsis thaliana. They discovered that trichoblasts exhibit significantly higher autophagic flux, a difference that is tightly linked to early developmental cell fate decisions.

The researchers show that this elevated autophagy is not just a cellular feature, but functionally critical: it enables efficient sodium sequestration into vacuoles, a key mechanism for salt stress tolerance. When autophagy was specifically disrupted in trichoblasts, plants showed reduced sodium accumulation and decreased survival under salt stress. Importantly, restoring autophagy in these cells rescued both sodium handling and stress resilience.

These findings reveal a previously unrecognized, cell-type-specific autophagy program that connects developmental identity with environmental adaptation. This work highlights how plants integrate cellular specialization with stress responses, opening new avenues for improving crop resilience in challenging environments.

Read the paper now published in Nature Plants: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-026-02285-w

04/05/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Johannes Rötzer, researcher from the Dolan lab at the GMI of the ÖAW, who successfully defended his PhD thesis “The role of light in Marchantia polymorpha development”. A recent recipient of the Vienna BioCenter ENABLE Fellowship, Johannes will soon embark on a 3-month research stay at Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya.

04/05/2026

New paper! “Antagonism between blue- and red-light signaling controls thallus flatness in Marchantia polymorpha”

Research led by Johannes Rötzer in the Dolan group at the GMI of the ÖAW reveals how red and blue light influence the growth orientation and thallus morphology in the liverwort species, Marchantia polymorpha.

Plants use specialized photoreceptors – often compared to “eyes” – to detect different wavelengths of light in their environment. In this study, red and blue light act as opposing signals to direct growth. The team also identified BBX proteins in Marchantia: transcription factors that determine which genes are switched on, and ultimately how the plant develops.

The growth extremes observed under red and blue light are balanced in white light, creating the characteristic flat growth form of the liverwort.

The group’s research reveals how plants use light for photosynthesis and could offer possibilities for improving crop growth efficiency and resilience in the future.

Read more about the study here: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/gmi/detail/news/how-plants-grow-toward-the-light

01/05/2026

Last week, GMI researchers presented "Nature’s Paintbox: Decoding the Colors of Plants" at Austria’s largest outreach event – the Long Night of Research – at the headquarters of the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, welcoming around 3,500 guests.

At the GMI station, our scientists introduced the "why" behind plant colors - from natural sunscreens and storage to environmental signaling - through a series of hands-on experiments.

The visitors discovered how shifts in pH can instantly change a pigment’s molecular structure and why pigments like chlorophyll are fat-soluble to remain anchored in membranes, while others stay water-soluble in the vacuole. By observing chloroplasts under the microscope and discussing light-sensing, they gained insight into how plants not only "harvest" energy through photosynthesis but also "read" different wavelengths of light to regulate their growth and protect themselves from environmental stress.

Each station offered a direct window into GMI’s research, linking these colorful phenomena to broader questions in climate adaptation, genetic engineering, and light-sensing.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the GMI researchers who dedicated their evening to hosting learners of all ages!

The Long Night of Research is Austria’s largest nationwide science outreach initiative and one of Europe’s leading public engagement formats. The event brought together 192,000 visitors this year, who explored more than 3,000 activities at over 300 locations across the country.

See you again in 2 years!

Adresse

Dr Bohr Gasse 3
Wien
1030

Telefon

+431790449000

Webseite

http://www.gmi.oeaw.ac.at/

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