Thesis subject

Tomato inflorescence formation: what determines the number of flowers

There is a large variation in the number of flowers (and thus fruits) produced in different tomato accessions and it is still unclear what determines this number. In this project, we aim to unravel the regulatory network that controls the termination of the tomato inflorescence and thereby the number of flowers formed. We expect that both hormonal and genetic regulation play an important role, and combine forward and reverse genetics to get more insight in the regulatory network.

You can

Create CRISPR mutants for candidate genes involved in inflorescence termination (PCR, Goldengate cloning, transformation, plant tissue culture).
Characterize the phenotype in two already generated lines.
Perform gene expression analysis (RNA extraction, cDNA synthesis, qPCR)
Perform hormone application assays and perform phenotypic analysis.
Monitor hormone accumulation using reporter lines.

Re

Basic knowledge of molecular biology and interest in the topic.