Our research explores how genes control development in plants and has two main aspects.
Firstly, we study how Polycomb group proteins regulate gene activity by modifiying the histone proteins that package DNA. We have used genetic screens and proteomics to identify novel components of the Polycomb machinery that control leaf and flower development in plants. In addition, we are using the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha to understand how important adaptations of plants to life on land, for example the waterproof cuticle, have evolved.