Prof Peter Meyer

email: p.meyer@leeds.ac.uk

Visit the Peter Meyer lab

The main interest in our lab is the regulation of gene expression and chromatin structure by epigenetic mechanisms. Epigenetic research is a very fast evolving field that has received increasing attention following the discovery of the histone code and the small RNA world. One important aspect of epigenetic gene regulation in plants is the expression stability of transgenes, an obvious prerequisite for the successful application of recombinant DNA technology in modern horticulture and agriculture. Another focus in our lab is therefore the control of transgene activity in plant biotechnology.

Transcriptional gene silencing of a transgene

Isogenic plants display transgene activity in young flowers, which induces a red flower.
Isogenic plants display transgene activity in young flowers, which induces a red flower.
At a later stage, the transgene is inactivated in some emerging flowers leading to a white flower colour.
At a later stage, the transgene is inactivated in some emerging flowers leading to a white flower colour.