News

We thank Shakunthala Natarajan for updating latest news about the group

7th Plants and People conference

Boas will be giving a talk in the 7th Plants and People conference taking place in Potsdam, as an invited speaker. His talk titled "Big Data-Driven Discoveries in Specialized Plant Metabolism" will cover exciting research stories from our lab on how we unravel new genes, biosynthetic pathways and many more evolutionary secrets using biological data. It would also throw light on some useful bioinformatic tools and methods we are developing to wrangle big data and derive biological insights. If you are participating in the conference, do not miss the talk scheduled for the second session on day 1. We also wish Boas a fruitful and scientifically engaging conference experience!

Harnessing Big Data to Unlock Specialized Plant Metabolism for Metabolic Engineering

Boas gave a talk at the Frauenhofer IME in Aachen. This talk covered genomics and transcriptomics presenting work on Digitalis purpurea as an example for the discovery of a gene responsible for a trait. Our work on dark pigments and the characterization of the withanolide biosynthesis were also presented. The power of coexpression analyses was demonstrated. KIPEs and CoExpPhylo served as important examples for tools to facilitate the functional annotation of plant genes.

🎓 Exciting news for Uni Bonn students!
Next week, we’re welcoming Björn Pietzenuk for an inspiring career talk about genomics. Don’t miss the chance to hear about his journey and insights!

📍 Botanik-Hörsaal (Nussallee 4)
🕕 6 PM c.t.
📅 Sep 1st, Monday

It has been sometime since the Pucker lab shifted to Bonn and we have been having a great time here! We recently enjoyed the institute summer party at the courtyard on a perfect sunny day. Along with good food and funny banter, we had a chance to meet other colleagues here at IZMB too! Of course, we had a barbecue as well, just in case you are wondering :)

We also recently published a review on plant genomic methods using ONT. From detailed guidelines for a genomics novice to inputs on the latest technologies and methods in the field for the seasoned, this review has something for everyone. Grab a cup of coffee and give a read to our preprint here: https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202508.1176/v1.

Preprint alert! Our latest preprint offers a nice overview on the evolutionary story of the LAR gene involved in the later steps of the flavonoid pathway. Spruced up with comprehensive phylogeny, synteny and expression analyses, this new research on the LAR gene duplication is bound to interest you. It can be accessed here: 10.1101/2025.08.06.668978.

We have some new group members too! Sofia Lara Guerrero, Sritama Banerjee, and Alireza Najafi Fard are joining us as interns. Welcome to our group!

Our lab also got a beautiful hand-painted picture of our group logo from the visiting students. We must say that they are a bunch of multi-talented peeps and we are so thankful for this piece of art!

Eine Wissenschaftlerin und ein Wissenschaftler arbeiten hinter einer Glasfassade und mischen Chemikalien mit Großgeräten.

The undergraduate visiting students from USA are returning back starting this week. We had a wonderful time with them doing science and having fun outside the lab. What more could be a fitting farewell to them other than another social event?! Yes. We had a wonderful evening this week. We wish them the best for all their future endeavours and also bon voyage for their journeys back home ...