The MPIP's mission is to study the dynamics of plant metabolism in the context of the plant system as a whole. Since this system is more than a collection of genes and gene products, they focus our efforts on understanding how the individual components dynamically interact over time and under different conditions. By combining traditional biological approaches with techniques relevant to functional genomics, the institute is forming a holistic view of the structure, function, dynamics, and regulation of entire plant genomes, proteomes, and metabolomes.
Organization
About 360 people, including students, work at the MPIMP. Currently there are people from more than 30 nations working at the institute. More than half of the employees are female. The institute has three directors, namely, Lothar Willmitzer, Mark Stitt and Ralph Bock, all leading a specific research department.
Alongside the dedicated scientists working within its walls, prominent individuals from industrial, financial, political and cultural circles form its Board of Trustees to strengthen and support the links between our institute and the greater community. The mentioned board overseas the affairs of MPIMP as well as neighboring Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces also based in Golm. As of February 2014, the following are the members of the Board of Trustees:
In order to further and reinforce the institute's pursuance for knowledge of molecular plant physiology, MPIMP has collaborated with various experts from different universities around the world:
The Department of Molecular Physiology is focused on metabolism in its broadest sense, primarily using reverse genetics to alter plants and functional genomic approaches to analyze the pleiotropic effects of these alterations. Under Lothar Willmitzer, Molecular Physiology currently has seven research groups each with a corresponding head in parenthesis:
The Metabolic Networks Department studies a wide set of physiological processes involved in orchestrating photosynthetic carbon metabolism, nitrogen and phosphate utilization, growth, and storage. Systems biology will be emphasized and forward and reverse genetic tools will often be used. Under Mark Stitt, the department currently has four research groups:
System Regulation
Intercellular Macromolecular Transport
Regulatory Networks
Plant Proteomics
Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology
The Organelle Biology, Biotechnology and Molecular Ecophysiology Department focuses on plant cellorganelles, their physiology and gene expression as well as their metabolic and genetic interactions with the nucleo-cytosolic compartment. Transgenic technologies for nuclear and organellar genomes are developed and combined with biochemical and physiological methods to elucidate the genetic mechanisms regulating metabolic pathways, the assembly process of membrane protein complexes and structure-function relationships within multiprotein complexes in energy-transducing membranes. Applied research in the department addresses resistance management, metabolic engineering and the production of pharmaceuticals in plants. Other research topics concern the mechanisms of genome evolution in eukaryotes and the genetic and evolutionary processes that underlie the physiological plasticity of plant species, populations and ecosystems. Under Ralph Bock, the department currently has four research groups:
