Dr. Jan Klein

Steroid-Signalling in plants

Steroids are a class of lipids showing the basic structure of steran. Steroids are biological active compounds of animals, fungi and plants. Plants contain brassinosteroids and a broad range of progestagens (e.g. pregnenolone and progesterone) and adrogens (e.g. testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone). These steroids are important mammalian hormones but neither their biosynthesis nor their physiological function in plants is clear.

We are using molecularbiological, protein chemical and biochemical methods to clarify this in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana.

Shiko G, Paulmann M-J, Feistel F, Ntefidou M, Hermann-Ene V, Vetter W, Kost B, Kunert G, Zedler JAZ, Reichelt M, Oelmüller R, Klein J (2023) Occurrence and conversion of progestogens and androgens are conserved in land plants. New Phytolologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19163Externer Link

Feistel F, Shiko G, Reichelt M, Klein J (2023) Validation of highly sensitive method based on UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS for the quantification of progestogens and androgens in plant material. zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7696597Externer Link.

Klein J, Ernst M, Christmann A, Tropper M, Leykauf T, Kreis W, Munkert J (2021): Knockout of Arabidopsis thaliana VEP1, Encoding a PRISE (Progesterone 5β-Reductase/Iridoid Synthase-Like Enzyme), Leads to Metabolic Changes in Response to Exogenous Methyl Vinyl Ketone (MVK). Metabolites 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/metabo12010011Externer Link

Klein J, Horn E, Ernst M, Leykauf T, Leupold T, Dorfner M, Wolf L, Ignatova A, Kreis W, Munkert J (2021): RNAi-mediated gene knockdown of progesterone 5β-reductases in Digitalis lanata reduces 5β-cardenolide content. Plant Cell Rep 40:1631–1646. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-021-02707-3Externer Link

Rumlow A, Keunen E, Klein J, Pallmann P, Riemenschneider A, Cuypers A, Papenbrock J (2016) Quantitative Expression Analysis in Brassica napus by Northern Blot Analysis and Reverse Transcription-Quantitative PCR in a Complex Experimental Setting. PLoS One 11:e0163679. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0163679Externer Link

Petersen J, Ernst M, Gärtner E, Klein J, Müller-Uri F, Munkert J, Kreis W (2016) PRISE (progesterone 5β-reductases/iridoid synthases): Their roles in specialized plant metabolism. Planta Med 81:S1-S381. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1596807Externer Link.

Promovierende

• Glendis Shiko

Masterstudierende

• Ceren Oktay
• Karl Ludwig Körber

Alumni

• Max Jonas Paul (Thesis: Conversion of progestogens in different plant species from among the phylogenetic tree)
• Sudip Paul (Thesis: Involvement of native steroids (Progesterone, Testosterone) in root development of A. thaliana)