Dr. Martin Mau PhD, Diplom-Biologist
Genomics Laboratory Manager Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM)I am interested in understanding and harnessing functional principles of of living organisms and adapting their potential for applications and products. I have recently concluded a two-pronged study which successfully demonstrated i) the transferability of asexual propagation via seeds (i.e. apomixis) from native close relatives into into mustard crops such as Canola and Brassica rapa via large scale intergeneric crosses, and ii) the identification of all genomic sites which hosts the genetic factors for the expression of apomixis in the genus Boechera comprehensive backcrossing strategy in combination with next generation sequencing technologies. Currently, I am the Genomics Laboratory Manager for a research initiative called “Integrated omics for sustainable animal agriculture and environmental stewardship” (IntegrOmes) at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine.
- Address
- Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), University of Saskatchewan, Room 2209, 52 Campus Dr, Saskatoon SK S7N5B4
Research Area(s)
- Reproductive biology
- Comparative genomics & genome analyses
- Plant breeding
- Pollen genetics and phenotyping
Education
- PhD - Heidelberg University / MPI-CE, Jena / IPK Gatersleben, Germany
- Dipl.-Biol. - University of Würzburg, Germany
Research Projects
- “Preserving hybrid vigour through a novel apomixis breeding strategy in Brassica crops” (ADF/SaskCanola #20180141, 2019-2023, Co-PI/project lead)
- "Development of methods to sort pollen in the apomictic plant Boechera." (CLS Project #34G11943, 2021-2023, co-investigator)
- “Embryological Analyses of Parthogenetic Embryo Sac Development in Intra-Specific and Inter-Generic Crosses Between Boechera and sexual Brassica Crops” (IRPF, 2022-2023, co-investigator)
- "Mini chromosome development in Canola: a tool to fix heterosis using apomixis
technology." (NFRFE-2021-01053, 2022-2024, co-investigator)
Selected Publications
M. Mau, T. Mandakova, X. Ma, J. Ebersbach, L. Zou, M. A. Lysak and T. F. Sharbel (2022) Evolution of an apomixis-specific allele class in supernumerary chromatin of apomictic Boechera. Frontiers in Plant Sciences, 13, doi:10.3389/fpls.2022.890038.
M. Mau, T. Liiving, L. Fomenko, R. Goertzen, D. Paczesniak, L. Böttner, T. F. Sharbel (2021) The spread of infectious asexuality through haploid pollen. New Phytologist 230(2):804-820. doi:10.1111/nph.17174.
Ma, X., Mau, M., Sharbel, T. F. (2018) Genome Editing for Global Food Security, Trends in Biotechnology (36) 2, 123-127, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.08.004.
Mau M., Lovell J T., Corral J. M., Kiefer C., Koch M. A., Aliyu O. M., Sharbel T. F. (2015) Hybrid apomicts trapped in the ecological niches of their sexual ancestors. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 112 (18), E2357-E2365, doi:10.1073/pnas.1423447112.
Mau M., Corral J. M., Vogel H., Melzer M., Fuchs J., Kuhlmann M., de Storme N., Geelen D., Sharbel T. F. (2013) The conserved chimeric transcript UPGRADE-2 is associated with unreduced pollen formation and is exclusively found in apomictic Boechera species. Plant Physiology 163, 1640-1659, doi:10.1104/pp.113.222448
Nico De Storme, Linda Zamariola, Martin Mau, Timothy F. Sharbel, and Danny Geelen (2013) Volumetric pollen analysis as a rapid assessment of somatic and gametophytic ploidy and the mode of reproduction in flowering plants. Plant Reproduction, 26(2):65-81. doi:10.1007/s00497-012-0209-0.
Lovell, J. T., Aliyu, O. M., Mau, M., Schranz, E. M., Koch, M., Kiefer, C., Song, B.-H., Mitchell-Olds, T., Sharbel, T. F. (2013) On the origin and evolution of apomixis in Boechera. Plant Reproduction 26(4): 309–315, doi:10.1007/s00497-013-0218-7.
M. Pellino, T. F. Sharbel, M. Mau, S. Amiteye and J. M. Corral (2011) Selection of reference genes for quantitative real-time PCR expression studies of microdissected reproductive tissues in apomictic and sexual Boechera. BMC Research Notes, 4: 303, doi:10.1186/1756-0500-4-303.
Galla G., Zenoni S., Marconi G., Marino G., Botton A., Pinosa F., Citterio S., Ruperti B., Palme K., Albertini E., Pezzotti M., Mau M., Sharbel T. F., De Storme N., Geelen D. and Barcaccia G. (2011) Sporophytic and gametophytic functions of the cell cycle-associated Mob1 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana. Gene. 484(1-2):1-12. doi:10.1016/j.gene.2011.05.009.