Meet the Jury Leónie Bentsink on To germinate or not to germinate

Arenberg Doctoral School is proud to invite you to Meet The Jury!

When internationally renowned experts visit KU Leuven as a member of a PhD Examination Committee, we like to seize this opportunity to give this expert a forum to a large audience. All members of Science, Engineering & Technology are most welcome to the Meet The Jury Lectures.

Prof. Leónie Bentsink (Wageningen University, Netherlands) will give a lecture on “To germinate or not to germinate”.

Seeds are the survival structures of plants and have obtained several mechanisms to minimize the risk that germination occurs at moments or in conditions that would not allow the embryo to establish itself. One such mechanism is physiological dormancy, a period during which seeds do not germinate, even when conditions are suitable. Seed dormancy can be both developmentally as well as environmentally regulated. Once dormancy is broken, for example through dry storage, seeds retain the ability to sense their environment and make the decision to germinate based on whether conditions are favourable. This decision-making process is largely controlled by protein translation, which based on mRNA already present in the seed. Protein translation is known to be affected by RNA Binding Proteins (RBPs). We have identified specific RBPs that bind mRNAs during different phases of seed germination. Defects in these RBPs leads to seed germination phenotypes. The molecular characterization of these RBPs offers new insights into how seeds control their germination process. Importantly, these RBPs are conserved across crop species, making them promising targets for improving germination traits in crops. Understanding and manipulating these RBPs could lead to enhanced seed performance and more efficient crop production.

Following the lecture, there will be opportunity for young researchers to interact with her.

• Venue: Aula Arenbergkasteel, room 01.07 (Kasteelpark Arenberg 1, 3001 Heverlee)
• Date: 28 July 2026 – 12:30-13:30
• Prof. Leónie Bentsink is visiting KU Leuven on the occasion of the PhD defence of Muhammad Usama Hameed