Dr. Tony Heitkam
© TU Dresden/Kretzschmar
Group Leader "Plant Genomics"
NameAsst.-Prof. Dr. Tony Heitkam
main employment at the University of Graz
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Chair for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology
Chair for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology
Visitor's address:
Zellescher Weg 20b, Room E35
01062 Dresden
Germany
Online presences
- ORCID: 0000-0003-0168-8428
- Publication list: Google Scholar
Current responibilities
Universität Graz (main role):
- in October 2023, Dr. Heitkam will take up the position of Assistant Professor of Evolutionary Genomics at the Institute of Biology at the University of Graz.
TU Dresden (secondary role):
- Group Leader Plant Genomics
- Supervision of the activities of the vacant Chair Plant Cell and Molecular Biology
Research activities
- Repetitive DNA as raw material for genomic innovation
- Epigenetic variability for the induction of short-term genomic changes
- Polyploidy and its impact on the evolutionary trajectory of plant genomes
- Software for the analysis and visualization of repeat structures
Read more about my research focus.
Funded projects
-
Identical genomes but different properties – saffron as a model for epigenetics of quality traits and environmental adaptation (funded by DFG) [ongoing]
-
EpicBeet – Stability and heritability of DNA methylation patterns in sugar beet: impact on phenotypic plasticity, influence on TE activity and potential for beet breeding (funding by BMBF) [ongoing]
-
LarchForFlexibility – Provision of larch reproductive material with high quality and diversity to increase silvicultural flexibility (funding by BMEL; FNR) [to be started]
- Cytogenetics of mango germplasm (we are glad to host Dr. Sultana during her research stay that is funded by the Alexander von Humboldt foundation) [finished]
- SINEs4Conifers – Genotypisierung der Fichte für die Qualitätskontrolle und Identitätssicherung von Forstvermehrungsgut (funding by BMEL; FNR) [finished]
- MASEPA – Markergestützte Selektion in der Züchtung von Kartoffeln mit Resistenz gegen Globodera pallida (BMBF; KMU-innovativ) [finished]
Teaching
- "Crop plants, breeding & transgenics" lecture in the modul "Economically important animals and plants" for MSc Biology in Society (winter semester)
- Contribution to the "General Biology" lecture series for Teacher Candidates
- in the discontinued MSc Biology: "Genes and Genomes" lectures (in the summer semester)
- in the discontinued MSc Biology: "Epigenetics" module, consisting of a lecture series and a seminar (in the winter semester)
- Supervision and grading of BSc and MSc theses
Selected publications
(* indicates first, # indicates corresponding author positions)
see complete list
T. Heitkam*#, B. Weber, I. Walter, S. Liedtke, C. Ost, and T. Schmidt (2020): “Satellite DNA landscapes after allotetraploidisation of quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) reveal unique A and B subgenomes”, The Plant Journal, doi: 10.1111/tpj.14705
K. M. Seibt, T. Schmidt, and T. Heitkam# (2020): “The conserved 3’ Angio-domain defines a superfamily of short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) in higher plants”, The Plant Journal 101(3), 681-699
T. Schmidt*, T. Heitkam* (equal contribution), S. Liedtke, V. Schubert, and G. Menzel (2019): “Adding color to a century-old enigma: Multi-color chromosome identification unravels the autotriploid nature of saffron (Crocus sativus) as a hybrid of wild Crocus cartwrightianus cytotypes”, New Phytologist 22 (4), 1965-1980
K. M. Seibt, T. Schmidt, and T. Heitkam# (2018): “FlexiDot: Highly customizable, ambiguity-aware dotplots for visual sequence analyses”, Bioinformatics 34 (20), 3575–3577
T. Heitkam*, S. Petrasch* (equal contribution), F. Zakrzewski, A. Kögler, T. Wenke, S. Wanke, and T. Schmidt (2015): “Next generation sequencing reveals differentially amplified tandem repeats as major genome component of Northern Europe's oldest Camellia japonica”, Chromosome Research 23 (4):791-806
T. Heitkam*, D. Holtgräwe, J. C. Dohm, A. E. Minoche, H. Himmelbauer, B. Weisshaar, and T. Schmidt (2014): “Profiling of extensively diversified plant LINEs reveals distinct plant-specific subclades”, The Plant Journal 79 (3), 385-397