Transporters for compatible solutes
Compatible solutes (e.g. proline, glycine betaine) accumulate under water stress conditions. The existence of specific transporters for compatible solutes suggests that translocation might be important for stress tolerance.

 Peptide transporters
In addition to amino acids, transport of peptides may enhance the translocation of nitrogen within a plant. Peptide transporters have been identified and their role in nitrogen transport is being investigated.

 Regulation of transport processes and identification of transporters with novel functions
We are interested in the regulation of transport processes at the post-translational level. In addition, we try to identify transporters with novel functions e.g. exporters mediating the efflux of amino acids from cells.

 Vacuolar transport equipment for growth regulation in plants
VaTEP is a Marie Curie Research Training Network aimed at investigating transport proteins located in the vacuolar membrane (i.e., the tonoplast) to unravel their specific functions with respect to plant growth processes.

 Amino acid transport in parasitic protozoa
We isolate and characterize amino acid transporters from parasitic protozoa i.e. Leishmania donovani and Trypanosoma brucei and investigate their role for parasite growth, development and pathogenicity.