Julia Kehr

Overview

Prof. Julia Kehr is a Professor of Molecular Plant Genetics at the University of Hamburg. She leads the Research Unit Molecular Plant Genetics within the Department of Biology and serves as Deputy Managing Director. Her academic career includes professorships at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (2008–2012) and Habilitation in Plant Physiology from Universität Potsdam (2006). She previously led research groups at the Max-Planck-Institut für Molekulare Pflanzenphysiologie (1999–2008).

Education

• PhD in Molecular Plant Physiology, Universität Potsdam (1999)
• Habilitation in Plant Physiology, Universität Potsdam (2006)
• Diplom in Biology, Universität Gießen (1994)

Research Interests

Prof. Kehr's work focuses on molecular mechanisms of long-distance RNA transport in plants, extracellular vesicle-mediated communication, and plant-microbe interactions. Her lab investigates RNA-binding proteins (e.g., GRP7, HSC70), viral RNA interactions, and systemic signaling pathways. Key themes include:

• Phloem sap composition and transport
• Role of RNAs in plant defense and development
• Proteomic and genomic approaches to study plant stress responses

Publications

Recent work emphasizes CRISPR-based virus detection, RNA phase separation, and EV isolation protocols. Her 2025 Nature Plants paper challenges assumptions about mobile mRNA datasets, while 2024 studies highlight practical EV isolation guidelines for plant-microbe research.

Awards & Grants

Not explicitly listed, but her extensive publication record and leadership roles indicate sustained research funding. Her work on crop virus diagnostics and phloem biology aligns with agricultural and biotech grants.

Labs & Teams

Leads the Molecular Plant Genetics Unit at UHH, collaborating with institutions like the Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (Spain) and the exRNA consortium for plant-microbe studies.