ABC - Department for Plant Biotechnology - Molecular Plant Physiology and Biochemistry Group

Research Interests

Potato research

Our research is focused on potato genetics and metabolomics using the latest tools of molecular biology. One of the novel methods applied in our laboratory is genome-editing based on the CRISPR/Cas9 system. We aim to use this system to increase the earliness of tuberisation and produce bacterium wilt-resistant potato lines.

Current Research Projects

Molecular studies on early tuber bulking in potato

The major environmental factors adversely affecting potato production are heat and drought. Early bulking potato varieties are candidates for stress escapers, as they can complete their life cycle before stress becomes a serious constraint. Furthermore, production profitability of early harvest potatoes is higher compared with late harvest potatoes. Thus there is a high interest in breeding early harvest potato cultivars. A research group at the Wageningen University and Research identified a transcription factor which regulates the time of tuberisation by acting as a mediator between the circadian clock and a mobile tuberisation signal similar to a peptide hormone influencing flowering (Nature, 2013, 495:246-50). In collaboration with this research group, we are studying the metabolic signalling influencing tuber bulking in potato. The experimental approach is based on comparison and grafting early and late tuberising potato varieties and metabolite analysis of phloem sap and tubers. In addition, generation of early tuberising mutant lines will be attempted by the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system and the mutants characterised at metabolite and transcript level.

This work is supported by NKFI 124441.

01.jpg

 

Exploring disease susceptibility genes to produce bacterium wilt-resistant potato

The bacterium wilt disease is caused by Ralstonia solanacearum. This bacterium infects several crop plants like melon, tobacco, tomato and potato. It is a quarantine pathogen in Europe. Therefore, infected tubers have to be destroyed. The widespread distribution of the bacterium in Hungary played a significant role in the disappearance of domestic seed potato production. Since no effective bactericide treatment is available, the primary option left to protect potato is genetically enhanced resistance. Genome editing as directed mutagenesis may represent a suitable new tool to cope with this challenge. We aim to knockout susceptibility genes in potato, which are exploited by Ralstonia for infection, in order to render the host resistant or tolerant to this pathogen. We intend to identify several susceptibility genes in our experiments, and expect to discover new candidates as well. After knocking these genes out, the obtained plants will be tested for disease resistance. This work is performed in collaboration with the Centre for Agricultural Research, Agricultural Institute and Plant Protection Institute.

This work is supported by NKFI K-132967.

 

Staff

Zoltán Havelda PhD
Munkakör: főosztályvezető, csoportvezető, tudományos tanácsadó
Munkavégzés helye: 2100 Gödöllő, Szent-Györgyi Albert utca 4.
Telephone: +36 28526106
Fax: +36 28526101
E-mail: havelda.zoltan[at]abc.naik.hu
Zsófia Bánfalvi PhD
Munkakör: Önkéntes, tudományos tanácsadó
Munkavégzés helye: 2100 Gödöllő, Szent-Györgyi Albert utca 4.
Telephone: +36 28526153
Fax: +36 28526101
E-mail: banfalvi.zsofia[at]abc.naik.hu
Flóra Karsai-Rektenwald
Munkakör: intézeti mérnök
Munkavégzés helye: 2100 Gödöllő, Szent-Györgyi Albert utca 4.
Telephone: +36 28526158
Fax: +36 28526101
E-mail: karsai-rektenwald.flora[at]abc.naik.hu
Odgerel Khongorzul
Munkakör: PhD hallgató
Munkavégzés helye: 2100 Gödöllő, Szent-Györgyi Albert utca 4.
Telephone: +36 28526158
Fax: +36 28526101
E-mail: khongorzul.odgerel[at]abc.naik.hu
Mónika Tekla Kiss
Munkakör: laborasszisztens
Munkavégzés helye: 2100 Gödöllő, Szent-Györgyi Albert utca 4.
Telephone: +36 28526158
Fax: +36 28526101
E-mail: kiss.monika.tekla[at]abc.naik.hu
Vanda Villányi PhD
Munkakör: tudományos munkatárs
Munkavégzés helye: 2100 Gödöllő, Szent-Györgyi Albert utca 4.
Telephone: +36 28526158
Fax: +36 28526101
Mobil: +36 703711211
E-mail: villanyi.vanda[at]abc.naik.hu

Publications

List of publications (2010- )

Kondrák, M., Kopp, A., Uri, C., Sós-Hegedűs, A., Csákvári, E., Schiller, M., Barta, E., Cernák, I., Polgár, Z., Taller, J. and Bánfalvi Z (2020) Mapping and DNA sequence characterisation of the Rysto locus conferring extreme virus resistance to potato cultivar ‘White Lady’. PLoS ONE (accepted)

Bánfalvi, Z (2019) Transgenic plants overexpressing trehalose biosynthetic genes and abiotic stress tolerance in plants. In: Osmoprotectant-mediated stress tolerance in plants. MA Hossein, V Kumar, DJ Burritt, M Fujita, PSA Makela (eds.). Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Cham, Switzerland, pg 225-241.

Elhani, S., Haddadi, M., Csákvári, E., Zantar, S., Hamim, A., Villányi, V., Douaik, A. and Bánfalvi, Z (2019) Effects of partial root-zone drying and deficit irrigation on yield, irrigation water-use efficiency and some potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) quality traits under glasshouse conditions. Agricultural Water Management, 224: 105745.

Jose, J. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2019) The role of GIGANTEA in flowering and abiotic stress adaptation in plants. Columella, 6: 7-18.

Bánfalvi, Zs., Odgerel, K., Csákvári, E., Jose, J. and Kondrák, M. (2019) A gumónövekedés és lombfejlődés összefüggésének tanulmányozása burgonyában. Növénynemesítés a 21. század elején: kihívások és válaszok. A XXV. Növénynemesítési Tudományos Nap kiadványa, szerk: Karsai I, 149-153 old.

Beczner, F., Antal, F., Kopp, A., Stiller, I., Kondrák, M., Boldizsár, Á. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2017) The StubGAL83 subunit of the StubSNF1 complex interacts with HC-Pro of Potato virus Y and influences virus multiplication in potato. South African Journal of Botany, 113: 370-376.

Barta, E., Bánfalvi, Z., Havelda, Z., Hiripi, L., Jeney, Z., Kiss, J., Kolics, B., Marincs, F., Silhavy, D., Stéger, V. and Várallyay, E. (2016) Agricultural genomics: an overview of the Next Generation Sequencing projects at the NARIC-Agricultural Biotechnology Institute in Gödöllő. Hungarian Agricultural Research, 25: 10-21.

Kopp, A., Kondrák, M. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2015) Molecular mechanisms of resistance to Potato virus X and Y in potato. Acta Physiologica et Entomologica Hungarica, 50: 151-160

Juhász, Z., Boldizsár, Á., Nagy, T., Kocsy, G., Marincs, F., Galiba, G. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2015) Pleiotropic effect of chromosome 5A and the mvp mutation on the metabolite profile during cold acclimation and the vegetative/generative transition in wheat. BMC Plant Biology, 15: 57.

Sós-Hegedűs, A., Juhász, Z., Poór, P., Kondrák, M., Antal, F., Tari, I., Mauch-Mani, B. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2014) Soil drench treatment with ß-aminobutyric acid increases drought tolerance of potato. PLoS ONE, 9: e114297.

Juhász, Z., Balmer, D., Sós-Hegedűs, A., Vallat, A., Mauch-Mani, B. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2014) Effects of drought stress and storage on the metabolite and hormone contents of potato tubers expressing the yeast trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 gene. Journal of Agricultural Science, 6: 142-166. 

Juhász, Z., Dancs, G., Marincs, F., Vossen, M., Allefs, S. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2014) Vitamin C, B5, and B6 contents of segregating potato populations detected by GC-MS: a method facilitating breeding potatoes with improved vitamin content. Plant Breeding, 133: 515-520.

Juhász, Zs., Boldizsár, Á., Kocsy, G., Marincs, F., Galiba, G. és Bánfalvi, Zs. (2014) A búza 5A kromoszómája által befolyásolt metabolit változások a hideghez való alkalmazkodás és a vegetatív/generatív átmenet idején. XX. Növénynemesítési Tudományos Nap, Budapest, 2014. márc. 18., Növénynemesítés a megújuló mezőgazdaságban c. könyv, szerk.: Veisz O., kiadó: MTA Agrártudományok Osztályának Növénynemesítési Tudományos Bizottsága, 210-214. old.

Uri, C., Juhász, Z., Polgár, Z. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2014) A GC-MS-based metabolomics study on the tubers of commercial potato cultivars upon storage. Food Chemistry, 159: 287-292.

Galiba, G., Vanková, R., Tari, I., Bánfalvi, Z., Poór, P., Dobrev, P., Boldizsár, Á., Vágújfalvi, A. and Kocsy, G. (2013) Hormones, NO, antioxidants and metabolites as key players in plant cold acclimation. In: Plant and Microbe Adaptations to Cold in a Changing World. Proceedings from Plant and Microbe Adaptations to Cold 2012, Imai R, Yoshida M, Matsumoto N (Eds), Springer, pp. 73-89.

Antal, F., Kondrák, M., Kovács, G. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2013) Influence of the StubSNF1 kinase complex and the expression of the yeast TPS1 gene on growth and tuber yield in potato. Plant Growth Regulation, 69: 51-61.

Kondrák, M., Marincs, F., Antal, F., Juhász, Z. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2012) Effects of yeast trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 on gene expression and carbohydrate contents of potato leaves under drought stress conditions. BMC Plant Biology, 12: 74.

Juhász, Z., Kocsy, G., Galiba, G. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2012) Metabolic changes in a VRN-1 mutant wheat line. Proceedings of the 11th Alps-Adria Scientific Workshop, Smolenice, Slovakia, 26th-31st March, Harcsa M (ed), Növénytermelés, Suppl. 5: 443-446.

Kondrák, M., Marincs, F., Kalapos, B., Juhász, Z. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2011). Transcriptome analysis of potato leaves expressing the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase 1 gene of yeast. PLoS ONE, 6: e23466.

Bloem, E., Rubekin, K., Haneklaus, S., Bánfalvi, Z., Hesse, H. and Schnug, E. (2011). H2S and COS gas exchange of transgenic potato lines with modified expression levels of enzymes involved in sulphur metabolism. Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science, 197: 311-321.

Beczner, F., Antal, F. és Bánfalvi, Zs. (2010) A burgonya Y vírus HC-Pro és a burgonya StubGal83 fehérjéjének kapcsolata. Növényvédelem, 46: 226-232.

Beczner, F., Dancs, G., Sós-Hegedűs, A., Antal, F. and Bánfalvi, Z. (2010). Interaction between SNF1-related kinases and a cytosolic pyruvate kinase of potato. Journal of Plant Physiology, 167: 1046-1051.

Antal, F. és Bánfalvi, Zs. (2010) Genetikailag módosított burgonyafajták. Agrofórum, 21: 110-111.

Events

There are currently no upcoming events.