International Network of Plant Abiotic Stress

This partner will use genetic approaches and biochemical analyses to study molecular mechanisms underlying water stress resistance mechanisms in abiotic stress. The work is mostly integrated into WG2.

 

2. Links with other WG and/or Subgroups

The work is also linked with WG3 in order to reveal connections between water loss and the production of osmo-protectants and other metabolits in stress signaling.

 

3. Specific activities to be integrated into WG and/or Subgroups

The work will be concentrated on genetic determinants of the water retention mechanisms in nCBC Arabidopsis mutants. Drought resistance mechanisms in horticultural plants as well as postharvest water loss of fruits are also studied.

 

4. Qualification for the role and current grants

Istvan Papp is associate professor at the Department of Plant Physiology and Plant Biochemistry at Faculty of Horticultural Sciences of Corvinus University of Budapest. He has 23 years of experience in studying plant genetics and physiology, his scientific achivements have been documented by publications in leading journals.

 

His work is currently financed by national grants from NKTH-OTKA and a grant from EU FP7. His research group has experiences in participating in national and international collaborations.

 

5. Technical expertise and facilities

This partner will provide methods for isolation biosynthetic and regulator genes from diverse species, and creates transgenic Arabidopsis and tomato plants affected in metabolism and stress signaling. He will also provide experience required for studying plant tissue and cell culture as well as molecular biological techniques, including quantitative real-time PCR, gene cloning and characterization of recombinant proteins. The laboratory has all the experience and facilities to carry out the work allocated. The Department is equipped with greenhouses and growth chambers and also has access to the Experimental Farm for open field trials.