• Science and universities

Projects implemented within the framework of the national project "Science and Universities"

New laboratories have been created, at least 30 percent of which are led by young promising researchers" 2019-2021:

• Laboratory of signal regulation

  The main areas of research:

  1. One of the directions of the laboratory's research was the improvement of the technology for obtaining signaling molecules of microorganisms - inducers of mutualistic symbioses in plants. Methodological approaches have been developed for the effective development of chitin oligomers (using the obtained producer strains) to regulate interaction with plants. The method for producing such compounds has been patented. In addition, a technique for obtaining a new drug for plant immunization against fungal infections has been developed. The active ingredient of the drug is a 10-membered chitin oligomer obtained by conjugation of two tetra-N-acetylchitopentaose molecules. This made it possible to create effective, easily penetrating into plant cells and environmentally safe compounds to stimulate the development of symbioses, as well as plant resistance to phytopathogens.
  2. As a result of the conducted proteomic and transcriptomic studies, for the first time it was possible to identify new regulators of signaling pathways (calcium-dependent and mitogen-activated protein kinases) necessary to control the earliest stages of the development of legume-rhizobial symbiosis and symbiosis with fungi of arbuscular mycorrhiza. Such research is a priority in the world. The search and study of new regulators, as well as the use of genomic editing to stimulate their work, is a prerequisite for increasing the effectiveness of legume-rhizobial symbiosis.
  3. The possibility of expanding the range of plants entering into symbiotic associations with nitrogen-fixing bacteria rhizobia was investigated (currently only legumes have this ability). For the first time in the world, the possibility of obtaining nodule-like structures on the roots of non-leguminous plants (hops) was shown by introducing the gene of the transcription factor NIN into the genome, which controls infection and organogenesis of nodules during symbiosis. The appearance of such structures indicates the ability of the transcriptional regulator to influence the activation of endogenous programs of non-leguminous plants leading to de novo organogenesis.
  4. The gene of the pea LUK 10 receptor was transferred to the surface exopolysaccharides of rhizobia in tomato plants Solanum lycopersicum L. using a genetically engineered approach. The obtained tomato plants had a significantly increased level of root colonization by rhizobia compared to the control, which affected their resistance to infection by phytopathogenic fungi. The result of the research was the production of plants capable of forming stable associations with rhizobia, which contributes to improving their growth and development, as well as stability under biotic and abiotic stress.
  5. The rhizobium strain Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. viceae CIAM 1026 was obtained with a high level of production of the bacterial protein adhesion RapA1, the use of which significantly increases the level of colonization of plants. When studying the effect of the Rpa 1 protein on growth-stimulating activity and colonization of plant roots, it was found that the introduction of adhesin enhances the colonization of pea roots by rhizobia and contributes to an increase in the number of nodules. The use of the strain will allow the creation of complementary plant-bacteria pairs with a high level of colonization.

  More information about the results can be found on the laboratory's page.