Molecular Genetics and Breeding Group

Molecular Genetics and Breeding Group - Detailed

Last modified: 12. October 2022

Detailed presentation of the group

The main activity of the group is the education. With the introduction of the Bologna system in 2009, the group has been providing the managemet of the Agricultural Biotechnology Msc in both English and Hungarian language. The members of the group are lecturers and supervisors of several courses of nearly 30 subjects of different MSc programmes, Agricultural Engineering MSc, BSc and postgraduate programmes. The staff provides the management of the Plant Genetics and Plant Breeding postgraduate specialist training course and they also teach at other postgraduate programmes as well. As a special task the group coordinates the EmPlant+ Master Joint at the Szent István Campus in Gödöllő, which aims to provide high quality joint, double or multiple degree Master's programmes provided by European institutions of higher education for students all over the world. The group also provides the management of the Plant Genetics, Breeding and Biotechnology PhD programme.

The main research areas of the group are in the field of classical and conventional plant breeding, cell genetics and tissue culture, molecular genetics and molecular breeding. Within the scope of plant genomics and gene technology the groupd deals with the cloning, identification and functional analysis of different genes of major field and horticultural species. The most important research works in the field of molecular genetics and molecular plant breeding are related to molecular taxonomy, archaeogenetics, marker identification, molecular fingerprinting, etc. 

The main research profile of animal genomics is the genome-wide mapping. 

To date, the most significant research has been the mapping of the genetic background of the double-muscling phenotype, which is an important trait for several species of cattle, using a hypermuscular mutant mouse. 

Their latest research is the in-depth genomic study of nine Hungarian dog breeds (Poodle, Pumi, Mudi, Kuvasz, Komondor, Hungarian and Wirehaired Vizsla, Transylvanian Greyhound and Hungarian Greyhound) for selection and association (GWAS) mapping.

The group makes up of 3 associate professors, 2 senior lecturers, 1 assistant lecturer, 1 assistant research fellow, 1 professor emeritus, 4 PhD students, 12 interns doing their thesis work projects.


Brief description of the research topics

  1. Grapevine genetics and genomics research:
  2. Study of the evolution and the genetic background of grape berry colour
  3. Development of markers for the isolation of clones
  4. Development of markers linked to resistance genes
  5. Research of grapevine genetics and genomics:
  6. Investigation of the regulation of anthocyanin biosynthesis in pepper
  7. Research of the health promoting effects of purple peppers
  8. Elucidating the genetic background of different pepper mutants
  9. DNA fingerprinting of cultivars
  10. Verification of parent-offspring relationships
  11. Testing of genebank accession (grapes, apples, apricots, plums, sour cherries, cherries) with SSR markers, creation of SSR databases
  12. Application of MAS in Brassicacea 
  13. Transfer of orange mutation by embryo-rescue of the Chinese kale to cabbage cultivars 
  14. Creation of new generation cereal varieties through interspecific hybridization:
  15. Creation of wheat-barley hybrids using new biotechnological and reproductive biology tools 
  16. Creation of perennial cereal varieties through crosses between wheat and perennial species of the genera Triticeae
  17. Genetic mapping of 9 Hungarian dog breeds (NBGK-HGI Cooperation)
  18. Genetics of merle colour on Mudi
  19. Development of SNP-based profiles of different breeds for practical breeding
  20. GWAS and Selective Sweep mapping on Hungarian breeds


Main publications of the group

  1. Orbán L,x Shen X, Phua N, Varga L.x Toward Genome-Based Selection in Asian Seabass: What Can We Learn From Other Food Fishes and Farm Animals? Frontiers in Genetics. 2021 12:506754. DOI:10.3389/fgene.2021.506754
     
  2. Kemenszky P., Fehér P., Farkas A., Jánoska F., Frank K., Bedő P., Barta E., Varga L., Szemethy L., Stéger V. (2021) Genetic differentiation of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) populations in southern Hungary and southern Romania revealed by microsatellite data analysis. North-Western Journal Of Zoology 17 : 1 pp. 111-116. e201702
     
  3. Varga L, Lénárt X, Zenke P, Orbán L, Hudák P, Ninausz N, Pelles Zs, Szőke A. Being Merle: The Molecular Genetic Background of the Canine Merle Mutation. Genes. 2020 11(6): 660. doi:10.3390/genes11060660
     
  4. Polgári D, Mihók E, Sági L.x Composition and random elimination of paternal chromosomes in a large population of wheat × barley (Triticum aestivum L. × Hordeum vulgare L.) hybrids. Plant Cell Reports. 2019 38:767-775. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00299-019-02405-1
     
  5. Jarret RL,x Barboza GE, da Costa Batista FR, Berke T, Chou YY, Hulse-Kemp A, Ochoa-Alejo N, Tripodi P, Veres A, Garcia CC, Csillery G, Huang YK, Kiss E, Kovacs Z, Kondrak M, Arce-Rodriguez ML, Scaldaferro MA, Szőke A. Capsicum—An abbreviated compendium. Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science. 2019 144(1): 3-22. DOI:10.21273/JASHS04446-18
     
  6. Bedő J, Baris E, Szani Zs, Surányi D, Kiss E, Veres A.x SSR based characterization of peach (Prunus persica) and apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) varieties cultivated in Hungary. Acta Agraria Debreceniensis. 2018 74:14-24. DOI: 10.34101/actaagrar/74/1659
     
  7. Kerekes A, De Lorenzis G, Szőke A, Kiss E,x Failla O. Analysis of VvMybA1 and VvMybA2 genes in grape bud sports. Vitis. 2015 54(Special Issue): 45-48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5073/vitis.2015.54.special-issue.45-48
     
  8. Tóth-Lencsés AK, Kerekes A, Szőke A, Lajter-Farkas B, Lönhard T, Kiss E,x Kocsis L. Marker assisted selection for berry colour in a ‘Nektár’ x ‘Jacquez’ grape progeny. Vitis. 2015 54(Special Issue): 51-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5073/vitis.2015.54.special-issue.51-52
     
  9. Lacombe T,x Audeguin L, Boselli M, Bucchetti B, Cabello F, Chatelet P, Crespan M, D’Onorfio C, Eiras Dias J, Ercisli S, Gardiman M, Imazio S, Jandurova O, Jung A, Kiss E, Kozma P, Maul E, Maghradze D, Martinez MC, Munoz G, Pátková JK, Pejic I, Peterlunger E, Pitsoli D, Preiner D, Raimondi S, Regner F, Savin G, Savvides S, Schneider A, Spring JL, Szőke A, Veres A, Boursiquot JM, Bacilieri R, This P. Grapevine European Catalogue: Towards a Comprehensive List. Vitis. 2011 50(2): 65-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5073/vitis.2011.50.65-68
     
  10. Katula-Debreceni D, Lencsés AK, Szőke A, Veres A, Hoffmann S, Kozma P, Kovács L, Heszky L, Kiss E.x Marker-assisted selection for two dominant powdery mildew resistance genes introgressed into a hybrid grape family. Scientia Horticulturae. 2010 126: 448–453. DOI: 10.1016/j.scienta.2010.08.012
     
  11. Halász G, Veres A, Kozma P, Kiss E,x Balogh A, Galli Zs, Szőke A, Hoffmann S, Heszky L. Microsatellite fingerprinting of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) varieties of the Carpathian Basin. Vitis. 2005 44: 173-180. (IF: 0,885) DOI: https://doi.org/10.5073/vitis.2005.44.173-180