Dr. Beatrix Horváth - MATE Research
Overview
Beatrix Horváth is a senior research associate at the Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology. Her research topic is the investigation of the later stages of legume-rhizobial nitrogen fixing symbiosis processes using Medicago truncatula – Sinorhizobium medicae modell system. Her goal is the identification and functional analysis of plant genes that are involved in the formation of the symbiotic indeterminate nodule and in the differentiation of endosymbiont rhizobia into nitrogen-fixing bacteroids.
Research keywords:
Publications
Saifi, Farheen; Biró, János; Horváth, Beatrix; Vizler, Csaba; Laczi, Krisztián; Rákhely, Gábor; Kovács, Szilárd; Kang, Mingming; Li, Dengyao; Chen, Yuhui; Chen, Rujin; Domonkos, Agota; Kalo, Peter. Two members of a Nodule-specific Cysteine-Rich (NCR) peptide gene cluster are required for differentiation of rhizobia in Medicago truncatula nodules. The Plant Journal; 2024 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16871
Beatrix Horváth, Berivan Güngör, Mónika Tóth, Ágota Domonkos, Ferhan Ayaydin, Farheen Saifi, Yuhui Chen, János Barnabás Bíró, Mickael Bourge, Zoltán Szabó, Zoltán Tóth, Rujin Chen, Kaló Péter. The Medicago truncatula nodule-specific cysteine-rich peptides, NCR343 and NCR-new35 are required for the maintenance of rhizobia in nitrogen-fixing nodules. NEW PHYTOLOGIST 239: (5) pp. 1974-1988.; 2023 https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19097 Physiology 6/194
Berivan Güngör, János Barnabás Bíró, Ágota Domonkos, Beatrix Horváth, Péter Kaló. Targeted mutagenesis of Medicago truncatula Nodule-specific Cysteine-Rich (NCR) genes using the Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 system. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS 13: (1) 20676; 2023. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-47608-5 Multidisciplinary 13/142
Walton Jennifer H.; Kontra-Kovats Gyongyi; Green Robert T.; Domonkos Agota; Horvath Beatrix; Brear Ella M.; Franceschetti Marina ; Kalo Peter; Balk Janneke.The Medicago truncatula vacuolar iron Transporter-Like proteins VTL4 and VTL8 deliver iron to symbiotic bacteria at different stages of the infection process. NEW PHYTOLOGIST (0028-646X 1469-8137): 228 2 pp 651-666.; 2020. DOI: 10.1111/nph.16735 .Physiology 7/176
Horvath, B; Domonkos, A; Kereszt, A; Szucs, A; Abraham, E; Ayaydin, F; Boka, K; Chen, Y; Chen, R; Murray, JD; Udvardi, MK; Kondorosi, E; Kalo, P. Loss of the nodule-specific cysteine rich peptide, NCR169, abolishes symbiotic nitrogen fixation in the Medicago truncatula dnf7 mutant. PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 112 : 49 pp. 15232-15237. , 6 p.; 2015.
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1500777112 Multidisciplinary 3/116
Projects
The functional analysis of the indispensable of Medicago truncatula nodule-specific cysteine-rich (NCR) peptide family required for rhizobium terminal bacteroid differentiation (OTKA-PD-121110).
The most effective form of biological nitrogen fixation is the endosymbiotic interaction between legumes and rhizobia, where the bacteria become nitrogen fixing bacteroids through a differentiation process. The irreversible terminal bacteroid differentiation characteristic of the IRLC (Inverted Repeat-Lacking Clade) legumes (such as Medicago, Pisum etc.) results in one of the most efficient nitrogen-fixing abilities. This differentiation process is regulated by a gene family of more than 600 members of nodule-specific cysteine rich (NCR) peptides as plant factors. The aim of the research project is the dissection of the role of the unique function of two NCR peptides in the bacteroid differentiation process.
The functional analysis of the plant genes involved in the regulation of rhizobium terminal bacteroid differentiation (OTKA-PD-132495).
The differentiation process of the endosymbiont nitrogen-fixing bacteroids is regulated by host plant and bacterial genes. Four members of the plant nodule-specific cysteine-rich gene family (NCR) are key regulators in the terminal bacteroid differentiation. The regulatory role of the 4 NCRs is unique and their functions are not interchangeable. The main questions to be answered in the research project: how can they regulate individually the bacteroid differentiation? What kind of cis-regulatory elements and transcription factors are essential for the proper expression of unique NCR genes?
