Dr. Éva Várallyay - MATE Research
Overview
Eva Varallyay is interested in diagnostics improvement and basic research in plant virology, and plant microbiome research. Her group use high-throughput sequencing for virome and metagenome analyses of plant pathogens in grapevine, fruit trees and weeds neighbouring crop fields. Based on her previous experience in RNAi research they investigate possible antiviral silencing suppressor activity of the recently described uncharacterized viruses and gene-expression changes of the miRNA pattern in the pathogen-infected plants. In their group, they investigate multiple infections of woody plants and the possible virus reservoir role of weeds growing at the edges of crop fields.
She authored and co-authored 51 research articles in high-impact scientific journals (2296 citations: Hirsch index:21) (www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=8559964400).
Eva Varallyay has collaborated with several research groups across Europe (Italy, Czech Republic, Russia, Slovenia, Croatia), and she has successfully applied for six national and one bilateral research grant.
She is an Associate Editor of the Frontiers in Microbiology and Frontiers in Plant Science and is a Guest Editor of MDPI Plants. She reviews regularly in high-impact scientific journals (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9085-942X)
26 MSc and 4 BSc theses (including 7 foreign students) and 4 PhD were successfully defended with her supervision.
Research keywords:
Publications
1/ Emese Demian, Nikoletta Jaksa-Czotter, Eva Varallyay, Grapevine Pinot Gris Virus Is Present in Different Non-Vitis Hosts. 2022, Plants, Q1 (IF:4,658), 11, 1830, doi.org/10.3390/plants11141830
2/ Elbeaino, T.; Kontra, L.; Demian, E.; Jaksa-Czotter, N.; Slimen, A.B.; Fabian, R.; Lazar, J.; Tamisier, L.; Digiaro, M.; Massart, S.; Varallyay, E., Complete Sequence, Genome Organization and Molecular Detection of Grapevine Line Pattern Virus, a New Putative Anulavirus Infecting Grapevine., 2020, Viruses, Q1 (IF3,811), 12, 602., doi.org/10.3390/v12060602
3/ Pesti R, Kontra L, Paul K, Vass I, Csorba T, Havelda Z, Varallyay E, Differential gene expression and physiological changes during acute or persistent plant virus interactions may contribute to viral symptom differences., 2019, PLoS ONE, D1 (IF:2,776), 14(5): e0216618 doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0216618
4/Várallyay, É. and Havelda, Z., VSRs control AGO1 via miR168 induction., 2013, Molecular Plant Pathology, D1 (IF:4,485) 14: 567-575 doi.org/10.1111/mpp.12029
5/ Havelda Z., Várallyay É, Válóczi A., Burgyán, J., Plant virus infection induced persistent host gene down regulation in systemically infected leaves, 2008, Plant Journal D1 (IF:6,75), 55(2):278-288 doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-313X.2008.03501.x
Projects
1/ Effect of multiple virus infections on the antiviral RNA interference in perennial woody hosts (grapevine and fruit trees); National Research, Development and Innovation Office K134895; (2020-2025 Principal Investigator)
Perennial woody plants can be infected with several viruses and viroids. During their multiple infection symptoms strengthen and will affect the quality and quantity of the fruit. In this project, we uncover viral strategies and investigate how universally or uniquely they suppress the defence reaction of the host.
2/ Identification and investigation of berry fruit infecting viruses using HTS-based methods; Croatian-Hungarian TET Bilateral; National Research, Development and Innovation Office 2019-2.1.11-TÉT-2020-00124; (2021-2024 Principal Investigator)
Berry fruit plants can be infected by several viruses. In this project, we compared raspberry and grapevine infecting RBDV originating from Slovenia and Hungary, characterised by different isolates. Viromes of raspberries showing virus-like symptoms were determined using HTS.
3/ Investigation of plant pathogens causing decline in fruit tree plantations by molecular biology methods; National Research, Development and Innovation Office K127951; (2018-2023 Principal Investigator)
Using cutting-edge new HTS-based metagenomics studies we investigated the composition of pathogen complexes in fruit trees at declining orchards and described molecular mechanism which changes lead to the development of symptoms and decline of the plantation.
