Prof. Dr. Attila Hegedűs - MATE Research
Overview
Attila Hegedűs is a university professor at the Department of Plant Biotechnology, Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology. He serves as chair of the department and chair of the Agricultural Science Section, Council of the National Scientific Students’ Associations (OTDT). He had served as chair of the Committee on Horticulture and Food Sciences, Section of Agricultural Sciences, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (2017-2023); head of the Department of Plant Genetic Resources, Agricultural Institute, Centre for Agricultural Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Martonvásár, Hungary (2018-2020), and dean of the Faculty of Horticultural Science, BCE-SZIE (2014-2017).
His research focuses on the development and application of molecular markers to support the breeding of stone fruit species with a special focus on the characterization of wild germplasm and cultivar identification. Prof. Attila Hegedűs pioneered the understanding of the genetic background of economically important traits (polyphenolics content in fruit, ripening time, endo-dormancy release, self-incompatibility) of Prunus species and the development of many molecular markers for those traits to assist breeding efforts.
Prof. Attila Hegedűs’s work contributes to the clarification of the evolutionary and crop evolutionary history of stone fruit species. He made significant contributions to the identification of the Prunus-specific, non-autonomous, Mutator-type Falling Stones transposon, that has significantly influenced Prunus evolution. Across his research, he uses traditional and up-to-date techniques in biotechnology, genetics, genomics as well as bioinformatics.
He authored and co-authored 34 research articles in high-impact scientific journals (11 and 23 of those were published in D1 and Q1 journals).
Prof. Attila Hegedűs has collaborated with seven research groups from countries including Turkey, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia, Austria, Greece, and the USA and he has successfully applied for 14 research grants nationally and internationally. Among others, he won the prestigious Bolyai Plaquette (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 2012) grant and was awarded the Akadémiai Díj (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 2022).
He is an associate editor of the journals Plants (Section Board Member), Crop Breeding, Genetics and Genomics, International Journal of Horticultural Science, and Kertgazdaság as well as a former editor of the Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry and many more journals.
Research keywords:
Publications
Hegedűs, A., Erdei, S., Horváth, G. Comparative studies of H2O2 detoxifying enzymes in green and greening barley seedlings under cadmium stress
2001 PLANT SCIENCE 160:(6) pp. 1085-1093. Elsevier Ireland Ltd. D1, IF: 1.384 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0168-9452(01)00330-2
Halász, J., Pedryc, A., Hegedűs, A. Origin and dissemination of the pollen-part mutated SC haplotype which confers self-compatibility in apricot (Prunus armeniaca) 2007 NEW PHYTOLOGIST 176:(4) pp. 792-803. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. D1, IF: 5.249 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2007.02220.x
Halász, J., Kodad, O., Hegedűs, A. Identification of a recently active Prunus-specific non-autonomous Mutator element with considerable genome shaping force 2014 PLANT JOURNAL, 79:(2) pp. 220-231. Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. D1, IF 5.972 https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.12551
Halász, J., Kodad, O., Galiba, G. M., Skola, I., Ercisli, S., Ledbetter, C.A., Hegedűs, A. Genetic variability is preserved among strongly differentiated and geographically diverse almond germplasm: an assessment by simple sequence repeat markers. 2019 TREE GENETICS AND GENOMES 15(1), 1−13.
Springer Nature D1, IF 2.081 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11295-019-1319-8
Halász, J., Szendy, G., Ivanovska, B., Tóth, E.G., Hegedűs, A. The self-incompatibility locus and chloroplast DNA regions of Prunus domestica reflect the origin and genetic diversity of traditional cultivars. 2023 JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE, 148(5), 230-239.
American Society for Horticultural Science Q1, IF 1.9 https://doi.org/10.21273/JASHS05330-23
Projects
Identification and characterization of DNA polymorphisms influencing economically important traits in diploid and polyploid stone fruit trees
This project is focused on three scientific aims: 1) Designing/testing molecular markers associated with economically important traits (e.g. fruit maturity date, self-incompatibility and fruit flesh colour); 2) a detailed analysis of the biological functions of FaSt transposon that was shown to be responsible for self-compatibility in apricot; and 3) working out protocols for molecular cytogenetic studies on European plum genome structure. We check if FaSt transposon is transcribed in specific tissues of apricot and if it has any regulatory role.
http://nyilvanos.otka-palyazat.hu/index.php?menuid=930&lang=EN&num=128874
Analysis of genes and candidate genes contributing to crop reliability of polyploid Prunus fruit trees
We characterized the S-RNase and SFB genes of the multiallelic S-locus that control the self-(in)compatibility phenotype of sour cherries (tetraploid) and European plums (hexaploid) species. We identified the CBF and DAM genes contributing to the induction and cessation of endodormancy. It was confirmed by their characteristic expression profile over the dormant period. We characterized the DNA sequence of a NAC transcription factor encoding gene of several Prunus species, this gene has been hypothesized to influence fruit maturity date in peaches.
http://nyilvanos.otka-palyazat.hu/index.php?menuid=930&lang=EN&num=91276
Precision breeding for safe food raw materials
We worked out a protocol for the in vitro micropropagation of a PPV-sensitive ‘Besztercei Bt.2’ and a PPV-tolerant (‘Nábrád’ syn. ‘Nemtudom’) European plum cultivar. We have sequenced an isoform of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor, eIF(iso)4E gene, encoding for a host susceptibility factor required for PPV infection in plum. We detected the genetic differentiation of the two Hungarian landraces and also showed genetic variations within the ‘Nemtudom’ germplasm. Our results will help both conventional and molecular breeding of the studied and other European plum cultivars.
https://hun-ren.hu/hirek/egyetemi-egyuttmukodesek-kereteben-indultak-uj-kutatasi-projektek-az-eotvos-lorand-kutatasi-halozat-titkarsaga-osszesen-540-millio-forintos-tamogatasaval
