Research focus
Multicellular organisms use chemical signals for intercellular communication to coordinate their growth, development, and responses to environmental stimuli. The chemical structures of most plant signaling molecules, mediators of intercellular “communication” in plants, are built from C5 isoprene units and therefore belong to the vast and diverse group of natural compounds known as isoprenoids (terpenoids).
This research group primarily focuses on developing efficient and reliable analytical tools for the effective and sensitive isolation of natural isoprenoid compounds, along with methods for their highly accurate determination. These compounds primarily include secondary metabolites involved in plant growth and development (diterpenoid and triterpenoid plant hormones and phytosterols) as well as in plant defense against abiotic and biotic stress (triterpenoid signaling compounds such as ecdysteroids, steroidal saponins, etc.).
An equally important goal of this research group is to gain insights into the links between primary and secondary metabolic pathways. The modern analytical tools employed primarily utilize the high separation efficiency of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) combined with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), enabling the detection of trace and ultra-trace amounts (ag-fg) of the aforementioned signaling compounds.
Resear leaders
Team members
- Renáta Plotzová
- Magdaléna Vlčková