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Mgr. David Zalabák, Ph.D.

Tel: +420 585 634 338; Email: david.zalabak@upol.cz, Building VTP-B

ORCID iD: 0000-0002-4825-8321 

Research focus

  • Development of analytical methods suitable for quantification of known or unknown small molecules in plants, with emphasis on

Education 

  • 2013 – PhD in Biochemistry, Palacký University in Olomouc
  • 2009 – Master’s Degree in Molecular and Cell Biology, Palacký University in Olomouc 
  • 2007 – Bachelor’s Degree in Molecular and Cell Biology, Palacký University in Olomouc 

Employment and Positions 

  • 2025 – recent: Group leader, Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Palacký University Olomouc Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic 
  • 2021 – 2025: Senior postdoc, Laboratory of Growth Regulators, Palacký University Olomouc Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc, Czech Republic  
  • 2014-2020: Junior postdoc, Dpt. Molecular Biology, The Center of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research (CRH), Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc  
  • 2010-2013 Student research assistant, Dpt. Molecular Biology, The Center of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research (CRH), Faculty of Science, Palacký University Olomouc 

 Grants 

  • 2026 – 2028:  Standard GAČR grant 26-21113S “CRE1-DWF5: Cytokinin’s Secret Link to Brassinosteroid Biosynthesis“ (PI – Dr. Zalabák) 
  • 2023 – 2025: Standard GAČR grant 23-07363S “Alternative splicing fine-tunes cytokinin perception in planta” (co-applicant – Dr. Zalabák) 
  • 2017 – 2020: Junior GAČR grant 18-23972Y “Is Arabidopsis AHK4/CRE1 decoy receptor?” (PI – Dr. Zalabák) 

Fellowships  

  • 2021 – 2022 Mobility fellowship – EU operational programme Research, Development and Education, “A comprehensive study of the Arabidopsis cytokinin receptor CRE1”. Visiting scientist in Prof. Eva Benková’s lab (ISTA Klosterneuburg, Austria). 
  • 2017 FEBS short-term fellowship „Evolution of cytokinin biosynthesis – Characterization of the IPT gene family in moss Physcomitrella patens using targeted gene knockout.“ Functional study of the IPT gene family, encoding key enzymes of cytokinin biosynthesis, in P. patens. Visiting scientist in Dr. Klaus von Schwartzenberg’s lab (University of Hamburg, Germany).  

Research stays – collaborations  

  • 06/2019; 08/2020 and 09/2021-03/2022; a visiting scientist in Prof. Eva Benkova’s lab, ISTA Austria (Klosterneuburg, Austria)  
  • 11/2013 research stay in the laboratory of Dr. HF Causin, Universidad de Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires, Argentina)  
  • 08–10/2013; 08/2016 – 04.2017 (6 months); and 10/2017; three research stays in the laboratory of Dr. Klaus von Schwartzenberg, University of Hamburg, Biocenter Klein Flottbek, Dept. of Cell Biology and Phycology (Hamburg, Germany) 
  • 11/2012 research stay in the laboratory of Prof. Irene Lichtscheidl, Core Facility of Cell Imaging and Ultrastructure Research, University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria) 

Selected publications

  • Králová M., Kubalová I., Hajný J., Kubiasová K., Vagaská K., Ge Z., Gallei M., Semerádová H., Kuchařová A., Hönig M., Monzer A., Kovačik, M., Friml J., Novák O., Benková E., Ikeda Y., Zalabák D. (2024) A decoy receptor derived from alternative splicing fine-tunes cytokinin signaling in Arabidopsis. Molecular Plant,17(12):1850-1865. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2024.11.001  
  • Hajný J, Trávníčková T, Špundová M, Roenspies M, Rony RMIK, Sacharowski S, Krzyszton M, Zalabák D, Hardtke CS, Pečinka A, Puchta H, Swiezewski S, van Norman JM, Novák O. (2024) Sucrose-responsive osmoregulation of plant cell size by a long non-coding RNA. Molecular Plant, 17(11):1719-1732. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2024.09.011  
  • Nisler J, Klimeš P, Končitíková R, Kadlecová A, Voller J, Chalaki M, Karampelias M, Murvanidze N, Werbrouck SPO, Kopečný D, Havlíček L, De Diego N, Briozzo P, Moréra S, Zalabák D, Spíchal L. (2024) Cytokinin oxidase/dehydrogenase inhibitors: progress towards agricultural practice. J Exp Bot. Aug 28;75(16):4873-4890. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erae239  
  • Ľuptáková E, Vigouroux A, Končitíková R, Kopečná M, Zalabák D, Novák O, Salcedo Sarmiento S, Ćavar Zeljković S, Kopečný DJ, von Schwartzenberg K, Strnad M, Spíchal L, De Diego N, Kopečný D, Moréra S. (2024) Plant nucleoside N-ribohydrolases: riboside binding and role in nitrogen storage mobilization. Plant J. 117(5):1432-1452. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16572  
  • Kubiasová K, Montesinos JC, Šamajová O, Nisler J, Mik V, Semerádová H, Plíhalová L, Novák O, Marhavý P, Cavallari N, Zalabák D, et al. (2020) Cytokinin fluoroprobe reveals multiple sites of cytokinin perception at plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum. Nature Comm 11, 4285. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17949-0  
  • Kubalová I, Zalabák D, Mičúchová A, Ikeda Y (2019) Mutations in tetrapyrrole biosynthesis pathway uncouple nuclear WUSCHEL expression from de novo shoot development in Arabidopsis. Plant Cell Tissue and Organ Culture, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11240-019-01680-w  
  • Zalabák D, et al. (2014) Biochemical characterization of the maize cytokinin dehydrogenase family and cytokinin profiling in developing maize plantlets in relation to the expression of cytokinin dehydrogenase genes. Plant Physiology and Biochemistry 74, 283-293. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plaphy.2013.11.020