LBAL Team

Our laboratory investigates the metabolism and effect of growth regulators, polyamines and phenolic compounds in plants. We focus on the role of these compounds in plant development and in the response to abiotic stress.

We use various plant model systems - from whole plants to cell cultures. Our main focus is on the process of somatic embryogenesis in conifers; we investigate the regularities of embryo development, the hormonal regulation of the process of somatic embryogenesis and the influence of stress factors on the development of somatic embryos. We also deal with the propagation of medical cannabis in vitro. In particular, we are investigating the effect of phytohormones (auxins and cytokinins) added to the culture medium on the process of organogenesis from segments of cannabis plants grown in vitro from seeds.

We use a wide range of methodological approaches:

• Microscopic methods – light transmission, fluorescence and confocal microscopy, with a link to computer image analysis

• Biochemical methods – investigation of the activity of enzymes of the metabolism of biologically active substances (e.g. radiometry)

• Molecular biological methods – analysis of the expression of genes of interest and transformation of tissue cultures

• Analytical methods – determination of the content of biologically active substances (HPLC, LCMS, GCMS), in co-operation with the IEB's Laboratory of Hormonal Regulation in Plants