Plant Science and Biodiversity Centre SAS
Topic
Enzymes of carnivorous plants from the genus Drosera with biotechnological potential Keywords: Drosera, expression analysis, recombinant proteins
PhD. program
agrobiotechnologies
Year of admission
2026
Name of the supervisor
Ing. Martin Jopčík, PhD.
Contact:
Receiving school
Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra
Annotation
The title of the presented topic is rather a thematic area that is based on the practical experience of the working group. The specific title of the topic will be specified before the minimum exam based on the knowledge gained during the first year of study. The topic deals with the study of carnivorous plants from the genus Drosera. This genus has around 200 species inhabiting various habitats around the world. The primary focus of our group is the description of enzymes involved in the digestion of prey. These are primarily hydrolytic enzymes divided into different groups based on their enzymatic activity (chitinases, glucanases, proteases ...). Considering the species and ecological diversity of the genus Drosera as well as based on our recent findings, it is possible to state the thesis: individual biological analogues of enzymes in individual species have different specific properties. The presented PhD thesis has the ambition to expand this knowledge. Our goal is to identify the sequences of hydrolytic enzymes in several species of the genus Drosera, determine their gene sequence, expression profile and subsequently prepare recombinant proteins of the interesting candidates followed biochemical analysis. The minimalist goal of the doctoral thesis is to study at least one enzyme from one undescribed species.