O & AND THEIR ACTIVITIES RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS

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(1)HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES ❖. RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS HUNGA. I. AND THEIR ACTIVITIES. &. I— I. >. & o tn. O ►A go. n tn z n w CO. 2005.

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(3) HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES *. RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR ACTIVITIES. 2005.

(4) T he text of this p u b licatio n w as p re p a re d an d a p p ro v e d by th e institutes them selves. ISSN 1418-42-81 C om piled by M á rto n Jolánkai w ith th e assistance of the respective D ep artm en ts of the H. A. S. R esponsible editor: Pál P ritz a n d K ároly Szegő.

(5) CONTENTS. Preface ..................................................................................................................... List of p rin cip al officers ....................................................................................... 5 7. INSTITUTES FOR NATURAL SCIENCES V eterin ary M edical R esearch I n s itu te .............................................................. 11 Balaton Lim nological R esearch In stitu te ....................................................... 13 In stitu te of E xperim ental M e d ic in e .................................................................. 15 19 A g ricu ltu ral Research I n s t i t u t e ......................................................................... P lant P rotectio n In stitu te ................................................................................... 24 R esearch Institute for Soil Science a n d A gricultural C h e m i s tr y ............. 27 In stitu te of Ecology a n d B o ta n y ......................................................................... 30 Biological Research C en ter (B R C )..................................................................... 35 In stitu te of B iophysics ................................................................................... 36 In stitu te of B io c h e m is try ............................................................................... 38 In stitu te of E n z y m o lo g y ................................................................................. 40 In stitu te of G enetics ........................................................................................ 42 In stitu te of Plant B io lo g y ............................................................................... 44 In stitu te of N uclear R e s e a rc h ............................................................................. 46 K onkoly O bservatory .......................................................................................... 49 G eo g rap h ical Research I n s t i t u t e ....................................................................... 51 G eodetic a n d G eophysical R esearch I n s t i t u te ............................................... 56 In stitu te for G eochem ical R e se a rc h ................................................................... 61 C hem ical Research C enter (CRC) ..................................................................... 64 In stitu te of B iom olecular C h e m is tr y .......................................................... 68 In stitu te of Surface C hem istry a n d C a ta ly s is ........................................... 71 75 In stitu te of S tructural C h e m is tr y ................................................................ In stitu te of M aterials a n d E n v iro n m en tal C h e m istry ............................ 79 In stitu te of Isotopes ........................................................................................ 81 KFKI A tom ic Energy R esearch In stitu te ....................................................... 85 KFKI R esearch In stitute for Particle a n d N uclear Physics ........................ 88 R esearch Institute for Technical P hysics a n d M aterials Science ............. 91 96 R esearch Institute for Solid State P hysics an d O p t i c s ................................ A lfréd R ényi Institute of M a th e m a tic s ............................................................ 102 C o m p u te r and A u to m ation R esearch I n s titu te ............................................. 104. 3.

(6) INSTITUTES FOR SOCIAL SCIENCES A N D H U M A NITIES A rchaeological In stitu te ...................................................................................... Research In s titu te for A rt H i s t o r y ..................................................................... Institute of E c o n o m ic s ........................................................................................... Institute of E t h n o l o g y ........................................................................................... Research In s titu te of E thnie a n d N ational M in o r itie s ................................ Institute of H i s t o r y ................................................................................................. Institute for Legal S tudies .................................................................................. Research In s titu te for L inguistics ..................................................................... Institute of L iterary S t u d i e s ............................................................................... Institute for M u s ic o lo g y ...................................................................................... Institute of P h y lo so p h y cal R e se a rc h ................................................................. Institute for P olitical Sciences ........................................................................... Institute for P sychology ...................................................................................... C entre for R egional S t u d i e s ............................................................................... Institute of S o c io lo g y ............................................................................................. Research C en tre fo r Social S t u d i e s ................................................................... Institute for W o rld E c o n o m ic s............................................................................ Ill 115 118 121 125 128 132 135 140 142 145 147 151 155 159 162 164. APPENDIX List of u n iv ersity research un its ................................................ 169. ABBREVIATIONS Scientific degress:. Ph.D . = D octor of P hilosophy C. Sc. = C andidate of Sciences D. Sc. = D octor of Sciences C.M. = C o rre sp o n d in g M em ber of th e H. A. S. O.M . = O rd in ary M em ber of the H. A. S.. 4.

(7) PREFACE. "Science is organised know ledge". From am ong all plausible definitions this statem ent is the m ost to-the-point. A lm ost tw o centuries ago, the F iungarian A cadem y of Sciences w as e stab lished by th e nation in o rd e r to cultivate th e H ungarian language and to serve science a n d scholarship. It is a just d em an d of society th a t the freedom of this tim e-h o n o u red national in stitu tio n of H u n g a ria n science a n d scholarship be en d o rsed a n d enlarged, a n d the dem ocracy of its in tern al life stren g th en e d , by legislation w ithout, how ever, in terferin g w ith the auto n o m y of o th er institu tio n s cultivating a n d representing science. The Act on the A cadem y of Sciences of 1994 describes it as a self-governing public b o d y th at operates as a legal e n tity in o rd er to p erfo rm public d u ties for science. The m ain responsibilities of the A cadem y are to su p p o rt th e cu l tivation of the sciences, scientific research, an d the publication of scientific books a n d journals; en su re th at all society's dem ocratic principles are ob served in each and every field of science; evaluate scientific research re su lts regularly, a n d encourage a n d assist the publication, dissem ination, a n d u tili sation thereof; rep resent H u n g arian science in H u n g a rian public life a n d in in tern atio n al scientific bo d ies; m aintain relations a n d finalise ag reem en ts w ith scientific in stitutions a n d organisations of other countries. The A cadem y establishes a n d m aintains 47 research institutes, as w ell as s u p p o rtin g 171 special research groups affiliated m ainly w ith u n iversities. It is the m ission of the A cadem y to expand a n d enrich the know ledge am assed in th e public b o d y and its institutions in o rd e r to advance an d p ro m o te the progress, g ro w th and rise of the nation. O ver an d above this, it is o u r m ission of eq u a l im p o rtan ce to ensure th a t w e m ain tain th e state-of-the-art quality of o u r scientific research in a n age of ra p id changes. The p resen t volum e w o u ld like to provide the reader w ith useful inform ation on the activities of the research netw ork o f the A cadem y. B udapest, 1st Septem ber 2005 A ttila M eskó Secretary G eneral. 5.

(8) Count István Széchenyi (1791-1860) founder of the Academy in 1825.

(9) P R IN C IP A L O FFIC E R S O F THE H U N G A R I A N A C A D E M Y O F S C IE N C E S (H .A .S .) President: S zilveszter E. VIZI, O.M. Secretary-General: Attila MESKÓ, O.M. Deputy Secretary-General: Csaba PLÉH, O.M. Vice-Presidents: József HÁMORI, O.M. (Life Sciences) Norbert KROÓ, O.M. (M athem atics an d N a tu ral Sciences) Ernő M AROSI, O.M. (Social Sciences a n d H um anities) Members o f Presidium: D énes D U D ITS, O.M. (Life Sciences) László REVICZKY, O.M. (M athem atics a n d N a tu ral Sciences) György ENYEDI, O.M. (Social Sciences a n d H um anities) *** Secretariat of the President H ead: K álm án PA N N O N H A LM I, C.Sc. Secretariat of the Secretary-General H ead: P éter ZILAHY, Ph.D. Address: 1051. B udapest, R oosevelt tér 9. Telephone: (36-1) 411-6100* * * *. Departm ents of the H ungarian Academ y of Sciences and their heads: Department o f Natural Sciences H ead: K ároly SZEGŐ D.Sc. Department of Social Sciences H ead: Pál PRITZ, D.Sc. Adm inistrative and Legal Department H ead: Tam ás DEMCSIK Department o f Finance H ead: G abriella SZAM KÓ Department fo r International Scientific Relation H ead: Béla KARDON D.Sc. Office fo r International Cooperation D irector: János PUSZTAI, C.Sc. Telephone: (36-1) 327-3000*.

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(11) INSTITUTES FOR NATURAL SCIENCES.

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(13) VETERINARY MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE Address: H-1143 B udapest, H u n g ária krt. 21. Postal address: H-1581 B udapest, P. O. Box 18. Telephone: (36-1) 467-4060 Telefax: (36-1) 467-4076 Director: Balázs HARRACH, D. Sc. E-mail: harrach@ vm ri.hu Home page: h ttp ://w w w .v m ri.h u Scope of activities The m an d ate of the Institute is to investigate viral, bacterial a n d para sitic diseases of farm anim als and fishes by u sin g both classical and state-of-art m olecular biological ap proaches. The overw helm ing p art of the w ork is basic research. In particu lar, m olecular an d genetic aspects are increasingly em phasized. H ow ever, the duties of the In stitu te also include the im p rovem ent of diagnos tic and vaccination m eth o d s, and participation in different form s of graduate a n d p o stg rad u ate training, prom otion of international collabora tions, inform ing the public ab o u t sci entific achievem ents, an d assisting in the technological transfer of research results for application purposes. At present, the Institute, as an interna tionally acknow ledged site of basic research, continues to consolidate its position as a national resource of new k n o w ledge applicable in pre vention of infectious anim al dis eases.. The main building of the Institute. a n d p ro tein s of v a rio u s p ath o g en s. A m ong the viruses, prim arily adeno-, herpes-, param yxo-, and certain avian tum or ind u cin g viruses are in vestigated. A m ong the bacteria, m em bers of Escherichia, Pasteurella, Salmonella, Bordetella as well as Myco plasma genera are studied to gain inform ation especially about v iru -. Research aim s and topics M ost of th e research is co n c en trat ed on s tu d y in g the genetic m aterial. 11.

(14) lence characteristics. A n im p o rtan t direction of the research is the elabo ration of m o d ern diagnostic m eth ods b ase d on the detection of nucleic acids o r p roteins of d ifferen t infec tive agents. It is also im p o rta n t to stu d y th e relationship b e tw e e n v iru lence a n d antigenic com position of the p ath o g en ic organism s. Basic research activities on fish parasites are related to the etiology of diseases and to th e biology of m y x osporean species. E nvironm ental h e a lth as pects of certain infections are also in v estigated. A brief overview is given b elo w about the research activity in the three m ain areas.. - T he interaction of different b ac te ria and viruses in the path o lo g y of atrophic rhinitis; stu d y of the nose deform ations in pigs w ith com p u te r tom ography. - Enteric bacteriology, foodborn zoo noses (salmonellosis, colibacillosis): the genetic basis of grow th and col onization inhibition in Salmonella; gene transfer in th e developm ent of Escherichia coli pathotypes; E. coli toxic and ad h esio n virulence an d antibiotic resistance genes.. Fish parasitology projects - The d ev e lo p m e n t cycle, h o st specificity a n d infection p ath o m echanism of fish parasitic m yxosporeans; p h ylogenetic studies. - C orrelation b e tw e e n m ig ratio n ability and Anguillicola infection in eel. - S urvey on p arasitic infections a n d diseases of fishes in Lake B alaton a n d Small B alaton w a te r-re ser voir.. Virology projects - M o lecular epizootiology and genetic engineering of N ew castle d isease v iru s for the elab o ratio n of b e tte r vaccines. - The g en o m e analysis of fish, re p tilian, av ian, and m a m m alian (cat tle, m o n k ey , squirrel) a d e n o v iru s es to s tu d y adenoviral evolution, to p ro d u c e diagnostics, vaccines an d g en e delivery vectors. - D N A b ase d (PCR) d etectio n of the p ath o g en s of tick-born diseases. - The s tu d y of the p ro tein s of chick en a n a em ia virus ex p ressed in b acterial vectors.. Postgradual and gradual training T here are generally about 12 PhD stu d e n ts su p erv ise d by scientists of th e Institute on the subject of m olec u la r virology, b acteriology a n d fish parasitology. L ectures on v eterin ary m icrobiology, m o lecu lar evolution, bioinform atics a n d fish diseases are re g u la rly given at the Szent István U niversity, F aculty of V eterinary Sciences, B udapest. N u m ero u s v e t erin a ry , zoology a n d biology s tu d e n ts m ake their d ip lo m a w o rk in th e Institute.. Bacteriology projects - The p ath o lo g y of Mycoplasma bovis; im p ro v em en t of diagnosis; the m yco p lasm a infection of birds; elab o ratio n of vaccines against m ycoplasm a.. 12.

(15) BALATON LIMNOLOGICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE Address: H-8237. Tihany, K lebelsberg K uno 3. Postal address: H-8237 Tihany, P. O. Box 35. Telephone: (36) 87-448-244 Telefax: (36) 87-448-006 Director: P éter BÍRÓ, C. M. E-mail: biro@ tres.blki.hu. Scope of activities The In stitu te w as o p en ed in 1927 an d since 1951 it h ad belonged to the H u n g a rian A cadem y of Sci ences. The In stitu te h as tw o d e p a rt m ents. The D e p artm en t of H y d ro biology is in v o lv ed in th e ecological research of Lake Balaton, the largest lake in C entral E urope. D ue to the activities of th e in stitu te Balaton becam e one of th e m ost intensively stu d ied lake of th e w o rld a n d has h ad an ecologically so u n d w ater qu ality p ro tectio n program . The D ep artm en t of E xperim ental Zoology con cen trates on the cellular bases of n e u ro n a l re g u la tio n in invertebrates, com bining neuroanatom ical, n eu rochem ical and eletrophysiological techniques, b u t it also deals w ith the physiological effects of organic p o llu atan ts and th eir effect on n eu ro n al regulation.. Partial view of the institute. the reversal of this process, to m o n i tor the biological diversity of the lake, to clarify interactions in aquatic ecosystem s, and to m ake p ro p o sa ls for the conservation of biodiversity.. Research aim s and topics The tw o D ep artm ents of H y d ro biology (A quatic Botany, A quatic Zoology) aim to d eterm ine the role of different factors in lake eu tro p h i cation an d th e optim al strateg y of. The m ain topics of hydrobiological research are the follow ing:. 13.

(16) of m o d el invertebrates, the p hysio logical a n d m em brane effects of anto ro p o g en ic p o llu ta n ts an d bluegreen algae toxins o n aquatic ani m als, a n d to m on ito r the toxic p o llu tion of living organism s of Lake B alaton a n d its catchm ent area.. - Phosphorus m etabolism of the lake - Am m onia, n itra te and u rea u p tak e by p h y to p lan k to n - C haracteristics an d ecological effects of d isso lv e d hum ic s u b stances - Seasonal a n d lo n g -term changes in p h y to p la n k to n - D istribution a n d pho to sy n th esis of cyanobacterial pico p lan k to n - Factors in flu en c e on g ro w th an d toxicity of filam en to u s b lu e-g reen algae - Zoology of th e trib u taries - C om position a n d q u an tity of the littoral m acro b en th o s - The littoral fo o d chain - P roduction a n d re sp iratio n of planktonic, ep ip h y tic an d epilithic crustaceans - P opulation d y n am ics a n d early d ev elopm ent of fishes - B io m an ip u lation by fishes. The m a in topics of the d ep artm en t are th e follow ing: - C olocalization a n d cotransm is sion of signal m olecules - N eurochem ical characterization of signal m olecules an d their recep to rs - Effect of n e u ro p e p tid e s on m em b ra n e currents a n d ionic channels - S ynaptogenesis a n d em bryogenesis of the chem ical specificity of n e u ro n s - M olecular n eurobiology of sec o n d a ry m essengers - N eurobiological effects of algal toxins on the tran sm itte r and re cep to r system s of aquatic o rganism s - Effects of organic p o llu tan ts on the n eu ro n al re g u la tio n of aquatic o rganism s. The D e p artm en t of E xperim ental Zoology aim s to stu d y the c o m p a ra tive n eu ro b io lo g y of signal m o le cules and th e ir re cep to rs in the cen tral and p e rip h e ra l nervous system s. The research vessel "Balaton". 14.

(17) IN T S T IT U T E O F E X PE R IM E N T A L M E D IC IN E Address: H-1083 B udapest, Szigony u. 43. Postal address: H-1450 B udapest, P. O. Box 67. Telephone: (36-1) 210-9400 Fax: (36-1) 210-9423 Director: T am ás FREUND, O. M. E-mail: freund@ koki.hu Home page: h t t p : / / w w w .koki.hu. The main building and the Medical Gene Technology Division of the Institute. Institute has evolved into a prem ier neuroscience center w ith a focus on u n d erstan d in g neurotransm ission, learning and m em ory, anxiety a n d depression, epilepsy, and n eu ral control of the endocrine and im m une system s. Institute scientists h av e ad o p ted a farsighted basic strategy of using m ultidisciplinary approach-. Scope of activities The Institute w as established in 1952 as a m em ber of the research institute n etw ork of the H u n g arian A cadem y of Sciences and it is c u rren tly the only in stitu tio n in H u n g ary dedicat ed exclusively to basic m edical research. O ver the last decade the. 15.

(18) es th at com bine the b est of trad itio n al m eth o d s w ith cuttin g -ed g e tech nologies. They are n o w especially well k n o w n for develo p in g and ap plying state of the art cellular and m olecular neuroanatom ical-neurophysiological and neu ro p h arm aco logical m eth o d s of analysis. The In stitu te occupies a b o u t 9,000 sq u are m eters of la b o ra to ry space w ith a staff of about 150, including 60 research ers. The M edical Gene T echnology D ivision is a n im p o r tan t re cen t ad d itio n th a t includes v iv a riu m facilities for 20,000 m ice and 3,000 rats. In stitu te research an d ed u c atio n al activity is facilitat ed b y a g ro u p of ab o u t 30 Ph. D. stu dents, 60 u n d e rg ra d u a te s, half a d o zen v isitin g scientists, a n d a sim i lar n u m b e r of visits to fo reig n labo rato ries by Institute s tu d e n ts and scientists. Three In stitu te scientists are m em b ers of the H u n g a rian A cad em y of Sciences, a n d fo u r high im p act in tern atio n al jo u rn a ls have th eir chief ed ito r's o r section ed i to r's offices in the In stitu te . The In stitu te is focused o n a range of to p ics at the gene, m olecular, cel lular, system s, and b e h a v io ra l levels w ith foci in ph arm aco lo g y , en d o crinology, cellular a n d netw o rk n eu ro b io lo g y , d ev e lo p m e n t, and b eh a v io ral n eurobiology. The In stitu te collaborates w ith over 100 labs in 18 countries. The In stitu te has tra in e d 43 PhD stu den ts a n d p rovides re searc h o p p o r tu n ities for over a d o z e n y o u n g sci en tists (equivalent of postdocs). The re p u ta tio n of the In stitu te is reflected by the fact th a t in 2000, the. E u ro p e an C om m ission ran k ed the In stitu te second in a bro ad co m p eti tio n for the "C e n te r of Excellence" title th at inv o lv ed over 200 a p p lica tions. Functional neuroanatomical studies - A natom ical, physiological a n d pharm acological studies of cannabinoid re cep to r m ed iated retro g rad e sig n alin g in the central n ervous system . - Q u an titativ e v o ltag e gated ion channel localization, synaptic physiology of sh o rt-term p lastici ty- C hanges of n e u ro n a l circuits in anim al m odels of epilepsy an d in the tem p o ral lobe of h u m an epileptic p aten ts. - C om bined anato m ical a n d p h y si ological an aly ses of rhythm ic electrical activ ity in the septohippocam pal a n d thalam ocortical system s. Pharmacological studies - Synaptic a n d n o n-synaptic com m unication b e tw e e n neurons. - Features of n eu ro tran sm itter release u n d e r physiological an d pathological conditions. - R eceptor m e d ia te d pre- an d postsynaptic m o d u la tio n of n e u ro tran sm itter relase. - T he role of p u rin e rg ic receptors in signal tran sm issio n using tra n s genic mice. - Ischem ia-induced neurochem ical a n d pyhsiological changes in live b ra in slices.. 16.

(19) - Im ag in g reactive o xygen species d u rin g experim ental ischem ia in the central nerv o u s system . - R egulatory function of n e u ro tran sm itte r u p tak e system s. - Im aging in tracellular C a 2 + in ind iv id u l nerve cells. - The role of adenosine in the neuroim m u n e interactions. - B idirectional co nnection of n o ra d renergic tran sm issio n and cytokine production. - D rugs of abuse in the ra t olfactory system : the role of re w a rd m echa nism s in sensory coding. - M o d u lato ry functions of nicotinic receptors in the d e n d rite s and spines of h ip p o cam p al neurons. - D endritic scaling of local regerative activity and its m o d u latio n by alph a-ad ren erg ic receptors. - A n tid ep ressan t actions on the function of io notropic glutam ate receptors: the m echanism s of interaction. - The in terp lay b etw een u p ta k e car riers an d ionotropic receptors. - M u ltidisciplinar stu d ie s to w ard the d ev elo p m en t of fast and sp ace-unlim ited 3-dim ensional scan n in g technologies: u n d e r stan d in g of n etw o rk activity d u r ing d ru g effects.. - M odulation of gene expression in hypothalam ic neuroendocrine ce n ters by steroids, thyroid h orm ones, neurotransm itters, n europeptides and cytokines. - M olecular m echanism s of th y ro id horm one, glucocorticoid and estrogen actions in the brain. - The translational an d p o st-tran slational processes of ty p e II denom inate (D2) an d the m o le c u lar regulation of T3 g en eratio n in the brain. - The p athom echanism of n o n -th y roidal illness sy n d ro m e, n e u ro d e generation a n d n eu ro p ro tectio n . - R egulation of n eu ro en d o crin e centers of the h u m a n brain. - D evelopm ent of novel d ru g s fo r neuro p ro tectio n and tre a tin g m ental disorders. Gene technological and developmental neurobiological studies - U ncovering th e com m on an d d is tinct m olecular a n d genetic bases of the m ulti-functional GABA sig naling system by stu d y in g its m olecular com ponents, p rim a rily the G A B A -synthetic enzym es: their expression, regulation of their genes a n d the m ode of th e ir action in a d u lt a n d d ev e lo p in g brain and also in different e m b ry onic tissues. - Investigating the role of the cell adhesion m olecule N -cad h erin in developm ental processes of th e nervous system including n e u ronal p ath fin d in g , form ation of synaptic connections and in n e u ronal plasticity.. Endocrine neurobiological studies - P hysiology and h y p o th alam ic reg u latio n of m etabolism , stress an d rep ro d u ctio n . - Chem ical identity, plasticity and synaptology of hyp o physiotrophic neu ro n s and their n eu ro n al afferents.. 17.

(20) - D eveloping a n d u tilizin g tran s genic a p p ro a c h e s to genetically m odify w ell defin ed n e u ro n a l cell types a n d circuits a n d signaling p ath w ay s in m ice in o rd e r to bet ter u n d e rs ta n d their role in brain function, d e v e lo p m e n t a n d dis ease. - Studies o n th e in vitro n eu ro g e n e sis u sin g im m o rta liz ed n eu ro n al p ro g en ito r cells d e riv e d from em bryonic m o u se b rains. - Selection a n d ch aracterizatio n of im p lan table n eu ro n al ste m cell p o p u latio n s a n d stu d ies o n the in vivo n e u ro n p ro d u c tio n after im p la n ta tio n of n eu ro n al p ro g e n i tor cells in to different re g io n s of ad u lt m o u se brains.. Behavioral neurobiological studies - T he stu d y of the interactions b e tw e e n glucocorticoid p roduction a n d aggressive behavior, w ith special em phasis o n hypoarousald riv e n abnorm al aggression. - Investigations reg ard in g the behav ioral, endocrine a n d autonom ic ef fects of traum atic stress exposure. B uilding of a new m odel. - S tu d ies on the involvem ent of cannabinoid neu ro tran sm issio n in anxiety and schizophrenia, w ith a n em phasis on stress-induced changes. - Investigations on the role of vaso p re ssin in acute a n d chronic stress. C om parison of psychogenic stres sors and disease m odels.. Elevated plus-maze, test used in anxiety research. 18.

(21) A G R IC U L T U R A L R E S E A R C H IN S T IT U T E Address: H-2462 M artonvásár, B runszvik u. 2. Postal address: H-2462 M artonvásár, P. O. Box 19 Telephone: (36) 22-569 500 Telefax: (36) 22-460 213 Director: Z oltán BEDŐ, C. M. E-mail: bedoz@ m ail.m gki.hu. The Brunszvik mansion, rebuilt in Neo-Gothic style between 1872 and 1875, is now the headquartesrs of the research institute. Institute profile. cations. The fu n d a m e n tal goal is to develop new generic p lan t g en o types to satisfy the needs of the future, based on the intern atio n ally acknow ledged p lan t gene pool accum ulated over the last h alf cen tu ry in M arto n v ásár and u sin g u p to-date genetic, physiological, cell an d re p ro d u ctio n biological, fu n c. The p ro file of the A g ricu ltu ral Re search In stitu te of the H u n g a rian A cadem y of Sciences covers an in te grated sp ectru m of com plex re search ra n g in g fro m basic an d m ethodological p ro b lem s to applied research, in clu d in g practical ap p li. 19.

(22) tio n al genom ic, biotechnological, p la n t b reed in g a n d crop p ro d u c tio n m eth o d s. A n e w scientific d e p a rt m e n t w as set u p in 2005 to su p p o rt, e x p a n d an d in ten sify the genom ic research alre ad y u n d erw ay in the institu te. It is resp o n sib le for c a rry in g out the genom ic research re q u ired for th e im p ro v em en t of p la n t b reed in g m eth o d s, for p ro v id in g the genom ic back g ro u n d for m olecular b re e d in g , and for the d ev elo p m en t of n e w genom ic p r o d ucts. The in v estig atio n s in the in sti tu te also cover p ro d u c tio n tech n o lo gies and cro p env iro n m en ts, the m ain ten an ce of th e agroecological eq uilibrium , th e p reserv atio n a n d im p ro v em en t of genetic variability, th e p ro d u c tio n of raw m aterials for h ea lth y n u tritio n , du rab le p la n t stress resistance, an d an im p ro v e m en t in seed safety, all aim ed at sa t isfying the crite ria of su stain ab le d ev elo p m ent. T his state-run in sti tu te co n trib u tes to research on the gen o ty p e x e n v iro n m e n t x society in teractio n a n d to the stability of th is interaction. In ad d itio n to this com plex research program m e, in sti tu te staff p la y a n active p a rt in u n d e rg ra d u a te a n d p o stg ra d u a te education, in scientific coo p eratio n w ith H u n g a ria n a n d foreign in s titu tions and in the practical in tro d u c tion of scientific results and tech n i cal k n ow ledge. A new stage in the d ev elo p m en t of the M arto n v ásár in n o v atio n c h a in cam e in 2004, w h e n the H u n g a ria n A cadem y of Sciences becam e th e m ajority o w n e r of the M arto n seed C om pany.. Research aims and topics 1. Plant genetics research - U se of functional genom ic m eth ods in studies on the expression of genes influencing the reg u latio n of abiotic stress a d a p ta tio n in cereals, aim ed at gene isolation a n d gene m apping. - G ene expression studies. Investi gations into p ro g ram m e d cell d e a th and its correlation w ith stress adaptation. - D em o n stratio n of D N A sequences occu rrin g in the w h e at genom e in sm all n u m bers of copies by m eans of fibre FISH and PCR in situ m ethods. - M ap p in g and fine m a p p in g of the QTLs of properties responsible for early spring ad a p ta b ility in cereal species. 2. Plant cell and reproduction biology research - M olecular cell biology studies on in planta and in vitro fertilisation and early em bryo developm ent in cere als using the functional genom ic approach. - Investigations on the m echanism of egg-cell activation; developm ent of p lan t clones from egg-cells. - S tudies on the role a n d sym ptom s of program m ed cell d eath d u rin g the form ation and m aturation of the m ale and female gam etophytes an d d u rin g the sexual processes an d m icrospore em bryogenesis of plants.. 20.

(23) - In v estig atio n s into the m olecular reg u latio n of in vitro an d rogenesis u sin g v a rio u s u ltrastru c tu ral an d im m unocytochem ical m ethods. - D ev elo p m en t of dihaploid p lan ts of m icro sp o re origin for b re ed in g pu rp o ses. - M icro m an ip u latio n of w h eat eggcells.. sible for agronom ically useful pro p erties from re la ted species in o rd e r to create new basic b re ed ing stock (prebreeding). 5. Molecular breeding research - M olecular m ark er-assisted selec tion for the in co rp o ratio n of new genes en su rin g biotic stress resist ance. - A ssociation studies o n cereal species to determ ine th e allele fre quency of genes in fluencing ad a p tation. - S tudies on how p la n t tran sfo rm a tion system s can be u se d in cereal breeding. - Incorporation of ce rtain storage p ro tein genes from th e w heat variety B ánkúti 1201 in to m o d ern genotypes using m ark er-assisted selection.. 3. Plant physiology research - In v estig atio n of physiological an d biochem ical processes in v o lv ed in th e abiotic stress a d a p ta tio n of cereals, a n d studies on how defence m ech an ism s develop. - S tudies o n interactions b etw e en h eav y m etal (Al, Cd, Zn, H g) to l erance a n d p h y tochelatin sy n thase activity in crops. - A nalysis of th e flow ering biology a n d p hysiological effects of UV-B ra d ia tio n in m aize.. 6. Research on cereal chemistry and quality. 4. Cereal gene bank research - Collection, p reservation and m ain ten an ce of the genetic p o o l of m aize. M orphological d escrip tio n a n d ag ro n o m ic testing of the sources, varieties, pop u latio n s, synthetics a n d lines collected a n d stu d ies on h o w they are related to each other. - B roadening th e collection of w h e a t an d re la te d species. D eter m in atio n of th e diversity a v a il able for m ajor m orphological a n d agronom ic traits an d of how th ese are in h erited . - In co rp o ratio n into cultivated w h e at of g ene com plexes re sp o n . - R esearch on the sto rag e protein com position of old H u n g a ria n w heat varieties; d eterm in a tio n and isolation of new a n d m u tan t genes. - Biochemical, technological and m olecular genetic stu d ie s on fac tors determ ining the en d o sp e rm stru ctu re of w heat grains. - Im provem ents in the y ello w pig m ent content of d u ru m w heat. - Increase in the efficiency of w hole plant utilisation in fe e d in g by im p ro v in g the chem ical quality and digestibility of m aize.. 21.

(24) increasing the durability of the leaf area. - D evelopm ent of m aize genotypes tolerant of environm ent-friendly herbicides effective in m icroquan tities by incorporating resistance genes. - B reeding of silage an d grain m aize h y b rid s com petitive on H u n g a ria n an d export m arkets. - D e v elo p m en t of m aize h y b rid s w hich ca n be grow n u sin g cost saving, environm ent-friendly tech nologies a n d w hich use ecological sources efficiently.. - B reeding of m aize h y b rid s for v a r ious end-uses (sw eetcorn, co rn flakes, waxy). 7. Plant stress resistance research - S tudies on th e h o st plant p ath o g en re latio n sh ip , the genetic b ack g ro u n d of resistance and the efficiency of resistance genes. In co rp o ration o f new , effective resistance genes in to genotypes w ith good ag ro n o m ic properties. - D ev elo p m ent of basic m aize b re ed in g stock re sistan t or toler a n t to abiotic a n d biotic stress fac tors. R esearch o n the chilling to l erance of m aize. - R esearch into g en o ty p es resistan t to the to x in -p ro d u cin g Fusarium spp. p rev alen t in H un g ary in o rd e r to im p ro v e p ro d u ctio n a n d food safety. - U tilisatio n of h ap lo id cu ltu res a n d in vitro cell selection for th e d ev elo p m en t of cereals to leran t of h eav y m etal a n d oxidative stress.. 9. Cereal breeding research - B reeding of w inter w h e at v ari eties w ith excellent m illing and b re a d m a k in g quality a n d w hich can be successfully g ro w n u n d er agroecological conditions sim ilar to those in the C arp ath ian Basin. - B reeding of w in ter-h ard y , high quality w in te r d u ru m w h e a t vari eties w h ic h can be m ark e ted both in H u n g a ry an d abroad a n d p ro vide satisfactory raw m aterial for p asta-m aking. - B reeding of spring a n d w in ter oat g en o ty p es suitable for hu m an c o n su m p tio n and anim al feeding. - R esearch on triticale a n d barley g en o ty p es for various end-uses.. 8. Maize breeding research - Increase in the frequency of d o m i nant genes responsible for favourable ag ro n o m ic p ro p erties in source p o p u la tio n s using re c u r ren t selection m eth o d s. - Use of exotic gene sources to select in b red lin es w ith excellent specific co m b in in g ability. - Im p ro v em en t in the h arv est in d ex an d grain filling period an d rate of m aize w ith o u t a change in the len g th of the v eg e ta tio n p erio d b y. 10. Crop production research - Use of g ro w th analysis, ecophysiological studies an d stability analysis in long-term experim ents to achieve the sustainable devel. 22.

(25) -. -. -. -. -. utilisation of m aize h y b rid s and w heat varieties.. o p m en t of m aize a n d w h eat p ro duction. Use of g ro w th m odels for yield p re d ictio n a n d to investigate the spatial variability an d tim e processes of yield form ation. R esearch on the agronom ic res pon ses of m aize h y b rid s an d w h eat v arieties at the p la n t stand, in d iv id u a l plan t an d p lan t organ levels. Site-specific m easu rem en t an d re g u la tio n of m ajor y ield -d eter m in in g factors in field crop p ro d u ctio n experim ents. Analysis of p h o sp h o rus effects and after-effects in lo ng-term fertilisa tion experim ents set u p on cher n ozem soil w ith forest residues. Im p ro v e m e n t in the efficiency of N fertilisatio n by analysing the N. 11. Agroecological research - Research into h u lled d ip lo id and tetrap lo id w h eat su itab le for organic farm ing. - Studies on the effect of th e m ost im p o rtan t com ponents of global clim ate changes on the y ield com ponents, abiotic an d biotic re sist ance and chem ical q u ality of cu lti vated plants. - Investigations into the p o ten tial environm ental effects of g en e ti cally m odified plants. - Testing a n d selection of cereal varieties a n d gen o ty p es w ith durable resistance, m ak in g th em suitable for organic farm ing.. One of the largest phytotrons in Europe allows plants to be grown under controlled conditions. 23.

(26) P L A N T P R O T E C T IO N IN S T IT U T E Address: 1022. B udapest, H e rm a n O ttó ú t 15. Postal address: H-1525 B udapest, P. O. Box 102. Telephone: (36-01) 4877-500 Telefax: (36-1) 4877-555 Director: T am ás KŐMÍVES, C. M. E-mail: tkom @ nki.hu Home page: h t t p : / /w w w .n k i.h u. The view of the Institute. Scope of activities. to the b asic research, m o st of the in d iv id u a l scientists are in v o lv ed in p o s tg ra d u a te train in g , ap p lied re search as w ell as in innovation.. The In stitu te is th e research cen tre for plan t p ro te c tio n a n d it is in volved m ain ly in basic re searc h in the fields of p la n t p ath o lo g y , e n to m ology, ecotoxicology, p esticid e chem istry, h e rb o lo g y a n d disease resistance of c ro p plants. In ad d itio n. R esearch aim s a n d topics The aim of plant protection research is to red u ce the crop yield losses by. 24.

(27) m o d ern m anagem ent of diseases, in sects an d w eeds, w hich are harm ful in the field. An additional aim is to help environm ental protection by cre ating environm entally safe a n d sound m ethods of p lan t protection. In fact, the final aim of o u r activities is to u n d erstan d the biological basis of envi ro nm ent-friendly pest m anagem ent. Accordingly, research is carried out in o rd er to u n d ersta n d the biology of plan t disease agents, insects and w eeds, the physiology of diseased crops, the m echanism s of disease and insect resistance, problem s of ecotoxicology as w ell as resistance of pests to pesticides. R esearch also covers the genetic m an ip u latio n of crop plants to create resistant cultivars, reduction of pesticide use in agriculture, the de v elopm ent of selective pesticides and seeking for alternative m ethods of p est m an ag em en t w hich are environ m entally safe and sound.. -. -. -. general resistance to bacterial pathogens. C haracterisation of v iru ses infect in g crop plants. P hysiology of v iru s infected plants. W heat ru st resistance. Role of oxygen free radicals in necrotic disease sy m p to m s and the action of an tio x id an ts in d is ease resistance. Biochem ical im m u n isatio n of cul tiv ated plants. S tu d y of b io tran sfo rm atio n steps of th e form aldehyde cycle w ith special reference to the stress sy n drom e.. Biotechnology - P hytoplasm a detection a n d id en ti fication by D N A -based tech niques. - C onstruction of m icro-organism s for biological control of p la n t d is eases. - Use of genetic tran sfo rm atio n to in tro d u ce resistance into plants.. Plant Pathology - M olecular aspects of interspecific in teractio n s in the genus P h y to p h th o ra. - M olecular taxonom y of F u sariu m g enus, F u sariu m toxins. - Interactions of antagonistic m icro org an ism s as p otential biocontrol agents. - M ycological, pathological an d eco logical aspects of forest decline.. Insect Pest and Insect Physiology - Influence of biotic ecological fac tors on enviro n m en tally safe p lan t protection m ethods. - S tu d y of the spread of p o p u la tio n dynam ics of insects w ith respect to clim atic changes. - P herom one biology of ag ric u ltu r al p ests previously u n a p p ro a c h able because of m ethodological problem s. - H orm onal m echanism s co n tro l ling developm ent a n d re p ro d u c tion of insects.. Physiological and Molecular Aspects o f Plant Disease - H o st-p ath o g en relationships in bacterial diseases. Early in d u ced. 25.

(28) Insect Ecology. Ecotoxicology and environmental anaysis. - R esearch of the functio n in g an d food w eb stru c tu re of agroecosys tem s. - A nalyses of the d ata from long term m o n ito rin g netw orks. - D ev elo p m ent of biological control techniques. - E stablishm ent of taxonom ical an d faunistical d atab ases. - C o n serv ation b iological stu d ies in n atu ra l p ark s a n d n a tu re reserve areas. - B ehavioural ecological an d autecological stu d ies. - Life h isto ry a n d re p ro d u ctiv e biology of p re d a to ry arth ro p o d s.. - M onitoring of the effects of p e sti cides on th e en vironm ent an d n o n -targ et organism s. - T esting the side effect of p esti cides on beneficial organism s. - D e v elo p m en t of im m u n o d etec tion system s for en v iro n m en tal m onitoring. Chemical Aspects of Pest Control - D ev elo p m en t of new selective anti-insect agents. - D esign a n d synthesis of selective an tifu n g al agents. - D esign a n d synthesis low -dose herbicides an d herbicide safeners. - N a tu ral co m p o u n d s as p o ten tial p est an d disease control agents.. 26.

(29) RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR SOIL SCIENCE AND AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY Address: H-1022. B udapest, H erm an O ttó ú t 15. Postal address: H-1525. B udapest, P. O. Box 35. Telephone: (36-1) 356-4682 Telefax: (36-1) 356-4682 Director: Tam ás NÉM ETH, C. M. E-mail: nem eth@ rissac.hu Home page: h t t p : / /w w w .ta k i.iif.h u. View of the main building of the research institute. Scope of A ctivity. n u m ero u s n atio n al an d in te rn a tio n al program m es. T he in stitu te w as established in 1949.. RISSAC is th e scientific centre in H u n g a ry for soil science, agrochem istry a n d soil biology. T he Institute is resp o n sib le prim arily for fu n d a m ental research in these fields w ith significant ap p lied research, educa tion, ad v iso ry and inform ation activities, a n d extensive national an d in tern atio n al cooperation. RIS SAC is th e co o rd ination centre of. Research O bjectives and T opics Soils rep resen t a considerable p a r t of the natural reso u rces of H u n g a ry . C onsequently, th e ir rational u tiliz a tion, con servation a n d the m a in te n ance of their m u ltip u rp o se fu n c tio n ality have p artic u la r signifi-. 27.

(30) cance b o th for the n atio n al econom y a n d en v iro n m e n t p rotection. T he efficiency of soil functions (con d itionally renew able n a tu ra l re source; m ed ia for biom ass p ro d u c tion; p rim ary n u trie n t reso u rce of th e biosphere; storage of h eat, w ater, p la n t n u trien ts an d p o llu tan ts; n a tu ral filter; h ig h capacity b u ffer m edia; gene reservoir) is d eterm in e d by the in teg rated im pacts of soil p ro p erties, w h ich are the resu lt of soil process es. The m ain task of su stain ab le land u se and ratio nal soil m a n ag e m en t is th e control of soil processes: m ass an d energy regim es, abiotic and biotic tran sp o rt a n d tran sfo rm atio n a n d their interactions.. to -d ate GIS facilities (in the recent ly established GIS Laboratory), geostatistical analyses and rem ote sensing. 2. Identification of v ario u s soil func tio n an d their m u ltid iscip lin ary ev a lu a tio n from th e view points of su stainable bio m ass production, la n d use and e n v iro n m e n t p rotec tion. 3. D escription, quan tificatio n an d m o d elin g of the m ass and energy regim es of soil, th e ir determ ining a n d influencing factors and m ech an ism s for an efficient prediction a n d control. The elab o ration of the scientific basis for th ese actions is th e m ain task of th e Institute:. 1. D eterm ination a n d quantification of the spatial a n d tim e variabili ties of the v ario u s form s of p lan t n u trie n ts in soils; status an d dynam ics of p la n t n u trien ts in the soil - plant ro o ts m icro-environ m ent; the u p -to -d a te evaluation a n d characterization of the "p la n t n u trie n t su p p ly " function of soils a n d possibilities of its regulation. 2. D eterm ination of the n u trien t u p tak e and fertilizer response of the m ain cultivated crops and - on this basis - the developm ent of the m o d ern environm entally and eco nom ically sustainable plant n u tri tio n system a n d advisory service b ased on soil tests, plant analyses, precision techniques and long te rm field experim ents. 3. P rev en tio n a n d red u ctio n of soil p o llu tio n an d its unfavorable ag ricu ltu ral a n d environm ental consequences.. A grochem istry. 1. Q u alitativ e an d q u a n tita tiv e ch ar acterizatio n of soil resources. 2. Q u antification a n d p re d ic tio n of soil processes for th eir efficient control. 3. D ev elo p m ent of scientifically based, ra tio n al p la n t n u tritio n . 4. P rev en tio n an d re d u c tio n of soil p o llu tio n an d its u n fa v o rab le en v iro n m en tal consequences. 5. A nalysis of the role of m ic ro n u tri ents in soil processes. S oil Science 1. Q u an titative ch a racterizatio n of spatial (vertical and h orizontal) and tem p o ral variabilities of soil properties (soil m apping, soil m on itoring) w ith the app licatio n of up-. 28.

(31) Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 3. Study of the interrelations betw een the m icroorganism s a n d higher plants, agricultural crops at various biotic an d abiotic environm ental conditions by using rhizotechnological tools for soil protection.. 1. D evelopm ent of sta n d a rd and applicable techniques b y u sin g ap p ro p riate soil m icroorganism s or processes as possible b io in d ic a tors of the soil fun ctioning a n d the soil degradation.. 4. D evelopm ent of biorem ed iatio n technologies for reh ab ilitatio n of co n tam in ated areas.. 2. M onitoring ecological s ta tu s of soils at v ario u s n atu ral, in d u stria l and agro-ecosystem s.. 29.

(32) INSTITUTE OF ECOLOGY AND BOTANY Address: H-2163 V ácrátót, A lkotm ány u. 2-4. Postal address: H-2163 V ácrátót, A lkotm ány u. 2-4. Phone: (36) 28-360-122, 28-360-147 Fax: (36) 28-360-110 Director: K atalin TÖRÖK, Ph. D. E-mail address: igazgato@ botanika.hu. The former manor house of Count Vigyázó in the middle of the richest botanic garden of Hungary is the central building of the institute of Ecology and Botany. - H ydrobiology of ru n n in g and stan d in g w a te rs and w e tlan d s; - Ecological effects of clim ate- and land use changes; - C onservation biology a n d re sto ra tion ecology; - Exploring a n d utilising n ew plant resources; - In vestigation an d analysis of n a t ural v eg e ta tio n in H u n g ary ;. Scope of activities Basic a n d ap p lied research in th e field of ecology, b o ta n y a n d h y d ro biology. R esearch is carried o u t in th e follow ing topics: - O rg an isatio n a n d dynam ics of biocoenoses; - B iodiversity p a tte rn s at v ario u s scales;. 30.

(33) cellence (EU F ram ew o rk P ro g ram m e 6) w ith th e lead ersh ip of the IEB.. - A s a special task, the m aintenance and d ev elo p m en t of the collec tions of the Botanical G ard en . G o v ern m en tal fu n d ing en su res the fu n ction in g of the In stitu te a n d the Botanical G arden, b u t does n o t cov er the expenses of research itself. It covers th e salaries of the p erm a n en t research er staff, and p a rtly th e p u r chase of lab oratory devices a n d the in frastru ctu re of the Institute. It also su p p o rt th e d ev elo pm ent of d ata bases of th e Botanical G arden.. M ETA M ap p in g the p re se n t v egetation of H u n g a ry is a long d e b t of H u n g a ria n botany. Only the N atio n al R esearch G ra n t (NKFP) in 2001 m ade it p o ssi ble for the IEB to lau n ch this h u g e task. The m ap p in g project w ill b e ac com plished by the e n d of 2005 w ith the h elp of 250 H u n g a ria n b o tan ists w h o w ill spend alto g eth er 7000 d ay s in the field. The G IS-based v e g e ta tio n m ap is E u ro p e's largest v e g e ta tio n database. This d a ta source w ill facilitate the d ev e lo p m e n t of H u n g arian landscape ecology an d p r e dictive m odelling, w ill help n a tu re conservation practices, and en ric h the know ledge-base of en v iro n m e n tal education.. Major national and international research projects coordinated by the Institute ILTER The In tern atio n al Long T erm Eco logical R esearch N etw o rk (ILTER) consists of research sites a n d scien tists, ded icated to m ulti- a n d in ter d isciplinary long-term a n d large spatial scale ecological re searc h and m onitoring. The d ev elo p m en t of the H u n g a rian LTER N e tw o rk started in 1994 w ith the initiative a n d coor d in atio n of the IEB. N ow it consists of three sites /S ik fő k u t, K iskun and Lake B alato n / re p re se n tin g the characteristic biom es of th e country an d m eetin g th e m in im u m site stan d ard s of ILTER. The In stitu te d irect ly m anages the K iskun LTER site allocated in the D anube-T isza inter fluve region, w h ere the cen tral eco logical p ro b lem is the im p act of global en v iro n m en tal ch an g es on the biocoenoses. The H u n g a rian LTER N e tw o rk becam e p a rtn e r of the ALTER-Net N e tw o rk of Ex. Hungarian Forest Reserve Program The Institute is responsible for scien tific co-ordination of the H u n g a ria n Forest Reserve P rogram of the M inistry of E nvironm ent and W ater. W ithin the Program , 63 forest reserve sites w ere legally designated to p r e serve old-grow th a n d sem i-natural forests and also to en su re lo n g -term research of natu ral forest ecosystem s. The strictly protected core area (3600 ha) is left to n a tu ra l d ev elo p m en t w ith o u t silvicultural m anagem ent; the protected buffer zone (9500 ha) is designated for experim entation. O u r m ost im portant research partners are U niversity of W est H ungary, E ötvös. 31.

(34) cling of the different river sections; im p act of environm ental factors (nat u ra l or hu m an in d u ced hydrological regim e) and the stru ctu re of the biot ic com m unity. A long-term task of the Station is the hydrobiological m onito rin g of the Szigetköz area. The latest studies of w a te r and sedim ent chem istry, fito- a n d zooplankton, m acrophytes, m acroinvertebrates, fish populations a n d am phibians are all closely related to the functional as p ects of biodiversity, river fragm en tatio n , functioning of the river sy s tem an d adjacent w etlands.. Loránd U n iversity, U niversity of Pécs, "V ásárh ely i István" N ature C onservation G ro u p , D irectorates of the N atio n al P arks, and th e Forest Research Institute. These studies play a principal role in u n d ersta n d in g nat ural processes, conserving biological diversity, a n d developing th e m eth ods of su stain ab le and close-to-nature forest m anagem ent. The research activity of the Hungarian D an u be Research Station D epartm ent Hydrobiology o f running waters. Hydrobiology of standing waters and wetlands. Research is b ase d on the experiences gained d u rin g the long-term survey of the p re v io u s decades: basic p at terns of th e riv er biota; m aterial cy. M ost of the research of stan d in g w a te rs and w e tla n d s is carried o u t. The most spectacular point of the Danube: the Danube-Bend. 32.

(35) the stability a n d vulnerability of food chains and the relationship b etw een fine-scale p attern an d process of v eg etation. at the F ertő-H anság region. The investigations of the stru c tu re and function of co m m unities a n d on the effects of en v iro n m en tal factors focus on tw o m ajor h a b ita t types of Lake Fertő: the open w a te r surfaces an d the re ed belt. The hydrobiological m o n ito rin g of sm all lakes and co n stru cted w etlan d s in the Flanság area serves m ainly the reconstruc tion goals of n atu re conservation.. Taxonomic studies Taxonom ic an d phylogenetic stu d ies b y traditional a n d m olecular m e th ods contribute to the assessm ent of biodiversity. Specialists on lichens a n d tropical Rubiaceae species carry o u t these investigations.. The H u n g a ria n D anube Research Station tak es p art in the im p lem en tation of th e EU W ater F ram ew ork Directive, m ainly in the elaboration of m etho d o lo g y for biom onitoring and the p ro b lem of reference sites.. Ecological effects o f climate- and land use changes These studies - focusing on the K is k u n ság region - are p erfo rm ed m ostly in in tern a tio n al collabora tion. They in clu d e subsequent p h y tosociological surveys, veg etatio n a n d biom ass m ap p in g , m o n ito rin g of invasive species, clim ate sim u la tion field experim ents, w hich aim at m onitoring a n d explaining the changes in ecosystem structures a n d functions to s u p p o rt su stainable m anagem ent a n d land use.. The collections of the Botanical Garden Departm ent The D ep artm en t m ain tains the rich est living p lan t collection in H u n gary, h av in g m ore th an 12000 taxa ordered to the follow ing collections: - System atic collection - T ropical collection - D endrological collection - C ollections of rock g ard en and bulb ifero u s plants - "P lan ts of the Bible" special col lection. Conservation biology and restoration ecology D ue to the stru c tu ra l changes of agriculture, larg e areas are a b a n doned. R estoration ecology can h elp the develo p m en t of sem in atu ral vegetation in th ese fields. B eyond increasing biodiversity, the d e v e l o p ed m an ag em en t practices (m ow in g and seed sow ing) decrease th e cover of alien w eeds, including ra g w eed (A m brosia artem isiifolia), the. The research activity of the Departm ent of Plant E cology Organisation and dynamics ofbiocoenoses The studies aim to establish the theo retical background of effective nature conservation. R esearches focus on. 33.

(36) m ost im p o rta n t species.. allergenic. p lan t. m en t, using the experim ental field of the Botanic G arden.. Exploring and utilising new plant resources. Exploration and analysis o f natural vegetation in Hungary. Plants, especially m em bers of the Lam iaceae fam ily, contain a lot of co m p o u n d s th at are p o ten tially row m aterials for m edicines. Isolation of n ew co m p o u n d s an d c o m p ariso n of co m p o u n d co n ten t betw een cu ltiv at ed variates are d o n e at the D e p a rt. In o rd e r to increase the scientific k n o w led g e on the H u n g a ria n v eg e ta tio n heritage w e stu d y the la n d scap e historical ch an g es of the vege tatio n , and also its recent pattern, dynam ics, lan d scap e ecology and re g en eratio n potential.. Climate change simulation experiment in the Kiskun LTER site, near Kecskemét. 34.

(37) B IO L O G IC A L R E SE A R C H C EN TER Address: H-6726 Szeged, T em esvári krt. 62. Postal address: H-6701 Szeged, P. O. Box 521 Telephone: (36) 62-599-769 or 599-600 Telefax: (36) 62-432-576 an d 433-188 General director: D énes DUDITS, O. M. E-mail: D udits@ nucleus.szbk.u-szeged.hu. The Biológiai Research Center of the HAS in Szeged. Scope of activ ities. ged B iopolisz In n o v a tio n and Service Ltd. P articipation in o rg a n ized scientific p o stg ra d u a l training, higher education an d w o rk of the In tern atio n al T raining C ourse. P ublication of the scientific results. C losest possible cooperations w ith related institutes of the H u n g a ria n A cadem y of Sciences, universities, a n d other H u n g arian a n d foreign research institutions. M ethodo logical train in g of y o u n g scientists.. Basic research in m olecular, cellular and d ev elo p m en tal biology in he field of genetics, biochem istry, enzym ology, p lan t biology an d b io physics. The in terd iscip lin ary re search activities are su p p o rte d by central laborato ries w ith facilities in DN A chip technology, p ro te in analysis (MALDI-TOF) b io in fo rm at ics, D N A seq u en cin g a n d synthesis. In a d d itio n to g en eratio n of no v el know ledge, researchers are en g ag ed by p ro d u c tio n of intellectual p ro p erties th a t can be u sed th ro u g h a technology tran sfer com pany Sze. The Biological R esearh C en ter of the H u n g a rian A cadem y of Sciences gained the "C enter of Excellence" title from th e EU in 2000.. 35.

(38) BRC INSTITUTE OF BIOPHYSICS Address: H-6726 Szeged, T em esvári krt. 62. Postal address: H-6701 Szeged, Pf.521. Telephone: (36) 62-433-465 Telefax: (36) 62-433-133 Director: Pál ORM OS, C. M. E-mail: pali@ nucleus.szbk.u-szeged.hu. Scope of activities. - D ynam ics of the electron transfer in p ro tein s, particularly in cyto chrom e c a n d azurin. Effect of the p rotein stru c tu re on the rate of electron transfer. - Im p lem en tatio n of high tim e reso lution (10 ns) infrared spec troscopy for dynam ic studies. - Single m olecule m anipulations by laser tw eezers; dynam ic stu d ies of the DNS m olecule. - N anobiotechnology. D esign and con stru ctio n of m icroscopic op to m echanical and optoelectronic devices by photopolym erisation. Biological application of m icro m achines m an u factu red a n d d riv en by light. - Technical applications of bacteriorhodopsin: developm ent of bioelectronic a n d nonlinear optical devices.. Basic research a im in g at the e lu c id a tio n of the o p e ra tio n of biological system s on p h y sical g ro u n d s. S tudies focusing o n the processes of biological en erg y conversion, m e m b ran e biophysics a n d neu ro b io lo g y u sin g m o d ern physical, chem ical a n d biological m eth o d s. R esearch o n the self-o rg an izatio n ability of m atter and stu d ie s on the re g u la tio n processes in liv in g m atter p rim arily by physical m eth o d s. Research aims and topics Studies in membrane bioenergetics - Physical characterisation of the function of proteins based on m y o globin. Studies of protein dynam ics and the details of the relationship betw een stru ctu re and function. - The m echanism of light en erg y conversion in re tin a l proteins. The energetic re la tio n sh ip s of the p ro tein m otion a n d charge transfer. - Spectroscopic a n d photoelectric studies of the v isu a l and p h o to synthetic a p p a ra tu s of C hlam ydom onas.. Studies of the microbial gas metabolism - D eterm in atio n of the m issing data for the m olecular characterization of the pho to sy n th etic b acteriu m T. roseopersicina. - D ev elopm ent of a gene transfer system for T. roseopersicina; site specific m u tag en esis studies.. 36.

(39) - In v estig atio n of the p ro tein s p a r ticipating in the Ni m etabolism , Ni tra n sp o rt an d storage, a n d N i in corp o ratio n into p ro tein s of T. roseopersicina, by m olecular biolog ical an d biophysical m ethods. - D ev elo p m en t of a gene transfer m eth o d for the m olecular investi gation of h y p er-th erm ophils. - Biochem ical, biophysical and m olecular biological characterisa tion of the therm ostabile m ethano tro p h isolate and the m ethane m onooxigenase (MMO) enzym es fo u n d w ithin. - Im plem entation of the biogas inten sification system for practical appli cations.. m em branes: th e plant p la sm a m em brane b -ty p e cytochrom es. - P rotein insertion, folding a n d assem bly in m em branes a n d on m em brane surfaces. - M em brane dynam ics and p ro tein lipid interactions in native m e m branes. Studies in molecular neurobiology - C ellular basis of n eu ro d eg en e rative disorders. - Experim ents o n the in vivo m o d el of the b lood-brain barrier. - C om plex m orphological, b io p h y s ical and m olecular biological c h a r acterization of n ervous tissue. - Effect of g o n ad al steroids on n e u ro-glial p lasticity an d n e u ro p ro tection. - Studies of the tra n sp o rt processes in the brain. - Cell adhesion m olecules a n d th e neuro-glial plasticity. Studies o f membrane structure and dynamics - Transm em brane proton pum p in g by a m em branous m olecular motor: the vacuolar proton-ATPase. - T ran sm em b ran e electron tra n s p o rt an d redox activity in p lasm a. microscope objective. laserbeam filamentous molecule (DNA, actin, etc). glass slide. 37.

(40) BRC INSTITUTE OF BIOCHEMISTRY Address: H-6726 Szeged, T em esvári krt. 62. Postal address: H-6701 S zeged, Pf.521. Telephone: (36) 62-599-654 Telefax: (36) 62-433-506 Director: G y ö rg y PÓSFAI, D. Sc E-mail: bktitk@ brc.hu. Scope of activities. - Molecular mechanisms of opioid toleran ce/depen den ce - D esign, synthesis a n d radioactive labelling of biological active p e p tid es - C onstruction of m o u se m odels of h u m a n n eu ro d eg en erativ e a n d cardiovascular diseases. Basic re searc h using v a rio u s m o d ern m eth o d s applicable in n atu ra l sciences, stu d ies of nucleic acids, p roteins a n d lip id s a n d th e ir com plexes o n different o rg an izatio n al levels. T he stu d ies are a im e d at bet ter u n d e rs ta n d in g of th e chem ical and physicochem ical n a tu re of liv ing m atter, its changes, re g u la tio n of processes tak in g places in living m atter a n d law s g o v ern in g life p h e nom ena. E m phasis is o n projects w ith p o ten tial practical ap p licatio n s in m edicine a n d biotechnology. Research aim s and topics 1. Membrane-lipid and molecular stress biology projects The role of m em brane p h y sical state in stress p ercep tio n a n d signaling; reg u latio n a n d m o lecu lar architec tu re a n d fu n ctio n of ch a p ero n e s 2. Neurobiology projects - Structural and functional analysis of opioid (morphine) receptor system: molecular basis of the heterogeneity. 38.

(41) 4. Nucleic acid research projects. 3. Eukaryotic molecular biology projects. - Sequence-specific D N A recogni tion by ty p e II restriction e n d o n u cleases a n d m odification m ethyltransferases - In vitro evolution stu d ie s on enzym e therm otolerance a n d sta bility - G enom e engineering of p ro k a ry otic cells; role of m obile genetic elem ents in the ev o lu tio n and ad a p ta tio n of bacterial genom es. - R egulation of in tracellular p ro te in b reak d o w n - The role of cytokines in im m u n e defense and in au to im m u n e d is eases - N ew m echanism s in eukaryotic tran scrip tio n reg u lation - S tudies on key proteolytic co m plexes in cell cycle regulation - S tructure, expression and re g u la tion of genes co d in g for extracel lu lar m atrix pro tein s. 39.

(42) INSTITUTE OF ENZYMOLOGY Address: H-1113 B udapest, K arolina út 29. Postal address: H-1518 B udapest, P. O. Box 7. Telephone: (36-1) 2793-100 Telefax: (36-1) 4665-465 Director: P eter FRIEDRICH, O. M. E-mail: friedric@ enzim .hu. The main building of the institute. Scope of activities. Research aim s and topics. Basic research a im ed at elu cid a tin g the role of en z y m e s and o th er p ro teins in biological processes, re g u la tion of these p ro cesses at m o lecu lar level, the stru ctu re -fu n c tio n re la tionship of p ro tein s. Im p ro v e m e n t of experim ental m eth o d s a n d d e v e l o p m en t of th eir theoretical basis.. - M olecular m echanism s of learn ing a n d m em ory - C alp ain system in h e a lth and dis ease - P lasm am em brane a n d intracellu lar re cep to r proteins of lysophosp h o lip id m ediators. 40.

(43) - Structure, function and ev o lu tio n of intrinsically u n stru c tu re d p ro teins - ABC transporters: stru ctu re, fu n c tion and their role in m u ltid ru g resistance and genetic diseases - Role of M o d u lar O rg a n isatio n in Folding an d Function of P roteins - P rotein com plexes of D N A re p air and the p ath w a y of thym ine-less apoptosis - A ctivation an d re g u latio n of the m u ltid o m ain serine p ro tea ses of the com plem ent system (C l an d MASPs) involved in the in n ate im m unity of vertebrates - R elationship of protein flexibility to stability an d function. S tru ctu ral and functional charac teristics of n atively u n fo ld e d / genetically m isfolded p ro teins and the in v o lvem ent of their a b e rra n t associations in n e u ro d e g en eratio n P rediction of gene stru ctu re and altern ativ e splicing E v olution of m u ltid o m ain p ro teins M echanism s of action of serine o lig op ep tid ases A n aly zin g an d predicting the stru ctu re s of pro teins an d their com plexes by m eans of sim u la tio n an d v ario u s bioinform atics ap p ro ach es. 41.

(44) BRC INSTITUTE OF GENETICS Address: H-6726 Szeged, T em esvári krt. 62. Postal address: H-6701 S zeged, PO. Box. 521. Telephone: (36) 62-599-681 Telefax: (36) 62-433-503 Director: Istv án RASKÓ, D. Sc. (m edicine) e-mail: rasko@ nucleus .szbk. u-szeged .hu. Scope of activities. Genetic regulation of chromatin structure. Basic research o n the m echanism s of h ered ity an d o n th e processes re g u latin g and in flu en cin g the m an ifesta tio n of h ered itary traits on m olecular a n d various o th e r organizational levels by the m e a n s of the m eth o d s of functional genom ics. Teaches an d dissem inates th e science of genetics at h ig h stan d ard .. - The role of h ig h er o rd e r chro m atin stru ctu re in the regulation of ex pression of hom eotic genes. - Efficient tissue and cell specific d eliv ery of artificial chrom o som es. - C o n stru ctio n of artificial chrom o som e vectors for gene therapy, gene th era p y in anim al m odel w ith th erap eu tic artificial chro m osom es.. Research aim s and topics Molecular genetic changes during oogenezis. Signal transduction, cell communication, apoptosis. - Genetic and functional interactions b etw een genes p articip atin g in p ro tein p h o sp h o rila tio n /d e p h o sphorilation d u rin g oogenezis. - Indentification a n d characterization of genes and gene families playing role in germ line developm ent. - M olecular genetic characterization of cell su b -p o p u latio n s of in n ate im m unity.. - C haracterizatio n of genes partici p a tin g in cell ploriferation d u rin g oogenezis and tu m o ro u s grow th. - M ap -b ased cloning of genes of sym biotic nitrogen fixation in alfalfa a n d m olecular genetic stu d ies of signal m olecules in R. meliloti p articipating in legum e in d u ctio n .. 42.

(45) - Investigation of the m o lecular m echanism of D N A lesion b y p ass a n d its connection to checkpoint regulation. - T o gain insight in to the fun ctio n of yeast an d h u m a n genes p lay in g role in D N A repair, m u tag en esis, a n d carcinogenesis.. - The u n d e rsta n d in g of m o lecular biological basis of galectinin d u ced ap o p to sis in the im m u n e system . Molecular human genetic studies - P o p u latio n genetic stu d ies by the m eans of m itochondrial D N A and Y chrom osom e specific m arkers from an cien t bones. - Identification of m olecular genet ic su sceptibility factors in com plex diseases.. Population genetic and phylogenetic studies - P opu latio n genetic stu d ies of d if ferent insect species b y the m ean s of m itochondrial D N A m arkers. - P hylogeography a n d p h y lo g en et ics of oak gall w asps. - P op u latio n genetics of the g reat b u sta rd , a highly en d a n g e re d b ird species in H ungary.. Innate im m u n ity - Genetic control of blood cell devel opm ent a n d the cellular im m une response in Drosophila melanogaster. D N A re p air, m u tagenezis a n d carcinogenezis. 43.

(46) BRC INSTITUTE OF PLANT BIOLOGY Address: H-6726 Szeged, T em esvári krt. 62. Postal address: H-6701 Szeged, P. O. Box 521. Telephone: (36) 62-599-714 Telefax: (36) 62-433-434 Director: Im re VASS, D. Sc E-mail: nbititk@ nucleus.szbk.u-szeged.hu. Scope of activities. Research aim s and topics. Basic research for the identification of genes an d m olecular m echanism s w hich d eterm in e the developm ent, light p ercep tion a n d utilization, as well as env iro nm ental stress respons es of plants. E xploration of biotechnical appro ach es to pro d u ce plants w ith en h an ced agronom ical value. Teaching the re su lts an d m ethods of plant m olecular biology in the fram e w o rk of g ra d u a te a n d p o stg rad u a te program s.. Light as energy source, environmental stress factor and information carrier in plants - S tudies on photosynthetic lig h t en erg y u tiliza tio n and oxygen evolution - The stru ctu re a n d function of the P hotosystem II reaction center com plex - The stru ctu re of photosynthetic lig h t h a rv e stin g com plexes a n d. The phases of cell cycle in alfalfa cells. 44.

(47) -. -. -. - S tudies on the role of n o n-coding m icro RNAs in stress responses of p la n t cells.. dynam ic stru ctu ral changes of lip id -p ro tein m acro dom ains The d am ag in g m echanism s of vis ible and u ltrav io let light U V -induced gene expression in cyanobacteria The m ech an ism of tem p eratu re a d a p ta tio n of p lan t m em branes Identification of genes req u ired for the reg u latio n of the p lan t cir cadian clock The influence of p hytochrom e p h o to recep to rs on the fun ctio n of p lan t circadian clock Studies on the m echanism of n u clear localization of p h y tochrom es. Regulation of the plant cell division cycle - Identification of the key elem ents, w hich participate in the regulation of stress- and h o rm o n e-in d u c ed signal transduction - Functional characterisation of p lan t h isto n -d ep en d e n t kinases a n d their genes - A pplication of functional g en o m ic and proteom ic approaches to stu d y the m ain re g u la to ry co m p o nen ts of plant cell cycle - S tudy of em briogenesis, as a d evel opm ental process closely related w ith the cell cycle - The effect of stress factors on cell cycle follow ed b y cell division m arkers. Identification and characterization of genes and proteins in volved in stress tolerance of plants - Identification of stress-induced genes by T-D NA m utagenesis and differential gene expression p ro filing in Arabidopsis - A p p lication of D N A m icroarrays to stu d y th e expression profile of Arabidopsis genes w ith reg u la to ry functions - Identification of genes an d p ro teins effecting d ro u g h t tolerance in w h eat b y u sin g functional ge nom ics a n d proteom ics ap p ro ach - Detection of reactive oxygen species involved in m ediation of stress-in duced dam age in plant system - Id entification of genes a n d p ro teins in d u ced d u rin g defence ag ainst oxidative stress - S tudies on stress-related re sp o n s es of p lan ts by m o n ito rin g p h o to synthetic activity p aram eters. Nuclear localization of phytochromes in tobacco cell. 45.

(48) INSTITUTE OF NUCLEAR RESEARCH Address: H -4026 D ebrecen, Bem tér 1 8 /c Postal address: H-4001 D ebrecen, P. O. Box 51 Telephone: (36) 52-417-266 Telefax: (36) 52-416-181 Director: R ezső LOVAS, C. M. E-mail: rgl@ atom ki.hu Home page: w w w .a to m k i.h u. The main building of the institute. M ission statem ent. - developing techniques and in stru m ents for basic and applied re search, - taking p a rt in h ig h er education.. The in stitu te is d ev o ted to - basic an d applied research in atom ic, n u clear an d p article physics, - the ap p lications of p h y sical m eth ods a n d k n ow ledge in o th e r fields of science (m aterials research, en v iro n m ental a n d e a rth sciences, biological an d m ed ica l research etc.) a n d in solving p ra ctical p ro b lem s (for in d u stry , ag ricu ltu re, m edicine etc.),. Research program Researches in subatomic physics and in applied nuclear physics - S tudy of few -body problem s in q u a n tu m m echanics. A nalytical an d num erically exact solutions. 46.