LABORATORY “REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION”

Leader

Associate Professor Lyudmila Simova-Stoilova, PhD

Building 21, Office 104, Lab. 107
Phone: +359-2-9792677; +359-2-979-2681
Е-mail: lsimova@mail.bg;
lpsimova@yahoo.co.uk

ORCID: 0000-0003-1590-294X
SCOPUS Author ID: 6507735732
Research Gate: Lyudmila_Simova

Field of Research

Our basic and applied research projects are focused on elucidating the genetic and epigenetic aspects of the regulation of gene expression in higher plants. The nuclear and plastid gene functions are studied through the generation and characterization of transgenic lines with overexpression or silencing of the genes of interest. We aim at deciphering the molecular mechanisms of plant adaptation to abiotic and biotic stress in the search for novel strategies for improvement of plant resistance to unfavorable environmental factors. Our toolbox comprises genetic, biochemical and light microscopy approaches for:

Identification and functional analysis of genes associated with plant development and stress tolerance;
Dissection of the impact of the altered nuclear DNA methylation on the functional status of model plant species, as well as economically important crops;
Development of novel molecular markers for plant susceptibility to abiotic stress;
Studies on the hormone regulation in plants and the hormonal crosstalk in optimal and suboptimal environmental conditions.

The model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as several crop species (wheat, legumes, tomato, and others) are routinely used as experimental plant material in our lab.

Research Team

	Valya Vassileva – Professor, PhD Office 222, Lab. 107 Tel. +359 (2) 979 2602 or 2681 E-mail: valyavassileva@bio21.bas.bg; valyavassileva@gmail.com Professional interests: Root development, epigenetic mechanisms of plant development and stress responses, DNA methylation, maintainance DNA methyltansferases, phytochormonal signaling, nuclear migration, cell cytoskeleton.
	Lyudmila Simova-Stoilova – Associate Professor, PhD Office 104, Lab. 107 Tel. +359 (2) 979 2677 or 2681 E-mail: lsimova@mail.bg; lpsimova@yahoo.co.uk Professional interests: Plant biochemistry and proteomics, post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression, abiotic stress, protein stress markers, proteases, protease inhibitors.
	Irina I. Vaseva – Associate Professor, PhD Office 222, Lab. 121 Tel. +359 (2) 979 2602 or 2691 E-mail: vaseva@bio21.bas.bg; irinavaseva@gmail.com Professional interests: Plant hormones, ethylene, cytokinins, cell type specificity of hormonal signaling and crosstalk, dehydrins, expression of stress-inducible proteins.
	Kiril Mishev – Associate Professor, PhD Office 117, Lab. 112 Tel: +359 (2) 979 2689 or 2685 E-mail: mishev@bio21.bas.bg; kirilmishev@yahoo.com Professional interests: Plant endomembrane trafficking, plant hormone signal transduction, chemical genetics, regulation of the chloroplast gene expression, functional organization of the photosynthetic apparatus.
	Mariyana Georgieva – Assistant Professor, PhD Office 104, Lab. 110 Tel. +359 (2) 979 2677 or 2682 E-mail: stamova@bio21.bas.bg; mimy80@abv.bg Professional interests: Genome integrity, eco-genotoxicology (comet assay), plant adaptation to abiotic stress, epigenetic regulation, molecular cytogenetics (FISH and GISH), physical mapping, chromosome structure, statistical methods in molecular biology.
	Anna Dimitrova – Assistant Professor, PhD Office 104, Lab. 110 Tel: +359 (2) 979 2677 or 2682 E-mail: anna_dimitrova@bio21.bas.bg Professional interests: rRNA genes, chromatin, nuclear matrix, genotyping, genetic and epigenetic regulation of plant gene transcription under abiotic stress.
	Volodymyr Strashnyuk – Researcher, DSc Office 117 Tel: +359 (2) 979 2689 E-mail: volodymyr.strashnyuk@gmail.com Professional interests: Genetics of Drosophila, biology of polytene chromosomes, epigenetics, developmental biology, radiobiology, population biology.
	Valentin Velinov – researcher, MSc Lab. 110 Tel: +359 (2) 979 2682 E-mail: valentin.velinov82@gmail.com Professional interests: NudC proteins, abiotic stress, root development, phytochormonal signaling.
	Dimitar Todorov – Researcher, MSc Lab. 112 Tel: +359 (2) 979 2685 E-mail: Dimitar.Todorov12@gmail.com; ioan_vasilev3@abv.bg Professional interests: Epigenetic regulation of gene expression, DNA methylation, maintainance DNA methyltansferases, remethylation.
	Violeta Ivanova – Researcher, MSc Lab. 102 Tel. +359 (2) 979 2685 Е-mail: v_ivanova@bio21.bas.bg; ivanovavioleta561@gmail.com Professional interests: Endomembrane trafficking, regulation of gene expression, plant stress adaptation.
	Heorhii Balzhyk – Researcher, BSc Lab. 121 Tel. +359 (2) 979 2691 Е-mail: h.balzhyk@gmail.com Professional interests: Functioning artificial cells, genome editing, genetically determined cell cycle regulation, protein interactomics, protein engineering, radiosynthesis in melanotic fungi.