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1. Genomics and proteomics of honeybee royal jelly proteins and peptides

In future, we will continue in the research of physiologically active compounds of honeybee products. Some of royal jelly proteins and antimicrobial peptides and/or their variants will be prepared using biotechnological methodology in different expression systems. Purified recombinant proteins/peptides will be tested for antibiotic activity against honeybee pathogens as well as against human pathogenic bacteria. The immune-stimulation and anticancer activity of the recombined proteins/peptides will be tested on the base of their ability to induce the death of leukemia cells. Purified substances of natural origin as well as their recombined equivalents will be directly applicable in beekeeping, and will offer possibilities for protecting honeybee colonies against pathogens with reduced burden on the environment. Moreover such proteins directly increase the quality of human food and they can be potentially applied as protein antibiotics against multiresistant human bacteria, as well as in the therapy against civilisation diseases.Screening of apalbumin1 content in honey samples from all over the world, in cooperation with partners of the International Honey Commission, will provide a platform for the improvement of EU standards for honey authenticity and quality, and thus will protect consumers against honey adulteration, which is a serious problem on the commercial markets.

2. Biotechnologies for protection of trees in urban ecosystems

We aim to develop new methods in integrated forest and tree protection incorporating the use of entomopathogenic fungi. The main goal of our projects will be to find new biological products for the biological control of selected forest pest species, which could effectively substitute the chemicals. From the biotechnological perspective, the assemblage of non-native (especially evergreen) woody plants that grow in our arboretum represents a valuable novel source for the research on endophytic microorganisms with unknown biochemical and biological activities. Along with that, we will focus on ornamental plants as sources of bioactive compounds with important therapeutic effects. Furthermore, due to massive introduction of exotic and alien species, our research will focus also on acclimation potential of novel woody plant species to global climate change. Therefore, we will study the actual occurrence, key driving forces of spreading as well as an effective elimination method and biomass exploitation opportunities of such species.