Last month we obtained two important instruments, real-time PCR cycler Roche LightCycler 96 and DeNovix spectrophotometer/fluorometer DS-11, in a total value of 45.000 EUR. We believe in their long service and some great discoveries. This equipment was bought thanks to IMPULZ grant (IM-2021-23) from the Slovak Academy of Sciences and NextGenerationEU through the Resilience and Recovery Plan for Slovakia 09I03-03-V01-00005 and 09I03-03-V01-00142.
The instruments will be very helpful in numerous ongoing projects at the institute, for instance, in studying the role of prey-derived modulators of expression of chitinase genes in carnivorous plants or how different genes react to heavy metal stress in Amaranthus. We will be able also to validate proteomic data on the level genes transcript or characterize newly developed cell wall carbohydrate-specific probes based on DNA called aptamers.
Text and photo: Jozef Mravec