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Benkova Group

Plant Developmental Biology

True to their name’s Greek roots, plant hormones “set in motion” a myriad of physiological processes. Influencing and modulating each other, an intricate network of interactions arises. The Benková group seeks to untangle this network and understand its molecular basis.


Plants as sessile organisms constantly integrate varying environmental signals to flexibly adapt their growth and development. Local heterogeneities in water and nutrients availability, sudden changes in temperature, light or other stresses trigger dramatic changes in plant growth and development. Multiple hormonal signaling cascades interconnected into complex networks act as essential endogenous translators of these exogenous signals in plant adaptive responses. How the hormonal networks are established, maintained and modulated to control specific developmental outputs is the focus of the Benková group. Recently, the group has located several convergence points that integrate different hormonal inputs. Importantly, some of these identified components exceed their function in the hormonal crosstalk and provide functional links with pathways mediating perception of environmental stimuli.




Team

Image of David Babic

David Babic

PhD Student

Image of Marina Borges Osorio

Marina Borges Osorio

Postdoc

Image of Dekel Cohen Hoch

Dekel Cohen Hoch

Postdoc


Image of Monika Hrtyan

Monika Hrtyan

Research Technician

Image of Syamala Inumella

Syamala Inumella

PhD Student

Image of Valentin Leitner

Valentin Leitner

PhD Student


Image of Stefan Riegler

Stefan Riegler

PhD Student

Image of Tereza Tomickova

Tereza Tomickova

PhD Student

Image of Ljupka Trajkova Petrova

Ljupka Trajkova Petrova

PhD Student


Image of Yiqun Wang

Yiqun Wang

PhD Student


Current Projects

Convergence of hormonal pathways on transport-dependent auxin distribution | Identification of hormonal cross-talk components by genetic approaches | Hormonal crosstalk driven nutrient-dependent root development


Publications

Inumella S. 2025. Molecular mechanisms of microtubule reorganization in elongating root epidermal cells. Institute of Science and Technology Austria. View

Benková E. 2025. Unlocking plant regeneration: The role for glutathione. Developmental Cell. 60(8), 1137–1139. View

Gallei MC, Truckenbrodt SM, Kreuzinger C, Inumella S, Vistunou V, Sommer CM, Tavakoli M, Agudelo Duenas N, Vorlaufer J, Jahr W, Randuch M, Johnson AJ, Benková E, Friml J, Danzl JG. 2025. Super-resolution expansion microscopy in plant roots. The Plant Cell. 37(4), koaf006. View

Králová M, Kubalová I, Hajný J, Kubiasova K, Vagaská K, Ge Z, Gallei MC, Semerádová H, Kuchařová A, Hönig M, Monzer A, Kovačik M, Friml J, Novák O, Benková E, Ikeda Y, Zalabák D. 2024. A decoy receptor derived from alternative splicing fine-tunes cytokinin signaling in Arabidopsis. Molecular Plant. 17(12), 1850–1865. View

Peng Y, Ji K, Mao Y, Wang Y, Korbei B, Luschnig C, Shen J, Benková E, Friml J, Tan S. 2024. Polarly localized Bro1 domain proteins regulate PIN-FORMED abundance and root gravitropic growth in Arabidopsis. Communications Biology. 7, 1085. View

View All Publications

ReX-Link: Eva Benková


Career

Since 2021 Dean of the Graduate School, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
Since 2016 Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
2013 – 2016 Assistant Professor, Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA)
2011 – 2013 Group Leader, Central European Institute of Technology (CEITEC), Brno, Czech Republic
2007 – 2013 Group Leader, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
2003 – 2007 Habilitation position, University of Tübingen, Germany
2001 – 2003 Postdoc, Centre for Plant Molecular Biology, Tübingen, Germany
1998 – 2001 Postdoc, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding, Cologne, Germany


Selected Distinctions

2017 Member, EMBO
2014 Highly Cited Scientist
2014 FWF-ANR Bilateral Grant
2011 FWO Grants
2008 ERC Starting Grant
2003 – 2007 Margarete von Wrangell Habilitation Program


Additional Information

Download CV
Nitrate project funded by Austrian Science Fund grant



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