Prof. Dr. Tsanko Gechev Project Coordinator

Tsanko Gechev is Professor at the University of Plovdiv, where he teaches Molecular Biology and Molecular Genetics. Since 2015, he is the Director of the Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology (CPSBB).

Dr. Gechev obtained a PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Plovdiv. He had specializations at the University of Gent (Belgium), Plant Research International and the University of Groningen (The Netherlands), Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH, Zurich, Switzerland), University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA), University of Potsdam and the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology (Germany).

Current research interests of Dr. Gechev include: Plant Genomics, Reactive oxygen species as modulators of plant stress responses and programmed cell death, Molecular mechanisms of desiccation tolerance in Haberlea rhodopensis.

Dr. Gechev is member of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) and the Union of Scientists in Bulgaria.

In 2017, Dr. Gechev received the Pythagoras prize awarded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Bulgaria.

 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

Sujeeth N., Petrov V., Guinan K.J., Rasul F., O’Sullivan J., Gechev T. (2022) Current insights into the molecular mode of action of seaweed-based biostimulants and the sustainability of seaweeds as raw material resources. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 23(14): 7654.

Hussain T., Shoaib M., Shah B., Ali A., Ullah A., Alenezi F., Gechev T., Farman Ali F., Syed I. (2022) Deep learning-based model for plant lesion segmentation, subtype identification, and survival probability estimation. Frontiers in Plant Science.13: 1095547.

Tong H., Nankar A.N., Liu J., Todorova V., Ganeva D., Grozeva S., Tringovska I., Pasev Gancho., Radeva-Ivanova V., Gechev T., Kostova D., Nikoloski Z. (2022) Genomic prediction of morphometric and colorimetric traits in Solanaceous fruits. Horticulture Research 9: uhac072. (IF 7.3) (Q1)

Gechev T., Lyall R., Petrov V., Bartels D. (2021) Systems biology of resurrection plants. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 78: 6365–6394.

Gechev T., Georgiev M.I., Fernie A. (2020) PlantaSyst: Teaming-up for systems biology and biotechnology. Trends in Plant Science. 25(7): 621-624.

Kanojia A., Gupta S., Benina M., Fernie A., Mueller-Roeber B., Gechev T., Dijkwel P. (2020) Developmentally controlled changes during Arabidopsis leaf development indicate causes for loss of stress tolerance with age. Journal of Experimental Botany. 71(20): 6340-6354.

Kerchev P., van der Meer T., Sujeeth S., Verlee A., Stevens C.V., Van Breusegem F., Gechev T. (2020) Molecular priming as an approach to induce tolerance against abiotic and oxidative stresses in crop plants. Biotechnology Advances. 40: 107503.

Omidbakhshfard M.A., Sujeeth N., Gupta S., Omranian N., Guinan K.J., Brotman Y., Nikoloski Z., Fernie A., Mueller-Roeber B., Gechev T. (2020) A biostimulant obtained from the seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum protects Arabidopsis thaliana from severe oxidative stress. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 21(2): 1–26.

Sujeeth N., Mehterov N., Gupta S., Qureshi M.K., Fischer A., Proost S., Omidbakhshfard M.A., Obata T., Benina M., Staykov N., Balazadeh S., Walther D., Fernie A.R., Mueller-Roeber B., Hille J., Gechev T.S. (2020) A novel seed plants gene regulates oxidative stress tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 77(4), 705–718.

Dong Y., Gupta S., Sievers R., Wargent J., Wheeler D., Putterill J., Macknight R., Gechev T., Mueller-Roeber B., Dijkwel P. (2019). Genome draft of the Arabidopsis relative Pachycladon cheesemanii reveals novel strategies to tolerate New Zealand’s high Ultraviolet B radiation environment. BMC Genomics. 20(1): 838.

Durgud M, Gupta S, Ivanov I, Omidbakhshfard MA, Benina M, Alseekh S, Staykov N, Hauenstein M, Dijkwel PP, Hörtensteiner S, Toneva V, Brotman Y, Fernie AR, Mueller-Roeber B, Gechev TS (2018) Molecular mechanisms preventing senescence in response to prolonged darkness in a desiccation-tolerant plant. Plant Physiology 177(3): 1319-1338.

Benina M, Ribeiro DM, Gechev TS, Mueller-Roeber B, Schippers JH (2015) A cell type-specific view on the translation of mRNAs from ROS-responsive genes upon paraquat treatment of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. Plant, Cell & Environment 38(2): 349-63.

Petrov V, Hille J, Mueller-Roeber B, Gechev TS (2015) ROS-mediated abiotic stress-induced programmed cell death. Frontiers in Plant Science 6: 69.

Gechev TS, Hille J, Woerdenbag HJ, Benina M, Mehterov N, Toneva V, Fernie AR, Mueller-Roeber B (2014) Natural products from resurrection plants: potential for medical applications. Biotechnology Advances 32(6): 1091-101.

Gechev T, Benina M, Obata T, Tohge T, Sujeeth N, Minkov I, Hille J, Temanni R, Marriott AS, Thomas-Oates J, Antonio C, Müller-Röber B, Schippers JHM, Fernie AR, Toneva V (2013) Molecular mechanisms of desiccation tolerance in the resurrection glacial relic Haberlea rhodopensis. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 70: 689-709.