Associate Professor Zornitsa Katerova-Landzhova, PhD Building 21, Office 124 Phone.: +359-2-9792689 Е-mail: zornitsa@bio21.bas.bg

Date and place of birth – 21.11.1975, Pleven, Bulgaria

Nationality – Bulgarian

Languages – English

Education and Academic degree

• MSci degree in Biotechnology, 1999, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia, Bulgaria. Master thesis: Antibacterial activity of strains, isolated from silage.
• PhD, 2009, Acad. M. Popov Institute of Plant Physiology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. PhD thesis: Physiological and biochemical changes in pea plants exposed to relatively low UV-C and UV-B doses.

Professional Background

• Researcher (1999-2001), Central Laboratory of General Ecology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
• Researcher (2001-2001), Acad. M. Popov Institute of Plant Physiology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Department of Regulation of plant growth and development.
• PhD Student (2002-2007), Acad. M. Popov Institute of Plant Physiology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Department of Regulation of plant growth and development.
• Researcher (2007-2009), Acad. M. Popov Institute of Plant Physiology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Department of Regulation of plant growth and development.
• Assistant Professor (2009-2010), Acad. M. Popov Institute of Plant Physiology – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Department of Regulation of plant growth and development.
• Assistant Professor (2010-2024), Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Department of Regulation of plant growth and development.
• Associate Professor (2024-continue), Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Department of Regulation of plant growth and development.

Research field

Plant stress, plant physiology, plant growth regulators, UV-stress, herbicides, IAA, ABA, polyamines.

Publication activity and list of selected publications

Katerova Z, Todorova D, Vaseva I, Shopova E, Petrakova M, Iliev M, Sergiev I (2024) Effects of melatonin pre- and post-drought treatment on oxidative stress markers and expression of proline-related transcripts in young wheat plants. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25, 22

Jankovska-Bortkevič E, Katerova Z, Todorova D, Jankauskienė J, Mockevičiūtė R, Sergiev I, Jurkonienė S (2023) Effects of auxin-type plant growth regulators and cold stress on the endogenous polyamines in pea plants. Horticulturae, 9, 2

Katerova Z, Todorova D, Shopova E, Brankova L, Dimitrova L, Petrakova M, Sergiev I (2023) Biochemical alterations in triticale seedlings pretreated with selective herbicide and subjected to drought or waterlogging stress. Plants, 12, 15

Todorova D, Katerova Z, Shopova E, Brankova L, Sergiev I, Jankauskienė J, Jurkonienė S (2022) The physiological responses of wheat and maize seedlings grown under water deficit are modulated by pre-application of auxin-type plant growth regulators. Plants, 11, 23

Shopova E, Katerova Z, Brankova L, Dimitrova L, Sergiev I, Todorova D, Talaat NB (2021) Modulation of physiological stress response of Triticum aestivum L. to glyphosate by brassinosteroid application. Life, 11, 11

Katerova Z, Todorova D (2011) Effect of enhanced UV-C irradiation on the growth, malondialdehyde, hydrogen peroxide, free proline, polyamines, IAA and IAA-oxidase activity in pea plants (Pisum sativum L.). Comptes-rendus de l’Académie Bulgare des Sciences, 64, 11,

Katerova Z, Todorova D, Tasheva K, Sergiev I (2012) Influence of ultraviolet radiation on plant secondary metabolite production. Genetics and Plant Physiology, 2, 3-4,

Katerova Z, Todorova D, Sergiev I. Plant Secondary Metabolites and Some Plant Growth Regulators Elicited by UV Irradiation, Light And/Or Shade. In: Ghorbanpour M., Varma A. (eds) Medicinal Plants and Environmental Challenges, Springer, 2017, ISBN:978-3-319-68717-9, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68717-9_6, 97-121

Katerova ZI, Todorova D (2009) Endogenous polyamines lessen membrane damages in pea plants provoked by enhanced ultraviolet-C radiation. Plant Growth Regul 57(2) 145-152

Katerova Z, Ivanov S, Prinsen E, Van Onckelen H, Alexieva V, Azmi A (2009) Low doses of ultraviolet-B or ultraviolet-C radiation affect phytohormones in young pea plants. Biol Plant 53 (2): 365-368

Katerova Z, Ivanov S, Mapelli S, Alexieva V (2009) Phenols, proline and low-molecular thiol levels in pea (Pisum sativum) plants respond differently toward prolonged exposure to ultraviolet-B and ultraviolet-C radiations. Acta Physiol Plant 31(1) 111-117

Ivanov S, Katerova Z, Ivanova E, Alexieva V (2005) Effects of long-term treatment with low concentrations of herbicides atrazine, glyphosate and 2,4D on IAA oxidase activity in young pea plants. Comptes Rendus de L’Academie Bulgare des Sciences, 58, 3, BAS, 2005, ISSN:1310-1331, 315-318

Participation in scientific projects

Participant of 6 financed projects by National Science Fund (NSF), Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science, including 1 by OP”HRD” and ESF.  

Professional training

09.2000-02.2001: Tempus (Project AC-JEP 13168-98) Fellow (Specialization in Molecular and Cellular Biology) at the Royal University of Ghent (Ghent, Belgium); Research title: Metabolic engineering in E. coli: effect of aceA and acnA genes on acetate production, Prof. Prof. dr. ir. E. Vandamme lab

09.2003-07.2004: PhD Specialization Fellowship at the University of Antwerp (Antwerp, Belgium) from the Ministries of Bulgarian and Flemish Community, Bilateral cultural program; Research title: UV stress and Cd treatment – effect on some plant hormones, Prof. H. Van Onckelen and prof. E. Prinsen lab

09.2013-09.2016: JSPS (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) FY2013 and FY2014 Postdoc at National Agriculture and Food Organization (NARO), Japan, Sapporo, Hokkaido/Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefectures; Research title Nuclear poly(A)-binding protein-mediated regulation of shoot branching in Arabidopsis; Host: Senior Researcher Dr. Ryozo Imai

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