Brno Ph.D. Talent

My Ph.D. research on he biodiversity and taxonomy of psychrophilic bacteria from Antarctica  has been awarded a prestigious three-year scholarship in the Brno's Ph.D. students contest.

Brno Ph.D. talent is a support by the South Moravian Centre for International Mobility (JCMM) in Brno.

My Ph.D. is further supported by the Czech Antarctic Infrastructure  (Masaryk University, Brno, ID: LM2015078) and Czech Collection of Microorganisms (Masaryk University, Brno).

My Ph.D. delved into the fascinating world of psychrophilic bacteria, those hardy microbes thriving in Antarctica's icy grip. Applying a polyphasic taxonomic approach, I thoroughly studied and characterized Antarctic bacterial isolates, unlocking biodiversity from water sources. Specifically, I focused on the Bacteroidota phylum, particularly the Flavobacterium genus, a group renowned for its cold-loving prowess.

My Ph.D. journey led to the discovery and description of four entirely new Flavobacterium species and I participated on several Antarctic taxonomic papers. But my exploration didn't stop there. I also embarked on an adaptation study, shedding light on how Flavobacterium species modify their internal structures, like their cytoplasmic membrane, to survive and thrive in this extreme environment.

Venturing into a frozen wonderland, uncovering never-before-seen bacterial life forms and piecing together their unique adaptations is a scientist´s dream. The essence of my research was not just describing new species, but understanding how they thrive in one of Earth's most challenging environments. My work paved the way for further exploration of Antarctica's microbial diversity, with potential applications in fields ranging from biomedicine to biotechnology where I re-directed my further research activities after succesfull accomplishment of my Ph.D. study.

Acknowledged publications:

• Králová S*, Busse H-J, Švec P, Mašlaňová I, Staňková E, Barták M, Sedláček I. Flavobacterium circumlabens sp. nov. and Flavobacterium cupreum sp. nov., two psychrotrophic species isolated from Antarctic environmental samples. Syst. Appl. Microbiol. 2019. 42(3):291-301.

• Sedláček I, Pantuček R, Králová S, Mašlaňová I, Holochová P, Staňková E, Vrbovská V, Švec P, Busse H-J. Hymenobacter amundsenii sp. nov. resistant to ultraviolet radiation, isolated from regoliths in Antarctica. Syst. Appl. Microbiol. 2019. 42(3):284-290.

• Králová S*, Švec P, Busse H-J, Staňková E, Váczi P, Sedláček I. Flavobacterium chryseum sp. nov. and Flavobacterium psychroterrae sp. nov., novel environmental bacteria isolated from Antarctica. Int. J Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 2018. 68(10): 3132-3139.

• Sedláček I, Pantůček R, Králová S, Mašlaňová I, Holochová P, Staňková E, Sobotka R, Barták M, Busse H-J, Švec P. Mucilaginibacter terrae sp. nov., isolated from Antarctic soil. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 2017. 67(10):4002-4007.

• Švec P, Králová S, Busse H-J, Kleinhagauer T, Kýrová K, Pantůček R, Mašlaňová I, Staňková E, Němec M, Holochová P, Barták M, Sedláček I. Pedobacter psychrophilus sp. nov., isolated from Antarctic fragmentary rock. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 2017. 67(8):2538-2543.

• Sedláček I, Králová S, Kýrová K, Mašlaňová I, Busse H-J, Staňková E, Vrbovská V, Němec M, Barták M, Holochová P, Švec P, Pantůček R. Red-pink pigmented Hymenobacter coccineus sp. nov., Hymenobacter lapidaries sp. nov., and Hymenobacter glacialis sp. nov. isolated from rocks in Antarctica. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 2017. 67(6):1975-1983.

• Švec P, Králová S, Busse H-J, Kleinhagauer T, Pantůček R, Mašlaňová I, Cnockaert M, Vandamme P, Staňková E, Gelbíčová T, Holochová P, Barták M, Kýrová K, Sedláček I. Pedobacter jamesrossensis sp. nov., Pedobacter lithocola sp. nov., Pedobacter mendelii sp. nov., and Pedobacter petrophilus sp. nov., isolated from Antarctic environment. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 2017. 67(5):1499-1507.

• Kýrová K, Sedláček I, Pantůček R, Králová S, Holochová P, Mašlaňová I, Staňková E, Kleinhagauer T, Gelbíčová T, Sobotka R, Švec P, Busse H-J Rufibacter ruber sp. nov., isolated from fragmentary rock. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol. 2016. 66(11):4401 4405.