Molecular mechanisms of circadian clock function in Arabidopsis thaliana A wide variety of biological processes exhibit a cyclic pattern of activity with a period of 24 hours. The temporal coordination of these rhythms is regulated by an endogenous mechanism denominated circadian clock. From bacteria to humans, the presence of the circadian clock has provided a remarkable adaptive advantage throughout evolution. In past years, considerable research efforts have clearly improved our understanding of circadian clock progression.

SPATIAL CONTROL OF BRASSINOSTEROID SIGNALING IN PLANT STEM CELLS The laboratory of Dr. Caño-Delgado investigates how BR signalling controls plant development, with a particular focus in understanding the spatial regulation of BR signalling in the vascular and stem cells.

Melon genomics and analysis of the defence and counter-defence strategies between melon and Cucumber Mosaic virus.

The activities of the group of "plant viruses control and mechanisms of transmission" are devoted to perform basic and applied research on plant virology, with a main focus on control strategies of viral diseases in crops. The mechanisms of virus transmission by insect vectors like aphids and whiteflies are being studied in depth, including the functional characterization of viral and vector molecular elements participating in the processes of virus dissemination.

In the Genetics and Genomics of Vegetable Crops Group we are producing and using genomic tools in vegetable crops in order to characterize important agronomic traits, in melon and related species. The objectives are performed in the framework of public funded projects or in collaboration with a private company, Semillas Fitó SA, in the framework of the Fitó-IRTA Joint Unit. We perform oriented research, basically produce basic knowledge that can be transferred to the private sector.

The main interest of our group is the study of lignin metabolism in maize. This research is carried out through molecular, biochemical and physiological approaches.

Plant embryo development is a complex process that includes several coordinated events. We try to understand this complex process using transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomics. During development, plant embryos accumulate reserve lipids, mainly triacylglycerol (TAG), within discreet structures called oil bodies (OBs) which consist of a TAG core surrounded by a phospholipid monolayer embedded with proteins. Most abundant OB associated proteins in plants are oleosins.

Our research group works in the elucidation of the role of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl Coenzyme A reductase and protein phosphatase 2A in the plant response to stress. Our results indicate that the interaction between these two factors induces the biogenesis of specific domains of the endoplasmic reticulum. These domains are directly and rapidly delivered to the vacuole to mediate a successful adaptation to the environment.

Research in the San Segundo’s lab focuses on topics related to the plant defense response to pathogen infection. During the last years, different aspects have been investigated, including: analysis of sensing systems, initiation and maintenance of the host response, signal transduction pathways and effector elements in the plant defense response, and crosstalk events in biotic and abiotic stress responses.

Our research focuses on two aspects of bacterial-plant interactions: 1. The genetic determinants that cause disease or disease resistance We use the wide-host range pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum as a model. R solanacearum is a soil-borne pathogen whose major virulence determinant is the type III secretion system (T3SS). This secretion machinery delivers bacterial effector proteins into host cells, in an engaging example of information transfer between evolutionary distant organisms.