The group analyzes plant sexual reproduction processes from a multidisciplinary point of view, particularly male and female gametogenesis, compatibility, pollen-stigma interaction, and the mechanisms of attraction, fusion of gametes and fertilization. Basic and applied aspects are investigated, mainly within the frame of an agronomic, nutritional and health (nutraceutical and allergy) scope. The group is highly involved in the particular use of advanced microscopical imaging techniques to analyze these aspects.

In our group we are interested in understanding the mechanisms involved in plant responses to different types of abiotic (heavy metal and xenobiotics) and biotic (Pseudomonas and Fusarium) stress with the aim of applying the knowledge obtained to early stress monitoring and design of improved plant breeding strategies. For that purpose, multidisciplinary approaches will be used: biochemistry, cellular and molecular.

The scientific activity of the research group is to generate new basic and applied knowledge, innovative and transferable, focused on the promotion of sustainable development of agrosystems through the use of low-cost agricultural technologies in pursuit of the ultimate objective of soils, waters and crops-protection.

The group studies the interaction of bacteria with their environment. We study bacteria that have a beneficial effect on the ecosystem, exploiting their capacities for biotechnological applications. We also study bacterial pathogens to determine the mechanisms involved in host interaction.

Biochemistry and molecular biology of aquaporins and surrounding lipids. Nutritional stress adaptation and industrial applications.

We are a researchers’ group united by the same fascination, the study of animal ecology. We combine evolutionary ecology approach to the study of the physiological mechanisms that are coming into the base of the adaptations we studied. This multidisciplinary perspective (behavioural ecology, physiology and genetics) allows us to more inclusive understanding of evolutionary processes, and also allows us to have physiological tools with which we can measure the adequacy of the organisms into the environment.

Structural Bioinformatics: Analysis and prediction of conformation changes in proteins with the torsional elastic network model. Changes of structure and function in the evolution of proteins. Prediction of thermodynamic stability of proteins and models of protein evolution with selection on unfolding and misfolding stability. Evolutionary analysis of structural disorder in proteomes. Theoretical ecology: Dynamics of ecological systems with mutualism and competition. Detection of ecological interactions between bacteria from ecological samples.

Our group studies the involvement of thioredoxins (Trxs) and thioredoxin reductases (NTRs) in mechanisms of redox regulation in plants, focusing on the function of NTRC, an enzyme first described by our group (Serrato et al. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279:43821-43827). Recently, we have proposed a novel model for chloroplast redox regulation according to which, the reductive activation of biosynthetic enzymes in this organelle depends of the redox state of 2-Cys peroxiredoxin, an enzyme that reduces hydrogen peroxide to water (Pérez-Ruiz et al. (2017) PNAS 114:12069-12074).

The main goal of our research is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying cellular adaptation to changing conditions and stress. To this aim, we use the model photosynthetic organisms Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Arabidopsis thaliana. Our group has been pioneer in the study of the TOR signaling pathway, a master regulator of cell growth, and autophagy, a degradative process by which cells maintain cellular homeostasis and cope with limiting conditions and stress that is negatively controlled by TOR.