Vicente Pallas Benet

Doctor in Biological Sciences from the University of Valencia. He specialized in the Molecular and Cellular Biology of plant viruses with Prof. G. Bruenning at the University of California, Davis (UCD), USA (1989–1990), and at the Gorleous Laboratory of Leiden University in the Netherlands with Prof. J.F. Bol. He joined the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) as a Tenured Scientist at the Center for Edaphology and Applied Biology of the Segura (CEBAS) in Murcia, where he launched a new line of research focused on characterizing essential genes and functions in the infection cycle of viruses from the Ilar and Cucumovirus groups that significantly affect stone fruit trees and crops of agroeconomic importance. After ten years, he moved to the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP) in Valencia, a joint CSIC-UPV center. His current research interest lies in the study of intracellular and vascular translocation pathways of plant viruses and subviral agents. He has published over 120 SCI-indexed articles in prestigious international journals, along with numerous outreach articles in educational, cultural, and social fields. He was awarded the Fundación Valenciana de Estudios Avanzados Prize for his work "The importance of Biology in today's society", the Spanish Phytopathological Society–Phytoma Prize, and the Prismas Prize from the Casa de las Ciencias in A Coruña for his work “On the edge of life: A century of viruses.” He has served as advisor for the Spanish National R&D Plan (2003–2008) and participated in various national and international evaluation and foresight committees (Genoma España, ANEP, DIGICYT, AECI, MNFTV). He was Vice President of the Spanish Society of Phytopathology (2003–2006), a board member of the Spanish Society for Virology (2013–present), and a member of the CSIC’s Commission for Agricultural Sciences (2004–2008). He is currently the Director of IBMCP (UPV-CSIC) and President of the Spanish Society of Phytopathology (SEF).

CASTELLANO, M., PALLAS, V. and GOMEZ, G. (2016). A pathogenic long noncoding RNA redesigns the epigenetic landscape of the infected cells by subverting host Histone Deacetylase 6 activity. New Phytologist 211(4): 1311-1322.

PALLAS, V. and GARCIA, J.A. (2016). Viral pathogenesis: still many missing pieces in the puzzle. Current Opinion in Virology 17: 5-6.

PEIRÓ, A., MARTÍNEZ-GIL, L., TAMBORERO, S., PALLÁS, V., SÁNCHEZ-NAVARRO, J.A., MINGARRO. I. (2014). The Tobacco Mosaic Virus Movement Protein Associates with but Does Not Integrate into Biological Membranes. Journal of Virology 88(5):3016. DOI: 10.1128/JVI.03648-13.

SERRA-SORIANO, M., PALLAS, V. and NAVARRO, J.A. (2014). A model for transport of a viral membrane protein through the early secretory pathway: minimal sequence and endoplasmic reticulum lateral mobility requirements. Plant J. 77, 863–879. doi: 10.1111/tpj.12435.

MARTINEZ, G., CASTELLANO, M., TORTOSA, M., PALLAS, V. and GOMEZ, G. (2014). A pathogenic non-coding RNA induces changes in dynamic DNA methylation of ribosomal RNA genes in host plants. Nucleic Acids Research, 42, (3): 1553–1562. doi:10.1093/nar/gkt968.

GOMEZ G, PALLAS V (2013). Viroids: A light in the darkness of the lncRNA-directed regulatory networks in plants. New Phytologist 198(1):10-15.

PALLAS, V., APARICIO, F., HERRANZ, M.C., SANCHEZ-NAVARRO, J.A and Scott, S.W. (2013). The Molecular Biology of Ilarviruses. Adv. Virus Res. 87: 139-181.

GOMEZ G, PALLAS V (2012). Studies on Subcellular Compartmentalization of Plant Pathogenic Noncoding RNAs Give New Insights into the Intracellular RNA-Traffic Mechanisms. Plant Physiology 159: 558–564.

HERRANZ, M.C., PALLAS V, APARICIO F. (2012). Multifunctional roles for the N-terminal basic motif of Alfalfa mosaic virus coat protein: nucleolar/cytoplasmic shuttling, modulation of RNA-binding activity and virion formation. Molecular Plant Microbe Interactions 25(8): 1093-1103.

PALLAS, V., APARICIO, F., HERRANZ, M.C., AMARI, K., SANCHEZ-PINA, A., MYRTA, A. and SANCHEZ-NAVARRO, J.A. (2012). Ilarviruses of Prunus spp.: A Continued Concern for Fruit Trees. Phytopathology 102: 1108-1120.

GENOVÉS, A., PALLÁS, V. and NAVARRO, J.A. (2011).Contribution of topology determinants of a viral movement protein on its membrane association, intracellular traffic and viral cell-to-cell movement. J. Virology 85(15): 7797-7809.

GOMEZ, G., MARTINEZ, G. and PALLÁS, V. (2009). Interplay between viroid-induced pathogenesis and RNA silencing pathways. Trends in Plant Sciences 14(5): 264-269.

GOMEZ, G., MARTINEZ, G. and PALLÁS, V., (2008). Viroid-induced symptoms in Nicotiana benthamiana plants are dependent on RDR6 activity. Plant Physiology 148: 414-423.

GOMEZ, G., TORRES, H. y PALLAS, V. (2005). Identification of translocatable RNA-binding phloem proteins fron melon, potential components of the long distance RNA transport system. The Plant Journal. 41, 107-116.