Alejandro Atarés Huerta

My scientific career has developed in the In Vitro Culture and Plant Breeding Laboratory, led by Dr. Vicente Moreno. During the completion of my doctoral thesis, I had the opportunity to carry out a research stay in the laboratory of Professor James Saunders in Beltsville (MD), one of the pioneers in the development of electrofusion and electroporation methodologies for plant protoplasts. In the third year of my PhD, I obtained a position as an Assistant Professor, which allowed me to combine teaching duties with research from that point onwards.

Since the beginning of my scientific career, I have worked with agronomically important species, both horticultural (melon, watermelon, and tomato) and ornamental, in the development and application of methodologies based on in vitro plant tissue culture. Additionally, I have also carried out part of my work using flow cytometry techniques as a tool to evaluate specific characteristics of plant material. This has enabled me to establish collaborations with research groups at the IBMCP and other institutions, which have resulted in the publication of several scientific articles.

In recent years, in collaboration with Drs. Lozano (UAL) and Bolarín (CEBAS), we have undertaken an ambitious program of insertional mutagenesis. As part of this project, our group has generated the largest existing collection of tomato and related species T-DNA lines. The work of the three groups has led to the identification of tomato genes involved in agriculturally relevant developmental processes (e.g., fruit set, parthenocarpy, fruit size, and ripening) as well as in mechanisms of abiotic stress tolerance. In this regard, we have demonstrated that one of these genes plays a key role in the salt tolerance of wild tomato relatives.

Several scientific articles have been published (Plant Cell Physiology, 2010; PLoS ONE, 2010; Plant Cell Reports, 2011; Journal of Plant Physiology, 2012; Physiologia Plantarum, 2014 and 2015; Plant Science, accepted; Plant Physiology, a and b, submitted; Journal of Experimental Botany, submitted; The Plant Journal, submitted), along with two book chapters and one patent (P200900003). The T-DNA line collection we have generated represents a unique opportunity to explore the genetic dissection of developmental traits in tomato, as well as the mechanisms underlying salt and drought tolerance in related wild species

Carrera, et al. (2012). Characterization of the procera Tomato Mutant Shows Novel Functions of the SlDELLA Protein in the Control of Flower Morphology, Cell Division and Expansion, and the Auxin-Signaling Pathway during Fruit-Set and Development. Plant Physiology 160(3) 1581-1596 (JIF 5 años = 6.755; Q1 Plant Science)

Pineda*, Giménez-Caminero*, et al. (2010). Genetic and physiological characterization of the Arlequin insertional mutant reveals a key regulator of reproductive development in tomato. Plant and Cell Physiology 51 (3): 435 – 447. (JIF 5 años = 4.972; Q1 Plant Science).

García-Sogo B*, Pineda B*, et al (2012). Production of engineered long-life and male sterile Pelargonium plants. BMC Plant Biology, 12: 156. (JIF 5 años = 4.770; Q1 Plant Science)

Atarés A*, Moyano E*, et al (2011). An insertional mutagenesis programme with an enhancer trap for the identification and tagging of genes involved in abiotic stress tolerance in the tomato wild-related species Solanum pennellii. Plant Cell Reports 30: 1865-1879. (JIF 5 años = 2.830; Q1 Plant Sciences)

García-Abellán*, Egea*, et al. (2014). Heterologous expression of the yeast HAL5 gene in tomato enhances salt tolerance by reducing shoot Na+ accumulation in the long term. Physiologia Plantarum 152 (4) 700 - 713. (JIF 5 años = 3.470; Q1 Plant Science) Engliush

Muñoz-Mayor A*, Pineda B*, et al (2012). Overexpression of dehydrin tas14 gene improves the osmotic stress imposed by drought and salinity in tomato. Journal of Plant Physiology 159 (5) 459 – 468. (JIF 5 años = 3.065; Q1 Plant Sciences)

Giménez-Caminero*, Pineda*, et al (2010) Functional analysis of the Arlequin mutant corroborates the essential role of the ARLEQUIN-TAGL1 gene during reproductive development of tomato. PLoS ONE 5 (12) e 14427. (JIF 5 años = 2.830 (Q1 Agricultural and Biological Sciences, misc.)

Muñoz-Mayor*, Pineda* et al (2008) The HAL1 function on Na+ homeostasis is maintained over time in salt-treated transgenic tomato plants, but the high reduction of Na+ in leaf is not associated with salt tolerance. Physiologia Plantarum 133: 288 – 297. (JIF 5 años = 3.470; Q1 Plant Sciences).

Serrani, et al (2007) Effect of gibberellin and auxin on parthenocarpic fruit growth induction in the cv micro-tom of tomato. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation 26(3) 211-221. (JIF 5 años = 2.242; Q1 Agronomy and Crop Science).