Ongoing Projects

This work focuses on understanding the effect of exposure to gliadin in the context of microbiota-host interaction using the Caenorhabditis elegans animal model, which has around 40% of predicted proteins that have homologs in humans, and morphological similarity given by the actin-rich microvellosities on the apical side of the intestinal epithelium cells where the absorption of nutrients occurs.

The health of marine macroalgae is closely linked to the health of the oceans, which impacts the resilience of reefs. The brownish alga Lobophora (Dictyotales, Phaeophyceae) plays a key role in reef ecosystems as a benthic primary producer.

Caenorhabditis elegans is a widely used model organism in biology due to its ability to provide information on key molecular processes, including host-microbiota interactions.

The bacterium Vibrio natriegens is known for having the fastest documented growth rate, with 10 minute duplication time. Due to its rapid growth rate and halophilic nature, V. natriegens is of general interest to biotechnology.

This project seeks to identify culturable intestinal bacteria of human origin with gluten-degrading potential by analyzing the domain architectures of prolyl-oligopeptidases (bPOPs).

Vibrio natriegens is emerging as a potential host for biotechnology, mainly due to its remarkable intrinsic properties such as exceptional growth rates and versatile metabolites. Although recent studies have highlighted the potential of V. natriegens for biotechnological applications, a deeper understanding of its metabolism and regulation is needed to fully exploit its potential. This study focuses on characterising the metabolome and establishing growth conditions for V. natriegens in defined media.

Tropane alkaloids (TAs) are essential compounds in medicine, used to treat various conditions. However, their current production through solanaceous plant cultivation faces significant limitations, such as the complexity and cost of chemical synthesis, dependence on agriculture, and negative environmental impact.

The use of microbial consortia in the degradation of recalcitrant plant material has been proposed as a naturally occurring alternative to increasing the saccharification efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass. This work consists of characterizing the carbohydrate-active enzymes present in the feces of the porcupine Coendou vestitus, a herbivore whose diet is primarily plant-based.