Team details
Isabel A. Abreu (Principal Investigator)
Isabel A. Abreu is the group leader of the Proteome Regulation in Plants Lab at ITQB NOVA since 2015. Her lab’s work focuses on understanding how plants tune their metabolism to adapt to changes in their environment from the perspective of protein function modulation by post-translational modifications (PTMs).
Her lab currently studies aspects of stress perception (light, drought, salt and cold stress) and the control of plant growth by modulation of the function of key growth regulators. Recent outcomes include the discovery of a new pathway leading to rice acclimation to cold, involving the action of a calcium-dependent protein kinase (OsCPK17); the identification of new phosphorylation sites in C4-photosynthetic enzymes and their functional study; and the modulation of stress response through the SUMOylation of the rice DELLA protein, SLR1.
She was awarded 3 projects as PI, one of each within the EU Plant-KBBE framework, and has been a participant as WP coordinator in 4 projects. Isabel Abreu has published over 40 international peer-reviewed papers and 2 book chapters. She supervised 2 postdoctoral fellows, 4 PhD students and 1 MSc student. She coordinates and teaches 2 curricular units of the International Plants for Life PhD program and 1 curricular unit of the Biotechnology for Sustainability MSc program. Isabel Abreu is a member of the Executive Committee of the International PhD Plants for Life Program and of the MSc program Biotechnology for Sustainability, and the coordinator of the Plants for Life Unit for the ITQB NOVA PhD Program MolBioS. Abreu is also the head of the Mass Spectrometry Unit (UniMS) for ITQB NOVA since 2013, and the PI of ITQB NOVA’s Node of the Portuguese Network for Mass Spectrometry (RNEM).
Ciência ID: 5218-7E60-CDD0
ORCID: 0000-0002-5566-2146
Researcher ID: I-5081-2013
Scopus Author ID: 7003902256
Ana Fortunato (Post-Doc Researcher)
Ana Fortunato holds a degree in Biochemistry from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and a Ph.D. in Biology, from NOVA University. She developed post-doctoral work at Instituto de Investigação Cientifica Tropical (IICT) on the evaluation of the abiotic stress response of coffee genotypes. Ana Fortunato has competences in the field of ecophysiology, biochemistry and molecular biology. At present she is interested in the role of miRNAs in response to drought, particularly in vitis rootstocks.
In parallel to her scientific activity, Ana Fortunato is very committed to scientific dissemination and teacher training activities in order to promote experimental science teaching in schools. She has also participated in the organization of outreach activities for students of various levels of education and for the public in general.
Ciência ID: 6B19-150C-CDD8
ORCID: 0000-0002-9884-9947
Scopus Author ID: 16479899400
Estefanía Uberegui (Post-Doc Researcher)
Estefanía Uberegui holds a BSc in Biotechnology from the University of Lleida, Spain, and a MSc and a PhD in Plant Biotechnology from the University of Salamanca, Spain. During her doctorate in the Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology (IRNASA-CSIC), she worked on the structural and functional characterization of the Executer protein family suggested to be involved singlet oxygen-mediated signalling. Afterwards, she joined the Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal, Spain) as a Laboratory technician to study the known malaria resistance markers in blood samples of pregnant women infected with HIV and malaria. Then, she moved to the company Biotechrabbit in Berlin, Germany, where she worked in the Departments of R&D, Quality Control and Production as a Laboratory technician. In her first Post-doctoral position in the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Potsdam (MPIMP, Germany), she studied the Natural Variation in flower size of Arabidopsis thaliana in response to changing temperatures.
She is currently working in PRPlants group, led by Isabel Abreu, at ITQB NOVA, under the supervision of Ana Fortunato in identifying and studying the role of microRNAs and their target genes in response to drought in grapevine rootstock together with physiological analysis. Her research interests focus on plant growth regulation in model plants under abiotic stresses to increase crop yield and quality and improve future food security.
Ciência ID: D916-20F9-F03F
ORCID: 0000-0002-8392-4369
Scopus Author ID: 55508483000
Cleverson C. Matiolli (Post-Doc Researcher)
Cleverson C. Matiolli holds a Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil. He developed his post-doctoral studies in the Centro de Biologia Molecular e Engenharia Genetica (CBMEG, Unicamp, Brazil) and the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA, Texas, US). He also worked as a research assistant at the University of California Davis (UC Davis).
During his Ph.D. and post-doctoral work, Cleverson aimed to understand the role of the Arabidopsis thaliana bZIP63 transcription factor in sugar signaling and circadian clock entrainment, as well the implications in growth, starch turnover, and stress responses. He combines his expertise in sugar and hormone signaling with genetic and physiological studies to dissect the molecular mechanisms underlying the interface between metabolism, hormone signaling, and the circadian clock. His main goal is to optimize plant growth and stress tolerance to promote a safer and healthier world. Cleverson C. Matiolli is a Ph.D. researcher at Proteome Regulation in Plants (PRPlants) lab under the supervision of Isabel Abreu.
Ciência ID: 841A-22EA-DFF0
ORCID: 0000-0001-8185-7628
Scopus Author ID: 52563804900
Inês Matias Luís (PhD Student)
Since 2016, Inês is an ITQB NOVA Ph.D. student, within the Ph.D. program MolBioS. She is developing her Ph.D. research at PRPlantS lab under Isabel A. Abreu’s supervision. In 2011, she completed a M.Sc. in Biochemistry (with specialization in Biomolecular Methods) after she obtained in 2009 a degree in Biochemistry, both by Universidade de Aveiro.
Inês’ work mainly focuses on the study of the posttranslational diel regulation of the activity of key enzymes of the C4-metabolism in maize. Together with the former team member Bruno Alexandre, and within the scope of the European project “3to4”, she started by comprehensively cataloging PTMs in C4-enzymes using an MS-based approach. After discovering 15 new posttranslational modifications occurring in the C4-enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (C4-PEPC), Inês focused her study on the functional characterization of the 8 novel phosphorylation-sites. Using molecular biology techniques and a PEPC-less E. coli strain, Inês is producing recombinant phosphomimetic proteoforms of C4-PEPC to evaluate the effect of the novel phosphorylations in the kinetics and oligomeric state of the enzyme.
Ciência ID: 161E-EA4A-7079
ORCID: 0000-0001-8925-8857
Researcher ID: AAF-6012-2019
Scopus Author ID: 56200031200
Dizimalta Miquitaio (PhD Student)
Dizimalta Miquitaio holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology from Eduardo Mondlane University in Maputo, Mozambique. In 2016, he began his Ph.D. training in Plant Physiology at Proteome Regulation in Plants Lab, headed by Isabel Abreu.
His work focuses on the characterization of physiological and molecular traits that underly drought resistance in tropical maize varieties, particularly on CO2 assimilation and the levels of C4-photosynthesis enzymes. Before joining Isabel Abreu’s Lab, Dizimalta worked as a researcher at Pedagogical University in Mozambique.
Ciência ID: C31E-F44E-6E51
ORCID: 0000-0001-5995-662X
Telma Fernandes (PhD Student)
Telma Fernandes holds a B.Sc. in Biochemistry from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro and an M.Sc. in Bioinformatics from the University of Minho. After finishing her studies, she worked as a Research Fellow at the University of Minho under the scope of the PROTECTOLIVE project which dealt with abiotic stresses in olive trees. After which she joined The Catholic University of Portugal in Porto to work on the environmental dimension of antibiotic resistance. After one year she has felt the urge to return to the subject she felt a strong passion for, Plant Sciences, and applied to the International Ph.D. program Plants for Life at ITQB-NOVA where she is currently a 3rd year Ph.D. student.
Her research interests focus on the regulation of the single DELLA protein (OsSLR1) in rice by post-translational modifications. She is also interested in unveiling new OsSLR1 protein partners related to salt stress resistance. Telma is engaged in activities of team building and she is an active member of INTERAQB, a group within the ITQB, that promotes interaction within the ITQB community. She is also a Ph.D. representative in the Pedagogical Council at ITQB. When Telma is not busy working with rice, you can find her winning futsal matches and kickboxing.
Ciência ID: A41C-5189-7E46
ORCID: 0000-0002-5954-5609
Hugo Alves (PhD Student)
Hugo Alves holds a Bachelor's in Biochemistry and a Master’s in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship in Plants, from the University of Minho (Braga, Portugal). During his master’s thesis, Hugo Alves characterized the cytotoxic mechanisms of action of propolis extracts, a natural tertiary product produced by honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). The necrotic-mediated effects in yeast cells earned Hugo’s work the first international communication (as a poster presentation) in the Second Propolis Conference - Propolis in Human and Bee Health (Sofia, Bulgaria).
Currently integrated into the Plants for Life Ph.D. program (ITQB NOVA), Hugo’s research focuses on the role of calcium-dependent protein kinases as general signaling hubs for stress responses in rice (Oryza sativa L.). Based on his background, Hugo Alves applies biochemical, genetic and biotechnological tools to unravel possible crosstalks between the major players involved in plant growth-stress coordination.
Ciência ID: 291E-8301-DC7F
ORCID: 0000-0001-9761-9819
Joana Marques (Research Fellow)
Joana Marques finished her Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship at the University of Minho in 2019. Her thesis was dedicated to uncovering the molecular mechanisms behind the U. maydis’ effector ISA8 ability to induce auxin signaling by testing targets of ISA8 through protein-protein interaction assays.
She is now a research fellow at the PRPlants group in ITQB. Her current projects concern the SUMOylation of Rice’s (Oryza sativa) DELLA protein, SLR1, and the rice cold-responsive calcium-dependent protein kinase, OsCPK17.
Ciência ID: FF17-FF95-C8E6
Ana Gonçalves (Research Fellow)
Ana Gonçalves completed her Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Bioentrepreneurship in Plants at the University of Minho, in 2018, and during this time she has developed part of her master’s thesis at the Comenius University, in Slovak. Along with this experience, she also obtained a degree in Biochemistry at the University of Minho. Her area of knowledge is Natural Sciences with an emphasis on Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Ever since, she became fascinated by how plants perceive signals and translate them into orchestrated molecular responses, allowing them to thrive in adverse environments. She considers of major importance the understanding of how plants adapt to the imminent climate changes, like abiotic stress, by adjusting their metabolism processes and physiological behaviors.
Currently, Ana Gonçalves is a research fellow at the Proteome Regulation in Plants Lab, led by Dr. Isabel Abreu at ITQB NOVA. Here, she is studying the promising role of miRNAs regulating target genes by post-transcriptional modifications in response to drought stress, in Vitis rootstock, under the orientation of Ana Fortunato. Additionally, she is investigating the role of rice CDPKs in cold stress tolerance, and actively participating in other interesting ongoing projects in the lab.
Ciência ID: DD11-EB1A-B323
ORCID: 0000-0001-7987-7590
Rafael C. Soares (MSc Student)
Rafael C. Soares is a graduate in Cell and Molecular Biology, from NOVA University.
He is currently working in the PRPlants lab to develop his Master thesis after enrolling in ITQB NOVA MSc Program Biotechnology for Sustainability. Accordingly, following PRPlants lab interest in protein post-translational modifications, plant metabolism and concerns in crop yields in a changing climate, he is dedicated to study stress consequences on rice metabolism, mainly on sugar and nitrogen, that have a direct effect on rice crop yields.
Ciência ID: D617-8740-BF5B
ORCID: 0000-0002-3654-6609
Rita Henriques (MSc Student)
Rita Henriques started her scientific path with a Bachelor's Degree in Biology from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. She then enrolled in a Master in Biotechnology for Sustainability at ITQB NOVA and is currently working at Proteome Regulation in Plants lab developing her thesis project under the guidance of Isabel Abreu and Cleverson C. Matiolli.
She is focused on trying to establish a link between the plant's internal regulator, the circadian clock, as well as plant growth and development in response to hormone signaling in rice. To achieve this goal, she also works with SLR1, the single DELLA protein in rice.
Ana Raquel Guedes (Lab Manager)
Ana Raquel Guedes holds a Bachelor's Degree in Biochemistry by Universidade de Coimbra and a Master's Degree in Molecular and Celullar Biology by Universidade de Aveiro. During her Master's thesis, she explored the involvement of two ribonucleases, SMG6 and PM/Scl100, in mRNA degradation mechanisms, namely nonsense-mediated mRNA decay and nonstop mRNA decay.
Before joining the PRPlants Lab, she worked as a research fellow at ITQB NOVA's Plant Cell Biotechnology Lab, within the "EgoSELF" project, which aimed to identify and validate key genes and/or alleles and molecular regulation mechanisms underlying inbreeding depression in E. globulus. She now has laboratory management functions in the GPlantS Unit.
Ciência ID: 771E-13B6-C534
ORCID: 0000-0003-4840-7195
