Invited Speaker

Abstract: Copper (Cu) is a vital micronutrient that acts as a double-edged sword in living beings because it is an essential redox-active cofactor in biological processes but is toxic when in excess. Plants are also sensitive to Cu availability, whose unbalance leads to yield reduction and, in extreme cases, to total crop failure. Since plant nutritional deficiencies or excesses are often transferred to consumers and may ultimately affect human health, we aim to decipher the regulatory mechanisms underlying Cu uptake and distribution in tomato, one of the most important horticultural crops worldwide. Six COPT members (SlCOPT1-6) were found within the Solanum lycopersicum genome (iTAG2.4). In silico analyses indicate that most of the identified proteins have two major transmembrane domains and three beta-sheets in their structure. In addition, all but SlCOPT4 include the Cu-binding domain and the upstream methionine residues necessary for their functionality. Promoter analyses suggest that SlCOPTs might be regulated by Cu and iron availability, biotic and abiotic stresses, tissue specificities and hormonal signals. Expression data reveal that only SlCOPT1, SlCOPT2 and SlCOPT5 are expressed in fruit. While SlCOPT1 and SlCOPT5 are induced early during fruit development and mainly in locular tissue and vasculature, respectively, SlCOPT2 is expressed in later stages of fruit ripening and focused in seed and columella tissues. Protein interaction analyses point a link between SlCOPTs and well-known Cu homeostasis components, the peroxisomal system, other metals transporters and signaling transduction cascades involving protein kinases and phosphatases. Our work provides a first approach to unravel the molecular mechanisms of how Cu availability during preharvest can affect the nutritional value of horticultural products. This knowledge will help to develop biotechnological tools to minimize the use of Cu-based fertilizers and pesticides, to be used for phytoremediation in contaminated environments, and to grow more safety and sustainable food.

Biography: Dr. P. Romero graduated in Biological Sciences in 2006 and received a Master’s degree in Molecular, Cellular and Genetic Biology in 2007. In 2012 he doctorated in Biotechnology from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), and was awarded with the Extraordinary Thesis Award of this University in 2014 for his dissertation on the identification of the molecular mechanisms involved in the dehydration response and ripening of citrus fruits, with special emphasis on determining the role of the hormone abscisic acid (ABA) and its signaling components in these processes. He has been also involved in investigating the role of ABA, ethylene and the phospholipid metabolism on the development of physiological alterations affecting fruit quality. During that period, he stablished collaboration with Dr. Concepcion Domingo (IVIA, Valencia, Spain) and Dr. J.K. Burns (CREC, Florida, USA), and was enrolled in 5 National Research Projects and in Industry research. Later, in collaboration with Dr. Lola Peñarrubia, he was involved in deciphering the relationship between ABA and the copper homeostasis in Arabidopsis. Since 2015, he has been awarded with two consecutive European Marie Sklodowska Curie Individual grants (MSCA-H2020). Within the first one (3F:FutureFreshFruit), in a coordinated project with Prof. Jocelyn KC Rose (Cornell University, NY, USA) and Dr. Teresa Lafuente (IATA-CSIC, Valencia, Spain), he studied the relationship of fruit softening, cuticle properties, ABA and water availability in tomato and citrus fruit. His current project (TOMACOP) is dealing with food quality and safety issues, aiming to evaluate the effects of copper soil contamination and the use of copper-based fertilizers and pesticides on fruit quality and human health by means of the identification and characterization of the copper homeostasis-related components in tomato plants and the study of the transcriptomic responses to copper deficiency.

Currently, Dr. P. Romero is an Associated Researcher at the Postharvest Pathology, Physiology and Biotechnology Lab (IATA-CSIC) with over 23 peer-reviewed publications, 4 book chapters, a number of publications in Conferences and diffusion seminars and several general public and students engagement events. He is an Editorial Board member of the American Journal of Plant Biology, and a member of the Spanish Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SEBBM) and the International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS).