María Esther Pérez Pérez

ORCID: 0000-0003-0779-6665

Group: TOR signaling and autophagy in microalgae

Position: Tenured Scientist (Científica Titular CSIC)

Contact:

Office DS122


tel. ext. 446069


Mail:

Formation

Grade in Biology, University of Sevilla, 2001

Visiting scholar University of California, Berkeley, May-August 2005

PhD in Biology, University of Sevilla, 2007

Visiting scholar (UMR 7141, CNRS), Paris (France), May-August 2010

Postdoctoral researcher, (UMR8226, CNRS), Paris (France) 2011-2014

Grants as PI: PID2023-150436NB-I00 y TED2021-130912B-I00

Research Interests

My research is focused on analyzing the regulation of autophagy, an adaptive mechanism by which eukaryotic cells maintain cellular homeostasis and cope with stress. Our final goal is understanding how microalgae are able to tackle with fluctuating environmental and stress conditions. To this aim, we carry out different approaches of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology and Proteomics, using the model microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and the extremophilic microalga Chlamydomonas urium.

Our specific objectives are:

  • Study of molecular mechanisms underlying the redox control of autophagy.
  • Functional analysis of autophagy under limiting or stress conditions.
  • Biotechnological applications of extremophilic microalgae.

Publications

  • Pérez-Pérez ME(CA), Mallén-Ponce MJ, Odriozola-Gil Y, Rubio A, Salas JJ, Martínez-Force E, Pérez-Pulido AJ, Crespo JL(CA). Lipid turnover through lipophagy in the newly identified extremophilic green microalga Chlamydomonas urium. New Phytol. 2024 Jul;243(1):284-298.
  • Mallén-Ponce MJ, Pérez-Pérez ME(CA). Redox-mediated activation of ATG3 promotes ATG8 lipidation and autophagy progression in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Plant Physiol. 2023 Dec 30;194(1):359-375.
    1. Heredia-Martínez LG, Andrés-Garrido A, Martínez-Force E, Pérez-Pérez ME(CA), Crespo JL(CA). Chloroplast Damage Induced by the Inhibition of Fatty Acid Synthesis Triggers Autophagy in Chlamydomonas. Plant Physiol.2018 Nov;178(3):1112-1129.
      1. Pérez-Pérez ME, Mauriès A, Maes A, Tourasse N, Hamon M, Lemaire SD(CA), Marchand CH(CA) (2017). The deep thioredoxome in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: new insights into redox regulation. Molecular Plant. 2017 Aug 7;10(8):1107-1125.
        2. 5. Pérez-Pérez ME(CA), Lemaire SD, Crespo JL. Control of Autophagy in Chlamydomonas Is Mediated through Redox-Dependent Inactivation of the ATG4 Protease. Plant Physiol. 2016 Dec;172(4):2219-2234. 
        CA: Corresponding author
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