Inmaculada Couso from the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis, attached to cicCartuja —a joint centre of the CSIC, University of Seville and the Junta de Andalucía— has received an Individual Action from the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA-IF-RI) programme in the Reintegration panel.

The aim of Individual Actions (IF) is to improve the creative and innovative potential of experienced researchers, through individual projects. Specifically, this European Commission programme supports those researchers located in Third Countries who wish to return to Europe to carry out their research project.

Inmaculada Couso has a degree in Biology from the University of Seville and a PhD in Biochemistry and Biotechnology from the University of Huelva. After completing her doctorate, she began her stay at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in the USA, an institution where she collaborated on a project to optimise the use of biofuels. In 2015, Couso joined the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis in the laboratory of Dr. José Luis Crespo, where he is currently developing his InsPirAUTOR project.

InsPirAUTOR aims to study the involvement of the signaling molecules Inositol polyphosphates in the regulation of growth and carbon metabolism in photosynthetic organisms. The main mission of this project is to discover how these molecules influence protein phosphorylation by studying the kinome/phosphoproteome of the green algae Chlamydomonas reinahardtii. In addition, it seeks new targets of this signaling pathway and, in this way, attempts to establish the molecular interaction that exists between Inositol polyphosphates and the TOR signaling pathway, widely known for its importance in the regulation of development and growth in eukaryotes.