The researcher Manuel Brenes Álvarez has obtained the Extraordinary Doctorate Award for his Thesis defended at the University of Seville in the academic year 2019-2020.
Manuel has carried out his doctoral thesis in the research group “Cyanobacteria Regulatory RNAs” of the Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis, with a University Teacher Training contract (FPU), under the direction of doctors Alicia Muro and Agustín Vioque.
His Thesis has focused on the study of the role of small regulators (sRNAs) in the adaptation of the flamensous cyanobacterium “Nostoc (Anabaena) sp. PCC7120” to stress caused by the lack of nitrogen. Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria of great ecological relevance.
Some filamentous cyanobacteria such as “Nostoc”, in the absence of combined nitrogen in the medium, develop at regular intervals along the filament, specialized cells called “heterocysts”, capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen. Heterocysts are a model of cellular differentiation in a prokaryotic organism. Through the use of computer methods, massive analysis of gene expression data and biochemical and genetic techniques, Manuel has provided new knowledge on the role of sRNAs in the regulation of gene expression in “Nostoc”, and specifically in the regulation of heterocyst differentiation. His work has demonstrated the importance of post-transcriptional regulation exerted by sRNAs for the correct differentiation of the heterocyst and its metabolic remodeling. The results obtained in the thesis have been published in high-impact scientific journals in the field of Microbiology and presented at national and international conferences. Manuel spent time at the University of Freiburg (Germany) while completing his thesis, which allowed him to obtain the International Mention in his PhD degree. In addition, Manuel has carried out teaching tasks in the Department of Plant Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Seville.
Confocal microscopy of the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 7120 showing expression regulated specifically in heterocysts (green)
The training of the researcher Manuel Brenes, his experience and the excellent publications obtained from the results of his Thesis, have facilitated him to obtain a prestigious scholarship from the Alexander von Humbolt Foundation to continue his postdoctoral training at the University of Freiburg, where he is currently developing a project for the global characterization of RNA-protein complexes in “Nostoc”.