Research conducted within the framework of the Center of Excellence in Plant-Environment Interactions (CEPEI), an international collaboration, has identified a "genetic switch" that regulates the activation of plant defenses against multiple diseases.
Dr. Diego José Díaz Berlanga, along with the thesis supervisors and defense committee. / Diego José Díaz Berlanga
The work of Diego José Díaz Berlanga, awarded the Outstanding Cum Laude distinction, shows how a mutation in the MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE PHOSPHATASE 1 (MKP1) gene causes plants to constitutively activate their defenses, making them more resistant to different types of pathogens. The identification of the MKP1 gene in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana as a key negative regulator, a switch that controls defenses, opens new avenues for designing crops with broad-spectrum protection beyond specific diseases. To test the practical impact of this discovery, the researcher applied this strategy to tomatoes, a crop with high economic value, using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to create lines more resistant to different types of diseases. The results demonstrate that these findings can be transferred to real-life crops, contributing to more sustainable agriculture and increased food production.
An Example of International Collaboration with Global Impact
The doctoral thesis, supervised by professors Antonio Molina and Miguel Ángel Torres, is the first within the CEPEI program, which unites renowned institutions in Spain and China: The Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) in Beijing, the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences (CEMPS) in Shanghai, and the Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP) in Madrid. During his research, Dr. Diego José Díaz Berlanga completed an international stay in Dr. Alberto Macho's laboratory at CEMPS. This experience in an environment of scientific excellence enabled him to advance his study of tomato resistance to pathogens and earn international recognition for his thesis.
Thanks to his work, the researcher has produced four publications in prestigious scientific journals, including a publication in the journal Frontiers in Plant Science in 2024. The identification of the MKP1 gene as a regulator of the immune system, combined with the results obtained in tomato crops, provides a solid basis for utilizing this gene as a molecular target in genetic improvement programs aimed at developing more resistant plants, not only in tomato but also in other crops.
Author's publications:
- Berlanga, D.J.; Molina, A.; Torres, M.A.
Mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1 controls broad spectrum disease resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana through diverse mechanisms of immune activation.
Frontiers in Plant Science, 15, 1374194.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2024.1374194 - Martín-Dacal, M.; Fernández-Calvo, P.; Jiménez-Sandoval, P.; López, G.; Garrido-Arandía, M.; Rebaque, D.; del Hierro, I.; Berlanga, D.J.; Torres, M.A.; Kumar, V.; Mélida, H.; Pacios, L.F.; Santiago, J.; Molina, A.
Arabidopsis immune responses triggered by cellulose- and mixed-linked glucan-derived oligosaccharides require a group of leucine-rich repeat malectin receptor kinases.
The Plant Journal, 113(4): 833–850.
https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.16088 - Molina, A.; Jordá, L.; Torres, M.A.; Martín-Dacal, M.; Berlanga, D.J.; Fernández-Calvo, P.; Gómez-Rubio, E.; Martín-Santamaría, S
Plant cell wall-mediated disease resistance: Current understanding and future perspectives.
Molecular Plant, 17(5): 699–724.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2024.04.003 - Torres, M.A.; Berlanga, D.J.
OsDMI3, a Ca2+/calmodulin kinase, integrates and amplifies H2O2 and Ca2+ signaling in ABA-mediated responses.
Molecular Plant, 16(6): 968–970.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molp.2023.05.002