Héctor Candela Group
| Responsibles | Héctor Candela Antón and Sara Jover Gil |
| @candela_lab |
RESEARCH SUMMARY
The work of our group focuses on two main research themes. On the one hand, we are interested in genes that participate in the N6 methylation of adenosine residues in the mRNA, using the plant Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism. On the other, we are interested in developing applications for the analysis of next-generation sequencing data, at the interface between genetics and bioinformatics.
RESEARCH LINES
Line 1: Genetic analysis of the mechanism of N6-methylation of adenosine residues
The reversible N6-methylation of adenosine residues is one of the many post-transcriptional modifications known to occur on messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) has been detected in all studied eukaryotes. Despite this modification has been known for about 4 decades, we have seen a renewed interest on its study over the last few years. Some recent advances in this field are the identification of the multisubunit methyltransferase (“writer”) complex responsible for the methylation of adenosine residues, the identification of enzymes with m6A demethylase (“eraser”) activity, and the identification of the YTH domain, which is present in proteins that bind to mRNAs containing m6A (“readers”). Despite these advances, the functions of m6A at the cellular level and during plant development are still poorly understood. One of our goals is to identify targets and protein-protein interactions that are important for the post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by m6A.
Line 2: Application of bioinformatic tools to plant genetics
Massively parallel sequencing technologies are enabling the sequencing of numerous genomes and transcriptomes at an affordable price. One of our goals in this area focuses on the development of improved methods for the assembly of plant transcriptomes, particularly those of some cultivated plants. We are using the identified sequences to develop molecular markers and other tools for the study of some agriculturally important crop species.
R. Parreño, E. Rodríguez-Alcocer, C. Martínez-Guardiola, L. Carrasco, P. Castillo, V. Arbona, S. Jover-Gil, and H. Candela.
Turning Garlic into a Modern Crop: State of the Art and Perspectives.
Plants 12, 1212 (2023).
E. Rodríguez-Alcocer, E. Ruiz-Pérez, R. Parreño, C. Martínez-Guardiola, J.M. Berna, A. Çakmak Pehlivanlı, S. Jover-Gil, and H. Candela.
Cloning of an Albino Mutation of Arabidopsis thaliana Using Mapping-by-Sequencing.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24, 4196 (2023).
J.M. Acién, E. Cañizares, H. Candela, M. González-Guzmán, and V. Arbona
From Classical to Modern Computational Approaches to Identify Key Genetic Regulatory Components in Plant Biology.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences 24, 2526 (2023).
C. Navarro-Quiles, E. Mateo-Bonmatí, H. Candela, P. Robles, A. Martínez-Laborda, Y. Fernández, J. Šimura, K. Ljung, V. Rubio, M.R. Ponce, and J.L. Micol.
The Arabidopsis ATP-Binding Cassette E protein ABCE2 is a conserved component of the translation machinery.
Frontiers in Plant Science 13, 1009895 (2022).
P. Fresnillo, S. Jover-Gil, A. Samach, and H. Candela
Complete Genome Sequence of an Isolate of the Passiflora chlorosis virus from Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims).
Plants 11, 1838 (2022).
E. Fuster, H. Candela, J. Estévez, E. Vilanova, and M.A. Sogorb.
A Transcriptomic Analysis of T98G Human Glioblastoma Cells after Exposure to Cadmium-Selenium Quantum Dots Mainly Reveals Alterations in Neuroinflammation .
International Journal of Molecular Sciences 23, 2267 (2022).
C. De Ollas, M. González-Guzmán, Z. Pitarch, J.T. Matus, H. Candela, J.L. Rambla, A. Granell, A. Gómez-Cadenas, and V. Arbona
Identification of ABA-Mediated Genetic and Metabolic Responses to Soil Flooding in Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. Mill).
Frontiers in Plant Science 12, 613059 (2021).
E. Fuster, H. Candela, J. Estévez, E. Vilanova, and M.A. Sogorb
Titanium Dioxide, but Not Zinc Oxide, Nanoparticles Cause Severe Transcriptomic Alterations in T98G Human Glioblastoma Cells.
International Journal of Molecular Sciences 22, 2084 (2021).
S. Jover-Gil, A. Beeri, P. Fresnillo, A. Samach, and H. Candela
Complete genome sequence of a novel virus, classifiable within the Potyviridae family, which infects passion fruit (Passiflora edulis).
Archives of Virology 163, 3191-3194 (2018).
E. Rodríguez-Cazorla, S. Ortuño-Miquel, H. Candela, L.J. Bailey-Steinitz, M.F. Yanofsky, A. Martínez-Laborda, J.J. Ripoll, and A. Vera
Ovule identity mediated by pre-mRNA processing in Arabidopsis.
PLOS Genetics 14, e1007182 (2018).
PI: Héctor Candela
An almost unknown post-transcriptional modification: functional characterization of adenosine methylation in the transcriptome in Arabidopsis thaliana (BFU2012-31719). Funding agency: Proyectos de Investigación Fundamental No Orientada (Plan Nacional I+D+i). Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. Duration: 01/01/2013 – 31/12/2015.
PI: Héctor Candela
Support for the preparation of the IRIS project: Integrating regulatory levels in plant developmental Switches (APE/2014/034). Funding agency: Aid to research groups for the recruitment of European projects. Conselleria de Educación (Generalitat Valenciana). Duration: 01/01/2014 – 31/12/2014.
PI: Héctor Candela
Characterization of mutants affected in N6 methylation of adenosines in Arabidopsis thaliana (INTERACTOm6A). Funding agency: Ayudas 2021 for research projects. Vicerrectorado de Investigación (Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche). Duration: 01/01/2021 – 31/12/2021.
PI: Héctor Candela
Identification of genes involved in the response to teratogenic agents in C. elegans (GENEGANS). Funding agency: Ayudas 2021 for research projects. Vicerrectorado de Investigación (Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche). Duration: 01/01/2021 – 31/12/2021.
PI: Sara Jover Gil