SPReD

🌸✨ Key Findings on Germline Development in Arabidopsis thaliana

🔬 The PhD work from Sara Pinto revealed that β−1,3-glucan, a water-insoluble polysaccharide, plays a crucial role in the female germline development of Arabidopsis thaliana.

📊 By comparing gene expression in germline and adjoining somatic cells, she discovered that β−1,3-glucan metabolism and intercellular signalling are vital for germline insulation.

🌱 Disrupting β−1,3-glucan deposits, led to altered gene expression and histone marks, leading to termination of germline development.

#🌼 These findings indicate that germline β−1,3-glucan fulfils a functional role in the ovule by insulating the primary germline cell, and thereby determines the success of downstream female gametogenesis.

We wrapped up the first round of summer conferences in the best way possible: at ICAR2024, the 34th International Conference on Arabidopsis Research in San Diego, California! 🌿✨

This time, our beloved JAGGER took the spotlight 🌸 presented the research by and her colleagues, revealing how JAGGER’s localization and function are influenced by glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor addition, and how changes on this structure may impact plant reproduction.

It’s been an incredible season of international meetings, and we’re looking forward to continuing this journey in September! 😉

Some members of our European project CRISPit together at the 27th International Congress on Sexual Plant Reproduction in Providence, USA 🌸

From left to right: Anja Geitmann (McGill University 🇨🇦), Lucia Colombo (Milano University 🇮🇹), Sílvia Coimbra (Porto University 🇵🇹), Tetsuya Higashiyama (Tokyo University Japan) and Matthew Tucker (Adelaide University 🇦🇺).

What a perfect moment to discuss science and see old friends! 🍃

🌿✨ We are proud to share that our PI Sílvia Coimbra is participating in the 27th International Congress on Sexual Plant Reproduction (27th ICSPR) at Brown University, Providence, USA! 🌸

During the congress, Silvia presented the PhD work of our colleague Jessy Silva, focusing on Arabinogalactan Proteins (AGPs) and their crucial role in calcium signaling during plant reproduction 🔬🌱

This international event is a great opportunity to discuss and share scientific advancements with experts from around the world, and we are thrilled to see the positive impact of our work on the global scientific community 🌍💚 Let’s continue to push forward our mission to explore the mysteries of plant reproductive biology.

Our PI Sílvia Coimbra is at the meeting in Chile, where she already shared part of our work on AGPs and its sugars along plant reproduction, a work developed by during her PhD 📝 A work we hope will be continued in the near future! 🌸😌

🎉 Huge congratulations to our incredible PhD student Jessy Silva for successfully defending her dissertation yesterday! 🌟 Your hard work, dedication, and brilliance have truly paid off!

We are immensely proud of you and excited to see all the amazing things you will continue to accomplish in science.

Wishing you continued success in all your future endeavors! Here’s to the next chapter! 🥂🌸🌱

🎉 Today, we celebrate Maria João great achievement in defending her PhD thesis in the fascinating field of plant sciences, focusing on the intricate mechanisms of plant reproduction 🌸🌱 and it’s the perfect day to do it, National Scientist Day!

Your passion for discovery and your constant curiosity is inspiring 🌟 As you embark on the next chapter of your journey, may you continue to shine brightly, making great contributions to science and society 💫

Here’s to a future filled with boundless opportunities and extraordinary accomplishments🥂 Congratulations, Maria João! 🎓

As our SPReDLab seminar series concludes, we extend our appreciation to our esteemed speakers: Cristina Ferrándiz, Lucia Colombo, and María Flores-Tornero. Their expertise shed light on the fascinating world of plant reproductive biology, leaving us with many insights and a deeper appreciation for the complexities of nature.

We’re grateful to all who joined us today and hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Let’s continue our journey of exploration together 🌸✨

🌿No próximo dia 18 de maio celebra-se o Dia Internacional do Fascínio das Plantas. Sabias que na FCUP existem vários laboratórios onde todos os dias se faz investigação científica centrada em plantas? 🔬🧬🌱 Por aqui somos assumidamente fascinados! Desde a fisiologia à anatomia, da bioquímica à biologia molecular, das culturas in vitro aos campos agrícolas, da ciência fundamental à biologia aplicada 🌸

Vem conhecer os cientistas que trabalham nestas áreas e deixa-te fascinar também pela biologia das plantas! 🌼🫛🫚🌾

Contamos contigo na sexta-feira, dia 17 de maio, a partir das 10h, no piso 0 do Departamento de Biologia da FCUP.

🌱 SPReDLab Seminar: Meet Our Final Speaker 🌱

As we approach our seminar date, we’re pleased to introduce our last speaker: Maria Flores-Tornero from ITQB/NOVA, Lisboa!

🔬 Speaker Spotlight: Maria Flores-Tornero 🌸

Maria Flores-Tornero, is a researcher in plant molecular biology. With a focus on sexual plant reproduction, María’s expertise lies in unraveling the molecular mechanisms underlying double fertilization in flowering plants, using Arabidopsis as a model organism. María delves into the omic-level exploration of plant gametes and their interactions during fertilization. Join us as we delve into María’s groundbreaking research at our seminar!

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Maria and other renown speakers! Save the date for a day of enriching discussions. ✨

🌱 SPReDLab Seminar: Unveiling Nature’s Mysteries 🌱

Excited to continue our speaker spotlight series for our upcoming seminar! Today, we’re thrilled to introduce Lucia Colombo, a distinguished Professor from the University of Milano!

🔬 Speaker Spotlight: Lucia Colombo 🌸

Meet Lucia Colombo, an esteemed expert in the intricacies of flower development. With her research at the University of Milano, Lucia delves into the complex mechanisms governing flower development and plant reproduction, translating this knowledge into practical applications for vital crops. Stay tuned as we delve deeper into Lucia’s groundbreaking research! 🌼🌿

Don’t miss this extraordinary opportunity to learn from Lucia and other researchers in the field! Save the date and join us for an enlightening day of discussions! ✨

🌱 SPReDLab Seminar: Decoding Nature’s Dance 🌱

Excited to announce our upcoming seminar featuring three distinguished speakers shedding light on the molecular basis of flowering and plant reproduction! Let’s know a bit more about our speakers during this week!

🔬 Speaker Spotlight: Cristina Ferrándiz 🌸

Meet Cristina Ferrándiz, an expert in the genetics of carpel and fruit development! With nearly two decades of experience in plant developmental genetics, Cristina’s work sheds light on the genetic and molecular interactions shaping the growth of fruits in various plant species. Stay tuned to discover more about her groundbreaking research! 🌼🌿

Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to gain insights from these renowned experts in the field! Save the date and join us for a day of enriching discussions ✨

Hoje foi o dia em que a nossa aluna Diana Moreira, passou oficialmente a Dra. Diana Moreira 🎓! Mais importante do que o título, é o facto de estarmos certos de que temos uma jovem cientista brilhante 👩‍🔬! Conclui-se assim uma fantástica jornada de 4 anos, um caminho de muito trabalho, imensa dedicação e muito crescimento, a todos os níveis. A defesa da tese foi excelente e esteve à altura destes 4 anos de investigação e muita produtividade. Obrigada Diana, por seres parte da nossa equipa e por nos teres brindado não só com a tua sabedoria, mas também com a tua amizade, o teu sorriso diário, a tua boa disposição e apoio incansável! Que a tua vida seja plena de sucessos e realizações, e que continues a inspirar os que te rodeiam com a tua dedicação e excelência 🍀 que os próximos passos sejam tão brilhantes quanto esta conquista 🌱🌸 🥰

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Today was the day our student Diana Moreira officially became Dr. Diana Moreíra 🎓! More important than the title is the fact that we are certain we have a brilliant young scientist 👩‍🔬! A fantastic journey of 4 years is finally finished, a path of hard work, immense dedication, and significant growth at all levels. The thesis defense was excellent and lived up to these 4 years of research and productivity. Thank you, Diana, for being part of our team and for not only sharing your wisdom but also your friendship, your daily smile, your good humor, and tireless support! May your life be filled with successes and accomplishments, and may you continue to inspire those around you with your dedication and excellence 🍀 May the next steps be as bright as this achievement 🌱🌸 🥰

Na segunda-feira, demos as boas-vindas ao Professor Allan M. Showalter da Universidade de Ohio na FCUP para um seminário esclarecedor sobre “Utilização da Edição do Genoma CRISPR-Cas9 para Elucidar a Função das Arabinogalactano-Proteínas”. Explorando os mais recentes avanços nas técnicas de edição genética e as suas aplicações na compreensão da função destas glicoproteínas muito especiais. Obrigado por este seminário esclarecedor, Professor!

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On monday we welcomed Professor Allan M. Showalter from Ohio University to FCUP for an insightful seminar on “Using CRISPR-Cas9 Genome Editing to Elucidate Arabinogalactan-Protein Function”. Exploring the latest advancements in genetic editing techniques and their applications in understanding this very special glycoproteins’ functions. Thank you for this enlightening seminar Profesor!

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Exciting news! 🌏 Two of our colleagues Rita Queirós and Miguel Moreíra have embarked on a 6-month secondment at the University of Tokyo, part of the CRISPit European project. 🇵🇹🛫🇯🇵 They’ll be delving into groundbreaking research, exploring the impact of candidate genes on mitigating heat stress in Arabidopsis plants, with plans to apply this knowledge to improve rice plants. 🌱🔬 Follow their journey with us!

Dia Internacional das Mulheres e Meninas na Ciência 🧬 🔬🌱

Hoje é dia de celebração 🎊🎉 A nossa aluna de Doutoramento Ana Lopes defendeu brilhantemente o seu doutoramento em Biologia! 🍀
A Ana (Lopes 😜) deixou uma marca muito grande no nosso laboratório e na ciência em geral, a sua veia poética, a sua alegria, o seu perfeccionismo e a sua amizade pelos outros são valores que ficam para sempre vincados em todos os que com ela convivem! Temos muito orgulho em que a Ana tenha feito parte deste laboratório! Na verdade, ela fará para sempre parte de nós 🥰💚
Desejamos os maiores sucessos à nova Doutora em Biologia, Doutora Ana Lopes 👩‍🎓

Sejamos gratos pelas aprendizagens de 2023 ✨ e que este novo ano de 2024 seja repleto de harmonia, muita saúde, e como não podia deixar de ser, muitos projetos financiados nas nossas áreas de investigação e óptimas publicações científicas ☺️🧬🔬🧪🌸🍀

A nossa equipa deseja a todos um Feliz Natal, cheio de paz e harmonia! 🌲✨

Our new book chapter is out, as part of the Plant Cell Walls – Research Milestones and Conceptual Insights book 📚 🌱🌸

In this review, we present an overview of the accumulated knowledge on AGP biosynthesis and function, giving particular emphasis to their involvement in abiotic stress tolerance and plant reproduction as these two physiological processes are essential for plant growth and seed yield. Understanding the role of AGPs during these conditions contributes for a better understanding of AGP biology and ultimately to integrate it in new biotechnology methodologies to improve plant crop production.

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O nosso novo capítulo de livro foi lançado, como parte do livro Plant Cell Walls – Research Milestones and Conceptual Insights 📚🌱🌸

Nesta revisão, apresentamos uma visão geral do conhecimento acumulado sobre a biossíntese e função das AGPs, dando particular ênfase ao seu envolvimento na tolerância ao stress abiótico e na reprodução das plantas, uma vez que estes dois processos fisiológicos são essenciais para o crescimento das plantas e a produção de sementes. Compreender o papel das AGPs durante estas condições contribui para uma melhor compreensão da biologia destas glicoproteínas e, em última análise, permitirá a integração de novas metodologias biotecnológicas para melhorar a produção de culturas vegetais.

Our new article in The Cell Surface is out, the result of a collaboration between our PhD student Diana Moreira and her co-supervisor Allan Showalter, from Ohio University, USA. Congratulations to all the authors 👏🍀
This paper reports on the generation and phenotypic characterization of the Hyp-GALTs octuple mutant with regard to its functional roles in
male vegetative and reproductive growth and development in Arabidopsis 🌱

Saiu o nosso novo artigo na The Cell Surface, fruto da colaboração entre a nossa aluna de doutoramento Diana Moreira e o seu co-orientador Allan Showalter, da Universidade de Ohio, EUA. Parabéns a todos os autores 👏🍀
Este trabalho relata aqui a geração e caraterização fenotípica do octuplo mutante Hyp-GALTs relativamente aos seus papéis funcionais no
crescimento e desenvolvimento vegetativo e reprodutivo masculino em Arabidopsis 🌱


https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcsw.2023.100117

Prepara-te para mais uma emocionante edição do "Biologia ao fim da tarde". 🌄 O Departamento de Biologia, em colaboração com o Nebup e a delegação do Norte da Ordem dos Biólogos, tem o prazer de anunciar as próximas duas palestras de dia 22 de novembro. Vem connosco explorar o mundo das plantas e dos carvalhais portugueses.

Para participar, basta inscreveres-te através do link disponível em nossa bio. 🔗

Last week, our researcher Ana Marta Pereira () was invited for a field trip to Salvaterra de Magos to get familiar with the production of sustainable rice 🌾 in Portugal, a part of the european program 🌾
Currently, rice production in Portugal, France, and Italy aims to establish a harmonious relationship between the land and agriculture. The rice fields prioritize biodiversity as an indispensable component of their farming practices, recognizing its significance for the prosperous cultivation of rice in temperate climates. Because of these unique characteristics of rice farming in temperate regions, numerous European paddy fields, including Portugal's prominent Reserva Natural do Estuário do Tejo, have been designated as part of the Natura 2000 network.The group visited COTArroz (Operational and Technological Rice Center) whose mission is to promote the development of the rice farming sector in Portugal, for example through applied research. It was possible to know a little bit more about the Portuguese Rice Breeding Program developed in collaboration with INIAV (Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária) led by Ana Sofia Almeida. This program's main goal is to develop new rice varieties adapted to the Portuguese edapho-climatic conditions and the needs of farmers, industry and consumers, regarding the Carolino type. A new Portuguese variety of Carolino Rice was also presented, Caravela, which will soon be in the market.Besides this, it was possible to visit the EVOA (Tagus Estuary Birdwatching and Conservation Area), which allowed us to know and enjoy the unique heritage that we have between the Lezíra and the Tagus Estuary.

Last week our PI, Sílvia Coimbra, participated in the 4th and final PlantEd conference as an invited speaker, in Porto. PlantEd is a COST Action bringing together 330 experts in different areas with a focus on plant genome editing. As a scientists, it's our role to understand better the public perception on gene editing and clarify it in the best possible way! Thank you PlantEd organizers for the invitation! 🧬 🌱

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Na semana passada a nossa PI, Sílvia Coimbra, participou na 4ª e última conferência PlantEd como oradora convidada, no Porto. PlantEd é uma ação COST que reúne 330 especialistas em diversas áreas com foco na edição de genomas de plantas. Como cientistas, é nosso papel compreender melhor a percepção do público sobre a edição genética e esclarecê-la da melhor maneira possível! Obrigada aos organizadores pelo convite! 🧬 🌱

Our PhD student, Jessy Silva, participated in the Iberian Plant Biology in Braga 🇵🇹 where she had the opportunity to present her work on the expression pattern of GLCATs of AGPs in reproductive tissues 🌱🔬

Parte da nossa equipa reunida no XVI Plant Cell Wall Meeting em Málaga, Espanha 🇪🇦
É sempre gratificante fazer parte desta comunidade, obrigada pela excelente organização 👏

Agora estamos preparados para organizar o próximo Plant Cell Wall Meeting no Porto em 2026 💪

Part of our team gathered at the XVI Plant Cell Wall Meeting in Malaga, Spain 🇪🇦
It is always rewarding to be part of this community, thank you for the excellent organization 👏

Now we are ready to organize the next Plant Cell Wall Meeting in Porto in 2026 💪

During this week our team presented its work at in Malaga, Spain 🇪🇦

On June 4th our PI, Sílvia Coimbra, participated in the "Kickoff Symposium for Key-Molecule-Network in Plant Reproduction and CRISPit" at the Univeristy of Tokyo, Japan 🇯🇵
In this symposium, she talked about our new European project CRISPit and also about amazing world of AGPs that always accompany our lab 🍬🌱

No dia 4 de Junho a nossa PI, Sílvia Coimbra, participou no "Kickoff Symposium for Key-Molecule-Network in Plant Reproduction and CRISPit" na Universidade de Tóquio, Japão 🇯🇵

Neste simpósio, ela falou sobre o nosso novo projecto europeu CRISPit e também sobre o fantástico mundo das AGPs que sempre acompanham o nosso laboratório 🍬🌱

A nossa aluna de estágio ganhou a distinção de melhor poster no IJUP'23 na área das Ciências Biológicas 🎉👏
Muitos parabéns Ana pelo teu excelente trabalho e dedicação 🍀
A investigação na área das Plantas a mostrar o seu valor e importância para o avanço das Ciências Biológicas 💪🌱🧬

Obrigada e pela excelente orientação da Ana no decorrer deste ano 🙌👏