Libro Oficial BAC 2015 by Federación Española de Biotecnólogos

ANNUAL CONGRESS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY

Organized by:

IX Congress of the Spanish Federation of Biotechnologists

Libro de Resúmenes, IX Congreso de la Federación Española de Biotecnólogos 08-10 de julio de 2015 Edita Federación Española de Biotecnólogos Campus de Vegazana s/n 24071 – León Autores Nuria Jareño Moreno, Olga Pacios Santamaría, Jesús Anselmo Ramos Escudero, Alberto Sevillano Zorita y Belén Vicente Blázquez Editores Belén Vicente Blázquez Diseño y Maquetación Rodrigo García Valiente, rodrigogarcia@febiotec.es Imprime La Imprenta CG ISBN 978-84-606-9600-1 Depósito legal S.272-2015

BIENVENIDA DEL RECTOR La Universidad de Salamanca acoge entre los días 8 y 10 de julio de 2015 el Congreso Anual de Biotecnología organizado por la Asociación de Biotecnología de Salamanca y la Federación Española de Biotecnólogos (FEBiotec). Se trata de uno de los mayores eventos dentro del campo de la biotecnología en España que en cada edición reúne tanto a profesionales como a investigadores y a estudiantes, generando un ecosistema único para el desarrollo del conocimiento y la colaboración. La diversidad de temas a tratar y la particular conjunción entre investigadores de gran experiencia y jóvenes que comienzan ahora sus carreras, hacen de este encuentro una referencia y lo dotan de un matiz muy especial al ser iniciativa de los propios estudiantes. La Universidad de Salamanca se enorgullece así de la presencia en sus aulas del Premio Nobel de Química de 1988, el bioquímico alemán Robert Huber; del doctor Luis Herrera Estrella, mexicano pionero en la obtención de plantas transgénicas; del científico español Adolfo Ferrando; o del responsable de la Estrategia de Bioeconomía de la Comisión Europea, Tom Dodd, entre otras figuras, que permitirán a los asistentes conocer diferentes aspectos de una misma ciencia, la biotecnología. Una Universidad como esta, que se encuentra cercana a cumplir los 800 años de historia, ha visto como por sus aulas pasaban profesores ilustres, pensadores, científicos y, sobre todo, estudiantes, que buscaban con su trabajo y esfuerzo aportar avances y resultados a la sociedad. Esta inspiración constante en las fronteras del conocimiento y en la transmisión del mismo ha dado lugar a una institución que aspira, en los albores del nuevo siglo, a seguir construyendo el futuro de la mano de toda su comunidad universitaria. En estos días, el intercambio de ideas y conocimientos será intenso y os animo a que aprovechéis al máximo esta oportunidad para seguir mostrando a los ciudadanos los beneficios de invertir en ciencia y en educación.

Daniel Hernández Ruipérez Rector de la Universidad de Salamanca

WELCOME FROM THE RECTOR The University of Salamanca hosts on 8-10 July 2015 the Annual Congress of Biotechnology organised by the Association of Biotechnology of Salamanca (ABSal) and the Spanish Federation of Biotechnologists (FEBiotec). It is one of the largest events in the field of biotechnology in Spain, which in each iteration brings together both professionals and researchers and students, creating a unique ecosystem for the development of knowledge and collaborations. The diversity of topics and its audience, a particular mixture of highly experienced researchers and young people who are now beginning their careers, make this conference a reference, a very special event, as it is an initiative of students themselves. The University of Salamanca is proud of the presence of the Nobel Prize Laureate in Chemistry (1988), the German biochemist Robert Huber; Luis Herrera Estrella, Mexican pioneer in the production of transgenic plants; the Spanish scientist Adolfo Ferrando; or the policy coordinator on Bioeconomy of the European Commission Tom Dodd, among other figures, who will allow attendees to learn about different aspects of the same science, biotechnology. A university like this, which is close to meet its 800th year, has seen its classrooms passed by distinguished professors, thinkers, scientists and especially students, who sought through their work and effort to bring progress and results to the society. This constant inspiration in the frontiers of knowledge and the transmission of it has led to an institution that aspires, at the dawn of the new century, to continue building the future together with all the university community. These days, the exchange of ideas and knowledge will be intense and I encourage you to profit the most from this opportunity to continue showing to the public the benefits of investing in science and education.

Daniel HernĂĄndez RuipĂŠrez Rector of the University of Salamanca

ÍNDICE INDEX Welcome ......................................................................................................... Prologue.......................................................................................................... Committees ..................................................................................................... Schedule ......................................................................................................... Plenary Sessions............................................................................................ [P1] Metabolic engineering of plants to assimilate alternative fertilizers ................. [P2] Biotechnology, Bio-based industry, Bioeconomy - an EU perspective............. [P3] Metabolic reprogramming induces resistance to anti-NOTCH1 therapies in acute lymphoblastic leukemia ................................................................................ [P4] Protein Structures, Basic Science and Application ..........................................

p. 08 p. 10 p. 13 p. 18 p. 23 p. 25 p. 27 p. 29 p. 31

estuBAC .......................................................................................................... p. 33 [E1] Cell-penetrating peptides that mimic the antitumorigenic effect of Cx43 on glioma cells….. ....................................................................................................... p. 35 [E2] Use of Dirofilaria immitis’ recombinant proteins in the study of the vascular pathology of cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis ............................................................ p. 37 [E3] Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering to produce Microbial Oils: towards a sustainable source of fuels, chemicals and nutraceuticals ..................... p. 39 [E4] The Biotech Company in Spain (Round table) ................................................ p. 41 [E5] Biotechnology of the plant hormone gibberellin: one big problem and a possible solution .................................................................................................... p. 43 [E6] Metabolic engineering of pseudomonas putida for degradation of environmental pollutants under anoxic conditions ......................................................................... p. 45

Mentoring ........................................................................................................ p. 46 BMP ................................................................................................................. p. 53 sciBAC ............................................................................................................ p. 57 1. Discovery of new Drugs and Biomarkers against Cancer [S1] Personalized cancer therapies. ................................................................................ p. 59 [CO1] Novel biologically active naphthoquinones isolated from insect associated and endophytic fungi .............................................................................................................. p. 60 [CO2] CD247 (CD3ζ) specifically regulates cell surface expression of the NKp30b isoform, but not NKp30a or c ........................................................................................................ p. 61

New Therapeutical and Diagnostic Strategies

[S2] Therapeutic opportunities based on cellular senescence and reprogramming.... p. 63 [CO3] Biotechnology applied in the field of parasitology-recombinant antigens of Echinococcus.................................................................................................................. p. 64 [CO4] Mesenchymal stem cell derived exosomes in the treatment of synovitis: proof of concept in large animal model ......................................................................................... p. 65 [S3] Nanotechnology and proteomics for diagnostic and therapeutics ............................. p. 67 [CO5] Dvelopment of in vitro models which mimic acute and chronic allogeneic rejection for efficacy testing of different mscs products ....................................................................... p. 68 [CO6] A single transcription factor behind all bacterial dNTP synthesis revealed as a novel antimicrobial target.......................................................................................................... p. 69

Bioenergy and Bioremediation

[S4] Microbial Wonder-fuel Cells: a change in the bioremediation paradigm .................... p. 71 [CO7] Improving enzyme cocktails for lignocellulose hydrolysis in biorefineries by rational protein design .................................................................................................................. p. 72 [CO8] Screening for bacterial laccases with potential bioremediation application ............ p. 73 [S5] Molecular biological approaches to optimize plant bioenergy traits .......................... p. 75 [CO9] Iron homeostasis and oxidative stress in bacterial cyanide assimilation ................ p. 76 [CO10] Using morphological structure of penicillium funiculosum as a bioavailability index during the biodegradation of PHB, PCL and their blends ................................................. p. 77

Biotechnological Food and Biofactories

[S6] Genetic engineering of the chloroplast: from biopharmaceuticals to biofuels ............ p. 79 [CO11] A simple and rapid yeast-based assay to evaluate efficiency of talens targeting medicago truncatula dcl3 and rdr2 genes ........................................................................ p. 80 [CO12] Nitric oxide (NO) role in oil quality improvement .................................................. p. 81 [S7] New strategies for the use of plants as biofactories of added-value compounds ....... p.83 [CO13] Involvement of prohibitin in nitric oxide (NO) homeostasis during developmental processes and salt stress in Arabidopsis ......................................................................... p. 84 [CO14] Increased cereal root surface using bacterial biofertilizer .................................... p. 85

Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology

[S8] Induced Pluripotent stem cells: Cell Therapy, disease modeling and drug discovery [CO15] Obtaining bacterial cellulose as alternative to plant cellulose. ............................. [S9] Protein engineering: From Nature to Nanotechnology .............................................. [CO16] MSCS-coated surgical meshes for reducing postsurgical inflammation ...............

p. 87 p. 89 p. 91 p. 93

Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

[S10] Bioenergy and industrial biotechnology-Process development ............................... p. 95 [CO17] Optimization of fluorescence in situ hybridization technique for analyzing microorganisms involved in bioprocesses ....................................................................... p. 97 [S11] Bioprocesses Associated to Sourdough Fermentation Technology ........................ p. 99 [CO18] Fermentation-assisted extraction of ellagic acid and its antiprotozoal activity ..... p. 101

Systems, Omics and Computational Biology

[S12] Characterisation of complex rearrangements in Cancer genomes ........................ p. 103 [CO19] An association network reveals co-regulation of carbon and nitrogen metabolismrelated parameters in durum wheat grown under different environmental conditions .. p. 104 [CO20] Bioinformatic design of antimicrobial peptides for the development of multipurpose contact lens solutions ..................................................................................................... p. 105 [S13] Functional Proteomic Strategies for the High-throughput Screening of Enzymes and their Inhibitors. A way towards their biotechnological applicabilities ................................ p. 107 [CO21] Analysis of taste genetic variations in humans ................................................... p. 108 [CO22] Differential immune response against two bk virus antigens explains control of bk viremia post-kidney transplant ........................................................................................ p. 109

Scientific Posters: Abstracts ...................................................................... Training programme and visits ................................................................... Social programme ........................................................................................ Useful Information........................................................................................ FEBiotec: General Assemblies ................................................................... Acknowledgements...................................................................................... Sponsors....................................................................................................... Index of authors ...........................................................................................

p. 111 p. 167 p. 171 p. 174 p. 176 p. 178 p. 184 p. 186

BIENVENIDA El pasado 31 de diciembre terminaba el Año de la Biotecnología en España. Un año que con gran esfuerzo la Federación Española de Biotecnólogos junto a sus Asociaciones Miembro ayudaron a sacar adelante. Nuestro trabajo se unió al de otras tantas entidades como ASEBIO, SEBiot y SEM que decidimos aunar esfuerzos y llevar la biotecnología a su máxima expresión. Desde exposiciones, semanas temáticas en distintas ciudades, hasta programas de televisión de alcance nacional. Pero, ¿quién dijo que después de la tormenta llega la calma? Aunque tras un año de frenético movimiento, la semilla de la biotecnología ya estaba sembrada, no bastaba con ello. Habría que regarla día a día para que creciera y enraizara en el terreno de la sociedad. Por eso, ante una etapa en la que el movimiento es vital para lograr nuestros objetivos, y ante la falta de recursos, no hemos dejado de trabajar incesantemente en nuestro proyecto. Esta pequeña semilla que tan insignificante parecía en un comienzo, portaba toda la información del árbol de la biotecnología. Un árbol que ha ido desarrollándose y evolucionando poco a poco, con la aparición de nuevas tecnologías y la incorporación de cada vez más ramas de conocimiento, convirtiéndose así en un árbol más útil, más práctico, pero sobre todo, más integrador. 2015 se ha guiado por un objetivo: transformar la principal congregación de biotecnólogos de España en un congreso de referencia en el sector. Este proceso culmina con el IX Congreso de la Federación Española de Biotecnólogos – BAC 2015. Con más de setenta comunicaciones, cursos de formación, un programa de mentoring para jóvenes científicos y conferencias que abarcan desde la lucha contra el cáncer hasta innovación y emprendimiento, Salamanca ya se ha convertido en una ciudad que ha logrado aunar la biotecnología de toda España y hacerse oír más allá de sus fronteras con la presencia de asistentes de todo el mundo. Pero el proyecto biotecnológico no puede estancarse aquí, sino que es necesario alimentarlo día tras día, para hacer que la biotecnología pueda seguir creciendo. ¿Cómo? Mediante el trabajo diario de todos aquellos que participan en la ciencia de uno u otro modo y luchan por su desarrollo. A través del trabajo de FEBiotec, de la Asociación de Biotecnología de Salamanca (ABSal) y del resto de asociaciones que luchan contra la invisibilidad del colectivo. Y a través de ti que, sea cual sea tu procedencia, estás hoy en BAC 2015. Porque lo importante es que seamos conscientes de que el cambio es la base para avanzar en el camino. Porque hoy, esa invisibilidad de la biotecnología es historia. Por todo ello, queremos darte la bienvenida a BAC 2015.

Alberto Sevillano Zorita Belén Vicente Blázquez Coordinadores de BAC 2015

WELCOME The Spanish Year of Biotechnology finished last 31 December. A year which got off the ground with much effort by the Spanish Federation of Biotechnologists (FEBiotec) along with its Institutional Members. It has been an example of cooperative work between the main sector institutions such as ASEBIO, SEBiot and SEM with the aim to promote Biotechnology as a force to change and improve our lives. The project has had a considerable significance, with exhibitions, thematic weeks in different cities, even appearing on national television shows. But who said a calm comes after storm? Even though, after a frenetic year full of movement, the biotechnology seed was already sown, it was not enough. It is necessary to water it in order to let it grow and take roots in the society. Facing a period in which movement is essential to achieve our aims, and despite the disappointing lack of resources, we did not stop working in our project relentlessly. Although this seed might have seemed petite at the beginning, it carried the information for the biotechnology tree. A tree which developed and changed little by little with the apparition of new technologies, and the incorporation of more and more branches of knowledge. Everything in order to achieve a more useful Biotechnology for the society, more profitable, but, above all, more integrative. Our main task during 2015 has been to turn the principal annual meeting of biotechnologists in Spain into the scientific congress of reference in this country. This process ends in the IX Congress the Spanish Federation of Biotechnologists BAC 2015. With more than seventy communications, a training programme, mentoring sessions, conferences which range from policy making to cancer fight through Biotechnology, Salamanca appears today as a city that has been able to join the biotechnology in Spain and be heard beyond its borders, with the presence of attendants from all over the world. But the biotechnological project can't get stuck here, we need to nourish it, day by day, in order to keep Biotechnology growing. How? Through the daily work of those who make Biotechnology and who fight for its development. Also through FEBiotec's work, that of ABSal and the rest of associations, with the aim of fighting against the invisibility of our collective. And, through you, that, no matter where you come from, are today at BAC 2015. Because we must be aware that change is the base to move forward in out way. Because today, that invisibility is history. For all of that, we want to welcome you at BAC 2015

Alberto Sevillano Zorita BelĂŠn Vicente BlĂĄzquez Coordinators of BAC 2015

Según la Real Academia Española la Biotecnología se define como el “empleo de células vivas para la obtención y mejora de productos útiles, como los alimentos y los medicamentos”. Otros, la conocen como la “rama aplicada de la biología… pero quizás para nosotros estas definiciones se queden un tanto escuetas o carentes de contenido. Personalmente me gusta más ver la Biotecnología como una madeja de lana multicolor, en la que cada hilo por separado puede parecer de madejas distintas, pero que en su conjunto no son más que un todo. Y así es la Biotecnología, aunque su color cambie, mantiene su esencia. El pasado año 2014 fue el momento de llamar la atención sobre este abanico de colores, el momento de salir a la calle y demostrar por qué la Biotecnología se merecía un reconocimiento de tal prestigio como la mención “2014, Año de la Biotecnología en España”. Y así lo hicimos. Llenamos de proyectos todas las regiones en las que la Federación Española de Biotecnólogos (FEBiotec) está presente a través de sus Asociaciones Miembro: Andalucía, Murcia, Madrid, Valencia, Cataluña, Asturias y, por supuesto, Castilla y León. Pero no debemos quedarnos ensimismados en el pasado dejando pasar el presente. Este año 2015 también sigue siendo importante para los biotecnólogos, un colectivo que se ha volcado con la exitosa campaña #IAMBIOTECH lanzada desde nuestro blog. Y aunque sea exitosa en números de seguidores, retweets o veces que se ha compartido la noticia, el éxito para mi reside en la implicación que todos y cada uno de vosotros habéis tenido. Nos habéis contado vuestras experiencias, nos habéis ayudado a seguir identificando convocatorias en las que no nos tienen presentes para buscar solución… En definitiva, nos habéis ayudado a seguir defendiendo la figura del biotecnólogo, la nuestra, y desde la Junta Directiva de FEBiotec queremos agradecéroslo. Y qué mejor lugar para gritar a los cuatro vientos #IAMBIOTECH que nuestro evento cumbre anual: el Biotech Annual Congress 2015 (BAC 2015). Ya son nueve las ediciones de este congreso que llevamos a nuestras espaldas, y aunque una servidora sólo ha asistido a seis de las mismas, puedo decir que lo que comenzó como un congreso para reunir a los estudiantes del sector ha ido poco a poco evolucionando hasta convertirse en evento de referencia de la Biotecnología en España, no ya solo para estudiantes sino también para profesionales biotecnólogos. De este modo, el BAC 2015 que nos presentan nuestros compañeros salmantinos supone una vuelta de tuerca más al juntar en una misma sede dos congresos en uno, sciBAC y estuBAC: “el Futuro y el Presente de la Biotecnología se encuentran en Salamanca”.

Y es que, tal y como dijo Catherine Booth “si vamos a mejorar el futuro tenemos que molestar a los presentes”.

María José Conde Dusmán Presidenta de FEBiotec

According to the Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española, responsible for overseeing the Spanish language), Biotechnology is defined as the "use of living cells for the production and improvement of useful products such as food and medicine." Others undesrand it as the "application of biology”... but maybe for us these definitions remain somewhat simple and devoid of content. Personally, I like to define biotechnology as a skein of multicolored wool, in which each part separately may look different, but they are all belong to the same yarn. And so it is Biotechnology, although its color changes, keeps its essence. Last year, it was a time to create awareness about this range of colors, the time to go outside and demonstrate why Biotechnology deserves recognition, obtained via the declaration of 2014 as the “Year of Biotechnology in Spain". And we did so: we undertook projects in all the regions where the Spanish Federation of Biotechnologists (FEBiotec) is present through its Institutional Members: Andalusia, Murcia, Madrid, Valencia, Catalonia, Asturias and, of course, Castilla y Leon. But we should not concentrate ourselves in the past, forgetting the present. 2015 is also important for biotechnologists, a group that has been deeply engaged in the successful campaign #IAMBIOTECH, launched from our blog. Success, but not because of the success in numbers of followers, retweets or times the news have been shared. Success for me lies in the implication that each and every one of you have had. You have shared with us your experiences, you have helped us further identify public offers where we are discriminated, so that we can seek a solution ... In short, you have helped us to continue defending the Biotechnologist as a professional, us, and from the Executive Board of FEBiotec we want to thank you.

Is there a better place to shout from the rooftops that #IAMBIOTECH than our annual summit event, the Annual Congress of Biotechnology 2015 (BAC 2015)? After nine successful iterations, and while I have only attended six of them, I can say that what started as a conference to bring together students of the sector has slowly but surely become a landmark event of Biotechnology in Spain, not only for students but also for professionals biotechnologists. Thus, BAC 2015 Salamanca organised by our colleagues from Salamanca represents a further step, gathering in one venue, two conferences, sciBAC and estuBAC, with the motto: "The Present and Future of Biotechnology meet in Salamanca". As Catherine Booth said "there is no improving the future without disturbing the present".

María José Conde Dusmán President of FEBiotec

COMITÉS

SCIENTIFIC COMMITEE The Scientific Committee of sciBAC – BAC 2015 is composed by highly prestigious professionals from all the Biotechnology areas. The Organizing Committee wants to thank the members of the Scientific Committee for their support of this project.

Discovery of new drugs and biological markers against cancer



Ángel Carracedo Álvarez. Director of Genomic Medicine Group and Professor of Legal Medicine at Santiago de Compostela University. Vice-Chairman of the Spanish Society for Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics.



Rogelio González Sarmiento. Professor of Molecular Medicine and Scientific Director of Biomedical Research Institute at University of Salamanca (IBSAL).



Alberto Orfao de Matos Correia. Medicine Professor and Director of the Cytometry Service at University of Salamanca.



María Blasco Marhuenda. Director at Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) and Leader of the Telomeres and Telomerase Group.

New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies



Arantxa Tabernero Urbieta. Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at University of Salamanca and Subdirector at Neurosciences Institute of Castile and León (INCYL).



Eugenio Santos de Dios. Professor of Microbiology at University of Salamanca and Director at Comprehensive Cancer Research Centre of Salamanca (CIC).

 

Mónica García Benito. Associate Professor of Physiology at University of Salamanca. Xosé Ramón Bustelo. Research Professor at CSIC and Director of Genomics and Proteomics Unit at Comprehensive Cancer Research Centre of Salamanca (CIC).

Bioenergy and Biorremediation



María Dolores Rodríguez Martín. Professor of Plant Physiology at University of Salamanca and Subdirector at Spanish-Portuguese Agrarian Research Institute (CIALE).



Juan Manuel Lema Rodicio. Professor of Chemistry Engineering and Director of the Environmental Engineering and Bioprocesses Group at Santiago de Compostela University.

 

Vicente Rubio Muñoz. CSIC Researcher at Biotechnology National Centre (CNB). Óscar Lorenzo Sánchez. Professor of Plant Physiology at University of Salamanca and member of Spanish-Portuguese Agrarian Research Institute (CIALE).

SCIENTIFIC COMMITEE Biotechnological food and Biofactories

 

Daniel Ramón Vidal. Scientific Chairman at Biopolis S.L.



Berta Dopico Rivela. Plant Physiology Department Director and Professor at University of Salamanca. Director of Cell Wall and Vegetal Growing Group at SpanishPortuguese Agrarian Research Institute (CIALE).



Diego Orzáez Calatayud. CSIC Researcher and Director of ‘Genomics and Biotechnology of Plants’ Group at Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP).

Miguel Ángel Blázquez Rodríguez. CSIC Scientific Researcher at Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology (IBMCP) and member of the Board of Directors at Spanish Society of Plant Phisiology (SEFV).

Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology



Laura M. Lechuga. CSIC Research Professor and Associate Professor at Physics and Technology at University of Tromsø -Norway-, co-founder of SENSIA S.L. and BIO S.L.



Juan Francisco Madrid Cuevas. Professor of Cellular Biology and Histology at University of Murcia and Chairman at Spanish Society for Histology and Tissue Engineering.



Antonio Campos Muñoz. Histology Department Director and Professor at University of Granada.



María Victoria Moreno Manzano. Chief of “Neural and Tisular Regeneration” Group at Prince Felipe Research Centre (CIPF), Technical Chairman at Stem Factor S.L.

Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis



José Mario Díaz Fernández. Professor of Chemical Engineering at University of Oviedo and Chairman at Spanish Society for Biotechnology (SEBiot).



Isabel de la Mata. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department Professor and Director of ‘Enzyme Biotechnology’ Group at Complutense University of Madrid.



Margarita Salas Falgueras. CSIC Research Professor and member of European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).



María Ángeles Sanromán Braga. Bioprocesses Group Coordinator and Professor at University of Vigo.

SCIENTIFIC COMMITEE Systems, Omics and Computational Biology



Joaquín Dopazo Blázquez. Computational Genomics Department Director at Prince Felipe Research Centre (CIPF) and Bioinformatics Group Director at Biomedical Research Centre in Rare Diseases Network (CIBERER).



Alfonso Valencia. President of ISCB, Vicedirector at CNIO and Director of National Centre of Bioinformatics.



Rodrigo Santamaría Vicente. Assistant Professor at Informatics and Automatics Department at University of Salamanca.



Matteo Barberis. Professor of Synthetic and Systems Biology at Amsterdam University. Coordinator at International Society of Systems Biology.

ORGANIZING COMMITEE BAC 2015 is organized by a young, yet experienced, team of Biotechnologists from theBiotechnology Association of Salamanca (ABSal) and the Spanish Federation of

Biotechnologists (FEBiotec). Most of them are associated with the hosting institution, the University of Salamanca. The Organizing Committee is composed by:

 Belén Vicente Blázquez (belenvicente@febiotec.es). General Coordinator of BAC 2015. Chairwoman of ABSal. Student at the University of Salamanca.

 Alberto Sevillano Zorita (albertosevillano@febiotec.es). General Coordinator of BAC 2015. Vice-Chairman of FEBiotec. Executive Board Member of ABSal. BSc in Biotechnology at the University of Salamanca.

 Arturo Blázquez Navarro, MSc (arturoblazquez@febiotec.es). Chief Communications Officer. Chief International Officer of FEBiotec. Research Assistant at CharitéUniversitätsmedizin Berlin.

 Nuria Jareño Moreno (nuriajareno@febiotec.es). Chief Funding Officer. ViceChairwoman of ABSal. Student at the University of Salamanca.

 Noel Blanco Touriñán, MSc (noelblanco@febiotec.es). Chief Scientific Programme Officer. Research Assistant at Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (Valencia, Spain).

 Jesús Anselmo Ramos Escudero (jesusramos@febiotec.es). Logistics Officer. Treasurer of ABSal. Student at the University of Salamanca.

 Daniel García Ruano (danielgarcia@febiotec.es). Logistics Officer. Student at the University of Salamanca.

 Mario Barrera Román (mariobarrera@febiotec.es). Satellite Events and Training Programme Officer. Vice-Secretary of ABSal. Student at the University of Salamanca.

 Mario Juárez Rodríguez (mariojuarez@febiotec.es). Social Media Officer. BSc in Biotechnology at the University of Salamanca.

 Cristina Liz Amaré. (cristinaliz@febiotec.es). Graphical designer. Image and sound technician. Student at Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca.

HORARIO

SCHEDULE

PONENCIAS PLENARIAS

PONENCIAS PLENARIAS KEYNOTE TALKS

Dr. LUIS HERRERA ESTRELLA Dr. Herrera-Estrella has made important contributions to the field of plant molecular biology, especially in the study of gene regulation and in the development of gene transfer methods, which later became a very important tool to develop gene transfer systems for economically important crops. Current research is primarily focused to the development transgenic plants better adapted to marginal soils and Genomics Analysis of endemic plants from Mexico. In 2004, Luis Herrera-Estrella strongly promoted the creation of the National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio).

Keynote Talks P1 >> METABOLIC ENGINEERING OF PLANTS TO ASSIMILATE ALTERNATIVE FERTILIZERS DR. LUIS HERRERA ESTRELLA

National Laboratory of Genomics for the Biodiversity (Mexico) WEDNESDAY, JULY 8th - 17:30H - AUDITORIO MAYOR Poor soil fertility and aggressive weeds pose major constraints to meeting the increasing demand for global food production. Starting with the green revolution in the 1960s, higher yields have been accompanied by a steady increase in the use of fertilizers and herbicides. Phosphorus (P) is a nutrient that limits crop yield in over 60 percent of the world's arable land. To increase plant productivity in soils with low P availability, several million tons of P fertilizer is applied every year to agricultural soils. However, by some estimates, world resources of inexpensive P may be depleted by 2080. Low Pi availability in the soil is mainly due to its high reactivity with soil components and rapid conversion by soil bacteria into organic forms that are not readily available for plant uptake. Due to both of these factors, as little as 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;30% of the Pi that is applied as fertilizer is actually used by cultivated plants. The inefficient utilization of Pi present in fertilizer is further aggravated by the competition of weeds with crops for soil resources. Because Pi cannot be substituted in plant nutrition, relatively little attention has been given to the use of other chemical forms of phosphorus to formulate effective and potentially less environmentally hazardous fertilizers. Phosphite, a reduced form of phosphorus, was proposed as a promising alternative fertilizer after the Second World War, owing to its distinct chemical and biochemical properties compared with orthophosphate, including higher solubility, lower reactivity with soil components and the inability of most microorganisms to use it as a phosphorus source. However, plants cannot metabolize phosphite, limiting its use as a fertilizer. In this presentation I will report on the development of a novel fertilization and weed control system by engineering plants to metabolize phosphite. This was achieved by expressing a phosphite oxido/reductase that converts phosphite into Pi, in transgenic plants. When grown in soil that contains native microflora and fertilized with phoshite, engineered plants expressing the phosphite oxidoreductase achieve maximum productivity with 30 to 50% less P than that required to reach the same productivity using Pi as fertilizer. Since non-engineered plants are unable to use phosphite as a P source, when fertilized with phosphite the engineered plants easily outcompete weeds reducing or eliminating the need for herbicides to achieve maximum yield. In contrast to Pi that when released from contaminated rivers into the ocean promotes toxic algal blooms that kill aquatic organisms, phosphite should not cause these severe ecological problems since it cannot be used as a nutrient by algae. Thus these metabolically engineered plants allow the design of a dual fertilization and weed control system with both potentially important economical and ecological benefits.

TOM

DODD Tom Dodd has worked in the Bioeconomy Directorate of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and Innovation since 2013. From 2004-2013 he was a member of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Team in the European Commissionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry. He was lead author of the 2011 European CSR strategy, and worked on many aspects of corporate responsibility, including business and human rights, and company disclosure of environmental, social and governance information. He started working for the European Commission in 1995, managing emergency humanitarian assistance to various African countries, and subsequently completed a four year posting in the Commission's Delegation in Nicaragua. He is a Fellow of LEAD International, a unique global network of leaders in sustainable development.He has a first class honours degree in European Community Studies and Spanish from the University of Edinburgh, and a Masters Degree in European Studies from the College of Europe in Bruges. He lives within cycling distance of Brussels, with his wife and three daughters.

Keynote Talks P2 >> BIOTECHNOLOGY, BIO-BASED INDUSTRY, BIOECONOMY - AN EU PERSPECTIVE TOM DODD DG Research and Innovation – European Commission WEDNESDAY, JULY 8th - 18:30H - AUDITORIO MAYOR As part of the European Bioeconomy Strategy, the European Commission has launched a major public-private partnership with bio-based industries, mobilising nearly €1 billion of EU funds and a further €2.7 billion from the private sector. The European Commission also seeks to improve the policy and regulatory environment in order to facilitate further investments in innovative bio-based industries. The challenge is to help fulfil the potential of biotechnology and the bio-based industries to bring tangible benefits to European citizens.

Dr. ADOLFO

FERRANDO I have been working on the pathogenesis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia for the last 15 years. As a postdoctoral fellow at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, I performed one of the first comprehensive microarray gene expression analysis in human leukemia which uncovered the key role of transcription factor oncogenes, identified TLX3 as a new pathogenic factor in T-ALL and defined a molecular classification of T-ALL based on gene expression programs associated with the activity of different oncogenic pathways (Cancer Cell 2002). Following on these results I defined the transcriptional programs downstream of MLL fusion oncogenes in T-ALL (Blood 2003), the prognostic significance of different molecular groups of T-ALL (Lancet 2004) and identified the presence of activating mutations in NOTCH1 in over 50% of T-ALLs (Science 2004). At the Institute for Cancer Genetics at Columbia University I have continued my work on the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms that promote and sustain the malignant proliferation and survival of leukemic cells. Over the last years we have successfully used an integrated approach combining gene expression profiling, ChIp-on-chip and ChIp-seq analysis, biochemical assays and animal models to analyze the functions of specific oncogenes in the pathogenesis of T-ALL (Blood 2006; PNAS 2006; Nat Med 2007, PNAS 2009; Nat Med 2009, Nat Med 2010). Finally, over the last years we have identified numerous genes somatically mutated in T-ALL including FBXW7 (J Exp Med 2007), PTEN (Nat Med 2007), WT1 (Blood 2009), PHF6 (Nat Genet 2010), BCL11B (Nat Med 2010), RUNX1 (Nat Med 2012a), EZH2 (Nat Med 2012b) and NT5C2 (Nat Med 2013). My group is solidly established and has the expertise to carry out the project described here. Over the last years we have built an extensive network of collaborators which together with the outstanding scientific environment at the Institute for Cancer Genetics will support and ensure the success of this project. As PI or co-Investigator on several previous grants funded by the NIH, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and other private foundations, I have built a highly trained and well coordinated team with specific expertise in genomic analysis of transcriptional regulatory networks, protein biochemistry, genetically manipulated mouse models of leukemia and experimental therapeutics.

Keynote Talks P3 >> METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING INDUCES RESISTANCE TO ANTI-NOTCH1 THERAPIES IN ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA DR. ADOLFO FERRANDO Institute for Cancer Genetics â&#x20AC;&#x201C; University of Columbia THURSDAY, JULY 9th - 13:30H - AUDITORIO MAYOR NOTCH signaling is a conserved signal transduction pathway with a prominent role in cell differentiation and tissue patterning during development and aberrant NOTCH1 signaling plays a major role in the pathogenesis of over 60% of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (T-ALLs) harboring activating mutations in the NOTCH1 gene. Oncogenic NOTCH1 has been proposed as a therapeutic target in NOTCH1mutant leukemias and small molecule -secretase inhibitors (GSIs), which effectively block NOTCH activation via inhibition of a critical proteolytic cleavage required for NOTCH signaling, are now in clinical development for the treatment of relapsed and refractory T-ALL. However, the clinical development of anti-NOTCH1 therapies has been hampered by drug resistance and the limited and delayed therapeutic response to these drugs, making the identification of highly effective and synergistic drug combinations capable of delivering strong antileukemic responses a top priority in the field. Using an integrative Systems Biology approach that combines genetic, transcriptional and metabolomic analyses of NOTCH1 induced leukemias with resistance to therapy induced by conditional inducible loss of Pten we have identified glutaminolysis as a critical pathway for leukemia cell growth downstream of NOTCH1 and a key determinant of clinical response to anti-NOTCH1 therapies. Mechanistically, inhibition of NOTCH1 signaling in T-ALL induces a metabolic shutdown with prominent inhibition of glutaminolysis and triggers autophagy as a salvage pathway supporting leukemia cell metabolism. Moreover, we demonstrate that Pten loss rescues leukemic cell metabolism with consequent abrogation of the antileukemic effects of NOTCH1 inhibition. In this context, both inhibition of glutaminolysis and inhibition of autophagy strongly and synergistically enhance the antileukemic effects of anti-NOTCH1 therapies. Overall, our results highlight the fundamental importance of NOTCH1 signaling in the control of leukemia cell metabolism, extend our understanding of the prominent role of PTEN and the PI3K pathway in the control of oncogenic cell growth and provide the basis for the design of new therapeutic strategies targeting cell metabolism for the treatment of T-ALL.

Dr. ROBERT

HUBER Robert Huber was born in 1937 in Munich. He studied chemistry at the Technische Universit채t M체nchen (TUM), where he completed his Ph.D. and habilitation. Since 1972, he has been a member of the Max-PlanckGesellschaft and Director at the Max-Planck-Institut f체r Biochemie until his retirement in 2005. Since 1976, he also serves at the TUM as a Professor. He holds appointments as Guest Professor at the Universit채t Duisburg-Essen (Germany), the Cardiff University (Great Britain), the Autonomous University Barcelona (Spain), and the Seoul National University (Korea).

He serves as a member of the Board and/or Scientific Advisory Board of a number of pharmaceutical and crop science companies, and he is co-founder of two companies, Proteros and Suppremol, located in Martinsried and offering services for drug discovery and development and for the development of novel therapies for autoimmune diseases, respectively. Huber has made major contributions to the understanding of the structure and function of biological macromolecules. He has studied proteases and their natural and synthetic inhibitors, metalloenzymes (iron, nickel, molybdenum, copper), proteins of the immune system (antibodies and antibody receptors), protein hormones and their receptors, protein kinases, enzymes of amino acid biosynthesis, enzymes of cofactor and vitamin biosynthesis and proteins of energy and electron transfer. In addition, he has contributed to the development of instruments for data collection and to methods in protein crystallography, particularly Patterson methods, graphic methods, and refinement, to the use of electron rich metal clusters, and most recently to the methods and instruments for crystal improvement. He has been honoured by numerous honorary doctorates, professorships, memberships in learned societies and awards, including the Otto-Warburg Medal, the Emil von Behring Medal, the Sir Hans Krebs Medal, the The Linus Pauling Medal, Max Tishler Prize and, in 1988, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry together with H. Michel and J. Deisenhofer.

Keynote Talks P4 >> PROTEIN STRUCTURES, BASIC SCIENCE AND APPLICATION DR. ROBERT HUBER Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 13:30H - AUDITORIO MAYOR As a student in the nineteen sixties, I had the privilege to attend winter seminars organized by my mentor, W. Hoppe, and by M. Perutz, which took place in a small guesthouse in the Bavarian-Austrian Alps. The entire community of a handful of protein crystallographers assembled in a room which served as living and dining room and as auditorium for the lectures. Today structural biologists organize large congresses with thousands of attendants and there exist many hundreds of laboratories specialized in this field. It appears to dominate biology and biochemistry very visibly if we count covers in scientific journals displaying macromolecular structures.

Dr.

Structural biology was successful, because it was recognized that understanding biological phenomena at the molecular and atomic level requires seeing those molecules. Structural biology revealed the structure of genes and their basic mechanism of regulation, the mechanism of enzymes’ function, the structural basis of immune diversity, the mechanisms of energy production in cells by photosynthesis and its conversion into energy-rich chemical compounds and Robert Huber organic material, the mechanism that makes muscle work, the architecture of viruses and multi-enzyme complexes, and many more.

New methods hadofan essential impact on the development of structural biology. Max Planck Institute Biochemistry

They seemed to become available in cadence with the growing complexity of the problems and newly discovered methods brought biological problems within reach for researchers, a co-evolutionary process of the development of methods and FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 13:30H - AUDITORIO answerable problems, not only in the field of MAYOR x-ray diffraction, but also in NMR and electron microscopy. An important additional incentive for structural biology came from its potential application for drug design and development using knowledge of drug receptor structures at the atomic level combined with theoretical approaches of ligand binding. The commercial interest in application spurred this direction of research enormously. My lecture will start out with the history of protein crystallography and major factors contributing to its development. Few examples shall illustrate how structure information contributes to our understanding of the physical and chemical basis of biological phenomena and may lead to medical application. I then will let you share my experience with the foundation and development of two biotech companies with different business models, but based on academic research in structural biology:  Proteros (www.Proteros.com) offers enabling technology services for Pharmaand Crop science companies imbedding all steps of the workflow molecular and structural biology can provide and commands and uses its platform for the generation of leads from identified targets to in vivo Proof of Concept (PoC).  Suppremol (www.Suppremol.com) specializes in the development of novel immune-regulatory therapeutics for the treatment of autoimmune diseases on the basis a recombinant, soluble, non-glycosylated version of the human Fcg receptor IIB.

Dr. ARANTXA

TABERNERO Arantxa Tabernero is Associate Professor in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and research group leader at the Institute of Neuroscience of Castilla y Le贸n (INCYL) in the University of Salamanca. She studied Pharmacy and obtained her PhD with extraordinary award in 1993 for her work on the differential metabolism of neurons and astrocytes, supervised by Prof. Medina in the University of Salamanca. As a postdoc, she joined the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at University College London to study cytosolic and nuclear factors involved in Schwann cell differentiation, under the supervision of Prof. Mirsky and Jessen. As a postdoc in the University of Salamanca she studied the neurotrophic factors synthesized and release by astrocytes to promote neuronal differentiation focussing on oleic acid. She also worked in the Coll猫ge de France, Paris, in the laboratory of Christian Giaume to study the role of gap junctional communication mediated by connexins in astrocytes. Since then, this research group is studying the role of connexins and gap junction intercellular communication on the regulation of cell metabolism and proliferation in astrocytes and brain tumoral cells. At present, they are designing and studying cell-penetrating peptides based on connexin43 that mimic the tumor suppressor properties of this protein.

estuBAC E1 >> CELL-PENETRATING PEPTIDES THAT MIMIC THE ANTITUMORIGENIC EFFECT OF CX43 ON GLIOMA CELLS DR. ARANTXA TABERNERO Instituto de Neurociencias de Castilla y Le贸n THURSDAY, JULY 9th - 09:30H - AUDITORIO MAYOR Astrocytes are the most numerous cell type in the central nervous system. They are essential for normal neuronal activity since they provide structural, trophic, and metabolic support to neurons and modulate synaptic activity. A typical feature of astrocytes is their high level of connexin expression, mainly connexin43 (Cx43). This membrane protein constitutes the building block of gap junction channels that allow direct cytoplasm-to-cytoplasm communication and hemichannels that provide a pathway for exchanges between the intra- and extracellular media. This protein thus allow for autocrine and paracrine signalling as well as the direct transfer of nutrients and metabolites, second messengers, ions and signalling molecules. When astrocytes acquire a malignant phenotype Cx43 protein is downregulated, being negligible in high-grade astrocytoma or glioblastoma multiforme, the most common and deadliest of malignant primary brain tumours in adults. A great number of studies have confirmed the relationship between cancer and connexins that was proposed by Loewenstein more than 40 years ago, but these studies have also revealed that this is a very complex relationship. Indeed, restoring Cx43 to glioma cells reduces their rate of proliferation and their tumorigenicity but this tumour suppressor effect could be counterbalanced by its effects on invasiveness, adhesion and migration. The mechanisms underlying these effects suggest the participation of a great variety of proteins that bind to different regions of Cx43. We have focussed on an intrinsically disordered region of the C-terminal domain of Cx43 in which converges the interaction of several proteins, including the proto-oncogene Src. Our results show that Cx43-Src interaction inhibits the oncogenic activity of Src. Based on this mechanism, we are designing and studying cell-penetrating peptides that mimic the antitumorigenic effect of Cx43 on glioma cells.

Dr. RODRIGO

MORCHÓN Rodrigo Morchón García is an Assistant Professor (Doctor Europeus) in the Area of Parasitology of the Animal Biology, Parasitology, Ecology, Pedology and Agricultural Chemistry Department of the University of Salamanca. He has been in charge of more than 40 works, including BSc, MSc and PhD theses. He has done several pre- and post-doctoral stays in Italy, University of La Sapienza, Rome; University of Milan and University of Parma, in the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council), University of Valencia, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the Tropical Diseases and Public Health Institute of the Canary Islands (Tenerife) and the Carlos III Institute (Majadahonda-Madrid). He has participated in 24 projects as IP or coworker, he has written 72 publications in magazines, books and he works as a referee of several prestigious scientific magazines both national and international. He is also secretary of the European Dirofilaria and Angiostrongylus Society and a member of the Spanish Parasitology Society, the Spanish Tropical Medicine and International Health Society and the American Heartworm Society. He's responsible for the research area which covers the immunopathology and the molecular and cellular mechanisms of vascular, muscular and renal pathology of animal and human dirofilariasis and the study of dirofilariasis vectors in Spain. Furthermore, he holds administration responsibilities inside the University of Salamanca.

estuBAC E2 >> USE OF DIROFILARIA IMMITIS’ RECOMBINANT PROTEINS IN THE STUDY OF THE VASCULAR PATHOLOGY OF CARDIOPULMONARY DIROFILARIASIS DR. RODRIGO MORCHÓN

Laboratorio de Parasitología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca THURSDAY, JULY 9th - 10:30H - AUDITORIO MAYOR Canine and feline cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis is a chronic vascular disease caused by Dirofilaria immitis. Its main pathologic process (proliferative endarteritis) is produced by very serious physiopathological processes such as the proliferation and migration of the artery walls cells and the extravascular matrix destruction. At the same time, an acute process may occur due to the death of maggots from D. immitis causing thrombus which serious arterial and pulmonary harms. Plasmin, the responsible for initiating the fibrinolytic process, causes the lysis of fibrin clots. Therefore, the interaction with this molecule is taken in advantage by many blood pathogens as a survival mechanism to establish in the vascular system of their hosts. Furthermore, plasmin can have a proteolytic activity over many substrates, being responsible of serious physiopathological processes similar to the described above. As the interaction between D. Immitis and the fibrinolytic process has been previously proved, our aim was to establish a relationship between plasmin overproduction and vascular pathology during cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis. Data show that plasmin participates in the pathologic processes described in the proliferative endarteritis apparition. This includes the proliferation and migration of the artery walls cells and the deterioration of the extracellular matrix. This has been demonstrated using excretory/secretory antigens and recombinant parasitary plasminogen fixative proteins in an in vitro model of endothelial and smooth muscle dog cells. The results contribute to the knowledge of a very complex part in the molecular relationship between parasite/host in the cardiopulmonary dirofilariasis, showing for the first time how a process related to the parasite survival can trigger very important pathogenic mechanisms.

Dr. RODRIGO

LEDESMA After completing two degrees in Biotechnology and Chemical Engineering at the University of Salamanca, Dr. Rodrigo Ledesma obtained a MSc in Microbial Biotechnology at the Autonomous University of Madrid. He developed his PhD in the field of white biotechnology in the Metabolic Engineering group (Jose Luis Revuelta) at the University of Salamanca. He has been visiting researcher in EGE University(Turkey), Ghent University (Belgium), INRA (France), Chalmers University (Sweden) and Tsukuba (Japan). At the moment he is a postdoc researcher in Paris, in the group of Jean-Marc Nicaud, and he is currently doing metabolic engineering and synthetic biology to produce high value chemicals and fuels in yeasts.

estuBAC E3 >> SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY AND METABOLIC ENGINEERING TO PRODUCE MICROBIAL OILS: TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE OF FUELS, CHEMICALS AND NUTRACEUTICALS DR. RODRIGO LEDESMA UniversitĂŠ Pierre et Marie CURIE, ParĂs THURSDAY, JULY 9th, 12:00H, AUDITORIO MAYOR During the last years oils and fats are being considered as renewable raw materials for the chemical industry. Therefore, they are a promising alternative to the undesired, limited and pollutants fossil oils.

Among these fats and oils, microbial oils are gaining importance due to their advantages over animal fats, vegetable oils and algae oils. Just to cite some examples, they are not affected by climate and season conditions, they can use industrial waste products as inexpensive carbon sources and they can be engineered to be enriched in specific oils that can be directly used as lubricants, functional polymers and other high-value fine chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. Our research is focus in the industrial fungus Ashbya gossypii as a model organism to produce oils for the industry. In order to achieve our objectives, we developed systems metabolic engineering techniques, which are the combination of genetic and protein engineering, synthetic biology and systems biology, together with the predictive capacity of mathematical models of the microbial metabolism. Firstly, we constructed a strain able to accumulate up to 70% of its cell dry weight as lipids, three times more than the wild type. For this purpose we combined the heterologous expression of genes from Yarrowia lipolytica, a well-known lipogenic yeast, the overexpression of genes involved in lipid synthesis and the blocking of the pathway leading to consume intracellular oils. Secondly, we generate a wide range of engineered strains able to accumulate different fatty acids, which can be used for different biotechnological purposes. Within the cell, the elongases and desaturases are the enzymes involved in the fatty acid profile of a microorganism. We therefore engineered these enzymes and produced different strains with distinct oil composition. The generated strains resulted to be good candidates to produce polyunsaturated fatty acids, waxes, lubricants and biodiesel. We can therefore conclude that A. gossypii is a novel and promising tool for bio-oils production.

JUAN CARLOS

ESTEBAN SANTOS

ISABEL

GARCÍA CARNEROS Isabel García is General Secretary of the Spanish Bioindustry Association since 2008. She studied Biology at the University of Seville, has a Master’s degree in Biotechnology Management from the International Business School Aliter and an Executive Master in Pharmaceutical and Health Administration from the Instituto de Empresa (IE). Prior to her current position, she developed her career in strategy consulting in the Biotech sector and the public R&D system. Isabel Garcia collaborates with media and she has taught at several universities and business schools. She is currently co-director of the Master in Biotechnology and Health Business Management at the University CEUSan Pablo/ASEBIO.

ALFREDO

Juan Carlos Esteban is a professional communicator. He studied journalism and for several years worked as a journalist in general press and specialized media. Afterwards, he oriented professionally towards business, corporate communication and business. He has been dedicated to the management of press offices, communication consultancy and public affairs in various sectors: energy, telecommunications, chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology years.

ALEJANDRO

ASENSIO As a child I always wanted to be one of those cool (or mad) scientists from the movies. For this reason, and because I wanted people to give me an odd look when I told them what I was studying, I went to Zaragoza to study Biotechnology, where I became part of the first promotion of biotechnologists, with everything that entails. Then I moved to Madrid to study a Master degree of...Biotechnology (Microbial Biotechnology this time). I am currently member of the Executive Board of FEBiotec, editor in Biotecnoblogos, and employee in GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).

MATEOS GARCÍA Alfredo Mateos got a degree in Chemistry at the University of Salamanca and a Master in Management of Technology at the University Carlos III of Madrid. He worked in the private sector in Repsol I+D and SOCINTEC, and since 1998 in the Knowledge Transfer Office of the University of Salamanca, which he coordinates since 2002. He has been principal investigator of 9 national and european projects related to knowledge transfer, entrepreneurship and international projects, and he is editor of three books on this matter.

estuBAC E4 >> ROUND TABLE: THE BIOTECH COMPANY IN SPAIN Moderator: Alfredo Mateos García Speakers: Isabel García Carneros, Juan Carlos Esteban, Alejandro Asensio, María del Pilar Ramos Álvarez FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 9:30H - AUDITORIO MAYOR In this session, the situation of the Biotechnological Industry in Spain will be shown and analyzed from three different points of view: the state of the industry, its capacity to generate quality employment and the social perception of the sector. The speakers represent very different perspectives within the sector: Isabel García is representative of the industry as a whole; Juan Carlos Esteban is an expert in the communication of Biotechnological companies and Alejandro Asensio is a young Biotechnologist beginning in the sector. Together with the moderator Alfredo Mateos, director of the Office of Transference of Research Results of the Universidad de Salamanca, they will address questions such as: How is the economic situation affecting the Biotechnological sector? What are the perspectives for the next 5 years? What is the social perception of the industry? And more importantly: What are the possibilities for young Biotechnologists to enter this industry?

Dr. MIGUEL ÁNGEL

BLÁZQUEZ Dr. Miguel A. Blázquez is Group Leader at the Institute of Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology in Valencia since 2001, when he became Staff Scientist of the Spanish Research Council. He studied Chemistry in the Autonomous University of Madrid and obtained his PhD in Biochemistry in 1995 for his work on a new regulatory mechanism of yeast glycolysis that has resulted later in the improvement of yeast industrial fermentation. As a postdoc, he joined the Plant Biology Lab at The Salk Institute in San Diego (California), where he studied the interaction between light and hormones in the control of flowering time, under the supervision of Prof. Detlef Weigel. In 2003 he was acknowledged as EMBO Young Investigator. Work in the Blázquez Lab is focused in the architecture of the signaling circuits that control early stages of plant development, and how plants integrate multiple signals to render the most appropriate response in each situation.

estuBAC E5 >> BIOTECHNOLOGY OF THE PLANT HORMONE GIBBERELLIN: ONE BIG PROBLEM AND A POSSIBLE SOLUTION DR. MIGUEL ÁNGEL BLÁZQUEZ Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), Valencia FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 11:00H - AUDITORIO MAYOR Gibberellins (GA) have been, consciously or unconsciously, the target for genetic improvement of agronomically important traits at least for the past one-hundred years. And there is one reason: these hormones participate in the regulation of almost all the aspects of plant development and the tolerance to different stress factors and pathogens. It is not by chance that the new grass varieties that allowed the green revolution in the mid-XXth century contained spontaneous mutations in GA-signaling genes selected for their enormous increase in cereal yields, thereby multiplying the capacity to feed an ever growing population. However, there is an intrinsic problem: if GAs regulate so many different traits, how can one design biotechnological approaches that use these hormones to manipulate a single desired trait? Recent progress in GA research has uncovered the key feature that explains the multiplicity of GA’s functions at the molecular level, providing a yet unexplored avenue to solve this problem focused on DELLA proteins. These are nuclear localized transcriptional regulators whose accumulation depends on GA levels. Although they do not bind DNA directly, DELLAs interact physically with a large number of transcription factors to modulate their activity. It is therefore reasonable to think that targeted manipulation of specific interactions should allow the specific modification of only a subset of GA responses

Dr. PABLO I. NIKEL Pablo Ivan Nikel received his PhD degree in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology from the University of San Martin, Buenos Aires, in 2009. After spending a year working in Rice University in Houston, Texas, in metabolic flux analysis, Pablo got a long term fellowship from the European Molecular Biology Organization to pursue postdoctoral studies in VĂctor de Lorenzo's lab in Madrid in 2010. Further supported by a grant from the Marie Curie Actions, he focused on metabolic engineering of Gramnegative bacteria. His current work explores the use of Pseudomonas putida as a microbial cell factory for a number of industrial and environmental applications.

estuBAC E6 >> METABOLIC ENGINEERING OF PSEUDOMONAS PUTIDA FOR DEGRADATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTANTS UNDER ANOXIC CONDITIONS DR. PABLO I. NIKEL

National Center of Biotechnology, Systems and Synthetic Biology, Madrid, 28049, Spain FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 12:30H - AUDITORIO MAYOR Pseudomonas putida is increasingly exploited as a microbial cell factory in several industrial bioprocesses. This ubiquitous Gram-negative, soil bacterium has a number of appealing pre-endowed metabolic, physiological, and stress-endurance traits optimal for biotechnological applications [1], together with a highly desirable lack of pathogenesis determinants. Environmental Pseudomonas species oxidize organic carbon sources via the Entner-Doudoroff pathway and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Several of the oxidative steps are coupled to the reduction of NAD+, which has to be re-oxidized so these bioreactions keep generating anabolic precursors and ATP needed for cell growth (often in an oxygen-dependent fashion). P. putida KT2440 is considered an strict aerobe. Exploiting the advantageous properties of this microorganism as a chassis under conditions with restricted oxygen supply is undoubtedly of paramount interest for biocatalysis and bioremediation. Two scenarios were envisioned to help explaining the inability of P. putida KT2440 to grow under anoxic conditions: [i] unbalanced energy charge because of limited activity of the respiratory chain (i.e., low supply of ATP), and [ii] lack of appropriate pathways for anoxic NADH re-oxidation. This two-fold problem was tackled by using Synthetic Biology tools, recruiting genes from different anaerobic and aerotolerant bacteria that encode the functions needed to fulfill the missing biochemical steps mentioned above. These operations altogether rendered P. putida able to sustain a prolonged survival in the absence of oxygen. The potential of this recombinant strain for anoxic biocatalysis was exposed by using it as the chassis to plug-in two haloalkane dehalogenase genes from P. pavonaceae. The resulting strain was not only able to survive under anoxic conditions, but it also efficiently degraded the environmental pollutant 1,3dichloropropene [2]. These results highlight the potential of harnessing the full potential of P. putida KT2440 as a robust biocatalyst by a fine-tuning adjustment of its energy and redox metabolism. [1] Nikel, P. I., MartĂnez-GarcĂa, E., and de Lorenzo, V. (2014) Biotechnological domestication of pseudomonads using synthetic biology. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 12: 368-379. [2] Nikel, P. I., and de Lorenzo, V. (2013) Engineering an anaerobic metabolic regime in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 for the anoxic biodegradation of 1,3dichloroprop-1-ene. Metabolic Engineering, 15: 98-112.

BIO-ASESORAMIENTO BIOMENTORING

BIOMENTORING

SCHEDULE Thursday, July 9th, 10:30 am.  Diego Orzáez. The research Career. Room 2.3.  Juan Carlos Esteban. Communication in Biotechnology. Room 2.7. 12:00 pm  Arturo Blázquez Navarro. Research in Germany. Room 2.3.  Fernando Armendáriz and Álvaro Abaigar. Entrepreneurship in Biotechnology Room 2.7. Friday, July 10th. 11:00 am  Francisco Domínguez Zaragoza. Professional opportunities in biotechnology. Room 2.3.. 12:30 pm  Daniel Elías Martín Herranz. Research in UK. Room 2.3.  Jorge Arenas Vidal. The biotech industry. Room 2.7.

SINOPSIS M1 >> THE RESEARCH CAREER Thursday 9th, 10:30 am – ROOM 2.3 Diego Orzáez, Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP), Valencia, Spain Diego Orzáez is a researcher of the Spanish Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and leads the group "Plant Genomics and Biotechnology" (GDP) at the Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP). He completed his PhD in programmed cell death in the laboratory of Antonio Granell. He earned a Marie Curie scholarship through which he made his postdoc at the group of E. Woltering in Wageningen, with the aim of studying programmed cell death in cell culture. He later moved to the University of Wageningen and joined the group of Schot, where he began designing plants as biofactories for the obtention of antibodies. In 2004 he returned to Valencia with a Ramon y Cajal contract and became a researcher hired in 2008. Currently, he is interested in plants as biofactories and synthetic biology.

One of the career possibilities of the Biotechnologist: How to start your career as researcher. Structure of the research career in Spain. Requirements for a PhD. FPI and FPU grants. Why should I do a PhD? The stage as a PhD student. Research career after becoming a doctor. Researching abroad, when and why? Researching in Spain.

BIOMENTORING M2 >> COMMUNICATION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY Thursday 9th, 10:30 am, ROOM 2.7 Juan Carlos Esteban, Expert in Corporative Communication Juan Carlos Esteban is a professional communicator. He studied journalism and for several years worked as a journalist in general press and specialized media. Afterwards, he oriented professionally towards business, corporate communication and business. He has been dedicated to the management of press offices, communication consultancy and public affairs in various sectors: energy, telecommunications, chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology years. Currently, he is delegate in Catalonia of the Association of Biotechnology Communicators.

How to become a communicator in Biotechnology: Different ways and possibilities for a complex practice which tends to include science, business, diffusion and common sense. Differences between diffusion and dissemination. Stakeholders. Communication at public and specialized media. Communication and finance. Science popularisation. "Profane" and scientific communication: Similarities and differences. Science and reality. Career prospects for a biotechnologist. Startups, local companies and multinational corporation Dialogue between participants.

M3 >> RESEARCH IN GERMANY Thursday 9th, 12:00 am – ROOM 2.3 Arturo Blázquez Navarro, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany Arturo Blázquez Navarro studied Biotechnology at the Polytechnic University of Valencia. Since he was a child, he has always had a fascination for everything that has to do with Germany. In 2011, to finish his degree, he decided to make the Master Thesis in the Theoretical Biophysics group at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. After an intense period of job search, jumping from contract to contract, since June 2013 he works as a PhD researcher at Charité-Universitätsmedizin. He is passionate for German politics and the sipping the differences and similarities between the Spanish and German cultures, among other fascinating topics.

My experience in Germany: How to enter in the research career. Requirements for a PhD in Germany. Differences between the universities in Germany and Spain. State of biological and biotechnological research in Germany. Where to do your PhD. First steps in Germany. The wonderful German bureaucracy. Finding an apartment in Germany. Living in Berlin. Some notes of German culture.

BIOMENTORING M4 – ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN BIOTECHNOLOGY Thursday 9th, 12:00 am – ROOM 2.7 Fernando Armendáriz. Álvaro Consultores, Madrid, Spain

Abaigar,

ARPA

Abogados

Fernando Armendáriz has a degree in Law and a Master in Business Law from the University of Navarra. He is currently Managing Partner of the Department of International Right and Procurement at ARPA Lawyers and Consultants and member of its multidisciplinary team on Pharmaceuticals and Biotechnology. He advises various companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector, as well as technology centres and venture capital companies. In addition, he is a member of the Corporate Law Group of Eurojuris International and is involved in various foundations and projects aimed at promoting entrepreneurship.

Alvaro Abáigar Dominguez is registered lawyer of the Bar Association of Pamplona (“Ilustre Colegio de Abogados de Pamplona”). He earned his law degree at the Public University of Navarra and afterwards completed the master of the School of Legal Practice. Currently he is an associate of ARPA Lawyers and Consultants, being the director of New Technologies and Intellectual Property. Given his expertise in IP and technology transfer, he is involved in the multidisciplinary on pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector as a consultant to various companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sector, as well as technology centres and venture capital companies.

The profile of the Bioentrepreneur: What is Bioentrepreneurship? The motivations and capabilities of an entrepreneur. Why should I start an innovative project in Biotechnology? The process of starting a business. The creation of the company. Looking for partners. Attracting funding for your project. New methodologies in entrepreneurship and project management. Tips for creating companies. What is an idea worth fighting for?

BIOMENTORING M5 >> PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY Friday 10th, 11:00 am – ROOM 2.3 Francisco Domingo Zaragozá, Centre for Advanced Studies of the Pharmaceutical Industry (CESIF), Madrid, Spain Francisco Domingo Zaragoza is a professional whose career has been fundamentally linked to the health sector, having held various management positions in national and multinational companies in both the manufacturing sector and the distribution or provision of services. With a remarkable experience in the pharmaceutical sector and a global perspective market, he has turned in recent years towards the activities of Consulting and Training. He studied Chemistry with Biochemistry specialty, but later decided to undertake a Master in Management and Business Administration (Executive MBA) . After a long time in the industry of health, working at companies such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, OHMEDA, GIRALT on management positions, he has led for longer than a decade the Department of several Masters Programs at the Centre for Advanced Studies of the Pharmaceutical Industry (CESIF).

My journey from research to management: The graduate in biotechnology and other health sciences, "condemned" to stay in research or lecturing? Performing other high-level technical work in the biotechnology industry. How to become a manager of a company. Can a scientist learn to be a manager? Is it important for Biotech companies to have scientists as CEOs? The role of managers in the valorisation of the results of research.

M6 >> RESEARCH IN THE UK Friday 10th, 12:30 am – ROOM 2.3 Daniel Elias Martin Herranz, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom After graduation in Biotechnology from the University of Salamanca in 2014, he decided to hang pipettes and enter the world of bioinformatics. He is currently conducting a MPhil on Computational Biology at the University of Cambridge, thanks to the scholarship of "la Caixa" Europe. Inspired by the transhumanist current, next year he will begin a PhD at the European Bioinformatics Institute, in the group of Janet Thornton, where he will focus on the analysis of biological data associated with aging. In his spare time, he replaces the laptop keyboard with the piano.

My life as a young researcher in the UK: How to access the research career in the UK. Requirements for a PhD in the United Kingdom. Differences between universities in the UK and Spain. State of biological and biotechnological research in the UK. First steps in the UK. Some notes of British culture.

BIOMENTORING M7 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; THE BIOTECH INDUSTRY Friday 10th, 12:30 am â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ROOM 2.7 Jorge Arenas-Vidal, CEO, BIOSERENTIA GROUP Jorge is Founder and CEO of the BioSerentia Group, a Business Accelerator for Life Sciences and Biotechnology Ventures and Projects. He started his professional career in 1991 as a laboratory scientist and project leader in cellular toxicology and then moved to a strategic consulting position in the healthcare practice at Arthur Andersen. Five years later he founded the Biotechnology practice and held different entrepreneurial and managing positions at Stem SL, Vitalia SL and Blueline SL (lately merged), establishing new products and clients in the fields of healthcare, pharma and biotechnology. After five years of specialized strategic consulting in Life Sciences he founded BioSerentia as a business accelerator for life sciences ventures. He also serves on the Boards of several high-tech startups and has represented Spain in the European Commission Life Sciences Strategy for Competitiveness (Working Group of BioBased Products). As a scientist, consultant, manager and entrepreneur he has been working for governments, universities, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, healthcare systems, research centers, entrepreneurs and investors for 20 years in Spain, the EU and the US. Jorge holds a PhD in Cellular Toxicology (magna cum laude) from the University of Navarra, and a Master in Bioscience Enterprise from Cambridge University & MIT. Distinguished by the Cambridge Entrepreneurship Centre (CEC) at Cambridge University.

The Enterprise world. My vital experience. Differences between the Public and the Private Sectors. Moving from the public to the private sector. Why and How to access the private enterprise. Do I need a PhD? The Biotech Company. How to create your own high tech startup.

BIOTECH MEETING POINT BMP

BIOTECH MEETING POINT BUSCANDO LA UNIVERSALIZACIÓN DE BASES DE DATOS BIOLÓGICAS Mónica Victoria Gutiérrez Salazar Debido a la gran cantidad de información biológica que se está generando, se hace necesario almacenarla y ordenarla en diferentes bases de datos. El biotecnólogo debe estar preparado para usarlas y manipularlas. Además, es importante la integración de la variada información disponible. Por ello, usando el programa R (para manejar la información), se buscará obtener una base de datos sencilla, integrada y relacional de gen-enfermedad, complementada con otros datos relevantes, a partir de la fusión y curación de bases de datos existentes.

MATHEMATICAL MODELS OF NEURODEGENERATION - AN OVERVIEW OF PATHOLOGICAL PATHWAYS INVOLVED IN ALZHEIMER’S AND PARKINSON’S DISEASE Audald Lloret-Villas, Camille Laibe, Nicolas Le Novère, Henning Hermjakob, Vijayalakshmi Chelliah Neurodegenerative diseases are chronic and debilitating conditions that result in progressive degeneration and/or death of nerve cells. Despite the vast array of causes and symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases, several studies have identified common pathways and mechanisms that underlie the development of distinct neurodegenerative conditions. Mathematical modelling is increasingly being used to elucidate the dynamics of complex diseases and their underlying aetiology. Its important application is to understand disease mechanisms, identify targets and design better therapies by predicting pharmacological modulation of targets in a quantitative manner. Several models exist in the literature that describe different aspects of neurodegeneration, giving significant mechanistic insights in understanding the disease biology. Here, we discuss the mechanistic models of neurodegenerative diseases that are available in the literature so far. We also provide a comparative map between the pathways identified to date and the existing mechanistic models, aimed at highlighting areas that needs more focussed research.

BIOTECH MEETING POINT APTÁMEROS: UNA INVESTIGACIÓN

NUEVA

HERRAMIENTA

Andrea González Alonso; Clara Sánchez de Ribera Herrero El descubrimiento de los aptámeros en 1990 por Tuerk-Gold y Ellington -Szostak produjo un importante interés académico e industrial, convirtiéndose en herramienta terapéutica y diagnóstica gracias a la especificidad del reconocimiento molecular y a la facilidad con la que son aislados, seleccionados y modificados. Los aptámeros son moléculas de RNA o DNA de cadena sencilla (RNA o ssDNA) capaces de reconocer específicamente y con alta afinidad una molécula diana. Se aíslan a partir de librerías de oligonucleótidos combinatoriales a través del método SELEX , que consiste en un sistema de selección in vitro mediante enriquecimiento exponencial en presencia del ligando. En este trabajo hemos pretendido hacer una breve revisión acerca de éstas moléculas y su aplicación en la actualidad. Además basándonos en unas prácticas de nuestro grado en Biotecnología, desarrollamos un protocolo inicial de selección de aptámeros frente a Legionella pneumophila, pudiendo entender de esta manera la metodología y tecnología de estos componentes.

“ESTILIZANDO” A NICOTIANA BENTHAMIANA Verónica Sánchez, África Gomariz y Cristina Ferrándiz El gineceo es el órgano floral más complejo, compuesto por estigma, estilo y ovario. En Arabidopsis thaliana es necesaria la formación de un complejo de factores transcripcionales, NGATHA (NGA), CRABS CLAW (CRC) y STYLISH (STY), para la formación del estilo y el estigma. Y, de hecho, su sobreexpresión conjunta transforma el ovario en estilo. Para de estudiar la conservación funcional del complejo, se identificaron genes homólogos en plantas separadas evolutivamente de Arabidopsis. Estudios funcionales (VIGS) y moleculares, como la caracterización de su expresión o del complejo correspondiente, parecen indicar que este trímero esta conservado y es funcionalmente equivalente al de Arabidopsis. El gineceo (y en particular estilo y estigma) de N. benthamiana difiere morfológicamente del de Arabidopsis. Nuestro objetivo es obtener plantas transgénicas de N. benthamiana mediante el sistema de transformación y regeneración in vitro mediado por Agrobacterium tumefaciens que sobreexpresen el trímero, y se caracterizarán los fenotipos correspondientes.

Dr. ATANASIO

PANDIELLA Atanasio Pandiella graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the University of Santiago de Compostela in 1983. In 1985 he joined Prof. Jacopo Meldolesi's group in Milan, where he spent 4 years studying different aspects related to the function of membrane receptors. In 1989 he moved to the laboratory of Prof. Joan Massagué in New York, where he worked for 3 three years in the study of tumoral growth factors. After returning to Spain in 1992, Dr. Pandiella has worked on different aspects related to molecular oncology, particularly in breast cancer and hematologic neoplasia. Nowadays, Dr. Pandiella is Vice-Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Research Centre in Salamanca, where he runs his own research group as well as the Translational Oncopharmacology Service, a laboratory dedicated to develop new antitumoral drugs. Dr. Pandiella is also President of the Cancer Commission of Health of the Carlos III Institute. Before, Dr. Pandiella had worked for 4 years as the scientific secretary of the Spanish Association of Cancer Research (ASEICA), and had been a part of the highly qualified in Health Spanish group for the European Community. His research group has been rewarded with several prizes, such as the recent 13th Dr. Antonio Esteve Foundation Research Award, given in 2013 to the most relevant study in pharmacology signed by a Spanish researcher between 2010 and 2011. In October 2010 he was rewarded by the journal La Nueva España as “Asturian of the Month” because of his studies in breast cancer treatment.

SciBAC S1 >> PERSONALIZED CANCER THERAPIES DR. ATANASIO PANDIELLA

Comprehensive Cancer Research Centre – Institute Molecular and Cell Biology of Cancer, Salamanca, Spain.

for

THURSDAY, JULY 9th, 10:30H – SALA MENOR Cancer is a genetic disease characterized by the accumulation of several genetic alterations in the DNA of tumoral tissues. One of the biggest challenges currently in oncology is trying to decode how this genetic imbalance causes a malignant phenotype. It is believed that understanding this point would allow the design of new and more effective strategies to fight against cancer. During the last years, a great effort has been made to generate genetic information of different tumoral tissues. These studies have allowed for technological developments which make easier, quicker and cheaper to obtain a general vision of every genetic alteration coexisting within a tumoral tissue. One of the most important aspects highlighted by these studies refers to heterogeneity of the genetic alterations and the tumor itself. Indeed, it has been proved that tumors share some of these genetic alterations between different individuals. Nevertheless, other alterations are characteristic of one single tumor of one single patient. Another interesting aspect of these genomic studies has been the identification of genetic heterogeneity, which shows that in a tumor several different tumoral cell populations can coexist . This fact could be significant from the therapeutic point of view, because the presence of different cell populations could make antitumoral therapy fail, unless it efficiently attacks every population. In the next years, we hope that a detailed determination of molecular tumoral alterations, as well as the development of powerful drugs, capable of attack these disorders, will be important tools for a more effective and less toxic treatment for cancer patients. In this lecture, we will go through some of these concepts and we will discuss how the integration of genetic data integration with other protein and biological studies can help to design anticancer therapies "à la carte".

1 . Discovery of new Drugs and Biomarkers against Cancer

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO1 >> NOVEL BIOLOGICALLY NAPHTHOQUINONES ISOLATED FROM ASSOCIATED AND ENDOPHYTIC FUNGI

ACTIVE INSECT

Paula Garcia-Frailea, Miroslav Kolaříka,b, Eva Stodůlkováa, Jan Černýb, Petr Mana, Peter Nováka, Ivana Císařováb, Tomaš Zelenkaa, Miroslav Fliegera aInstitute

of Microbiology, A.S.C.R., Videnska 1083, 142 20 Prague, Czech Republic bFaculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43 Prague, Czech Republic garcia@biomed.cas.cz The traditional source of naphthoquinones (NQC) are commercially planted medicinal herbs. NQC are synthesized also in microorganisms and over 70 fungal species (mostly Fusarium, Aspergillus and Penicillium) are reported as their producers. The fungal NQC have a broad range of biological activities, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and cytostatic. We have studied secondary metabolites from Quambalaria cyanescens (Basidiomycota, Exobasidiomycetes) a fungus known as endophyte, plant saprobe or parasite and bark beetle associate. Next lineage of fungi includes members of Pleosporales (from Bioatriospora marina lineage) known as endophytes of land plants but living also in marine and estuarine environment. Seven new together with ten already known NQC were isolated. Their structures were determined by single-crystal Xray diffraction experiments and mass spectrometry. They have antibiotic effect and are active against various carcinoma cells lineages. Identified NQC exhibited low cytotoxicity to healthy human cells and represents attentive to several plant produced NQC with known potential in anticancer therapy (e.g. shikonin, lapachol).

1 . Discovery of new Drugs and Biomarkers against Cancer

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO2 >> CD247 (CD3ζ) SPECIFICALLY REGULATES CELL SURFACE EXPRESSION OF THE NKp30b ISOFORM, BUT NOT NKp30a OR c Blázquez-Moreno Aa, Reyburn HTa aDept

Immunology and Oncology, National Centre for Biotechnology, CSIC, Madrid, Spain ablazquez@cnb.csic.es NKp30 is an important natural killer (NK) cell activating receptor involved in tumour recognition. Alternative splicing of NKp30 gene leads to expression of three isoforms that only differ in their cytoplasmic tails. NKp30 has raised significant interest since each isoform and its expression level lead to differential effector functions, and is an useful marker for the prognosis of gastrointestinal sarcoma, neuroblastoma or Sjögren’s syndrome patients. We have identified an NKp30 isoform-specific cell pattern expression. We show that not all NKp30 isoforms associate equally with the FcεR and CD247 adaptor molecules. NKp30b isoform depends on association with adaptor molecules, and preferentially, CD247, for cell surface expression, while isoforms a and c does not depend on association with any adaptor molecule. These data were confirmed by experiments showing specific NKp30b surface expression down-regulation when CD247 was silenced in NK cells using CrispRCas9 technology. Confocal microscopy experiments indicate that NKp30b is mainly expressed intracellularly, but not Golgi-accumulated or degraded in the absence of CD247. It is striking that isoforms a and c are able to be stably expressed in the plasma membrane despite an unpaired arginine residue in the transmembrane domain. A better understanding of how the cell biology of each NKp30 isoform lead to a different function may explain the associations of each isoform with better or worse disease outcome.

1 . Discovery of new Drugs and Biomarkers against Cancer

Dr. MANUEL

SERRANO Dr. Manuel Serrano obtained his PhD in 1991 for his research at the Centro de Biología Molecular "Severo Ochoa" under the supervision of M. Salas and J.M. Hermoso. From 1992 to 1996 he worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of D. Beach at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, USA. In 1997, he returned to Spain to start his own research group at the Centro Nacional de Biotecnología. He moved to the CNIO in 2003 to lead the Tumor Suppression Group. His major research achievements are: - The discovery, cloning and characterization of tumour suppressor p16, which defined a new class of cell cycle regulators and was soon acknowledged as one of the main tumour suppressors. In addition, characterization of p16 paved the way to another paramount tumour suppressor discovery, p19Arf, a key activator of p53. - The establishment of the concept of "oncogene induced senescence" as a tumor suppression mechanism. This concept rapidly became an intense research topic in many laboratories and has since been widely accepted. - Pioneering the generation of cancer-resistant mice with the so-called "super-mice". This work demonstrated the possibility of increasing cancer resistance in the absence of deleterious secondary effects. Moreover, it revealed that tumor suppressor genes not only protect against cancer but also against ageing, in general thanks to the capacity of these genes to eliminate cellular damage. - Characterization of the role of p16 and p19Arf as barriers during the process of nuclear reprogramming to pluripotent stem cells. Manuel Serrano has received numerous awards including the FEBS Anniversary Prize, the Carcinogenesis Young Investigator Award, as well as Spanish awards from Fundación Echevarne, Fundación Banco de Sabadell, and Fundación "Carmen y Severo Ochoa". Manuel Serrano is an elected EMBO Member.

SciBAC S2 >> THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES BASED ON CELLULAR SENESCENCE AND REPROGRAMMING DR. MANUEL SERRANO Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain THUSRSDAY, JULY 9th, 16:00H, AULA/SECRETARĂ?A The infliction of damage to tissues unleashes a complex response that is still far from understood. Damaged cells generally undergo a process known as senescence. Senescent cells (1) arrest their proliferation, (2) modify the microenvironment of the damaged tissue through secretion of cytokines/chemokines, matrix metalloproteases, and growth factors, and (3) finally orchestrate their own demise by macrophages. All together, senescence is meant to induce tissue repair. However, upon chronic damage, the capacity to repair is exhausted or corrupted and pathological tissues (including pathologies-associated to aging) accumulate senescent cells. I will present a novel strategy to eliminate senescent cells from tissues that could have therapeutic applications. Reprogramming of differentiated cells into pluripotent cells (iPS) has been long considered a purely artificial process. However, work by others and us has shown that this process can occur in vivo and there are indirect evidences that upon tissue damage, the microenvironment (generated by the damaged cells, see above) may induce a reprogramming-like process that confers plasticity to the neighbor surviving cells for tissue repair. I will present an update on the regenerative capacity of the four Yamanaka factors in vivo.

2. New Therapeutical and Diagnostic Strategies

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO3 >> BIOTECHNOLOGY APPLIED IN THE FIELD OF PARASITOLOGY-RECOMBINANT ANTIGENS OF ECHINOCOCCUS Carlos Sánchez Ovejeroa, María González Sáncheza, Sergio González Peréza, Raúl Manzano Romána, Mar Siles Lucasa aDesarrollo

Sostenible de Sistemas Agroforestales y Ganaderos, Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca, CSIC, Salamanca, España

carlos.sanchez@irnasa.csic.es Human cystic echinococcosis (CE), one of the most widespread helminthic zoonoses, is a chronic disease caused by infection with the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. This disease is highly endemic in some southern (Spain and Italy), eastern (Bulgaria and Romania) European countries and associated (Turkey) countries, where it still represents a major health and economic problem. The diagnosis of human CE is mainly based on imaging techniques, but reliability of serological confirmation is low due to the use of crude parasite antigens of low specificity and sensitivity. In the HERACLES project (Human cystic Echinococcosis ReseArch in CentraL and Eastern Societies, FP7), one of the objectives is to validate new molecularbased POC-LOC kits for immunological surveillance, diagnosis and follow-up. For this, cloning and standardization of the obtainment and purification of 6 recombinant antigens has been planned. Obtainment of the AFFP, Ag5, MDH, CaBP, B1 and 2B2t recombinant antigens have been performed at large scale, growing Escherichia coli containing expression vectors for each fusion protein in a fermentor. The proteins were purified on a FPLC. Preliminary results in ELISA show some of these antigens as CE biomarkers, thus potentially useful for the diagnosis. The next step is designing POC-LOC devices containing these CE biomarkers.

2. New Therapeutical and Diagnostic Strategies

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO4 >> MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL DERIVED EXOSOMES IN THE TREATMENT OF SYNOVITIS: PROOF OF CONCEPT IN LARGE ANIMAL MODEL F. Javier Vela González, Francisco M. Sánchez-Margallo, Angelo Tapia-Araya, Rebeca Blázquez, Verónica Álvarez, M.Teresa MangasBallester Javier G. Casado. Stem Cell Therapy Unit, “Jesús Usón” Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre, Ctra.N-521.km 41,8. 10071.Cáceres. Spain fjvela@ccmijesususon.com Preclinical study to evaluate the efficacy of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) derived exosomes in the treatment of synovitis. The synovitis model was created in three-months-old Large White pigs by previous immunization with Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) and Freund Complete Adjuvant (FCA) subcutaneously injected. The synovitis was induced by intraarticular injection of BSA on the right wrist. Exosomes from MSCs were obtained by filter-concentrators and intra-articular injected. For immune monitoring of BSA immunization, peripheral blood was weekly collected. Plasma was stored to quantify humoral response against BSA (IgG anti-BSA). Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) were isolated by density gradient and synovial fluid (SF) was obtained to study the different leukocyte subsets. Both PBLs and SF were analyzed by flow cytometry. The BSA immunization induced a humoral and cellular response with changes on peripheral blood and synovial lymphocytes inducing an increase of CD4+T cell. The MSCs-derived exosomes had an immunomodulatory effect on the synovial T cells. The subcutaneous and intraarticular BSA immunization reproduces, at least in part, the inflammatory events that normally occur in synovitis. Finally, according to our results, MSCs-derived exosomes could represent an alternative to others conventional therapies in the treatment of synovitis.

2. New Therapeutical and Diagnostic Strategies

Dr. MANUEL

FUENTES Dr. Manuel Fuentes graduated in Chemistry and Biochemistry by the University of Salamanca (Spain). After his Master in Biotechnology at University of Bielefeld (Germany), he joined at Biocatalysis Department at National Spanish Research Council (Madrid, Spain) for his PhD Thesis, entitled “Design and development of conjugation and immobilization methods of biomolecules for diagnostic methods useful in Genomics and Proteomics”. Afterwards, he moved to Harvard Institute of Proteomics at Harvard Medical School ( Boston, EE.UU.), during almost 8 years, when he was working on biomarker and drug discovery in tumor and autoimmune pathologies by using a combination of highthroughput label-free proteomics approaches. In 2010, he joined as a scientist at Cancer Research Center at University of Salamanca, where his research is focused on biomarker and drug discovery in hematological diseases, mainly for personalized medicine. Dr. Manuel Fuentes is co-author of 100 peer-reviewed papers (ISI web of Knowledge) in international journals, 10 licensed international patents, 12 book chapters, and more than 50 invited lectures in national and international meetings. In 2010, Human Proteome Organization awarded Manuel Fuentes as “HUPO Young Scientist" for his highly-relevant contributions in the field.

SciBAC S3 >> NANOTECHNOLOGY AND PROTEOMICS FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTICS DR. MANUEL FUENTES

Cancer Research Center. University of Salamanca-CSIC. Salamanca. Spain FRIDAY, JULY 10th – 16:30H - AULA SECRETARÍA In post-genome era having sequence the human genome, one of the most important pursuits is to understand the function of gene-expressed proteins. The overwhelming size and complexity of human proteome requires very highthroughput techniques for rapid analysis. Despite significant advancements in molecular biology and genetic tools, this demand has not been satisfied and only a small fraction of the proteome has been understood at the biochemical level. Systems Biology and Proteomics strive to create detailed predictive models for molecular pathways based upon quantitative behavior of proteins. Understanding these dynamics networks provides clues into the consequence of aberrant interactions and why they lead to diseases such as cancer,… Historically, methods capable of collecting quantitative data on biochemical interactions could only be used for one or a few proteins at the time. Nanomaterials and proteomics allow hundreds to thousands of biomolecules to be analyzed simultaneously, providing an attractive option for high-throughput studies such as protein-protein interaction, differential protein profiles,… Here, we will present a novel approaches based on combination of nanotechnology and proteomics tools for biomarker and drug discovery useful for earlier diagnosis and personalized medicine.

2. New Therapeutical and Diagnostic Strategies

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO5 >> DEVELOPMENT OF IN VITRO MODELS WHICH MIMIC ACUTE AND CHRONIC ALLOGENEIC REJECTION FOR EFFICACY TESTING OF DIFFERENT MSCs PRODUCTS Isabel Portero Sáncheza, Maite Grande Rodríguezb aBIOHOPE bUFV.

SL Madrid. Spain isabel.portero@gmail.com

The development of new Cell Therapy products is particularly relevant for diseases in which chronic inflammation is the most important pathogenic factor. Acute inflammatory outbreaks are easily controlled with current immunosuppressive and antiinflammatory drugs, but the real medical unmet need is to ameliorate or revert the underlying destructive chronic inflammation, which impairs organ function. Most popular Cell Therapies currently used in the clinic are based in the use of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells, which have proven efficacy to treat acute inflammatory outbreaks of several diseases. It has been widely proven that MSCs inhibit lymphocyte proliferation in vitro in Mixed Lymphocyte Reaction (MLR) models, which replicate somewhat acute response conditions. However, MSCs efficacy to control chronic inflammation has been significantly inferior or even marginal. In addition, it has been observed that MSCs immunomodulatory efficacy depends on the origin of the cells (placenta, bone marrow, adipose tissue, etc). In the upcoming future, the field of Cell Therapy will include a variety of cells from different origins, engineered cells and combinations. For these reasons, it would be useful to develop a simple quick in vitro test which could mimic chronic immune-based conditions capable of performing screening of new MSC product candidates, before entering further phases of drug development which are always time-consuming and expensive.

2. New Therapeutical and Diagnostic Strategies

SciBAC â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Oral Communication CO6 >> A SINGLE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR BEHIND ALL BACTERIAL dNTP SYNTHESIS REVEALED AS A NOVEL ANTIMICROBIAL TARGET Lucas Pedraza, Anna Crespoa, Eduard Torrentsa aInstitute

for Bioengineering of Catalonia; Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain lpedraz@ibecbarcelona.eu Nowadays, the fear of infectious diseases is again increasing. Antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains are appearing worldwide, and so there is an urgent need to develop new antimicrobial drugs. Ribonucleotide Reductases (RNRs) are essential enzymes that catalyse the reduction of ribonucleotides (NTPs) to their corresponding deoxyribonucleotides (dNTPs), thereby forming the building blocks for DNA synthesis and repair. A drug able to inhibit bacterial Ribonucleotide Reductase activity would completely inhibit bacterial growth. Behind bacterial Ribonucleotide Reductase activity there is a complex regulon; although eukaryotic cells codify only for one RNR enzyme, bacteria can use three different RNR classes, granting them a huge adaptability. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a major human opportunistic pathogen, causing severe lung chronic infections in cystic fibrosis and COPD patients. It codifies for all three RNR classes, in a complex regulon necessary for its adaptability and virulence. The main focus of this work is a transcription factor, called NrdR, which is present in almost all bacterial species, and completely absent in eukaryotic organisms. This factor acts as a central regulator of all RNR enzymes in bacteria, hence being behind all dNTP synthesis. We have studied how NrdR regulates RNR activity in P. aeruginosa, being able to this point to propose a first model of the NrdR regulon, and being a step closer to new antimicrobial therapies.

2. New Therapeutical and Diagnostic Strategies

Dr. ABRAHAM

ESTEVE-NÚÑEZ He graduated in Biochemistry in 1995 from the University of Murcia, Spain. He carried out his doctoral research on explosives biodegradation in the Estación Experimental del Zaidín (CSIC) and got his Ph.D. degree in Biochemistry in 2000 from the University of Granada, Spain, obtaining the Outstanding Doctorate Award. From 2001 to 2005 he held his first postdoctoral period at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, US. Later and until 2008, he was a post-doctoral researcher at the Center of Astrobiology in Madrid where his research was focused on the exocellular electron transfer in electricity producing bacteria. In 2009 he became a researcher from the National Science Programme Ramón y Cajal at the Department of Analytical Chemistry and Chemical Engineering of the University of Alcalá, Madrid. In 2010 he became associated researcher at IMDEA WATER (Alcalá de Henares, Spain). Abraham Esteve-Nuñez is currently Professor in the same department and leads a research group aimed to Microbial Electrochemical Technologies (MET), a novel process that merges biotechnology with electrochemistry by means of electroactive bacteria able to donate or transfer electron to an electrode so electricity can be harvested. This fascinating metabolism shows an enormous future in the field of wastewater treatment, in situ bioremediation, biosensors or microbial electrosynthesis. He has founded two start-up companies in the field of METs and coordinates a number of public-private consortia for developing DEMO activities in the MET-water nexus like the Action Group MEET-ME4WATER from the EIP water. Dr. Esteve-Núñez has also strong interest in Science dissemination and actively participates in activities like Researcher´s Night as well as in programmes for educating secondary school students. He is currently the Secretary of the International Society of Microbial Electrochemical Technologies (ISMET) while he hosted the last European meeting (EU-ISMET2014) at Alcalá.

SciBAC S4 >> MICROBIAL WONDER-FUEL BIOREMEDIATION PARADIGM DR. ABRAHAM ESTÉVE-NÚÑEZ Department of analytical chemistry and chemistry engineering – University of Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain. THURSDAY, JULY 9th - 09:00H - SALA MENOR After a long trip of exhaustive and deep analysis of metabolic pathways in living cells, the whole picture of how bacteria use the source of energy or respire substrates has been shocked during the last decade. Associated to redox reactions involved in microbial bioenergetics, there were always substrates donating or accepting electrons. In spite of this fact, can bacteria manage to cope with “naked” electrons instead of extracting them from organic substrates. The recent finding of microorganisms able to have a direct redox communication with a solid conductive material makes us to open our mind to novel and unpredicted scenarios.The possibility of deconstructing flavors and textures in food as a part of the nouvelle cuisine may show now an analogy in the microbial redox reactions. The so-called microbial exocellular electron transfer (EET) opens the microbiology and the electrochemistry to a novel field where the electron –as flavor of the redox reaction- can be isolated and managed in different context that was initially conceived. Microbial EET were initially proposed in a renewable energy context by using the so-called Microbial Fuel Cells (MFCs) for converting wastewater into clean energy. MFCs for energy production show a recognized technical limitation regarding scaling up if a power producing device is the final goal. However, its potential for enhancing the biodegradation rates is already a proven fact that may change the way we treat wastewater. In this context, EET can be adapted to well known strategies to treat wastewater by using different kind of beds of inert particles where biofilm can be formed. Now, electrochemistry is providing a novel form of bed with includes an electrically conductive nature not typically assayed in standard wastewater treatment plants. So thus, this conductive biofilter can be adapted to standard fuel cells with filter press design or can be adapted to devices as large as wetlands to generate a new hybrid technology. Although microbial electrochemistry have been classically linked to biofilm activity, the bed should not be necessarily fixed and the most recent research show a scenario where mobile beds with a fluidized nature are also possible. Our aim is to present and discuss a number of conductive bed bioassays at different scale, including full-scale treatments, that have been developed by Bioe group from University of Alcalá and IMDEA WATER.

3. Bioenergy and Bioremediation

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO7 >> IMPROVING ENZYME COCKTAILS FOR LIGNOCELLULOSE HYDROLYSIS IN BIOREFINERIES BY RATIONAL PROTEIN DESIGN Ana López Vázqueza, Alejandro Torradoa, Manuel Hervása, José A. Navarroa, Francisco M. Reyes-Sosab, Bruno Díezb, Fernando P. Molina-Herediaa aInstituto

de Bioquímica Vegetal y Fotosíntesis, Universidad de Sevilla & CSIC. Américo Vespucio nº 49, C.P. 41092. Sevilla, Spain bAbengoa Research. C/ Energía Solar nº 1, Campus Palmas Altas, C.P. 41014. Sevilla, Spain ana.lopez@ibvf.csic.es Plant biomass provides an abundant source of sustainable energy and chemical building blocks, mainly in the form of carbohydrates, which can be used in the newly established biorefineries through the release of fermentable sugars. Fermentation of these sugars can produce valuable commercial end products such as biofuels (i.e. bioethanol) and biochemicals. The improvement of enzymatic reactions to hydrolyze biomass to fermentable sugars is essential to improve the profitability of the process. An area of research directed at reducing costs and improving the yield of biofuel production processes is focused on improving the technical efficiency of the individual enzymes, or of the whole enzyme cocktails used to generate fermentable sugars from biomass. Using protein-engineering techniques, we have designed structural and functional mutants of different cellulolytic enzymes. Rational mutants have been designed through evolutionary trace studies, based on similar functions and relevant characteristics to acquire enhanced stability in specific culture conditions. This process is becoming a powerful tool for the rational design of engineered enzymes.

3. Bioenergy and Bioremediation

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO8 >> SCREENING FOR BACTERIAL LACCASES WITH POTENTIAL BIOREMEDIATION APPLICATION Alexandra Díez-Méndeza, Paula García-Fraileb, Lorena Carroa, Esther Menéndeza, Raúl Rivasa,c. aDepartment

of Microbiologic and Genetics, 37007.USAL, Spain. of Microbiology Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, 142 20 Prague, (Czech Republic). cAssociated Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA) Spain.

bInstitute

alexandradm@usal.es Synthetic dyes are widely used in industrial processes such as textile dyeing or paper printing. However, these coloring agents present a hazard to the environmental because their toxicity [1]. Outstandingly, laccases are a promising biocatalyst able to detoxify these xenobiotic compounds. Eukaryotic laccases has been extensively studied [2]. Nevertheless, prokaryotic laccases still remain on explore [3].Here, we report the production of bacterial laccases by Streptomyces, and Bacillus strains isolated from Lasius niger. Bacterial strains were grown in nutrient broth and enzymes were extracted by sonication. Laccases enzymatic assay was carried out [4] to investigate the potential of both genera in decolorizing chemical dyes. Congo red (azo dye) was used as substrate for the bacterial laccases and a commercial laccase was applied as positive control. Our results showed that strains belonging to both genera are able to decolorize azo dyes. Therefore, this is the first report of endozoic bacteria isolated from black ants (Lasius niger) (L.)) as a novel source of microbial laccases with a potential biotechnological use. References [1] Forgacs et al.,Environ Int 2004;30:953R971. [2] Alexandre & Zhulin Trends, Biotechnol 2000;18:41R42 [3] Mayer & Staples Phytochem,Rev 2002;60:551R565. [4] Lim et al. Mycobilogy 2013;41:214R220.

3. Bioenergy and Bioremediation

Dr. STEPHAN

POLLMANN Dr. Stephan Pollmann started his research career in 1999 at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB), Germany, where he obtained his PhD degree in 2002 and received his Venia legendi in the field of botany in 2009. In between, Dr. Pollmann worked for some time at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia (2008). In 2010, Dr. Pollmann was appointed Profesor Contratado Doctor at the Universidad PolitĂŠcnica de Madrid (UPM), where he currently works as Principle Investigator at the Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP).

SciBAC S5 >> MOLECULAR BIOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO OPTIMIZE PLANT BIOENERGY TRAITS DR. STEPHAN POLLMANN Center for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBPG) – Madrid, Spain. FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 16:30H - SALA MENOR Dr. Pollmann’s main research interest focuses on the phytohormone-dependent regulation of plant growth and development. Goal of his current research is the elucidation of regulatory mechanisms and underlying signal transduction pathways, which are capable of controlling a large number of different processes on a phytochemical basis. At present, his lab is pursuing both the complete elucidation of auxin biosynthesis in Arabidopsis thaliana and the disclosure of auxin – jasmonate interactions in the framework of stress responses of plants on a genetic, molecular biological, enzymatic, as well as on a mass spectrometric level. Beyond that, Pollmann lab is working on a project that aims at the genetic optimization of crop plants for subsequent industrial processing. This bioenergyrelated project on the optimization of lignocellulose extraction from Solanaceae plants was launched in 2012. By taking a systematic molecular biological approach, it was possible to substantially increase the enzymatic extraction of glucose from lignocellulosic plant residuals without altering the overall phenotype of the crop. As biomass from Solanaceae plants is generally discarded due to its moderate toxicity, optimized extraction traits represent an added value and may, thus, render such plant residuals interesting for subsequent bioethanol production. Here, we will report on two of our projects that tackle, on the one hand, the modification of plant cell wall traits to optimize glucose extraction, and secondly on a project that aims at increasing lignocellulosic plant biomass production.

3. Bioenergy and Bioremediation

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO9 >> IRON HOMEOSTASIS AND OXIDATIVE STRESS IN BACTERIAL CYANIDE ASSIMILATION Víctor M. Luque-Almagro, María de la Paz Escribano, Purificación Cabello, Isabel Manso, Lara P. Sáez, Conrado Moreno-Vivián, M. Dolores Roldán. Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular. Edificio Severo Ochoa, 1ª planta. Campus de Rabanales. Universidad de Córdoba. 14071 Córdoba. Spain. b42lualv@uco.es

Cyanide is a toxic compound produced by cyanogenic organisms as a defense mechanism but it is also used as nitrogen source by cyanotrophic microorganisms, which are potential candidates to be applied in bioremediation of industrial cyanide-containing wastewaters. Cyanide assimilation pathways and cyanideinsensitive respiration by alternative cytochrome oxidases have been widely described. However, studies focused on the interaction of cyanide, iron metabolism and oxidative stress in cyanide-utilizing microorganisms are scarce. The cyanotrophic bacterium P. pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344 induces several proteins putatively involved in iron homeostasis (DapA, dihydropicolinate synthase; Dps, ferritin) and resistance to oxidative stress (AhpC, alkylhydroperoxide reductase) during cyanide assimilation. By contrast, proteins involved in iron scavenging are not induced. Mutant strains of P. pseudoalcaligenes unable to synthetize DapA or AhpC are strongly affected in cyanide assimilation, whereas a Dps mutant assimilates cyanide similarly to the wild-type strain. Unexpectedly, the AhpC mutant is hyperresistant to hydrogen peroxide in media with ammonia but not in the presence of cyanide. The lack of AhpC induces a compensatory response that is not effective in the presence of cyanide. These results highlight that both oxidative stress and iron homeostasis responses are essential for the cyanide assimilation process in P. pseudoalcaligenes CECT5344. Acknowledgement: Grants BIO2011-30026-C02-02 and CVI-7560.

3. Bioenergy and Bioremediation

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO10 >> USING MORPHOLOGICAL STRUCTURE OF PENICILLIUM FUNICULOSUM AS A BIOAVAILABILITY INDEX DURING THE BIODEGRADATION OF PHB, PCL AND THEIR BLENDS Vergara-Porras Berenicea, Pérez-Guevara Fb, Gracida-Rodríguez JNc. aDepartamento

de Biotecnología e Ingeniería Química, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias. Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Estado de México. Carretera Lago de Guadalupe Km 3.5. Estado de México, México. bBiotecnología, Facultad de Química. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. México. cDepartamento de Biotecnología y Bioingeniería. Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados. México. vergarabp@itesm.mx

Bacterial polymers, poly( -hydroxybutyrate) [PHB] and poly( -hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate) [PHBV]; the biodegradable synthetic polymer poly(εcaprolactone) [PCL] and their blends were degraded by fungal specie Penicillium funiculosum in order to propose a bioavailability index. Morphological structure of P. funiculosum was studied during degradation of polymers. PHB and PHBV have been previously reported as easily biodegraded by P. funiculosum, meanwhile PCL is almost impossible to mineralize. In order to modify properties of blends and pure polymer films, different blending techniques and polymer proportion were used. Production of CO2 was measured during biodegradation and modeled using Gompertz equation. Differences in morphological treats were observed according the polymer degradation. When P. funiculosum degraded PHB, PHBV and PHArich surfaces, conidiophores were larger and possessed a higher number of phealides per conidiophore showing a more complex appearance. In the other hand, PCL degradation was scarce. P. funiculosum morphology was related with carbon availability in the observed samples. A bioavailability index is proposed relating fungal morphology with degradation kinetics.

3. Bioenergy and Bioremediation

Dr. JON

VERAMENDI Dr. Jon Veramendi Charola is Associate Professor of Plant Biotechnology, at the Department of Agricultural Production of the Public University of Navarre (Pamplona). He obtained his Ph.D. in Biology in 1992 at the University of Valencia for a research on plant tissue culture developed at the Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias under the direction of Luis Navarro. Master in Biotechnology in 1995 by the Centro de BiologĂa Molecular Severo Ochoa (Autonomous University of MadridCSIC). As a post-doc, he joined the group of Lothar Willmitzer (Max-Planck Institute for Plant Molecular Physiology, Golm, Germany) working on potato carbohydrate metabolism by using techniques of genetic engineering. Since 1998 he is a member of the Plant Agrobiotechnology group at the Agrobiotechnology Institute (Public University of Navarre-CSIC) in Pamplona. His current research interests are: production of biopharmaceuticals by plastid genetic engineering, abiotic stress resistance by modification of the cellular redox control and high-starch tobacco plants as raw material for biofuel production.

SciBAC S6 >> GENETIC ENGINEERING OF THE CHLOROPLAST: FROM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS TO BIOFUELS DR. JON VERAMENDI CHAROLA Institute for Agrobiotechnology, Navarra, Spain THURSDAY, JULY 9th, 10:30h - AULA SECRETARIA Plastid transformation offers several advantages over nuclear transformation, being the main one the accumulation of exceptionally large quantities of foreign proteins, up to 70% of the total soluble protein. Additional advantages of this recombinant protein expression system include foreign DNA integration via homologous recombination, transgene containment via maternal inheritance of plastids, lack of gene silencing and multigene expression in a single transformation step via operons because of the ability of chloroplasts to process polycistrons. During the talk, results on the production of different foreign proteins with different applications will be presented. The biopharmaceutical human serum albumin was expressed at high levels, inducing the formation of inclusion bodies within the chloroplast. The development of a peptide vaccine against the canine parvovirus showed immunogenicity in model animals (mouse and rabbit) developing neutralizing antibodies. A human vaccine against papillomavirus was produced in tobacco chloroplasts by expression of the major structural L1 protein of the capsid. This protein was able to assemble into virus like particles in the stroma of the chloroplast that were highly immunogenic in mice. Several chloroplast-derived antigens against toxoplasmosis were used as oral vaccines, and resulted in a significant decrease in the brain cyst load of mice compared to control animals. In addition to biopharmaceuticals, chloroplast transformation can be used to improve agronomical traits. For example, we were able to enhance starch accumulation in tobacco leaves by the overexpression of thioredoxin f. Commercial tobacco cultivars grown under field conditions were used as a feedstock for ethanol production. After leaf and stalk processing, up to 40 % more ethanol was obtained from transplastomic plants than their wild-type controls.

4. Biotechnological Food and Biofactories

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO11 >> A SIMPLE AND RAPID YEAST-BASED ASSAY TO EVALUATE EFFICIENCY OF TALENs TARGETING MEDICAGO TRUNCATULA DCL3 AND RDR2 GENES Sara Francisco da Costaa, Catarina Amarala, Pedro Salema Fevereiroa,b and Catarina Pimentela. aInstituto

de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Av. da República, 2780-157 Oeiras, Portugal bDepartamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal smcosta@itqb.unl.pt Changes in DNA and histone methylation play a role in plant response and adaptation toward abiotic stress conditions and can be regulated by small interfering RNA (siRNAs). We have recently shown that in the model legume Medicago truncatula transcript accumulation of the components of small RNA pathways is modulated by water deficit. As a first step to understand the role of DNA methylation under water stress, we have designed transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) – known to be powerful genome editing tools - to target both dicer-like 3 (MtDCL3) and RNADependent RNA polymerase (MtRDR2) genes that encode enzymes involved in the processing of heterochromatic small-interfering RNAs. We have set up a simple and rapid yeast-based assay to evaluate TALENs efficiency. Yeast cells were triple transformed with three different plasmids containing the left TALEN, the right TALEN and the TALEN binding sequence. Target DNAs were amplified by PCR and the products analysed on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to detect TALEN induced mutations. This strategy proved to be effective to test TALEN’s efficiency prior to their expression in plants.

4. Biotechnological Food and Biofactories

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO12 >> NITRIC OXIDE (NO) ROLE IN OIL QUALITY IMPROVEMENT Inmaculada Sánchez-Vicentea, Pablo Albertosa, Isabel Mateosa, Carlos Sanzb and Óscar Lorenzoa aDpto.

de Microbiología y Genética, Instituto Hispano-Luso de Investigaciones Agrarias (CIALE). Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Salamanca. C/Río Duero, 37185 Villamayor Salamanca, Spain. bInstituto de la Grasa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas. Área de Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos. Campus Universitario Pablo de Olavide-Edificio 46 Sevilla (Spain) One of the most important challenges in future agriculture is related to crop production, improving productivity and agronomic characteristics to provide a balanced diet in a growing world population trying to minimize environmental impacts. In this context, fatty acid composition is an important determinant of seed oil quality and a deeper understanding of the storage lipid regulation would be a key feature. Nitric oxide (NO) is a signaling molecule involved in a plethora of physiological processes during plant growth with important implications during embryogenesis and in the promotion of seed germination. We obtain phenotypic, genetic and biochemical evidences about NO role in lipid reserves accumulation. Using different Arabidopsis thaliana mutant backgrounds, NO-deficient and NO-overaccumulating mutants and gain- and loss-of-function bZIPs lines, we find different storage patterns in seed fatty acid content, highlighting an important role of NO.

Establishing links in this complex network of seed reserves, we could find additional strategies to improve seed quality, according to food requirements of the global population.

4. Biotechnological Food and Biofactories

Dr. DIEGO

ORZÁEZ Dr. Diego Orzáez is tenured scientist at CSIC and co-leads the Plant Genomics and Biotechnology Group (PGB) at the Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP). He did his PhD on Plant Programmed Cell Death (PCD) at Granell´s lab. As a MarieCurie post-doc he joined E. Woltering´s lab in Wageningen (NL) to study PCD in plant cell cultures. Later he moved to Wageningen University and joined the A. Schot´s LMA lab, where he started the design of plants as antibody biofactories. In 2004 he returned to Valencia with a Ramón y Cajal contract and became tenured scientist in 2008. Diego current research interests are Plant Biofactories and Plant Synthetic Biology.

SciBAC S7 >> NEW STRATEGIES FOR THE USE OF PLANTS AS BIOFACTORIES OF ADDED-VALUE COMPOUNDS DR. DIEGO ORZÁEZ Institute for Plant Molecular and Cell Biology, Valencia, Spain FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 10:30H, AULA SECRETARÍA. Turning a plant into a factory of added-value products it isn´t a difficult task anymore. The technologies enabling the engineering of plants as biofactories, a strategy known as “molecular farming”, are becoming increasingly efficient and versatile. The development new transformation and vector systems, the introduction of Synthetic Biology-inspired modular genetic engineering tools and their impact in Plant Biotechnology and Molecular Farming will be discussed.

4. Biotechnological Food and Biofactories

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO13 >> INVOLVEMENT OF PROHIBITIN IN NITRIC OXIDE (NO) HOMEOSTASIS DURING DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESSES AND SALT STRESS IN ARABIDOPSIS Noel Blanco-Touriñána,b, Tamara Lechóna, Virginia Palomaresa, Luis Sanza, Miguel Ángel Blázquezb and Oscar Lorenzoa. aDpto.

de Microbiología y Genética. Instituto Hispano-Luso de Investigaciones Agrarias (CIALE), Universidad de Salamanca. C/ Duero 12, 37185, Salamanca, España. bInstituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (IBMCP), CSICUniversidad Politécnica de Valencia. Avda/ Los Naranjos s/n, 46022, Valencia, España. tlg@usal.es

Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in multiple processes during plant development and stress tolerance. However, little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating NO levels in plants. Recently, prohibitin (PHB), a protein with wide implications in plant development, has been reported to influence NO levels in different tissues. Nevertheless, PHB functions in plant physiology related to the regulation of NO homeostasis require further research. We performed a transcriptomic meta-analysis between NOA1 (NO associated-1), a protein involved in NO biosynthesis, and PHB targets, and we found a putative link between PHB and NO accumulation during root development and response to stress. Therefore, we examined the genetic interactions between phb3 and two mutants with altered NO levels, the NO-deficient noa1 and the NO-overproducer cue1 (chlorophyll a/b binding protein underexpressed). Our results suggest that defects of the phb3 mutant in seed germination, early seedling growth, and cell division and differentiation in root apical meristem are associated to NO levels both under control conditions and in the presence of salt stress.

4. Biotechnological Food and Biofactories

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO14 >> INCREASED CEREAL ROOT SURFACE USING BACTERIAL BIOFERTILIZER Lorena Celador-Leraa, Esther Menéndeza, José D. Flores-Félixa, M. Encarna Velázqueza,b, Raúl Rivasa,b. aDepartment bAssociated

of Microbiology and Genetics, USAL, Spain. I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. lorenacelador@usal.es

Greater production of cereals brings forth higher production costs and pollutes the soil environment due to an excessive use of chemical fertilizers. Therefore, microbe-based biofertilizers are an alternative for a sustainable agriculture [1]. Several studies reported that Azospirillum established mutualistic associations with cereals, meaning an environmental-friendly system for cereal production [2]. In this study, we analysed the ability of several strains, isolated from Zea mays and identified as Rhizobium sp., to promote cereals plant growth. For this reason, mechanisms of in vitro plant promotion were evaluated [3]. We selected two strains to evaluate their ability to colonise and promote root growth in several kinds of cereals, such as Avena sativa, Triticum aestivum and Zea mays. The colonization capability was observed, dyeing the inoculated roots with SYTO13 fluorochrome under fluorescence microscopy [4]. In each case, greater elongation and an increase of the primary root thickness were observed, respect to uninoculated plants. In conclusion, rhizobial strains are susceptible for being used in future biofertilizer formulations for cereal crops due to their ability to increase root volume, providing a potential greater absorption of nutrients, minerals and water. Acknowledgements: This work is supported by Junta de Castilla-León (SA169U14). REFERENCES: [1] García-Fraile,et al. PloS ONE.2012; 7:e38122. [2] Cassan,et al. Eur J Soil Biol.2009; 45:28-35. [3] Flores-Félix,et al. PloS ONE.2015; 10:e0122281. [4] Dominiak,et al. Environ microbial.2011;13:710-721.

4. Biotechnological Food and Biofactories

Dr. SLAVEN

ERCEG Dr. Slaven Erceg obtained his B.Sci. degree from the University of Belgrade, Serbia, and moved to Spain in 1998 where he performed his doctoral thesis in Neurobiology at the University of Valencia, Spain, focused on neurobiology of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and the reversion of learning and memory in animal models of HE. He later joined the Cellular Reprogramming Lab in 2005 at the research Centre "Principe Felipe" in Valencia, Spain, where he initiated his research lines in stem cell biology and cell therapy. His research was focused on developing new protocols for neural differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (ihPSC) as well as development stem cell therapies for spinal cord injury (SCI) and other neurodegenerative diseases such as cerebellar ataxia or Parkinson disease performing preclinical studies in animal models. In 2010 he moved to Andalusian Center for Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine (CABIMER), Seville, Spain, where he expanded his research interests to retinal degenerative diseases developing stem cell based disease models and cell therapy approaches for retinal degeneration using hESC and ihPSC. In 2015 he was appointed as a Principal Investigator in Research Center â&#x20AC;&#x153;Principe Felipeâ&#x20AC;? as Head of Stem Cell Therapies in Neurodegenerative Disease and Director of National Stem Cell BankValencia Node. He is also Associate professor in Veterinary Department at University Cardinall Herrera-CEU. His research is awarded by competitive national and international grants and published in high impact factor peer reviewed journals.He has been invited editorial board member of various journals and invited speaker to over 20 meetings and congresses since 2006. He is main author or co-author of more than 40 peer-reviewed publications.

SciBAC S8 >> INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS: CELL THERAPY, DISEASE MODELING AND DRUG DISCOVERY DR. SLAVEN ERZEG

Research Center “Principe Felipe”. The Spanish Stem Cell Bank – Banco Nacional de Líneas Celulares – BNLC, Valencia, Spain. THURSDAY, JULY 9th - 17:30h – AULA SECRETARÍA. Induced human pluripotent stem cells (ihPSC) and their derivates provide physiologically relevant cell source for regenerative medicine, disease modeling, toxic compound identification, target validation, compound screening, and tool discovery. The potential to use autologous iPSCs as therapeutic medicines holds tremendous promise. These cells represent ideal cell source for generating patient-specific cell types relevant for designing cell transplantation strategy and modeling cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative and metabolic disorders. Induced pluripotent stem cell technology provides a unique opportunity to generate ‘disease phenotypes in a dish’ for use as in vitro model systems and small molecule screening platforms that could advance the concept of personalized medicine closer to reality. I will summarize the recent advances in the field of ihPSC technology including the newest results from our laboratory in generating the ihPSC disease models for retinal dystrophies and cell therapy.

5. Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology

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ASOCIACIONES MIEMBRO

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO15 >> OBTAINING BACTERIAL CELLULOSA AS ALTERNATIVE TO PLANT CELLULOSE Marta Marcos-Garcíaa, Esther Menéndeza, Pedro F. Mateosa,b, Raúl Rivasa,b. aDepartment bAssociated

of Microbiology and Genetics. USAL, Spain. I+D Unit (USAL)-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. martamg@usal.es

Cellulose is one of the most abundant biopolymers in nature. Most of the cellulose used in the industry has plant origin. However, in recent years, bacterial cellulose has raised importance due to its mechanical properties, high tensile strength, purity and biocompatibility, which make it attractive for specific biotechnological applications [1], including its uses as biological substrate medium, paper or biodegradable food-packaging materials. Cellulose is produced by species of various genera of bacteria, including different members of the family Rhizobiaceae [2]. In this study, we performed several assays to examine the ability to produce cellulose in the Mesorhizobium sp. CSLC23N strain, which showed an intense red color of colonies using Congo Red staining [3]. The cellulose was treated with Trichoderma viride commercial cellulase, which completely disintegrated bacterial cellulose aggregates. Afterwards, a large amount of cellulose was produced, and purified [4], and X-ray diffraction was used to obtain the cellulose crystallinity degree. Our results suggest that the purification of bacterial cellulose is an alternative to reduce the environmental impact of excessive logging. Acknowledgement: Marta Marcos-García holds a PhD fellowship Foundation Miguel-Casado-San-José. References [1] Petersen et al. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2011; 91:1277–1286. [2] Robledo et al. Microb Cell Fac 2012, 11:125. [3] Ausmees et al. Microb 1999; 145:1253-1262. [4] Chao et al. Biotechnology and bioengineering 2000, 68:345-352.

5. Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology

Dr. AITZIBER

LĂ&#x201C;PEZ Dr. Aitziber L. Cortajarena earned her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of the Baseque Country in 2002. Then, she joined the group of Prof. L. Regan at Yale University, USA, as a Postdoctoral Fellow. She worked on protein design, structure, and function. In 2006, she was Visiting Scientist at the Weizmann Institute, Israel, with Dr. G.Haran working on single molecule spectroscopy. Then, continued her work at Yale University, as an Associate Research Scientist with Dr. Regan. She joined IMDEA Nanociencia as Group Leader in January 2010. Her research focuses on protein engineering toward the generation of biofunctional nanostructures and bioinspired materials for applications in nano-biotechnology and nanomedicine.

SciBAC S9 >> PROTEIN ENGINEERING: FROM NATURE TO NANOTECHNOLOGY DR. AITZIBER LÓPEZ CORTAJARENA IMDEA nanoscience, Madrid, Spain.

FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 09:00H - SALA MENOR One key challenge in nanobiotechnology is to be able to exploit the natural repertoire of protein structures and functions to build materials with defined properties at the nanoscale using “bottom-up” strategies. Self-assembly of biological molecules into defined functional structures has a tremendous potential in nanopatterning, and the design of novel materials and functional devices. Molecular self-assembly is a process by which complex threedimensional structures with specified functions are constructed from simple molecular building blocks. We present the study and characterization of the assembly properties of modular repeat proteins, in particular designed consensus tetratricopeptide repeats (CTPRs) which stability and function can be tuned, and their application as building blocks in order to generate functional nanostructures and materials. We show the assembly of repeat proteins into thin protein films, nanometer fibers, and ordered monolayers. Finally, we demonstrate applications of these novel nanostructures in different fields: as templates for nanometer-precise arrangements of metallic nanoparticles for molecular electronics and as scaffolds for donor-acceptor pairs for photoactive materials. The protein-based nanotechnology field opens the door to a new biotechnology for fabrication of novel hybrid devices.

5. Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO16 >> MSCS-COATED SURGICAL MESHES FOR REDUCING POSTSURGICAL INFLAMMATION Rebeca Blázquez, Francisco Miguel Sánchez-Margallo, Verónica Álvarez, Alejandra Usón, Javier G. Casado. Stem Cell Therapy Unit, “Jesús Usón” Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre, Ctra. N-521, km. 41.8, 10071 Cáceres, Spain. rblazquez@ccmijesususon.com Surgical meshes are used to reinforce soft tissue’s defects, and to give support to prolapsed organs. However, their implantation often induces fibrosis and a strong foreign body reaction having a greater impact in pain and patient discomfort. Here we hypothesize that Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) could be a useful tool to favor the biocompatibility of material. The aims of this work were to optimize the coating of surgical meshes with MSCs, to analyze the in vitro immunomodulatory potential of MSCs-coated meshes and to determine their safety and feasibility in a murine model. In vitro determinations of viability, metabolic activity and immunomodulation assays were performed on MSCs-coated meshes. Magnetic resonance imaging, laparoscopy and histology were performed for safety assessment. Finally, flow cytometry and qRT-PCR were used to elucidate the mechanism of action of MSCs-coated meshes. Our results indicated that MSCs-coated surgical meshes can be easily cryopreserved and used as an 'off the shelf' product. They fulfill the safety aspects, exerting an in vitro and in vivo immunomodulation which is mediated by a macrophage polarization towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Concluding, the combined usage of surgical meshes with MSCs fulfills the safety requirements for a future clinical application, providing an anti-inflammatory environment that could reduce the inflammatory processes commonly observed after surgical mesh implantation.

5. Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology

Dr. JOSÉ

TEIXEIRA José Teixeira is a Full Professor and currently the Head of Biological Engineering Research Centre (CEB) of Minho University. Jose Teixeira graduated in Chemical Engineering, Porto University (1980) and did his PhD, also in Porto University in 1988. His research activities have been focused on two main topics – industrial technology (multiphase bioreactors, in particular) and food technology. He has been the scientific coordinator of 26 research projects, including two Alfa networks. He (co) authored 400 peer reviewed papers and is co-editor of the books “Reactores Biológicos-Fundamentos e Aplicações” (in Portuguese), Engineering Aspects of Milk and Dairy Products and Engineering Aspects of Food Biotechnology.

SciBAC S10 >> BIOENERGY AND INDUSTRIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY PROCESS DEVELOPMENT DR. JOSĂ&#x2030; TEIXEIRA Centre of Biological Engineering, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal THURSDAY, JULY 9th - 16:00h - SALA MENOR Industrial biotechnology will be a cornerstone of the bio-economy delivering solutions to some of the grand challenges of the 21st century.

Industrial biotechnology will provide new sustainable industrial activities, through several industrial sectors, including pharmaceutics, cosmetics, food, chemistry and energy, relying on the use of renewable carbon-based raw materials, and thus both socioeconomic and environmental benefits, such as the creation of up to 1 million jobs in the next decades. Biotechnology is expected to contribute 5.8% and 5.6% to gross added value in the US and EU-25, respectively. The industrial development of Biotechnology is closely associated with the implementation of a bio-ethanol industry and although this is case of success, there are several challenge to be addressed in order to take full profit of the application of a Bio-refinery. It must be also pointed out that Industrial Biotechnology impact, even in the energy sector, is not limited to the production of biofuels, as in the case of the development of MEOR (Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery) for the oil industry. The presentation will be focused on recent developments in bioethanol production from the yeast development to the use of continuous bioreactor and on the development and application of MEOR strategies, going from strain isolation/development to its application in simulated oil wells.

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

PROMUEVE

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO17 >> OPTIMIZATION OF FLUORESCENCE IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION TECHNIQUE FOR ANALYZING MICROORGANISMS INVOLVED IN BIOPROCESSES Marina González-Pérez, Ricardo Vieira, Patrícia Nunes, António Pereira, António Candeias, Ana T. Caldeira HERCULES Laboratory, Évora University, Palácio do Vimioso, Largo Marquês de Marialva, 8, 7000-809, Évora (Portugal). atc@uevora.pt The use of the powerful technique Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) has been exponentially increased in all fields of microbiology. Its analytical potential has thereby been exploited for analyzing microorganisms involved in several bioprocesses. FISH is based on the use of fluorescent labeled oligonucleotide probes which bind specifically to the target sequence in cell, that in turn become fluorescent maintaining its integrity and allowing its detection, identification and quantification. A typical FISH protocol includes four steps: i) fixation and permeabilization of the cells that allows FISH probes penetration and protects the RNA from degradation by endogenous RNAses; ii) hybridization of the FISH probe to the complementary sequence in the target cells; iii) washing; and iv) analysis of stained cells by microscopy or flow cytometry. It is important to optimize each step, particularly fixation and hybridization, for increasing its potentialities and becoming the technique also faster and cheaper. Thus, this work is focused on FISH technique optimization for yeast and bacteria analysis, by enhancing the FISH signals by increasing the number of fluorescent cells and their fluorescence intensities. With this aim different fixation procedures and hybridization conditions were tested. The modifications introduced in the FISH procedure represent an important contribution for analyzing microorganisms involved in bioprocesses.

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

Dr. MARÍA ÁNGELES

SANTOS María Ángeles Santos was appointed in 2011 as Associate Professor of Genetics at the Department of Microbiology and Genetics, Faculty of Biology, University of Salamanca, where she teaches Genetic Engineering to undergraduate students and Structure and Function of Genomes to graduate students. She completed her studies as Bachelor Degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Salamanca in 1986. Then she continued her training and developed her scientific career at the Department of Microbiology and Genetics at the same University. In 1993 she obtained her PhD in Biological Sciences. After was Research Assistant, Assistant Professor (1994-2004), Contracted Lecturer holding a PhD (2005-2010), and finally Associate Professor. She completed her postdoctoral training in other centers. In 1996 she did a short stay at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles, USA) and in 2000 she was at the headquarter BASF, in Ludwigshafen, Germany. For over fifteen years Santos´s research has focused on the study of the biological process of synthesis of riboflavin and development of overproducing strains of the vitamin, first in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and then in the fungus Ashbya gossypii, used by BASF for the industrial production of riboflavin. In addition, she has participated in European projects Yeast Saccharomyces Genome Sequencing and Functional Analysis of the Genes Discovered by Systematic Sequencing. Since 2012 she works in the PROPAN project funded through the sub-programme INNPACTO (PublicPrivate Cooperation) of the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competiveness. The project is led by a big company in bakery industry and its aim is the isolation and characterization of wild yeast from sourdoughs and cereal flours with new and/or better properties than conventional baker’s yeast.

SciBAC S11 >> BIOPROCESSES ASSOCIATED TO SOURDOUGH FERMENTATION TECHNOLOGY DR. MARÍA ÁNGELES SANTOS Department of Microbiology and Genetics, University of Salamanca, Spain. FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 09:00H - AULA SECRETARÍA Sourdough is an acidic substance used by bakers as a leavening agent (CO2 production) to make bread and sweet baked goods. Sourdough is a mixture of wheat and/or rye flour and water fermented by spontaneous (from flour and environment) lactic acid bacteria and yeasts which determine its acidifying and leavening capability, respectively. These activities are obtained and optimized through consecutive refreshments, which fermented dough is used as inoculum for fermenting newly prepared dough. Consistently the typical characteristic of sourdough is mainly due to its microflora well adapted to the environment of dough. The microflora, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts, ensure acid production and leavening upon addition of flour and water. Thus, the effects of sourdough on the flavor, texture, self-life, and nutritional quality of the bakery products are dependent on bioconversion of flour components at the dough stage driving by the microbial consortia established in the added sourdough. Research on the composition and functionality of complex microbial consortia have revealed that besides organic acids and CO2, other kinds of compounds with beneficial health effects are produced by enzymatic conversion during sourdough fermentation, such as bacteriocins, antifungal compounds, exo-polysaccharides or bioactive peptides. The presentation aims to provide an overview on microbial and enzymatic conversions in sourdough fermentation. Emphasis will be placed on speciesspecific conversions leading to the production of compounds which contribute to the quality and healthy properties of the bakery products. Finally, the use of sourdough technology to process wholemeal flours and gluten-free substrates will also be analyzed.

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO18 >> FERMENTATION-ASSISTED EXTRACTION OF ELLAGIC ACID AND ITS ANTIPROTOZOAL ACTIVITY Ruth E. Belmares-Cerdaa, Antonio Aguilera-Carbob, Benito MataCárdenasc, Raul Rodríguez-Herreraa and Cristóbal N. Aguilara aFood

Research Department. School of Chemistry. Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila. 25280, Saltillo, Coahuila, México. bDepartment of Food Science and Nutrition. Universidad Autónoma Agraria Antonio Narro. Buenavista, Saltillo, 25000, Coahuila, México. cCellular and Molecular Biology Division. Northeast Center of Biomedical Research Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), Monterrey, 64720, Nuevo Leon, México. cristobal.aguilar@uadec.edu.mx

The fermentation-assisted extraction of potent antioxidants from rich bioactive compound plants is an emerging promissory biotechnology. In this study ellagic acid (EA) was extracted from solid-state fermented pomegranate husk using Aspergillus niger GH1. EA released was measured by HPLC. Antiprotozoal activity of EA and ellagitannins (ET’s) was evaluated against Entamoeba histolytica, Trichomonas vaginalis and Giardia lamblia. Obtained results demonstrated high rates of ellagitannin biodegradation releasing the hexahydroxydiphenic group. The highest EA accumulation was reached at the 96 h of culture (12.3 mg per gram of substrate). EA formation specific rate was of 1.92x10-4 g product per g biomass per hour and the productivity of 1.29x10-4 g EA per g support per hour. Highest values of protozoarial inhibition were obtained with EA and, ET’s in comparison than the control (metronizadole). Keywords: fermentation-assisted extraction, ellagic acid, ellagitannins, Punica granatum, antiprotozoal activity.

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

Dr. DAVID

TORRENTS David Torrents has been working in the field of biomedical genomics for more than 20 years. After graduating in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Barcelona, Torrents obtained his PhD at the same university, obtaining the 2000 PhD extraordinary prize. During this period, Torrents identified and characterized, at molecular and genomic level, a family of amino acid transporters involved in several renal diseases in human. After the experimental period, in 2000, he moved to the EMBL-Heidelberg as a postdoc with an EMBO fellowship and moved towards bioinformatics, in particular to work in the annotation and analysis of genomes. During the 6 years at the EMBL, Torrents was actively involved in the genome annotation of genes and pseudogenes of several sequenced eukaryotic genomes (e.g. mouse, rat, chicken, chimp), as well as complete human chromosomes. In 2006, he obtained an ICREA position of Research Professor to start his own group at the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, where, since then, he has been working on the relationship between genetic alterations and several complex disease, in particular cancer and type 2 diabetes.

SciBAC S12 >> CHARACTERISATION OF COMPLEX REARRANGEMENTS IN CANCER GENOMES DR. DAVID TORRENTS Barcelona Supercomputing Center. THURSDAY - JULY 9th, 09:00h - AULA SECRETARĂ?A The identification of somatic genome variation associated with the origin and progression of tumors is essential for the stratification of cancer patients and for the development of specific diagnosis and treatment protocols. Beyond the detection of single nucleotide changes and small indels in cancer genomes, the identification and characterisation of large structural variation of chromosomes remains poorly explored, mainly due to methodological limitations. Recent developments of new strategies for variant calling are making possible the identification of complex patterns of chromosomal reorganisation in tumors, giving us for the first time, the opportunity to explore these events at base pair resolution, which allows the inference of the functional consequences of chromosomal reorganisation in tumor cells.

7. Systems, Omics and Computational Biology

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO19 >> AN ASSOCIATION NETWORK REVEALS COREGULATION OF CARBON AND NITROGEN METABOLISM-RELATED PARAMETERS IN DURUM WHEAT GROWN UNDER DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS Rubén Vicente, Rafael Martínez-Carrasco, Pilar Pérez and Rosa Morcuende. Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca, IRNASA-CSIC, Spain. ruben.vicente@irnasa.csic.es Correlation networks provide a framework to organize and study the co-regulation of genes, metabolites, proteins and physiological parameters. The aim of this work was to identify which carbon-nitrogen metabolic traits and transcript levels were co-regulated in flag leaves of durum wheat grown under different environmental conditions. Data of 142 parameters from three experiments at different CO2 concentrations, temperatures, N supplies and growth stages were used to build an association network with highly significant correlations. Over 1,228 significant edges, 95% of them showed positive correlations between carbon and nitrogen parameters. We highlight interactions between nitrate transporters, fructan content/fructosyltransferases genes, nitrogen assimilation genes between them and with nitrate reductase activity/respiratory genes, nitrate reductase activity with photosynthetic genes/amino acids content, foliar N content/soluble proteins/Rubisco protein and activity, etc. Among the few negative correlations found, we underline the relationship between carbohydrate content and N metabolism components. Carbon and nitrogen metabolisms constitute the backbone of primary metabolism that controls plant growth and development. Network analysis showed that both metabolisms are tightly coordinated at biochemical and transcriptional level under the environmental conditions anticipated for Climate Change. Additionally, network exploration offers a valuable tool to identify potential key factors regulating metabolic switches. Acknowledgements: This work was funded by MINECO, projects AGL200613541-C02–02 and AGL2009-11987.

7. Systems, Omics and Computational Biology

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO20 >> BIOINFORMATIC DESIGN OF ANTIMICROBIAL PEPTIDES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF MULTIPURPOSE CONTACT LENS SOLUTIONS Kelly Valencia, Paula Giraldo, Sergio Orduz. Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia. kmvalenciaj@unal.edu.co

Human eye is affected by microbial infections that without proper treatment can cause vision loss. Reasons for microbial infections include the incorrect use of the lenses, inadequate contact lens hygiene, and reduced efficacy of contact lens care solution, according to WHO. The aim of this work was to design and to evaluate antimicrobial peptides for potential use in multipurpose contact lens solutions. Antimicrobial peptides were obtained analyzing several proteins with the in house developed software Protein-Check 1.0®, an algorithm that allows scanning proteins according to selectable physico-chemical parameters such as size, charge and hydrophobicity. The propensity to form alpha helices and the activity prediction of the selected peptides were calculated using computational tools. The best peptide candidates were modeled and synthesized. Biological activity of selected antimicrobial peptides was evaluated on S. marcescens, S. aureus, P. aeruginosa and C. albicans, frequent microorganisms present in ocular infections. Antimicrobial peptides were incorporated into a new formulated contact lens care solution. The biological activity of the designed contact lens care solution containing antimicrobial peptides was evaluated. Two antimicrobial peptides selected showed microbial growth inhibition at concentrations between 50 and 100 µM in the multipurpose contact lens solution, and caused less than 1% haemolysis. In conclusion, antimicrobial activity of the new contact lens care solution was due to the peptides designed and not the excipients used in the formulation.

7. Systems, Omics and Computational Biology

Dr. FRANCESC XAVIER

AVILÉS F. Xavier Avilés is outgoing director and full professor at the Department of Biochemistry & Mol Biol of UAB and group leader at the Institute for Biotechnology and Biomedicine of this institution. Besides UAB, where he got his PhD, he has been trained at the field of structural biology of proteins at the CSIC (Inst. Rocasolano, Madrid), University of Porstmouth (Biophysics Lab.), ETH-Zurich (Inst. Mol Biol & Biophys, K. Wüthrich group and Dpt. -Nobel Laureate-), Max-Planck Inst. Biochemie Munich (R. Huber group and Dept. -Nobel Laureate-), University of Cambridge (T. Blundell group and Dept. Biochemistry), University of Uppsala (& BMC center) and University of Lund (Clinical Med. Dpt. & Grand Hosp.), with long or medium stays. There, also completed his training in bioinformatics & proteomics and further specialized on proteolytic enzymes and inhibitors. He supervised 40 PhD thesis, coauthored more than 235 peer-reviewed publications (H-index 44), leaded a significant number of research projects and networks at the national and international levels, and organized international meetings and workshops (i.e. for the Protein Society). Also, has been member of the executive committees and/or coordinator of sections of scientific societies (such as SEBBM, SBE, SCB), and member of the editorial boards of international scientific journals, particularly on protein sciences and molecular-structural biology, protein production & modifications, and proteomics (i.e. J Biol Chem and Microbiol. Cell Factory).

SciBAC S13 >> FUNCTIONAL PROTEOMIC STRATEGIES FOR THE HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING OF ENZYMES AND THEIR INHIBITORS. A WAY TOWARDS THEIR BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPLICABILITIES DR. FRANCESC XAVIER AVILÉS Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology – Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. FRIDAY, JULY 10th - 10:30H, SALA MENOR The massive biological information generated since and by the maturation of the genomics and proteomics era (and other omics), is increasingly providing a more accurate view of the actual complexities and specific roles in the world of the biomolecules. This is particularly valid for proteins, the most varied ones structurally and functionally. Such a view is already quite rich for a limited number of clans and families of proteins of strong biological and biotechnologicalbiomedical interest, but very modest or even null for many others of poor/unknown knowledge or interest on themselves or on the living species in which they occur. In these cases, the attainment of an integrated knowledge and correlations among such protein clans and families is desirable. The application of omic approaches in such poorly known cases, mainly by genomics and proteomics-interactomics, at high-throughput modes and/or localizing these proteins in-vivo, greatly helps about. Also, facilitates the subsequent biotechnological research and applications based on these proteins. Here, this type of research, experimental strategies and applicability on the model type of proteins with catalytic properties, the enzymes, and of their specific ligands and inhibitors, will be exemplified in the case of the distinct proteolytic enzymes (proteases) and their proteinaceous inhibitors. This is quite a general case given the numerous genes which codifies for these enzymes and inhibitors (more than 600 for the enzymes in upper eukaryots) and the large variance of their protein forms. Also, because of the important functions affected and regulated by them (differentiation, proliferation-development, signaling, defence, cell transformation and death, etc.) and of their numerous biotechnological and biomedical applications (agroalimentary-nutrition, plant- animal- and human pathologies, as infections, cardio-vascular, immunological, respiratory, cancer ...etc). Among others, it will be shown how to explore such molecules from in a large set of marine invertebrates by functional proteomics and/or localize them in-vivo by MS.Imaging.

7. Systems, Omics and Computational Biology

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO21 >> ANALYSIS OF TASTE GENETIC VARIATIONS IN HUMANS Antonio Mart́nez-Garća, Paula Letman, Ping Liang. Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S3A1. garman92@gmail.com Human individuals differ in the ability for sensing the five basic types of tastes: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami. The related genes in human have been mostly identified, and in a few cases, genetic polymorphism has been associated with the taste variation for specific substances. For example, two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in TAS2R38 can explain ~40% of taste variation to a bitter compound, 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP). A lot more of such genetic association to taste variation is yet to be identified. In this study, we aim to identify new genetic polymorphisms in humans related to taste variation via a comprehensive survey of genetic variations. We collected a total of 115 non-synonymous SNPs documented in dbSNP for 34 genes related to tasting, mostly from the HapMap and 1000 Genome Projects, which have extensive human population coverage. Those SNPs were subjected to further analysis as having a minor allele frequency (MAF) over 5% and evolutionary conservation at the protein sequence level with orthologous genes from other mammalian species. In total, we identified 46 SNPs from 22 genes as predicted to have significant functional impact, most of which have not been examined for contribution to taste variation, thus are candidates for future studies. Our work represents the most comprehensive survey of genetic variations related to human tasting to date, and can facilitate future research on this topic.

7. Systems, Omics and Computational Biology

SciBAC – Oral Communication CO22 >> DIFFERENTIAL IMMUNE RESPONSE AGAINST TWO BK VIRUS ANTIGENS EXPLAINS CONTROL OF BK VIREMIA POST-KIDNEY TRANSPLANT Arturo Blázquez-Navarroa, Thomas Schachtnerb, Ulrik Stervboa, Benjamin Weista, Karin Müllerb, Maik Steinb, Claudia Diezemannb, Anett Sefrinb, Nina Babela,b, Petra Reinkea,b, Avidan Neumanna. aBerlin-Brandenburg

Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT). Charité-Universitätsmedizin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum. Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany. bDepartment of Nephrology and Internal Intensive Care, CharitéUniversitätsmedizin, Campus Virchow-Klinikum. Augustenburger Platz 1, 13353 Berlin, Germany. arturo.blazquez-navarro@charite.de BK virus-associated nephropathy is the most challenging infectious cause of graft dysfunction in kidney transplant, leading to failure for over 50% of the cases. The treatment comprises reducing the immunosuppression to foster an immune response. Our study involved 7 patients with renal transplantations that suffered a fast replication of BK virus. Patients were monitored for viremia and immunity against the viral antigens: VP1, VP2, VP3, LT and st. We developed an ODE model to explain the interactions between immune response and viremia. The patients showed two waves of response: the first directed against VP1-3 antigens, and the second against LT and st. We simulated antiVP response as limiting virus production, while antiT would induce cytotoxic response on infected cells, in an environment of low viral cytopathicity. These assumptions allowed for a satisfactory fitting of the results in the model. Currently, we have initial experimental results that confirm the association between VP1-3 and T helper response and LT-st and T cytotoxic response.

7. Systems, Omics and Computational Biology

PÓSTERES POSTERS

PS – R1

1. Discovery of new drugs and biological markers against cancer

REGULATION OF THE RESPONSE REGULATOR CtrA IN SINORHIZOBIUM MELILOTI CELL CYCLE REGULATION Karla Schallies, Patricia González-Sáenz. University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125. garcia@biomec.cas.cz Sinorhizobium meliloti is an alphaproteobacteria that grows as a free-living organism in soil or as a symbiont within legumes. As a free-living organism, S. meliloti undergoes an asymmetrical cell division with once-and-only-once DNA replication per cell cycle; however, inside the plant, the bacterium differentiates into a bacteroid through a novel cell cycle pathway of endoreduplication without cell division and permanently exits the cell cycle into a nonreproductive G0 state. My goal is to understand how a DivKdependent two-component signaling pathway regulates these distinct cell cycle outcomes. Based on the Caulobacter crescentus model, I hypothesized that this pathway requires the histidine kinases PleC and DivJ, and a novel histidine kinase CbrA, to directly regulate phosphorylation of the response regulator DivK and the activity of its downstream target CtrA. However, a cbrA null mutant is unable to properly regulate CtrA increasing levels in S.meliloti. A study of CtrA stability in vivo found that CtrA is unstable during exponential growth and its stability is regulated in a CbrA-dependent manner. CtrA degradation in C. crescentus requires that CpdR direct CtrA to the ClpXP protease and I therefore investigated the contribution of the S. meliloti ortholog CpdR1 to CtrA regulation. By characterizing free-living cell cycle regulation via CbrA, CtrA, and CpdR1 I will be able to address how host symbiosis modifies the canonical free-living cell cycle program.

PS – R2 PS – R3

1. Discovery of new drugs and biological markers against cancer

ANTI-PROLIFERATIVE EFFECTS HYDROXYAMIDAES AND TRIAZOLES

NOVEL

Tiago S. Martinsa, Tiago O. Piresa, Maria M. Cordeiroa, Rute Martinsa, Elisabete P. Carreirob, Luis Alvesb, Anthony Burkea,b, Célia M. Antunesa,d, Ana R. Costaa,c. a

Departamento de Química, Universidade de Évora (UE), Portugal; Centro de Química de Évora, IIFA-UE; cICAAM-EU; dCNCCoimbra, Portugal.

tiagosantosmartins@hotmail.com Chemotherapy is a major cancer treatment option. The synthesis of new compounds with anti-proliferative properties and specificity is a current challenge in drug-discovery today. Our goal was to develop compounds, either hydroxyamides derived from D-glucuronic acid or triazole-cinchone hybrids, and to evaluate their anti-proliferative properties. Anti-proliferative activity of the newly synthesized compounds was examined against human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and human colon carcinoma (MDST8) cell-lines. Cell growth and viability was analysed by the Cell-Counting Kit-8 method. The 5-fluoroacyl was used as a positive control. The compounds were studied between 10-9-105 M. Fifteen compounds from the hydroxyamide family and two triazole compounds were investigated. Most of the compounds from the hydroxyamide family revealed mild (~20%) to moderate (50%) anti-proliferative effects in both cell-lines, with the exception of hydroxyamide B1 which did not affect MDST8 proliferation, and hydroxyamide B3 where proliferation of MDST8 was inhibited by 90%. Triazoles (A and B) evoked a strong (~100%) antiproliferative effect of MDST8 cell-lines. Proliferation of MCF-7 was selectively and effectively (~98%) inhibited by triazole B while triazole A had a mild effect. In conclusion, when compared to hydroxyamides, triazoles evoked a stronger anti-proliferative effect and might be promising anti-tumoral drugs.

PS – R3

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

METHYL-HYDROXYLAMINE SPECIFICALLY INHIBITS RIBONUCLEOTIDE REDUCTASE ACTIVITY IN PATHOGENIC BACTERIA Aida Baeloa, Esther Juliánb, Eduard Torrentsa. a

Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia; Baldiri Reixac 10-12, 08028 Barcelona, Spain. b Dept. de Genètica i de Microbiologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Bellaterra, Spain. abaelo@ibecbarcelona.eu Infectious diseases constitute a tenacious and major public-health problem all over the world; the emergence and increasing prevalence of multi-drug resistant bacteria demand the discovery of new therapeutic approaches. Bacterial DNA synthesis opens new horizons in the discovery of new antibacterial targets due to remarkable differences to the eukaryotic system. During the course of an infection, a great number of bacteria need to multiply inside the body and, for that, active DNA synthesis with a balanced supply of deoxyribonucleotides (dNTPs) is required. RiboNucleotide Reductase (RNR) is the key enzyme that provides the nucleotide precursors for DNA replication and repair. This enzyme is a suitable target candidate for bacterial growth inhibition. In this work we have firstly identified the radical scavenger methylhydroxylamine (M-HA) as an efficacious antimicrobial agent that inhibits gram-negative and gram-positive pathogenic bacteria, targeting the RNR enzyme. Later, we have focused our work studying the ability of M-HA to inhibit the intracellular growth of Mycobacteria in macrophages, and the formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms.

PS – R4

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM BATS SKIN AS SOURCE OF ANTIFUNGAL COMPOUNDS WITH ACTIVITY AGAINST THE WHITE NOSE SYNDROME AGENT PSEUDOGYMNOASCUS DESTRUCTANS Paula Garcia-Frailea, Hana Bandouchovab, Ludmila Kohoutovab, J. Pikulab, Miroslav Kolaříka,c. a

Institute of Microbiology, A.S.C.R., Videnska 1083, 142 20 Prague, Czech Republic. b University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Palackého třída 1/3, 612 42 Brno, Czech Republic. c Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 128 43 Prague, Czech Republic. garcia@biomed.cas.cz Most bat species are listed in the IUCN Red list of endangered species. White-nose syndrome (WNS) has killed thousands of bats in North America. The ascomycete Pseudogymnoascus destructans (formerly known as Geomyces destructans) has been reported as responsible of the WNS. Moreover, bats carry different bacteria of unknown pathogenic importance which may help in the preservation of this endangered group of mammals. In this work we isolated several bacterial strains from bats skin swabs onto blood agar plates. The strains were identified by 16S rRNA sequencing and tested for their ability to inhibit Pseudogymnoascus destructans by using double cultures assays. We found several bacterial strains classified in the genera Pseudomonas, Serratia, Providencia and Acinetobacter showing different grades of fungal growth inhibition. Finally, strains producing larger fungal inhibition halos were selected for antifungal compounds extraction and further analysis.

PS – R5

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

A NOVEL HPLC-LS METHOD TO ANALYZE HYDROXYPROPYL-BETA-CYCLODEXTRIN IN URINE. APPLICATION TO CHILD WITH NIEMANN-PICK DISEASE, TYPE C A. Matencioa, M. A. Alcaraz-Gómeza, C. Garcia-Hernandez-Gila, F. García-Carmonaa, J. M. López-Nicolása. a

Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología molecular-A, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia E-30100, Murcia, Spain. adrian.matencio@um.es Niemann-Pick disease, type C (NPC) is a rare disease caused by cholesterol accumulation in tissues. The symptoms of NPC manifest mainly on school-age children disparate symptoms such as difficulty moving limbs, splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, learning difficulties and intellectual decline, seizures, etc. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have granted Hydroxypropyl-beta-Cyclodextrin (HPbCD) orphan drug status and designated the compound as a potential treatment for NPC disease because HPbCD can mobilize cholesterol of tissues and improves the life quality in patients. In this work, a novel high resolution liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method with light scattering detector has been designed to analyze HPbCD in urine samples of a child affected by NPC. First, HPLC conditions were optimized and later, HPbCD concentration was determined indicating its elimination. The pharmacokinetics of HPbCD in the child were defined, showing a 87% of HPbCD recovery in the child after treatment. At 88 hours, HPbCD was not found in urine.

PS – R6

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

TMPRSS4: A POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TARGET AND DIAGNOSTIC BIOMARKER IN LUNG CANCER Lissette Lópeza, María-José Rodrígueza, Tamara Ruiza, Nuria de la Rojaa, Isabel Garcíaa, María Villalbab, Miriam Redradob, Arrate L. de Aberasturib, Alfonso Calvob, Paloma Ruedaa. a

INGENASA. Madrid, Spain. Department of Histology, Pathology and Oncology Division, CIMA, University of Navarra. Spain. b

llopez@ingenasa.com, mjrodriguez@ingenasa.com TMPRSS4 is a membrane-bound prometastatic type II serine protease that has been implicated in lung cancer, which promotes invasion and metastasis. The aim of the study was to develop novel biotechnological tools that may be used for analyzing TMPRSS4 activity and protein levels in human tissues. The full-length and fragments of human TMPRSS4 were expressed in E.coli and baculovirus expression systems and their serine protease enzymatic activity were confirmed using chromogenic substrates. The active recombinant proteins were used to obtain specific monoclonal (MAbs) and polyclonal antibodies (PAb). Ten MAbs and one PAb were produced and characterized. Three of them presented good sensitivity and specificity to study TMPRSS4 by immunohistochemistry. Two MAbs were selected to develop a DASELISA in order to evaluate TMPRSS4 as cancer biomarker. The results indicate that this assay is able to recognize recombinant TMPRSS4 and thus, it might be useful for diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer in serum samples. Its accuracy and sensitivity to recognize the native TMPRSS4 both, in cell lines and in serum samples from patients, will be evaluated. In conclusion, we have successfully generated both antibodies and active TMPRSS4 recombinant proteins to analyze the role and levels of this protein in human samples.

PS – R7

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

DNA APTAMERS AGAINST MAP KINASE INTERACTING KINASE 1b AS DIAGNOSIS TOOLS FOR BREAST CANCER M. Elena Martína, Silvia Sacristána, Eva M. García-Recioa, M. Isabel Pérez-Morgadoa, M. Val Toledo-Lobob and Víctor M. Gonzáleza. a

IRYCIS-Hospital Ramón y Cajal. Ctra. Colmenar km 9,100. 28034 Madrid. Spain. b Universidad de Alcalá. Ctra. de Barcelona km 33. 28871 Alcalá de Henares. Spain. m.elena.martin@hrc.es Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides (ssDNA or RNA) that bind to targets with high affinity and selectivity based on the threedimensional structure that they adopt. The use of aptamer as molecular recognition elements has emerged as a viable approach for diagnostics. In this work we demonstrate that MNK1b, a constitutively activated isoform of the eIF4E kinase MNK1 described in our laboratory, is differentially expressed in breast tumors compared to control tissue, and that there is a statistically significant relationship between MNK1b expression and molecular tumor type, highlighting that it is in the negative HER2 tumors in which MNK1b expression is higher. These results permit to consider MNK1b as a potential diagnostic marker and encouraged us to identify aptamers able to bind MNK1b with high affinity. Three DNA aptamers against MNK1b have been characterized which also bind MNK1a although with lower affinity. These aptamers have been tested as diagnostic tools to detect MNK1a/b in breast tumors in comparison with different anti-MNK1 antibodies by aptacytochemistry using different breast cell lines and aptahistochemistry using paraffined samples from breast tumors. Our results demonstrate that aptamers may be useful as diagnostic tools showing important advantages relative to currently used antibodies.

PS – R8

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

MAP KINASE INTERACTING 1b (MNK1b) DNA APTAMERS AS POTENTIAL TOOL FOR BREAST CANCER THERAPY Víctor M. Gonzaleza, Eva M. García-Recioa, Marta GarcíaHernándezb and M. Elena Martína. a

IRYCIS-Hospital Ramón y Cajal. Ctra. Colmenar km 9,100. 28034 Madrid. Spain. b Aptus Biotech SL. c/ Faraday 7. Parque Científico de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. victor.m.gonzalez@hrc.es Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides (ssDNA or RNA) that, based on their three-dimensional structures, bind its targets with high affinity and selectivity. In some cases, aptamers have the potential to inhibit the biological function of the target molecule resulting in useful reagents for therapy. MNK1b, identified in our laboratory as a constitutively active isoform of the eIF4E kinase MNK1, is able to enter into and remain in the nucleus. In addition, nuclear eIF4E phosphorylation appears to be important to control the transport of cyclin D1 mRNA and for the transforming properties of eIF4E. Recently, we have observed that MNK1b is differentially expressed in breast tumors compared to control tissue. In the present study we have obtained three specific aptamers against MNK1b which demonstrated to have a low Kd (nM range) and be highly specific, showing lower cross-reactivity with MNK1a and other mutated forms of the kinase. These aptamers are able to affect the biological activity of Mnk1. Furthermore, although eIF4E phosphorylation is not affected, aptamers reduce MTT activity and colony forming capacity in breast cells and show an antiproliferative effect. Our results indicate that aptamers blocking MNK1 activity could be a potential approach to breast cancer therapy.

PS – R9

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

NEURAL DYNAMIC CHARACTERIZATION USING SMALLWORLD MEASUREMENTS IN SCHIZOPHRENIA Alba Lubeiroa, Javier Gomez-Pilarb, Roberto Hornerob, Vicente Molinaa. a

Psychiatry department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valladolid, Av. Ramón y Cajal no 7, 47005 Valladolid, Spain. b Biomedical Engineering Group, Faculty of Telecommunication Engineering, University of Valladolid, Paseo Belén, 15, 47011 Valladolid, Spain. alba.lubeiro@gmail.com Schizophrenia is defined on the basis of clinical presentation, but its biological underpinnings are poorly understood. Complex network theory is a promising tool to understand brain connectivity alterations in schizophrenia. We used electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings to characterize neural dynamics. We hypothesized that functional connectivity in the cortex could be altered in schizophrenia contributing to aberrant salience and/or dysfunctional segregation of neural assemblies underlying perception and thought. EEG was recorded in 200 healthy participants and 48 patients with schizophrenia during the performance of an auditory odd-ball task. Functional network efficiency was measured through Small–World values (SW) from baseline to response windows in theta, alpha, beta-1, beta-2 and gamma frequency bands. SW results showed that both healthy participants and patients increased their functional network efficiency from baseline to response window mainly in theta frequency band. However, changes in healthy controls were significantly higher (p<0.001, Mann–Whitney U-test). These findings confirm the difficulty in neural network reconfiguration in schizophrenia suggesting incapacity to appropriately respond to certain stimulus such as cognitive task. SW is potentially a new biological marker that may help to understand the biological substrates of psychiatric disorders.

PS – R10

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

NEPHROBIOBANK. VITRIFICATION OF RENAL PRECURSORS AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO ORGAN SHORTAGE Ximo Garcia‐Domingueza, Cesar D. Vera‐Donosob, Estrella Jimenez‐Trigosa, Jose S. Vicentea, Francisco Marco‐Jiméneza. a

Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología Animal, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022-Valencia, Spain. b Servicio de Urología, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe, 46026-Valencia, Spain. ximo.garciadominguez@gmail.com Human renal transplantation has been limited in the last years by the donor availability, the risks of allograft rejection and the immunosuppressive therapies toxicity. It’s known that transplanted embryonic kidneys have undergone growth, exhibiting functional properties and avoiding humoral rejection from immunecompetent hosts. However, the future of this treatment would still be compromised without adequate protocols of cryopreservation due to of the short time in which organs remain viable. Nowadays, this fact makes organ distribution inefficient and hinders inventory and sanitary controls. Thus, the purpose of our study was to establish a cryobank for long-term storage of renal primordial. Metanephroi from 16-days-old embryos were microdissected and vitrified using Cryotop® as a device and VM3 as vitrification solution. Twenty vitrified metanephroi (after 3 months of storage in liquid nitrogen) and twenty-two fresh metanephroi were transplanted using laparoscopic surgery into nonimmunosuppressed hosts. Twenty-one days after transplantation, 5 vitrified metanephroi (25.0%) and 12 fresh metanephroi (54.5%) were successfully grown. Significant growth and fully differentiated mature glomeruli were observed in all kidney graft explants recovered. Furthermore, new kidneys accomplish endocrine functions, showing similar gene expression levels of renin and erythropoietin in comparison with control kidneys. These encouraging results reported, for the first time in scientist literature, that it’s possible to create a long-term biobank of kidney precursors as an unlimited source of organs.

PS – R11

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

A ROLE FOR KERATINOCYTES IN DEVELOPMENTAL MYELOPOIESIS Francisco Juan Martínez-Navarro, Diana García-Moreno, Azucena López Muñoz, José Meseguer, Victoriano Mulero. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Murcia, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain. franciscojuanmartineznavarro@gmail.com Tnfa is a powerful pro-inflammatory cytokine which signals through two receptors, namely Tnfr1 and Tnfr2. Tnfr2 has been shown to protect skin from oxidative stress-induced inflammation using the zebrafish as an experimental model. In the present study, using fluorescent reporter transgene, fluorescence microscopy and RTqPCR, we studied the impact of Tnfr2 overexpression in zebrafish keratinocytes. Surprisingly, overexpression of Tnfr2 in keratinocytes led to increase neutrophil numbers in 3 days post-fertilization larvae concomitantly with decreased transcript levels of Tnfa and increased levels of Il1b, Pu.1, Gata1, Mcsf and Gcsf. These results suggest a critical importance of keratinocytes in developmental myelopoiesis and may explain the systemic neutrophilia associated to several skin inflammatory disorders, such as the acute febrile neutrophilic dermatosis or Sweet’s syndrome.

PS – R12

2. New therapeutic and diagnostic strategies

DISCOVERING THE MOLECULAR TARGETS OF 4ALKOXY-6,9-DICHLORO[1,2,4]TRIAZOLO[4,3-a] QUINOXALINES THAT MEDIATE AN ANTIINFLAMMATORY EFFECT ON THE MACROPHAGE FUNCTION María Tristán-Manzanoa, Antonio Guiradob, María MartínezEsparzaa, Pilar García-Peñarrubiaa & Antonio J. Ruiz-Alcaraza. a

Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Immunology B. b Department of Organic Chemistry. University of Murcia. Campus de Espinardo, 30100, Murcia, Spain. maria.tristan@um.es A dysregulation of the inflammatory process, which is a complex biological response directed by the immune system to maintain homeostasis, leads to the development of chronic inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, whose current treatments present many side effects. Nowadays, the search of new therapeutic alternatives focuses on different strategies. Some of them are orientated to inhibit important cytokines as key regulators of the inflammatory process by using different promising heteroaromatic compounds such as quinoxalines, which are cheap and easily synthesized. Following this strategy, we have previously reported how a new collection of 4-alkoxy-6,9-dichloro[1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalines exhibit potent in vitro anti-inflammatory activity as inhibitors of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. Our main aim now is to study how these quinoxaline derivatives act upon different intracellular signaling mechanisms, in an attempt to find their potential molecular targets. We have identified a group of intracellular molecules whose patterns of activation and/or expression are altered by the analyzed compounds, providing further information about the inhibition of TNF-α and IL-6. Our results may be of great interest for the pharmaceutical industry, as a starting point for the development of new and more potent antiinflammatory drugs derived from quinoxalines.

PS – R13

3. Bioenergy and bioremediation

SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY AND METABOLIC ENGINEERING TO PRODUCE MICROBIAL OILS: TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE OF FUELS, CHEMICALS AND NUTRACEUTICALS. Rodrigo Ledesma-Amaroa, Jose Luis Revueltab. a

INRA, AgroParisTech, UMR1319 Micalis, F-78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France. b Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain. During the last years oils and fats are being considered as renewable raw materials for the chemical industry. Therefore, they are a promising alternative to the undesired, limited and pollutants fossil oils. Among these fats and oils, microbial oils are gaining importance due to their advantages over animal fats, vegetable oils and algae oils. Just to cite some examples, they are not affected by climate and season conditions, they can use industrial waste products as inexpensive carbon sources and they can be engineered to be enriched in specific oils that can be directly used as lubricants, functional polymers and other high-value fine chemicals, such as pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals [1]. Our research is focus in the use of systems metabolic engineering techniques (systems biology, synthetic biology and mathematical models [2]) in the industrial fungus Ashbya gossypii. Firstly, we constructed a strain able to accumulate up to 70% of its cell dry weight as lipids, three times more than the wild type, through the heterologous expression of genes from lipogenic organisms [3]. Secondly, we generated a wide range of engineered strains able to accumulate different fatty acids, which can be used for different biotechnological purposes such as the production of omega 3 fatty acids, waxes, lubricants and biodiesel [4]. We can therefore conclude that A. gossypii is a novel and promising tool for biooils production. REFERENCES:

[1] Ledesma-Amaro. European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology. 2015:117(2)141-4 [2] Ledesma-Amaro R, Kerkhoven EJ, Revuelta JL, Nielsen J. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 2014:111(6):1191-9 [3] Ledesma-Amaro R, Santos MA, Jiménez A, Revuelta JL. Applied Environmental Microbiology. 2014: 80(4):1237-44 [4] Ledesma-Amaro R, Santos MA, Jiménez A, Revuelta JL. Biotechnology and Bioengineering. 2014:111(9):1782-91

PS – R14

3. Bioenergy and bioremediation

MICROBIAL DECOLORATION OF DYES BY BACILLUS ARYABHATTAI Alicia Paza, Julia Carballob, María José Pérezb, Sandra Cortés Diégueza, José Manuel Domíngueza. a

Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo (Campus Ourense), As Lagoas s/n, 32004 Ourense, Spain, and Laboratory of Agro-food Biotechnology, CITI-University of Vigo, Tecnópole, Technological Park of Galicia, San Cibrao das Viñas, Ourense, Spain. b Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo (Campus Ourense), As Lagoas s/n, 32004 Ourense, Spain. jmanuel@uvigo.es Previous works conducted in our laboratory reveled that Bacillus aryabhattai showed interesting enzymatic activities such as cellulase, laccase and pectinases, opening new applications in different bioprocesses. In this sense, the treatment of disposal residues such as dyes from the textile industry with this microorganism can be an attractive process, since textile processing industries consume large volumes of water and their effluents have dyes with concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 0.2 g/L, being an important source of environmental pollution. Preliminary results showed the ability of this microorganism to remove dyes on agar plates containing Coomassie Brilliant Blue, Remazol Brilliant Blue R and Brilliant Green (0.050 g/L). These results also suggested that degradation of dyes depends on the culture medium used. The aim of this work is the study of the ability to remove or adsorb different dyes by Bacillus aryabhattai in both liquid and solid culture media as well as their optimal conditions.

PS – R15

3. Bioenergy and bioremediation

INNOVATIVE APPLICATIONS OF HALOARCHAEA TO WASTE WATER TREATMENTS AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL USES OF THE BIOMASS PRODUCED Javier Torregrosa-Crespoa, M Rodrigo-Bañosa, C Pirea, I Garbayob, C Vilchezb, Julia Esclapeza, V Bautistaa, M Camachoa, MJ Bonete, RM Martínez-Espinosaa. a

División de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Alicante, 03080 Alicante, Spain. b Algal Biotechnology Group, Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Recursos y Tecnologías Agroalimentarias. University of Huelva, 21760 Huelva, Spain. rosa.martinez@ua.es Haloarchaea constitute a major part of microbial populations in hostile environments, playing a crucial role in regulating biogeochemical cycles in them. Knowledge on archaeal denitrification and NOx gases production is still limited. Most of the studies reported on haloarchaeal denitrification suggest that some species perform complete denitrification, reducing NO 3 to N2, which is released into the atmosphere. These organisms can be used in wastewater treatments. Previous studies using denitrifying haloarchaea demonstrated that they are able to reduce high concentrations of NO3 to N2 (some of the species remove efficiently up to 2 M NO3 plus up to 60 mM NO2 , which are the highest concentrations described up to now [1]). This is an innovative way to treat wastewater that allows brines and salty waters treatments/recycling. The aim of this work is to design middle scale bioremediation treatments using haloarchaea. Moreover, some haloarchaea denitrifiers that will be used for wastewater treatments produce high amount of carotenoids, which have high interest for several industrial sectors (cosmetics, pharmacology, animal feed). REFERENCES: [1] Nájera-Fernández C, Zafrilla B, Bonete MJ, Martínez-Espinosa RM. Int Microbiol. 2012 Sep;15(3):111-9.

PS – R16

3. Bioenergy and bioremediation

TOBACCO AS RAW MATERIAL FOR THE PRODUCTION OF BIOETHANOL: INCREASED YIELD BY OVEREXPRESSION OF THIOREDOXIN F IN THE CHLOROPLAST Jon Veramendi, Inmaculada Farran, Alicia Fernández-San Millán, María Ancín and Luis Larraya. Instituto de Agrobiotecnología, Universidad Pública de NavarraCSIC, Campus Arrosadía, 31006 Pamplona. jon@unavarra.es Bioethanol is mainly produced from food crops such as sugarcane or maize, and has been held partly responsible for food commodity price increases. Tobacco could be an alternative for biofuel production, especially in developed countries where cultivation has declined in recent years. A high amount of green biomass can be economically obtained when tobacco is cultivated for energy production (high plant density and multiple harvests). We have bred commercial tobacco cultivars in order to increase the levels of carbohydrates in leaves by overexpression of thioredoxin f in the chloroplast. Marker-free plastid transgenic plants were recovered and their agronomic performance was analysed under field conditions. Plants were phenotypically equivalent to their respective controls yet showed increased starch (up to 280%) and soluble sugars (up to 74%) relative to their controls. After heat pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and yeast fermentation of leaf and stalk hydrolysates, an average of 20-40% more ethanol was obtained from transgenic plants. We propose an integral exploitation of the entire tobacco plant managed as a forage crop (harvesting sugar and starch-rich leaves and lignocellulosic stalks) that could considerably cheapen the entire production process. Furthermore, tobacco biomass could be integrated in a biorefinery for the extraction and purification of other compounds such as proteins.

PS – R17

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FLAVONOIDS AND NITRIC OXIDE IN SALT STRESS RESPONSES OF PLANTS Andrea Gómez Sáncheza, Luis Sanz Andreua, Susana González Manzanob, Celestino Santos Buelgab and Óscar Lorenzoa. a

Instituto Hispano-Luso de Investigaciones Agrarias (CIALE). Universidad de Salamanca. Campus de Villamayor, C/ Río Duero 12, 37185 Salamanca, España. b Departamento de Química Analítica, Nutrición y Bromatología. Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad de Salamanca. Campus de Miguel Unamuno.37007 Salamanca, España. oslo@usal.es Abiotic stress such as salt stress, sometimes can involve irreparable damage. Plants have developed multiple mechanisms to ameliorate the negative impacts of salt, i.e. by inducing disturbances in hormonal balances and/or producing reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS). Flavonoids are welldescribed secondary plant metabolites, which can play a dual role as either antioxidant or pro-oxidant molecules, depending on their concentration in plants. In this work, we examined the role of flavonoids in response to salt stress. To this end, we combined pharmacological and genetic analysis in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana. Our results confirm that key flavonoids like quercetin are important molecules for developing primary roots, although they do not alter significantly the plant response to salt stress. Oppositely, quercetin addition increases ROS production in plant tissues suggesting a pro-oxidant activity. Since recent reports highlighted a functional relationship between nitric oxide (NO) and flavonoids during root development, this interaction is being evaluated under salt conditions.

PS – R18

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

INCREASE OF SAFFRON PRODUCTION USING A BIOINOCULANT Alexandra Díez‐Méndeza, a Celador‐Lera , Raúl Rivasa,b. a b

Esther

Menéndeza,

Lorena

Department of Microbiology and Genetics, 37007.USAL, Spain. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC(IRNASA) Spain. alexandradm@usal.es

Saffron is the dried stigmas of Crocus sativus (L.) and it is the most expensive spices in the world [1] (3000€/kg in 2015). Spain is one of the major producers [2]. However, saffron cultivation is an artisanal handmade with no tool machines. Moreover, 150 flowers are needed to produce one gram of dried stigmas. Thereby, a slightly increase in saffron filaments per plant can be translated in a significative increase of spice production. We decided to investigate the relationship between saffron plants and a bacterial strain (Cs08) isolated from Crocus serotinus (L.) corms. The 16S rRNA gene partial sequencing [3] showed that the strain belongs to the genus Curtobacterium. In order to characterise it, PGPB culture‐dependent methods, such as iron quelation via siderophores, phosphate solubilization and indole‐3‐acetic (IAA) biosynthesis were carried out, being positive in each case. Moreover, a greenhouse assay was designed. Saffron plants were inoculated with the Cs08 strain and non‐inoculated plants were grown as control. A significant increase in saffron production was observed in inoculated plants, respect to control treatment. Therefore, it can be postulated that Cs08 strain might be a potential biofertilizer on saffron plants. REFERENCES: [1] Pintado et al., Food Control 2011; 22:638‐642. [2] Ambardar et al., World J Microb Biot 2013; 29: 2271‐2279. [3] Rivas et al., Lett Appl Microbiol. 2007; 44: 181–187.

PS – R19

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

VANILLIN PRODUCTION BY BACILLUS ARYABHATTAI Alicia Paza, Julia Carballob, María José Pérezb, José Manuel Domíngueza. a

Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo (Campus Ourense), As Lagoas s/n, 32004 Ourense, Spain, and Laboratory of Agro-food Biotechnology, CITI-University of Vigo, Tecnópole, Technological Park of Galicia, San Cibrao das Viñas, Ourense, Spain. b Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Vigo (Campus Ourense), As Lagoas s/n, 32004 Ourense, Spain. jmanuel@uvigo.es Vanillin is one of the most important aromatic compounds employed in food, beverages, perfumes and pharmaceuticals, but the worldwide demand is not fully supplied with the natural vanillin obtained from vanilla plants being necessary the search for alternative processes. The biotechnological production of natural aromatic compounds is an alternative to traditional chemical processes. Previous works in our laboratory showed that Bacillus aryabhattai was able to produce vanillin and 4-vinylguaiacol from ferulic acid. In the present work, the culture conditions (including pH, temperature and shaking rate) are being optimized to increase this production. The influence of ferulic acid addition (autoclaved or filtered-sterilized) and inoculum volume are also being studied. Although shaking rate hardly influenced the process, the remaining variables significantly affected the production. Under the optimal conditions achieved so far, we reached a vanillin concentration of 40 mg/L using pH above 8, 150 rpm and 40ºC.

PS – R20

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

PGPRs, AN ALTERNATIVE TO CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS IN ARUGULA CROPS Lorena Celador-Leraa, Alba Rubio-Canalejasa, Xavier CruzGonzaleza, Esther Menendeza, Raúl Rivasa,b. a b

Department of Microbiology and Genetics, USAL, Spain. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. lorenacelador@usal.es

The abuse of chemical fertilizers have adverse effects on the ecosystem and human health [1]. A solution would be the use of Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs). These PGPRs facilitate the availability of essential elements and stimulate the plant growth [2,3]. Nevertheless, the success of the biofertilizers depends of their close relationship with the root system. Here, we evaluated the colonization of a PGPR rhizobia in Eruca sativa (arugula) roots and its potential as biofertilizer. Our strain produced cellulose, in fact, several studies have determined that cellulose overproduction causes an increase in biofilm formation [4]. Therefore, we performed a biofilm production test in polystyrene plates [5]. Our bacterial strain develops biofilms from 24 hours to 72 hours. Inoculation assay and subsequent staining with SYTO 13 [6] showed an efficient root surface colonization. Likewise, inoculated arugula plants have increased the shoot length and root number. These results support that an effective root colonization by our strain promotes arugula crops development. REFERENCES: [1] Selma et al., J. Agric. Food Chem. 2010; 58: 8331-8337. [2] Lugtenberg & Kamilova. Rev. Microbiol. 2009; 63: 541-556. [3] García-Fraile et al., PLoS ONE. 2012; 7: e38122. [4] Matthysse, et al., MPMI. 2005; 18: 1002-1010. [5] Fujishige et al., FEMS Microbiol Ecol. 2006; 56: 195-206. [6] Dominiak et al., Environ Microbiol. 2011; 13: 710-721.

PS – R21

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

RHIZOBIUM BIOFERTILIZER INCREASING CHLOROPHYLL CONCENTRATION IN SPINACH CROPS Lorena Celador-Leraa, Alejandro Jiméneza, Esther Menéndeza, José D. Flores-Felixa, Paula García-Fraileb,Pedro F. Mateosa,c, Raúl Rivasa,c. a

Department of Microbiology and Genetics, USAL, Spain. Institute of Microbiology ASCR, Czech Republic. c Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC(IRNASA) Spain. b

lorenacelador@usal.es Chlorophylls are the most abundant pigments in green plants. Their application in human diet is raising importance [1]. In this sense, spinach is a suitable example of green crops with high chlorophyll content [2]. In this study, we analysed the ability of the strain PEPV12, isolated from Phaselous vulgaris nodules and identified as Rhizobium sp., to develop biofilms and evaluated several mechanisms of in vitro plant growth promotion [3]. Furthermore, we evaluated in vitro plant development after inoculation of spinach seedlings with PEPV12 and also, under controlled greenhouse conditions. We also analysed the chlorophyll concentration in leaves [4], showing that plants inoculated had higher levels respect to uninoculated plants. Additionally, we analysed the nutritional content of spinach edible parts, observing an increase in the level of manganese. Our results showed that Rhizobium sp. produces an increase in the content of chlorophyll concentration and contributes to increase photosynthesis and, therefore, the health of the spinach plant, suggesting that this strain has a reliable potential as a biofertilizer for this crop. REFERENCES: [1] Fernandes, et al., IFSET. 2007; 8: 426-432. [2] Nisha, et al., J Food Eng. 2004; 64: 135-142. [3] Flores-Félix, et al., PloS ONE. 2015; 10: e0122281. [4] Liu, et al., J Plant Nutr. 2006; 29: 1207-1217.

PS – R22

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

NITRIC OXIDE MODIFICATION OF PLANT ENDOCYTOSIS AND PIN1 LOCALIZATION Tamara Lechóna, Luis Sanza, Stephan Pollmannb, Michael Sauerc, Luisa Sandaliod and Oscar Lorenzoa a

Dpto. de Microbiología y Genética. Instituto Hispano-Luso de Investigaciones Agrarias (CIALE), Universidad de Salamanca. C/ Duero 12, 37185, Salamanca, España. b Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA). Pozuelo de Alarcón, 28223, Madrid, España. c Pflanzenphysiologie, Institut für Biochemie und Biologie, Universität Potsdam. Karl Liebknecht Strasse 24-25, Haus 20, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Deutschland. d Dpto. de Bioquímica, Biología Celular y Molecular de Plantas, Estación Experimental del Zaidín, CSIC. C/ Profesor Albareda 1, 18008, Granada, España. tlg@usal.es Nitric oxide (NO) has a remarkable range of signaling functions during plant developmental processes and stress responses, which stems from NO ability to modulate phytohormonal pathways at multiple levels. Plant growth regulators auxin and NO are involved in root morphogenesis. Here we report the role of the NO/auxin crosstalk in this process and seek to integrate seemingly opposite NO-mediated effects on auxin signaling into an encompassing model of root development. Pharmacological and genetic approaches helped unravel the role of NO in establishing auxin distribution patterns necessary for stem cell niche homeostasis and root meristem organization, and carried out GFP and immunolocalization analyses to deepen our understanding of auxin transport regulation. Our results reveal that NO-mediated alterations in root development can be partly ascribed to a reduction in auxin transport, explained by alterations in the cytoskeleton and cytoskeleton-controlled processes such as endocytosis.

PS – R23

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF YEAST FROM ARTISAN SOURDOUGHS FOR INNOVATIVE BAKING PROCESSES María D. Espinosa-Alcantud, Rosana Chiva, Ana Jiménez-López and Mercedes Tamame. IBFG (CSIC/U. Salamanca) C/ Zacarías González 2, 37007 Salamanca (Spain). maria22@usal.es Sourdough is a mixture of flour, water and communities of lactic acid bacteria and yeasts. The flour type, temperature and refreshment timing influence the final microbiota of mature sourdoughs, which provides specific organoleptic and structural properties to artisan baking goods. To satisfy the current demand of increasing the genetic diversity and repertory of baker´s yeast available, we isolated and identified 50 autochthonous yeasts from 7 sourdoughs of wheat, rye or Tritordeum flours, 33 of the genus Saccharomyces (S. cerevisiae and S. kunashirensis) and 17 of 8 different genera (Candida, Cryptococcus, Filobasidium, Pichia, Sporobolomyces, Rhodosporidium, Torulaspora and Zygosaccharomyces). We quantified 3 physiological traits: (i) dough leavening capacity on wheat and Tritordeum flours, (ii) CO2 production and (iii) maltase activity. In general, S. cerevisiae strains produce equal or higher CO2 levels and display similar maltase activity than commercial baker’s yeasts of reference. Conversely, S. kunashirensis strains are particularly efficient in sweet dough fermentation, but their maltase activity is undetectable. Yeasts from the other genera exhibit low values for the traits analysed, but some may provide desirable metabolites or organoleptic properties to sourdoughs. In order to formulate innovative starters for the bakery industry, we carry out collaborative research to test the behavior of a set of yeasts in technologically innovative fermentation processes and the quality of the corresponding baking goods.

PS – R24

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

EXPLOITATION OF AGROINDUSTRIAL CO-PRODUCTS TO PRODUCE ISOFORMS OF PHYTASES AND PROTEASES AND PROMISING APPLICATIONS FOR ANIMAL NUTRITION Paula K. Novellia, Margarida M. Barrosb, Luciana F. Fleuria. a

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of São Paulo State, PoBox 510, 18618-970, Botucatu, SP, Brazil; b Department of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, UNESP, PoBox 560, 18618-970, Botucatu, SP, Brazil. pnovelli@hotmail.com Utilization of agricultural co-products as substrate for solid state fermentation (SSF) was studied, aiming the achievement of novel enzymes from Aspergillus niger and A. oryzae with distinct biological characteristics and its application for improvement of animal nutrition. A. niger produced acid phytases, as for A. oryzae, optimum pH was basic; optimum temperature was 37 oC for both fungi. Protease from A. niger showed very distinct behavior when different substrates were tested. On the other hand, proteases from A. oryzae were stable at all pH’s and produced higher yields. Phytase and protease were stable at high temperatures. Subsequently, the upscale production of A. niger phytase and A. oryzae protease with 7,000 U.g-1 and 2,500 U.g-1, respectively, were applied as additive in a plant protein based fish diet. They increased protein, mineral, energy and lipids availability, showing that these new enzymes can improve animal production and performance. In conclusion, the substrate, as well as, the microorganism species can affect the biochemical character of the enzyme produced. Moreover, the production of these enzymes by SSF can be up to 90% cheaper than commercial ones and they can be easily applied as animal feed additives.

PS – R25

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

INULINASE ACTIVITY OF SOYBEAN AND YACON MEAL FERMENTED WITH ASPERGILLUS NIGER Mayara Rodrigues Pivettaa, Paula K. Novellib, Luciana F. Fleurib. a

Department of Animal Breeding and Nutrition, UNESP, PoBox 560, 18618-970, Botucatu, SP, Brazil. b Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of São Paulo State, PoBox 510, 18618-970, Botucatu, SP, Brazil. mayararodpivetta@yahoo.com.br The aim of this work was to evaluate the inulinase activity of Aspergillus niger 18 in soybean meal and A. niger 01 in yacon meal using solid state fermentation (SSF). Inulinase activity had optimum pH at 5 to A. niger 18 in soybean meal, reaching 3.4 U mL-1, decreasing in pH 4 and 6. The maximum enzyme stability was between pH 4 and 5, decreasing in higher values. A. niger 01 in yacon meal showed a wide range of optimum pH, between 4 and 7, reaching above 4.0 U mL-1, what indicates high versatility of this enzyme. The stability had similar results, showing none activity in pH higher than 8. The optimum temperature to A. niger 18 in soybean meal was 55 ºC. The stability was below 55 ºC. The optimum and stability temperature of A. niger 01 in yacon meal had both an interesting result. The inulinase activity increased from 25 to 95 ºC, reaching more than 4.0 U mL-1. In conclusion, the thermostability of the enzyme studied using yacon as substrate is convenient for industrial utilization and prebiotics production, plus the biochemical character of the enzyme varies depending on combination of substrate and microorganism.

PS – R26

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

NEW ROLE OF SAWTOOTH TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS IN THE SHIFT TO PHOTOAUTOTROPHIC GROWTH IN PLANTS Amelia Felipo‐Benaventa, Noel Blanco‐Touriñána, Martinellib, Miguel A.Blázqueza and David Alabadía.

Federico

Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (CSIC‐Universidad Politécnica de Valencia). C/Ingeniero Fausto Elio s/n. 46022 Valencia (Spain). b Department of Agricultural and Forestry Science University of Palermo ‐ Viale delle Scienze, Ed. 4 ‐ 90128 ‐ Palermo – Italy. noelblanco@ibmcp.upv.es

DELLA proteins are central modulators of transcriptional circuits that transduce environmental signals to developmental processes. They interact physically with transcription factors (TFs) and alter their activity. One of them is SAWTOOTH2 (SAW2), a TF involved in the control of leaf shape through the limitation of growth in leaf margins by the repression of KNOX genes, including KNAT1/BREVIPEDICELLUS. Therefore, we pursued two questions: (1) Do DELLA proteins regulate KNOX activity through their interaction with SAW TFs? And (2) do SAW proteins have additional functions in development? Here we further characterize the interaction, describing the protein domains involved and showing that DELLA proteins indeed interact with SAW2 in plant cells. Moreover, KNAT1::GUS expression was enhanced in Arabidopsis seedlings that accumulate DELLAs, suggesting that SAW protein activity would be inhibited by DELLAs. Moreover, transcriptomic analysis of saw1 saw2 seedlings indicates that the glyoxylate cycle is functionally repressed by SAW. In agreement with the need for an active glyoxylate cycle during germination, seedling establishment was improved in the saw1 saw2 mutant, suggesting a new role of SAW proteins in the shift between heterotrophic and photoautotrophic growth.

PS – R27

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

EXPLORATORY STUDY OF PERCEPTION, INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISMS (GMO) IN COLOMBIA Martha L. Trujillo-Güizaa, René Álvareza, Orlando Acosta Lb, Daniel Rubioc. a

Universidad Antonio Nariño, Colombia. Universidad Nacional de Colombia c Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de Colombia. b

martha.trujillo@uan.edu.co Due to the preconceived ideas that often have the population about biotechnology, this study has been structured to explore perception, information and knowledge about genetically modified organisms (GMO). This is a pilot study, applied at the Universidad Antonio Nariño (UAN), whose objective was to structure and validate a methodology that can be applied in an analysis of national coverage, with the support of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Colombia. The target population of the survey corresponds to students, teachers and administrators of the UAN (16000), who were invited by email to participate through the institutional platform. It was a response of 1730 participants (10.8%), corresponding to 22 cities in different regions of the country. The 60% sample corresponded to students, 21% to teachers, and the 18% administrative. The survey is designed with questions related to knowledge of the concept of GMO, its relationship with crops and food, information and the perception on the characteristics of the GMO and its consumption. Also included questions related to demographic information. The preliminary results presented in this paper show as the perception and knowledge is associated with the formation, gender and age, allowing us to obtain an analysis that will involve factors that have not been considered in other studies.

PS – R28

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

FUNCTION AND BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATION OF PLANT TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS AND NATUREORIGINATED COMPOUNDS IN PLANT HORMONE SIGNALLING Pablo Albertosa, Isabel Mateosa, Inmaculada Sánchez-Vicentea, Luis Sanza, Tamara Lechóna, Guadalupe Fernández, Noel BlancoTouriñán, Virginia Palomares, Cloe de Luxán, Hasimah Alimona, Marta Martínezb, Antonio Fernándezb, Dolores Rodrígueza and Oscar Lorenzoa. a

Dpto. Microbiología y Genética. Instituto Hispano-Luso de Investigaciones Agrarias (CIALE). Facultad de Biología. Universidad de Salamanca. 37185 Salamanca, Spain. b Biomar Microbial Technologies, Parque Tecnológico León. 24009 Armunia-León, Spain.

oslo@usal.es Transcription factors (TFs) are key regulatory proteins in plant development and stress responses with evident biotechnological potential. Using a collection of Arabidopsis transgenic plants conditionally expressing TFs under a β-estradiol inducible promoter we developed a screening strategy to identify lines affected in seed germination, root emergency and responses to plant growth regulators (i.e. abscisic acid and nitric oxide) and stress conditions (i.e. cadmium, sodium chloride and mannitol). Insights into their functional characterization will be discussed. Additionally, we implemented a chemical genomic screening to compare the efficacy of bioactive molecules that modulate plant hormone signalling (agonists or antagonists). A nature-originated library from bacteria, microalgae and fungi has been screened for effects on seed germination and seedling establishment. Screening of Arabidopsis wild-type and mutants impaired in hormone pathways (i.e. qdella, gibberellins; axr6-3, auxin; coi1-16, jasmonic acid; abi5 and pyl, abscisic acid; dwarf, brassinosteroid; cre1, cytokinin and ein2-5, ethylene) determined whether the phenotypic effect of the natural substances involved any specific hormonal pathway. Further isolation of active pure compounds discover herbicidal properties and different sensitivity to mutant backgrounds.

PS – R29

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

SELECTION OF RHIZOBIAL PGPRs FOR BASIL CROPS Alba Rubio-Canalejasa, Lorena Celador-Leraa, Esther Menéndeza, José D. Flores-Félixa, Raúl Rivasa,b. a

Department of Microbiology and Genetics, USAL, Spain. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC(IRNASA), Spain.

albarubiocanalejas@hotmail.com The biofertilization of crops with plant growth-promoting microorganisms is currently considered as a healthy alternative to chemical fertilization. However, only microorganisms safe for humans can be used as biofertilizers, particularly in vegetables that are raw consumed, in order to avoid sanitary problems derived from the presence of pathogenic bacteria in the final products [1]. Moreover, it is essential to study each specific plant-microbe interaction for a correct application of effective tools for sustainable agriculture [2]. In this study, we examined the in vitro plant-growth promotion mechanisms of PEPV32 strain isolated from Phaseolus vulgaris nodules and identified as Rhizobium sp. Rhizobium is an important genus for being a safe microorganism and due to its phenotypic plant-growth-promotion features. This strain was able to produce siderophores and indole acetic acid, and in addition, to solubilize phosphate found in the ground as insoluble forms. We dyed the inoculated roots with SYTO13 fluorochrome [3] and observed, afterwards, under fluorescence microscopy. This strain was able to colonize roots of Ocimum basilicum. Strain PEPV32 was also able to promote basil plant growth, increasing the size of the aerial part of the inoculated plants. These data confirmed the suitability of Rhizobium as biofertilizer for basil crops. REFERENCES: [1] Bhardwaj,et al., Microb Cell Fact.2014; 13:66. [2] Hardoim, et al., Trends Microbiol.2008; 16:10.

[3]

Dominiak,

al.,

Environ

microbiol.2011;

13:710-721.

PS – R30

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

EFFECT OF TYROSOL AND TRICHODERMA PARAREESEI CHORISMATE MUTASE SILENCED MUTANTS IN LIGHT PERCEPTION BY ARABIDOPSIS PLANTS Motaz Bay, Esclaudys Pérez, Rosa Hermosa, Enrique Monte, Carlos Nicolás, Belén Rubio. Centro Hispano-Luso de Investigaciones Agrarias (CIALE). University of Salamanca. C/Río Duero 12. Campus de Villamayor. 37185 Salamanca. Spain. mota.bay@usal.es The fungus Trichoderma parareesei is not normally used as biocontrol agent in Agriculture since it has not the antagonist abilities of other Trichoderma species. However, we have assessed that some T. parareesei rhizosphere-competent strains have been shown to have direct effects on plants, increasing their growth potential or stimulating plant defences. Since several Trichoderma genomes have been already sequenced and annotated we have identified genes of shikimate and mevalonate pathways related to the biosynthesis of aromatic compounds that, as occurs with the tyrosine-derived tyrosol, are involved in yeast-mycelium transition regulation in dimorphic fungi and restore the rhythmicity of the circadian clock in Neurospora crassa, as well as related to photoreception in Trichoderma. Previously, we isolated Trichoderma chorismate mutase silenced mutants impaired in the production of aromatic amino acids. The aim of this work is to analyze the effect of tyrosol and Trichoderma chorismate mutase mutants in the circadian clock regulation and light perception by Arabidopsis plants, as well as in plant-fungus interactions in order to understand the mechanisms involved in defence induction and how the fungus keeps the colonization and photoperception and signaling of induction reactions by different phytochromes in time with the circadian rhythms of the plant.

PS – R31

4. Biotechnological food and Biofactories

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE G132 MUTANT BARLEY WITH POTENTIAL ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE Fátima Valeros, Rafael Martínez-Carrasco, Rosa Morcuende, Javier Córdoba and Pilar Pérez. Institute of Natural Resources and Agrobiology of Salamanca, CSIC, Cordel de Merinas, 40-52, 37008, Salamanca, Spain. favalerosmartin@hotmail.es The barley breeding programmes seek for varieties with better adaptation to climate change. The aim of this study was to characterize the G132 mutant, selected in earlier studies on barley adaptation to high CO2 concentration environments, as compared to the Graphic wild type throughout development. At early growth stages, photosynthesis measured with ambient and saturating atmospheric CO2 was lower in G132 than in Graphic, but recovered later in development. The results show that genotypic differences in photosynthesis were not due to limitations in CO2 diffusion into leaves caused by stomatal closure. It was concluded that the low photosynthesis rate in G132 was due to a decrease in content of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco), which catalyzes the CO2 fixation reaction. The low enzyme content was partly due to enhanced degradation. This work has been funded by Junta de Castilla y León, Project: “Molecular and functional changes with potential in adaptation to increasing atmospheric CO2 in barley”, (Ref. CSI250U13).

PS – R32

5. Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology

MESORHIZOBIUM AS A SOURCE BIOPLASTIC PRODUCTION

PHAs

FOR

Marta Marcos-Garcíaa, Esther Menéndeza, Paula García-Fraileb, Pedro F. Mateosa, c, Raúl Rivasa, c. a

Department of Microbiology and Genetics. USAL, Spain. Academy of Sciences of the Czech Rep. c Associated I+D Unit (USAL)-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. b

martamg@usal.es Polyhydroxyalkanoic acids (PHAs) are biodegradable polyesters that exhibit interesting material properties. These polymers act as storage compounds in several bacteria and are deposited as insoluble inclusions in the cytoplasm, normally when a carbon source is available in excess and growth is limited by the lack of another nutrient, such as nitrogen. PHAs produced by microbes constitute a potential alternative to synthetic bioplastics [1]. We performed a screening for PHAs producing Mesorhizobium strains, using different media, with Nile Red dye as a highly sensitive staining to detect PHAs directly in growing bacterial colonies [2]. This method allowed us to estimate the presence of 22 PHA-positive strains, which showed a very intense orange fluorescence under ultraviolet irradiation. Afterwards, we quantified PHAs concentration by using gravimetric analysis to calculate the biomass percentage ratio of PHAs [3]. Our results suggest that these Mesorhizobium strains have a high potential as source of PHAs, and provide a promising alternative to the use of synthetic non-degradable plastics, which cause serious environmental problems. Acknowledgements: Marta Marcos-García holds a PhD fellowship of the Foundation Miguel-Casado-San-José. REFERENCES: [1] Shamala et al., J App Microbiol 2003. 149:369-374. [2] Zuriani et al., Biotech and Bioprocess Eng. 2013;18:472-478. [3] Saranya et al., Curr Microbiol 2012. 65:589-594.

PS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; R33

5. Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology

APPLICATION OF BACTERIA FOR THE CONSOLIDATION OF SANDY SOILS M. Fradejasa, J.D. Flores-FĂŠlixa and R. Rivasa.b. a b

Departament of Microbiology and Genetics, USAL, Spain. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. mariafradejas@usal.es

The engineered qualities of some soils are poor and present several deficiencies for building, mainly sandy soils whose structural cohesion is low. Biocalcificated bacteria can establish calcareous matrix in non consolidated material increasing strength resistance to mechanical effort [1]. In this study, we isolated three different strains identified as Bacillus sp. by sequence of 16S rRNA, which are able to induce calcium carbonate precipitation. These strains present ureolytic metabolism, being susceptible to apply as bioconsolidant [2]. After medium precipitation evaluation, we observed that these strains induced calcium carbonate precipitation at higher levels when growing in B4 medium [3]. The application of nonconsolidated sand resulted in the creation of crystal-like structures that attacked all the grains of sand with their adjacent. These three Bacillus, present several mechanisms susceptible to be employed as bioconsolidant. REFERENCES: [1] Dick et al., Biodegradation. 2006; 17: 357-367. [2] Phillips et al., Biofouling. 2013; 29: 715-733. [3] Boquet et al., Nature. 1973; 246: 527-529.

PS – R34

5. Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology

EMPLOYMENT OF BACTERIA FOR BIOCONSOLIDATION OF PETROUS MATERIAL M. Fradejasa, J.D. Flores-Félixa and R. Rivasa,b. a b

Departament of Microbiology and Genetics, USAL, Spain. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. mariafradejas@usal.es

Biocalcification is the process of synthesis of calcareous material mediated by microorganisms that precipitate different phases of calcium carbonate, such as, aragonite, calcite or vaterite. This process can be applied to stabilize rock that has been started to disaggregate, creating a thin layer of exogenous calcium carbonate [1]. In the present study, we outline the isolation and application of biocalcification bacteria to bio-consolidation of petrous material. The isolate, named CUIC05, had been identified as Microbacterium sp. by sequence of the 16s rRNA gene. We observed the precipitate generated by CUIC05 in a fluorescence microscopy and appreciated the fluorescence of calcite crystal under ultraviolet light with the aim to confirm their composition [2]. This strain showed an optimum efficient use of substrates growing in B4 medium [3], producing the aggregation of limestone block due to calcite bind between them. For this reason, Microbacterium sp. CUIC05 is a potential agent in developing new biotechnology products to prevent damage to buildings and infrastructures. REFERENCES: [1] Jiménez-López et al., Int Biodeterior Biodegradation. 2008. 62: 352363. [2] Maliva et al., Geology. 2000; 28: 931-934. [3] Boquet et al., Nature. 1973; 246: 527-529.

PS – R35

5. Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering and Nanotechnology

STUDY OF THERMAL, CRYSTALLINE, TENSILE AND BIODEGRADATION PROPERTIES OF 70/30 POLY(βHYDROXYBUTYRATE/ POLY(ε-CAPROLACTONE) MELTMIXED BLENDS: THE INFLUENCE OF COMPRESSION MOLDING CONDITIONS Berenice Vergara-Porrasa, F. Pérez-Guevarac, J. N. GracidaRodríguezc. a

Departamento de Biotecnología e Ingeniería Química, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias. Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Estado de México. Carretera Lago de Guadalupe Km 3.5. Atizapán de Zaragoza, Estado de México, México. b Biotecnología, Facultad de Química. Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro. México. c Departamento de Biotecnología y Bioingeniería. Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados. México. vergarabp@itesm.mx Bacterial homopolymer, poly(β-hydroxybutyrate) [PHB], was blended with synthetic biodegradable polymer, poly(ε-caprolactone) [PCL]. Blends were produced using melt mixing technique in a 70/30 PHB/PCL mass proportion. Five different films were compression molded and different thermal treatments were applied to reach room temperature from 180°C molding temperature. As a result of thermal treatments, films obtained possessed different tensile, thermal, crystalline and biodegradation properties. Blends with faster changes on temperatures were easier to biodegrade nevertheless elongation at break and tensile strength decreased. Slower cooling kinetics resulted in higher crystal perfection and in larger spherulites size. Biodegradation of films were tested using ASTM G21-90 technique. Scanning Electronic Micrographs were obtained along 90 days biodegradation experiment. Surface structure changes related with fungal degradation were found to be dependent on polymer arrangement in blend. A model is proposed relating thermal, crystalline, biodegradation, and tensile properties with to cooling kinetics applied after molding. It is proposed that properties of 70/30 (PHB/PCL) blends can be manipulated by an adequate control of thermal conditions during processing.

PS – R36

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

XYLANASE PRODUCTION BY SOLID-STATE FERMENTATION AND STUDY OF SEPARATION WITH FLEXIBLE POLYMERS CHAINS Ricardo Gómez-Garcíaa, Miguel A. Medinaa, Beatriz Farruggiab, Guillermo Picob, Cristóbal N. Aguilar. a

Food Research Department, Facultad de Ciencias Químicas, Autonomous University of Coahuila, Saltillo, Coahuila, México. b Instituto de Procesos Biotecnológicos y Químicos (IPROBYQCONICET). National University of Rosario Argentina. Xylanase is a key biocatalyst for several modern bioprocesses. It is required in large amounts and regularly it requires to be induced with xylan. Corn cob can be considered as an important source of xylan, for this reason the use of such agroindustrial residue can be an attractive alternative if it is used as support and nutrient source for fungal growth and xylanase production. One important aspect in the production of enzymes with industrial interest, refers to the process of recovery. Although the accumulation of extracellular enzymes during the solid-state fermentation facilitates their recovery, most of the methodologies used for time-consuming purification plus they are expensive and low yields. Aqueous twophase systems (ATPS) are an attractive bioseparative technique for purification and ideal for the recovery of enzymes and other biomolecules due to the low interfacial tension and high water content, which provides a favorable environment for the preservation of the biological activity of labile molecules. In this study, it was possible to produce xylanase, allow us to obtain enzymatic activities at 2300 UL-1 and these results show us the ability of the microorganism to degrade and invade the substrate for growth. Enzyme was efficiently concentrated by ATPS.

PS – R37

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

CELLULASE PRODUCTION FERMENTATION AND ITS POLYACRYLATE

BY SOLID STATE SEPARATION WITH

Alfredo I. Garcia Galindoa, Miguel A. Medina-Moralesa, Diana Romaninib, Guillermo Picob, Cristóbal N. Aguilara. a

Food Research Department, School of Chemical Sciences, Autonomous University of Coahuila. Saltillo, Coahuila, México. b Institut of Biotechnological and Chemical Processes (IPROBYQCONICET). National University of Rosario Argentina. cristobal.aguilar@uadec.edu.mx Aspergillus niger GH1 is reported in the literature as an important producer of extracellular enzymes in Solid State Fermentation (SSF) in many organic substrates with good yields. Mexico in 2014, 25,500,000 tons of corn waste were produced. For that reason, in this work the corn cob was considered as an excellent support for SSF. Through this fermentation system, a multi-enzymatic extract was produced, with high activity after 96 hours of fermentation. One of the enzyme activities was expressed as cellulolytic activity. For the recovery of the enzymes, the process performed in one step of precipitation of enzymes with a negatively charged (polyacrylate PAA 240,000) polymer, applied directly to an extract of A. niger GH1. This allowed an acceptable recovery of the enzymes and a high purification factor in the precipitate with endo and exoglucanase activities. The optimum conditions of precipitation of the enzymes with PAA were as follows: 400 mL of PAA (0.05% w/w) pH 3.00, 2 ml of phosphate buffer, pH 3.00, and 2.4 ml of enzyme extract pH 3.00. The highest results of recovery performance were obtained for exoglucanase activity. Keywords: Cellulase, solid-state fermentation, corn cob.

PS – R38

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

IMMOBILIZATION OF LIPASES FROM RHIZOMUCOR MIEHEI IN β-CYCLODEXTRIN POLYMERS: PRETREATMENT WITH OLIVE OIL AND OPERATIONAL STABILITY IN ESTERIFICATION REACTIONS Ysmel M. La Rosaa, María D. Bustob, Natividad Ortegab, María C. Pilar-Izquierdob, David Palaciosb and Sonia Gómez-Ramosb. a

Department of Chemistry, AMBIOQUIM Centro de Investigación en Ambiente, Biología y Química, University of Carabobo, Avd. Salvador Allende, CP-2005. Carabobo-Valencia, Venezuela. b Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Faculty of Sciences, University of Burgos, Plza. Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001. Burgos, Spain. dbusto@ubu.es Microbial lipases are currently receiving great attention because of their diversity in catalytic activity, high yield and low cost production. Moreover, microbial lipases are also stable in organic solvents and possess broad substrate specificity. For commercial exploitation of a specific microbial lipase, it is essential to achieve high yield, high activity and high stability. The aim of this work was to study the influence of the pretreatment with olive oil on Rhizomucor miehei lipase activity and operational stability after immobilization in crosslinked β-cyclodextrin polymers. With this treatment the active site of lipase is masked in order to prevent covalent bond formation near the active site during immobilization. The results showed that the activity of the immobilized enzyme increased by more than 1.4 times. The immobilized lipase activities were maintained at levels exceeding 50% of their original activities after 30 reuses. Additionally, the immobilized enzyme remained active in a 60% after six months of storage at 4°C.

PS – R39

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF TUBULAR CELLULOSE FROM SOLID WASTES OF FOOD INDUSTRY FOR LOW TEMPERATURE BEER PRODUCTION Dimitra Dimitrellou, Vassilios Ganatsios, Argyro Bekatorou, Athanasios Koutinas, Maria Kanellaki. Food Biotechnology Group, Department of Chemistry, University of Patras, 26500 Patras, Greece. dimitrellou@gmail.com The aim of the present study was to evaluate the use of solid wastes of food industry as supports for the development of new biocatalysts. Therefore peanut and coconut shells were subjected to delignification with 10 g/L NaOH solutions. The produced tubular cellulose was characterized using porosimetry, X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that tubular cellulose, derived from peanut shell had better characteristics. More specifically tubular cellulose from peanut shell presented specific surface area of 0.64 m2/g, pore volume of 2.27x10-3 cm3/g, pore diameter of 396 Å, crystallinity degree of 67.7% and crystallite size of 49.3 Å. After their characterization, the tubular cellulose from both origins were used as supports for yeast cell immobilization. The immobilized biocatalysts were subjected to thermal drying with air circulation at 38ºC for 24 hours and then were stored at 5ºC for up to three months. After storage the activity of the thermal dried biocatalyst was evaluated during beer production at 25ºC, 15ºC, 10ºC and 5ºC. Fermentation kinetics were performed at each temperature and the main characteristics of the produced beer were measured. This work is cofunded by the European Union (European Social Fund) and the Greek State under the "ARISTEIA II" Action of the "Operational Programme Education and Lifelong Learning".

PS â&#x20AC;&#x201C; R41

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

POTENTIAL USE OF CARBONATOGENIC BACTERIA IN MONUMENTS BIORESTORATION J.D. Flores-Felixa and R. Rivasa,b. a b

Departament of Microbiology and Genetics, USAL, Spain. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. jdflores@usal.es

Currently, the methods for monument restoration are based in resins or polymers application; however, they present several problems in relation with morphological appearance. Carbonatogenic bacteria are a biological process with several applications in civil engineering, such as concrete production, bioremediation and monument restoration [1]. The main aim of the present work is the evaluation of biorestoration mechanisms of the strain CRPS12. This strain was isolated from monument, using SF medium [2], specific for bacterial biocalcification. CRPS12 was identified as Arthrobacter crystallopoites by sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. At first, we observed a notable ability to colonise abiotic surfaces, forming biofilm 3D-structures. This strain was able to precipitate calcium carbonate in BD medium [3] and established a carbonated matrix of disaggregated material. This matrix was similar to the original system observed in sedimentary rocks, resulting in an increase of the structural cohesion and reduction of material porosity. Thus, we suggest that Arthrobacter crystallopoites CRPS12 can be employed in biorestoration of degradated monuments, recovering their original structure. REFERENCES: [1] Dhami et al., J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2013; 23: 707-714. [2] Stocks-Fischer et al., Soil Biol Biochem. 1999; 31:1563-1571. [3] De Muynck et al., Ecol Eng. 2010; 36:118-136.

PS – R41

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

PGPR-BASED PRODUCTION

BIOFERTILIZERS

INCREASE

CARROT

J. D. Flores-Félixa, E. Menéndeza, M. Marcos-Garcíaa, P. F. Mateosa,b, E. Martínez-Molinaa,b, M. E. Velázqueza,b and R. Rivasa,b. a b

Departament of Microbiology and Genetics, USAL, Spain. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. jdflores@usal.es

The future of agriculture strongly depends on our ability to enhance productivity without sacrificing long-term production potential [1]. Plant probiotics are microorganisms able to promote plant development. These microorganisms should be selected guaranteeing human, animal and plant health. The main aim of the present study is the evaluation of a bacterial strain, Phyllobacterium endophyticum PEPV15 [2], as a proper biofertilizer for Daucus carota crops. We performed the inoculation of a strain, which presented several in vitro plant growth promotion mechanisms, such as siderophore production, phosphate solubilization and IAA biosynthesis [3]. Colonization assays were carried out inoculating gfp-labeled PEPV15 strain [4] and, subsequently, we observed inoculated roots under fluorescence and confocal microscopy. This strain colonise with high efficiency the root surfaces. Furthermore, microcosms assays revealed an increase of 52% of root dry weight of inoculated plants, in comparison with noninoculated plants. Therefore, we propose Phyllobacterium endophyticum PEPV15 as a biofertilizer with a high efficiency, able to increase Daucus carota production. REFERENCES: [1] Bhattacharyya et al., World J Microbiol Biotechnol. 2012; 28: 1327– 1350. [2] Flores-Félix et al., Int J Syst Evol Microbiol. 2013; 63: 821-826. [3] Flores-Félix et al., Plos One. 2015; 10: e0122281. [4] Garcia-Fraile et al. Plos One. 2012; 7: e38122.

PS – R42

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

BARK BEETLES ARE A VALUABLE SOURCE FOR THE ISOLATION OF BACTERIA PRODUCING ENZYMES WITH BIOTECHNOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS Paula Garcia-Frailea, Alexandra Díez-Méndezb, Pedro F. Mateosb, Miroslav Kolaříka,c. Institute of Microbiology, A.S.C.R., Videnska 1083, 14220 Prague, Czech Republic. b Microbiology and Genetics Department, University of Salamanca, Campus Unamuno, 37007 Salamanca, Spain. c Faculty of Science, Charles University, Albertov 6, 12843 Prague, Czech Republic. a

garcia@biomed.cas.cz Bark beetles reproduce in the inner bark of several tree species and establish symbiotic associations with microorganisms, which enable host colonization and utilization. Thus, some of these microorganisms are expected to have the biochemical machinery necessary for the bark and wood hydrolyses. Cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin constitute the main wood and bark compounds, starch is the major carbon storage compound in plant cells and cell-wall structural proteins are also important constituents in wooden cells. Therefore, cellulases, xylanases, laccases, amylases and proteases are the main enzymes involved in plant cell utilization. These enzymes have various industrial applications: i.e. biomass hydrolysis for bioethanol production, polishing of fabrics in textile industry, laundry detergent production, juice and baking products fabrication or de-inking in paper manufacturing. During this work we isolated several bacterial isolates from the bark beetles Hylexinus fraxini and Ips typographus. After their identification, we tested the capability to produce several enzymes implicated in plant cell degradation. Most of the isolates were able to produce one or more of those enzymes and therefore we can conclude that bark beetles are a good source of enzymes producing bacteria biotechnologically potential.

PS – R43

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

EVALUATION OF BACTERIAL CELLULASES WITH POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS IN BIOTECHNOLOGICAL PROCESSES OF THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY P.M. Ávila-Barbaa, E. Menéndeza, P.F. Mateosa,b, R. Rivas a,b. a b

Departament of Microbiology and Genetics. 37007.USAL Spain. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. patricia_avila@usal.es

For several years, biotechnological progress has allowed the development of new environment-friendly, such as, the use of cellulases in the textile industry for destaining fabrics and removing fiber imperfections [1]. Fungi are the most used microorganisms to produce cellulases; however, bacteria are raising importance due to their growth rate, genetic simplicity and their adaptability to different climatic conditions. Some fungi and bacterial cellulases are enzymes capable of acting at low temperatures, being beneficial for encouraging energy saving and environmental emissions decrease [2]. Therefore, this work aims to identify cellulase-producing microorganisms and to evaluate them in a wide range of temperatures. For this purpose, a screening for bacterial strains capable to degrade carboxymethyl-cellulose was performed, using decaying wood as a source for isolation. The strain M173 presented one of the largest halos and was identified by 16S rRNA gene. Its closest relative was Sphingomonas faeni. The cellulolytic activity was evaluated by reducing sugars assays, showing high cellulolytic activity in a wide range of temperatures (4ºC-37°C). Our results indicated the suitability of this strain as a proper cellulolytic agent for biotechnological applications in textile industries. REFERENCES: [1] Galante et al., Curr Org Chem 2003; 7:1399-1422. [2] Shirai et al., J Mol Biol 2001; 310:1079-1087.

PS – R44

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

POLY-[R-HYDROXYALKANOATES] PRODUCTION BY CUPRIAVIDUS NECATOR ATCC 17699 USING MEXICAN AVOCADO (PERSEA AMERICANA) OIL AS CARBON SOURCE José Mauricio Martín-Bufájera, Ma. Del Rocío López-Cuellarb, Berenice Vergara-Porrasa a

Departamento de Biotecnología e Ingeniería Química, Escuela de Ingeniería y Ciencias. Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Estado de México. Carretera Lago de Guadalupe Km 3.5. Estado de México, México. b Biotecnología Agroalimentaria, Instituto de Ciencias Agropecuarias. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. Hidalgo. México. vergarabp@itesm.mx Poly-[R-hydroxyalkanoates] (PHAs) are polymers produced by a wide number of bacterial genders under stress conditions. Different types of PHAs exist. The most commons contain from 3 to 5 carbons atoms in the monomeric unit. When PHAs contain from 7-12 carbon atoms in molecular structure (medium chain PHAs [PHAsMC]) or more than one monomeric unit exist tensile properties are improved. Molecular structure is determined by carbon source. To obtain PHAsMC, glycerol and oils are frequently used. Nowadays, Mexico is leader in avocado production. Avocado contains around 15% of oils. A fermentation was done using avocado oil for PHAs production. 50 hours fermentations were done in three stages. First stage, batch, was done for bacterial growth. Second stage, a fed-batch, increased bacterial concentration. Third stage for PHAs production was carried out using avocado oil. Microbial growth, PHA and CO2 production and, substrate and oxygen consumptions were measured along the fermentation. The PHA produced was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy. The results suggest a new substrate for PHAs production for further industrial application.

PS – R45

6. Bioprocesses and Biocatalysis

RECOMBINANT PhaC2-SYNTHASE NECATOR FOR PHA PRODUCTION

CUPRIAVIDUS

Ma. Del Rocío López-Cuellara, Berenice Vergara-Porrasb, Rodolfo Marschc, Fermín Pérez-Guevarac. a

Cuerpo Académico de Biotecnología Agroalimentaria, Ciencias Agropecuarias, Universidad Autónoma del Hidalgo. Tulancingo, Hidalgo, CP 4360. b Departamento de Biotecnología e Ingeniería Química, Ingeniería y Ciencias. Tecnológico de Monterrey, Campus Estado de México. México. c Departamento de Biotecnología, CINVESTAV. Av. México, D.F., México

Instituto de Estado de Escuela de IPN 2508.

marocio_lopez@uaeh.edu.mx Polyhydroxyalkanaotes (PHAs) are biopolyesters naturally synthesized by Cupriavidus necator bacterial strain. High amounts of PHA, mainly short-chain-length PHAs (scl), can be accumulated by C. necator. PHAs-scl contains from 3-5 carbon in monomeric structure. C. necator synthesizes also few amounts of medium-chain-length (mcl) PHAs, containing from 6-16 carbons in structure, and copolymers of scl-comcl-PHAs. PHAs can be thermoplastics, elastomers or even adhesives. PHAs also possess a wide range of crystalline degrees. PHAs properties depends mostly of monomeric composition. In this work, a genetic engineered C. necator harbouring the Pseudomonas putida CA-3 synthase gene (phaC2Ps-CA3) was used. Growth media containing canola oil as carbon source was formulated for synthesis of mcl-hydroxyalkanoic units. The phaC2Ps-CA3 gene was expressed in C. necator PHB-4 (PHB-4-pMRC03) strain and wild C. necator strain (C. necator-PMRC03) with an intact copy of its phaC1 gene. PHB-4– pMRC03 and the C. necator-pMRC03 strains were able to use canola oil as carbon source. The production of C. necator–pMRC03 in canola oil allowed the recovery of 3HB, 3HV, 3HHx, and 3HO monomers in the polymers as further confirmed by +H-NMR analysis.

PS – R46

7. Systems, Omics and Computational Biology

MOONLIGHTING PROTEINS: A BIOINFORMATICS ANALYSIS OF THEIR BIOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS Luis Francoa, Sergio Hernándeza, Alejandra Calvoa, Gabriela Ferragutb, Isaac Amelaa, Juan Cedanob and Enrique Querola. a

Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain. b Laboratorio de Inmunología, Universidad de la República Regional Norte-Salto, 50000, Salto, Uruguay. francoserrano.luis@gmail.com Multitasking or moonlighting is the capability of some proteins to execute two or more biochemical functions. It would be helpful for researchers that Bioinformatics could predict this multifunctionality. In the present work, we analyse and describe several approaches to predict them: a) remote homology searches using Psi-Blast, b) detection of functional motifs and domains, c) analysis of data obtained from protein-protein interaction databases (PPIs), d) matches of the sequence of the query protein to 3D databases (PISITE), e) mutation correlation analysis between amino acids using MISTIC. Remote homology searches combined with data from interactomics databases (PPIs) have the best performance. Structural information and mutation correlation analysis can help us to map the functional sites. We have designed a database of moonlighting proteins, MultitaskProtDB (http://wallace.uab.es/multitask/). From this database we determine the frequencies of canonical and moonlighting coupled functions (being an enzyme and a transcription factor the highest), the percentage of moonlighting proteins involved in human diseases (65% of the human moonlighting proteins in the database) and the percentage of moonlighting proteins acting as a pathogen virulence factor (20% of the moonlighting proteins in the database).

PS – R47

Others

EVALUATION OF A POTENTIAL PROMOTER REGION OF CELLULASE PRODUCTION E. Menéndeza , A. Diez-Mendeza , M. Robledoc , R. Rivasa,b , P.F. Mateosa,b. a

Departament of Microbiology and Genetics.37007.USAL, Spain.. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. c Grupo de Ecología Genética de la Rizosfera, EEZ(CSIC), 18008.Granada,Spain. b

alexandradm@usal.es Cellulases are applied in diverse industrial processes, such as pulp and paper industry and agriculture. Several microorganisms can produce different cellulases, all of them susceptible for industrial applications. Fungi produce the vast majority of commercial cellulases, and Trichoderma reseei is the most used in biotech industries [1]. To promote fungal cellulase expression, several strategies were taken, including homo/heterologous expression and expression under specific cellulase promoters [2,3]. Nevertheless, bacteria present several factors suggesting a high potential. Amongst cellulolytic bacteria, Rhizobium synthesises cellulase CelC2, which is involved in two key processes [4,5]. Here we report the identification of a potential internal promoter within the celABC operon, located in the celB gene, which could be a possible candidate for regulating celC gene expression. Using transcriptional fusions, we observed that celC gene was expressed during infection. Our results point out the existence of a celC promoter/regulator sequence, suggesting that Rhizobium cellulase production could be modulated for obtaining higher productions for biotechnological purposes. REFERENCES: [1] Kumar R et al. J Ind Microbiol Biotechnol 2008; 35:377‐391. [2] Zou G et al. Microb Cell Fact 2012; 11:21. [3] Rahman Z et al. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2009; 82:899‐908. [4] Robledo M et al. Proc Natl Acad ScI USA 2008; 105:7064‐7069. [5] Robledo M et al. Microb Cell Fact 2012; 11:121.

PS – R48

Others

BIO-GUIDED ANALYSIS FOR THE SCREENING OF PKS-I SYSTEM IN ENDOPHYTES Marta Marcos-Garcíaa, Menéndeza, Raúl Rivasa, b. a b

Sergio

Sánchez-Herreroa,

Esther

Department of Microbiology and Genetics, 37007. USAL, Spain. Associated I+D Unit (USAL)-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain. martamg@usal.es

Polyketide synthases (PKSs) are biosynthetic systems involved in the synthesis of a large number of secondary metabolites produced by microorganisms. These systems have several applications in medicine, agriculture and biochemical research [1]. Aromatic plants, such as, Lavandula angustifolia and Thymus vulgaris, are unexplored niches to find endophytic bacteria, which may produce PKSs. We isolated 58 root endophytic strains of these plants and performed RAPD (Random Amplified Polymorfic DNA) profile assays to analyse bacterial genetic diversity [2]. Afterwards, we selected one representative strain of each group obtained by RAPD profiling. To amplify polyketide synthetase I (PKS-I) gene, we used the primer pair K1F/M6R (5’TSAAGTCSAACATCGGBA-3’ and 5’-CGCAGGTTSCSGTACCAGTA3’, respectively) [3]. Our results showed that several isolated strains might contain PKS-I biosynthesis pathway. Furthermore, PKS-I producing strains were identified by 16Sr DNA gene sequence analysis [4]. In this study, we suggest that lavender and thyme are potential sources to identify root endophytic bacteria able to produce polyketide synthases. Acknowledgements: Marta Marcos-García holds a PhD fellowship of the Foundation Miguel Casado San-José. REFERENCES: [1] Ayuso-Sacido et al. Microb Ecol 2005; 49: 10-24. [2] Puente-Redondo et al. J Cli Microbiol 2000; 38: 1016-1022. [3] Meklat et al. App Environ Microbiol 2011; 77: 6710-6714. [4] Rivas et al. App Environ Microbiol 2002; 68: 5217-5222.

PS – R49

Others

DEVELOPMENT OF A FLUORESCENCE IN SITU HYBRIDIZATION PROTOCOL FOR ANALYSIS OF GRAMPOSITIVE AND GRAM-NEGATIVE BACTERIA Marina González-Pérez, Rafaela Fernandes, Ricardo Vieira, António Pereira, António Candeias, Ana T. Caldeira HERCULES Laboratory, Évora University, Palácio do Vimioso, Largo Marquês de Marialva, 8, 7000-809, Évora (Portugal). atc@uevora.pt Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) is widely applied to detect, identify and quantify bacteria. For analyzing Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria the FISH procedures commonly used include an additional step for Gram-positive bacteria: a digestive pre-treatment that facilitate the permeabilization of their rigid cell wall. Since FISH signals are influenced by the abundance and accessibility of the intracellular rRNA target molecules, also correlated with the cellular growth state and with bacteria type, it would be of interest to develop a procedure that allow the simultaneous analyses of both type of bacteria. On the basis of the above, in the present study several FISH procedures, varying on the fixatives used (50, 80 and 96% ethanol aqueous solutions), were investigated for analyzing both Grampositive and Gram-negative bacteria cells harvested at different growth stages. The universal bacterial EUB338 Cy3-labeled probe were used and FISH signals were analyzed by: i) flow cytometry, in terms of percentage of fluorescent cells, average and total fluorescence intensities, and ii) by epifluorescence microscopy in terms of visualization. The FISH signals obtained for cells in different growth phases with the three fixatives were correlated with RNA content and cell viability.

PS – R50

Others

RAPID APPROACHES FOR YEAST CELLS ANALYSIS ENABLING DETECTION/IDENTIFICATION/QUANTIFICATION AND/OR VIABILITY ASSESSMENT Marina González-Pérez, Rafaela Fernandes, Ricardo Vieira, António Candeias, Ana T. Caldeira HERCULES Laboratory, Évora University, Palácio do Vimioso, Largo Marquês de Marialva, 8, 7000-809, Évora (Portugal). atc@uevora.pt Yeasts are involved in several bioprocesses, being crucial to detect, identify, quantify and assess the cell viability along them. Thus, new approaches are continuously being introduced to facilitate the analysis of these microorganisms in their different growth phases, make them simpler, faster and cheaper. Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) is a non-culture-based technique that enables to obtain all these analytical information. Thus, the optimization for analyzing yeast cells in suspension was carried out focusing our attention into achieving satisfactory FISH signals. Saccharomyces Cerevisiae and Rhodotorula sp. were used as models. As sometimes, it is of interest to determine exclusively the quantity or viability of the target cells in a sample, the suitability of various rapid approaches for reaching this goal was evaluated. Thus, Scepter™ 2.0 Handled Automated Cell Counter, Muse™ Count & Viability Reagent, RNA extraction and MTT assay were used to investigate the evolution of the yeast cells in different cell growth phases. The results obtained by the application of those approaches were compared among them but also with those derived from FISH analyses and from cell counting with Neubauer chamber using methylene blue. This comparative study allows us to establish correlations and to evaluate the potential of each approach for quantifying and assessing the viability of yeast cells.

PS – R51

Others

ISOLATION AND PURIFICATION OF EXOSOMES DERIVED FROM MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS FOR CLINICAL USE Verónica Alvarez, Francisco Miguel Sanchez-Margallo, Rebeca Blázquez, F. Javier Vela, Angelo Tapia, Javier G Casado Stem Cell Therapy Unit, “Jesús Usón” Minimally Invasive Surgery Centre, Ctra. N-521, km. 41.8, 10071, Cáceres, Spain. valvarez@ccmijesususon.com Exosomes are small membranous vesicles secreted to the extracellular space by most cell types through an exocytic process. MSCs have an enormous therapeutic potential, as they are involved in tissue regeneration and immunomodulation. For future clinical uses, the design of new exosome isolation protocols is currently a need. In this work, MSCs were isolated from human adipose tissue. Supernatants were collected using serum-free medium. After 6 days, supernatants were collected, centrifuged and filtered to be concentrated by ultrafiltration and different concentrators having different pore sizes. The proteins from ultracentrifuged and concentrated supernatants were quantified by the Bradford method. The Nanosight quantification was used to determine the microvesicle sizes. Our results showed that concentrator filters for the isolation of MSCs-derived exosomes could be an alternative to conventional protocols using ultracentrifugation. The volumes obtained in the centrifugation with different methods of isolation were 150 to 300 µl. When 3000 MWCO concentrators were used, the protein concentration was 5,8 times higher than when isolated by ultracentrifugation. Finally, the particle size varies depending on the isolation method. In conclusion, the use of commercial concentrators with smaller pore size and slower centrifugation increased the yield (greater protein concentration) and purity (smaller size) of MSCs-derived exosomes.

PS – R52

Others

REDUCTION OF IAA METHYLTRANSFERASE ACTIVITY COMPENSATES FOR HIGH-TEMPERATURE MALE STERILITY IN ARABIDOPSIS Mohamad Abbas, Jorge Hernández-García, Miguel A. Blázquez and David Alabadí. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Plantas (CSICUniversidad Politécnica de Valencia). C/Ingeniero Fausto Elio s/n. 46022 Valencia (Spain). Global warming has been demonstrated to exert a negative effect on agriculture, varying between 3-10% decrease in wheat or rice yield for every 1ºC increase [1]. The damage of high temperatures on reproduction has been explained by a combination of several causes, with pollen fertility being the most sensitive process [2]. Interestingly, exogenous application of brassinosteroids or auxin has been successfully used to compensate for this decreased pollen fertility, despite other secondary effects that these treatments may show [3]. The IAMT1 gene encodes an indoleacetic-acid (IAA) methyltransferase that inactivates auxin [4]. Our detailed analysis of an Arabidopsis thaliana iamt1 mutant has revealed that pollen tubes grow faster in contact with ovaries of the mutant compared with wild-type ovaries. This effect is associated with a localized increase in auxin activity in the transmitting tracts, as shown by DR5::GUS staining, and confers reproductive advantage to iamt1 mutants, especially under high temperatures. Given that iamt1 mutants do not display obvious defects in plant fitness or on seed germination, targeted disruption of IAMT1 arises as a potential biotechnological tool to generate new plant cultivars with increased reproductive capacity under high temperature. REFERENCES: [1] Peng (2004) PNAS 101:9971-5. [2] Harsant (2013) J Exp Bot 64;2971-83. [3] Sakata (2010) PNAS 107:8569-74. [4] Qin (2005) Plant Cell 17:2693-704.

PS – R53

Others

SELECTION DESIGN OF LETTUCE COMPOSITE PLANTS FOR THE STUDY OF BACTERIAL CELLULASE OVEREXPRESSION J.D. Flores-Felixa, E. Menéndeza P.F. Mateosa,b and R. Rivasa,b. a

Departament of Microbiology and Genetics, USAL, Spain. Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA), Spain.

jdflores@usal.es Transgenic plants can be obtained through different techniques, such as biolistic, transduction or Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. In this sense, Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated hairy root transformation to obtain composite plants is one of the most used in the last three decades, being widely applied in biotech industries [1]. In this study, we applied standard protocols, normally used for hairy root transformation in legumes in Lactuca sativa. This particular method, which involves the inoculation of apical root sectioned seedlings, has been used to study nitrogen-fixing and endomycorrhizal symbioses [2]. Here we report the obtaining of transformed L. sativa roots, introducing a binary vector [3], which harbors a gene codifying for a bacterial cellulase. We obtained 31% of efficiency in contrast to the usual 50-75% in Medicago. This result is relative high keeping in mind the difference between both plants. To the best of our knowledge, even other Lactuca species were transformed with this method [4], a bacterial cellulase gene was never expressed in Lactuca roots. Our results suggest L. sativa is susceptible to be used for expressing bacterial enzymes. REFERENCES: [1] Ono NN, Tian L. Plant Sci 2011; 180:439–446 [2] Boisson-Dernier et al. Mol Plant Microbe Interact 2001; 14: 695-700. [3] Karimi et al.Trend Plant Sci. 2002; 7: 193-195 [4] Stojakowska et al. Acta Physiol Plant. 2012; 1:291-298

PS – R54

Others

POPULUS AS A SOURCE FOR OBTAINING CELLULASEPRODUCING MICROORGANISMS OF BIOTECHNOLOGICAL INTEREST P.M. Ávila-Barbaa, E. Menéndeza, P. García-Fraileb, P.F. Mateosa,c, R. Rivasa,c. a

Departament of Microbiology and Genetics.3700.USAL,Spain Institute of Microbiology. Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic,142 20 Prague, (Czech Republic) c Associated I+D Unit USAL-CSIC (IRNASA),Spain b

patricia_avila@usal.es Populus trees have been studied in order to determine the composition of the microbial communities associated with their different parts [1,2]. Amongst other remarkable qualities, some of the strains present in these communities are cellulase-producing microorganisms. In previous work, our research group succeeded in isolating and identifying a new species, belonging to the genus Rhizobium (R. cellulosyliticum) from poplar [3]. This bacterium produces large amount of cellulose and shows high cellulolytic activity. Besides, it is nonpathogenic, which is interesting from a biotechnological point of view. In this study, we performed a screening for cellulose-degrading bacteria obtained from samples of several Populus specimens, using a medium containing CMC (carboxymethyl-cellulose) as carbon source. To reveal cellulolytic activity, we used a Congo Red solution (0,1%), which allowed us to observe hydrolysis halos. We isolated 43 cellulaseproducing colonies, but only ten colonies presented intense activity. Moreover, RAPD profiling analyses were performed, showing a high diversity among the isolates. Therefore, we proposed the genus Populus as a source of bacterial strains with potential uses in biotechnological and industrial applications. REFERENCES: [1] Taghavi et al Appl Environ Microb 2009; 75:748–757. [2] Brown et al J Bacteriol 2012; 192:5991-5993. [3] García-Fraile et al Int J Syst Evol Microb 2007; 57:844-848.

CURSOS DE FORMACIÓN

BIO-ENTREPRENEURSHIP 7 - 8 JULY SALĂ&#x201C;N DE GRADOS, FACULTAD DE BIOLOGĂ?A The aim of this course is to offer a vision of the steps to follow since an idea is born until its transformation into a real biotechnological and marketing business. Passing through all the needed tools of accompaniment and management. The course is divided into 4 blocks that will allow the attendants to acquire the appropriate skills to recognize problems and needs as a source of opportunities and, thus, present and propose ideas with potential to generate wealth. The subject of the blocks will be as follows: 1-Knowledge transference and intellectual property 2-Creation of the idea and business plan composition 3-Building of the business. Legal forms and founding. 4-Commercialisation: Placing and operational marketing

IDENTIFICATION IN PROTEOMICS: MASS SPECTROMETRY 7 - 8 JULY COMPREHENSIVE CANCER RESEARCH CENTER Proteomics allow identification and characterization of the proteins in complex proteomes and subproteomes. The development of more powerful methods for complex sample fractionation, together with the use of new chemical agents and bioinformatic tools have added a whole new dimension to proteomic analysis making it possible to compare complex proteomes through mass spectrometry: It is called Quantitative Proteomics.

This course on Quantitative Proteomics wants to offer a theorical non-face-to-face vision (online) and also an exhaustive hands-on practical vision (in the lab). With this methodology, the course will cover some of the most important experimental approaches in the field. The attendants will be carrying out techniques such as protein digestion, liquid chromatography fractionation and high resolution mass spectrometry analysis. Practical activities will be coming together to allow the researcher to quickly get used to these techniques and discover their potential. The practical programme is divided into 4 modules:

MICROTOME

Practical programme is divided into 4 modules 1. Sample preparation 2. Sample digestion and labeling 3. nanoHPLC OrbiTrap-Q-Velos analysis 4.Data analysis : Identification and Quantificafion. Bioinformatic tools.

7 - 8 JULY COMPREHENSIVE CANCER RESEARCH CENTER

The content of this course addresses histological lab techniques, both from a theoretical and practical point of view. During the course, the attendants will achieve a perspective of these techniques that will enable them to start using these techniques in their professional life. The course is structured into two sessions spread over two days. The first one will be a theoretical based session, on the afternoon of July 7th, and the second part, on July 8th, will be a practical, consolidating the knowledge acquired during the theoretical session.

SPANISH PULSED LASER CENTRE (CLPU) FRIDAY JULY 10th 16:30-18:15

COMPREHENSIVE CANCER RESEARCH

CENTRE (CIC) FRIDAY JULY 10th 16:30-18:15

MEETING POINT: Facultad de Medicina Campus Miguel de Unamuno. Calle Alfonso X El Sabio s/n. 37007 Salamanca

MEETING POINT: Comprehensive Cancer Research Centre Campus Miguel de Unamuno. 37007 Salamanca

The CLPU is a national users facility placed in Salamanca. It is specialized in ultrashort and ultra-intense lasers. The CLPU counts with lasers with femtosecond pulses which can reach peak powers of Gigawatt, Terawatt or even Petawatt. In fact, it counts with VEGA laser, with a peak power of 1 PW, which is the most powerful laser in Spain and one of the ten most powerful lasers in the world. The object of the facility is to serve the scientific community and the industry by providing access to state-of-the-art high power lasers as well as advice through collaborative research in fields like micro and nano processing, femtochemistry and laser particle acceleration with applications in physics, engineering and biomedicine.

The CIC is one of the outstanding biomedical research centers that can be found in Salamanca. It was created under the standards of the American Co prehe sive Cancer Ce ters . The CIC gathers in one single building the greatest professionals of basic, clinical and applied cancer research and grant them the utmost equipment to work with. Thus, a high quality performance is achieved. The researchers working in the CIC aim their efforts at the understanding of cancer disease and the exchange of information between the lab and the hospital to optimize results.

PROGRAMA SOCIAL

On the first day of BAC 2015, everybody will be invited to the opening cocktail party that will take place after the afternoon lectures. We will have the opportunity to taste a great variety of typical dishes accompanied with all kinds of drinks. It will be an excellent chance to introduce yourself to the rest of the attendants and talk about your first impressions of the conference.

You probably know Salamanca because of its monuments. It is the city with two cathedrals. Its stone pavemented streets have been polished by the passing of time and the shoes of millions of passersby for centuries. But Salamanca is, above all, the city of the University. Since its foundation back in the Middle Ages, the University has made out of Salamanca a city of culture and great human minds. Thanks to the impulse provided by the hundreds of students that spend their years of study in the city, it has become the place it is today.

Thursday 9th July Night you have an appointment you ca â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t miss at some of the best tapas bar in Salamanca. You will be able to experience first hand the amazing night atmosphere of the town. Let yourself be charmed by the historical area as you see it from another perspective. Taste the great variety of delicious tapas that combine the typical Salamancan gastronomy with an avant-garde touch. And, above all, enjoy the company of the other assistants in a biotechnological summer night in Salamanca.

A place of diversity and cohesion. A place where you can see a dome sticking out from behind the silhouette of a research center. A place where weather is not a conversation subject since you can hear about molecular biology on the streets. A place where there are no language barriers since you can find groups of people from different countries making an effort to be understood by their new friends. It is this mixture of old and new, of own and foreign, which makes Salamanca a city that will steal a piece of your heart.

BAC 2015â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s farewell will of course be up to par. A cocktail party will be celebrated at the charming Casino del Tormes. Placed at the river bank, it grants not only a wonderful sight of the city but also the opportunity to visit an old flour factory museum. The meal will consist, once again, of traditional food, presented along with nouvelle cuisine. Both will unite to offer us exquisite dishes with a sophisticated appearance. This, accompanied with all sorts of drinks, will delight the di ersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; palate. You will enjoy the company of the other attendants in an ambience of gala, enlivened with music. At the climax, after midnight, we will have a goodbye party at the same Casino del Tormes. To that party, every assistant is invited to both the dinner assistants and the rest of the assistants of the conference. 2h of open bar, good music and the festive atmosphere of salamancan summer night will take charge of BAC 2015 to end greatly.

Useful information PHONE NUMBERS ORGANIZING COMMITTEE Alberto Sevillano: +34 628 79 34 82 Belén Vicente: +34 648 03 82 13

Arturo Blázquez: +34 637 51 34 30 HOSPITALS Clinic Hospital: +34 923 291100 Virgen de la Vega Hospital: +34 923 291200 Santísima Trinidad Hospital: +34 923 269300 Emergency Department: +34 923 217050

OTHER USEFUL PHONE NUMBERS National Police Station: +34 923 12 77 00 Civil Guard: +34 923 12 72 00 Local Police Station: +34 923 19 44 40 Tele Taxi: +34 923 250000 Lost properties: +34 923 279195 Emergency: 112 Where to eat? For those who have opted for lunch included, see you at: Peñuelas dining hall: C/ Peñuelas de San Blas, 1, 37002, Salamanca

FEBIOTEC: ASAMBLEAS GENERALES

IX ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SPANISH FEDERATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGISTS PLACE:

Sal贸n de Actos del Colegio Arzobispo Fonseca Calle de Fonseca, 4, 37002 (Salamanca)

DATE:

July 11th, 2015

HOUR:

09:00 am: First call 10:00 am: Second call

XIV EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE SPANISH FEDERATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGISTS PLACE:

Sal贸n de Actos del Colegio Arzobispo Fonseca Calle de Fonseca, 4, 37002 (Salamanca)

DATE:

July 11th, 2015

HOUR:

After the IX Ordinary General Assembly

Colegio Arzobispo Fonseca Calle de Fonseca, 4, 37002 -Salamanca-

AGRADECIMIENTOS Estimado/a asistente, desde la Organización de BAC 2015 queremos mostrar nuestro más profundo agradecimiento a todas aquellas personas y entidades que lo han hecho posible (incluyéndote a ti). La semilla de lo que sería BAC 2015 se sembró hace tan solo un año. Por aquel entonces, no se trataba más que de un proyecto por definir. Sin embargo, ya en los albores del mismo, la Universidad de Salamanca (USal) no dudó en creer en nosotros y apoyar una iniciativa por la ciencia y la Biotecnología que se convertiría en lo que ya es BAC 2015. Por ello, queremos comenzar agradeciendo a la USal por habernos cedido la extraordinaria sede histórica en la que nos hallamos y por su incalculable implicación, sin la cual BAC 2015 no habría sido posible. Especialmente al equipo rectoral, con Daniel Hernández Ruipérez a su frente y al Vicerrector de Investigación y Transferencia, D. Juan Manuel Corchado, quien, desde el comienzo de este largo camino, quiso formar parte de los cimientos del congreso. Queremos agradecer también la contribución tan imprescindible de la Facultad de Biología de la Universidad de Salamanca, así como la de todo su equipo decanal; en especial, al ya anterior decano Manuel Manso, quien, siempre orgulloso de sus alumnos, ha impulsado nuestras actividades a lo largo de todos estos años; a la reciente decana, Rosario Arévalo, quien nos ofreció su apoyo incondicional desde el primer momento y a Isabel Muñoz, Vicedecana de Docencia y coordinadora del Grado en Biotecnología, por su inestimable ayuda y su presencia en todas nuestras actividades. No querríamos olvidarnos del Dr. Manuel Fuentes, la Dra. Carmen García Macías, y el Dr. Avelino Bueno, del Centro de Investigación del Cáncer (CIC), y de Francisco Valle Brozas, doctorando en el Centro de Láseres Pulsados Ultracortos Ultraintensos (CLPU), por ayudarnos en la organización de cursos de formación y por hacer posible la visita a los excelentes centros de investigación que quizás en un futuro acojan a parte de nuestros asistentes. Tampoco querríamos olvidarnos del Dr. Sergio Moreno, director del IBFG, por su inmediata ayuda cuando acudimos a él y por su buenos consejos.

No queremos tampoco despedirnos sin hacer una mención muy especial a la Dra. María Dolores Rodríguez (Lola para nosotros) por su infinito entusiasmo y apoyo en todas nuestras actividades. Muchas gracias por acompañarnos en las dificultades y por apostar por nosotros en toda ocasión. Asimismo, gracias al Dr. Óscar Lorenzo, investigador del CIALE, quien nos ha animado a continuar, ofreciéndonos siempre su mejor consejo y sonrisa, y al Dr. Miguel Ángel Blázquez, que tanto se ha involucrado en la organización de este congreso. Por otra parte, BAC 2015 no habría sido posible sin todas esas entidades que, de una manera u otra, han colaborado en la realización de este Congreso: NZYTech, Universitat de VIC, Centro Tecnológico del Champiñón de la Rioja, IUCT,

Farmacia El Corrillo, la Fundación ARPA, CESIF, Avanzabus, Renfe. Gracias por creer en nuestro proyecto, por contribuir a esta apuesta por la ciencia y por hacer posible eventos tan necesarios para que los participantes de esta gran aventura que es la Biotecnología puedan poner en común sus conocimientos y opiniones. Sin vosotros, la investigación no podría prosperar. Gracias asimismo a todas las entidades colaboradoras que, con su apoyo y difusión han permitido que, por primera vez e, BAC 2015 rompa fronteras y llegue a todas partes del mundo. Esta novena edición del Congreso Anual de Biotecnología planteaba un cambio arriesgado y radical con la división en estuBAC y sciBAC. Un cambio que no habría sido posible sin el excelente Comité Científico, quienes nos han guiado y aportado sus buenos consejos en la elaboración del programa de BAC 2015. Gracias a Francesco Lescai, de la European Federation of Biotechnologists, por hacer posible la colaboración con Elsevier y el contacto con ponentes a nivel europeo, y a Lynn Sherrer de Elsevier, por permitir de esta forma que numerosos estudiantes e investigadores puedan dar a conocer el imprescindible granito de arena que aportan en el desarrollo de la Biotecnología. Y por supuesto, nuestro agradecimiento a todos los ponentes que han aceptado nuestra invitación y han aportado su tiempo para compartir su trabajo con los asistentes a BAC 2015. También agradecer a Susana Pérez Vilán y a todo el equipo de Salamanca Convention Bureau su intervención totalmente desinteresada y constante en nuestro congreso, desde el primer hasta el último momento. Sin vosotros, este Congreso no habría tenido ese brillo que habéis aportado. Mostrar nuestra gratitud al Dr. F. Xavier Avilés, quien, con un simple correo electrónico, nos alegró una lluviosa tarde de enero al ofrecernos su propuesta de colaboración, una colaboración que se ha forjado y consolidado durante estos meses hasta el día de hoy. Confiamos y esperamos que se mantenga siempre. A Javier López Gil y los voluntarios de Comunicación Audiovisual, por hacer posible que BAC 2015 sea recordado. A Ángela Bernardo y Roberto Flores, por sus consejos y guías en este viaje que ellos, años atrás, ya habían emprendido. Muchas gracias a la presidenta de la Federación Española de Biotecnólogos, María José Conde, por su comprensión y por haber estado ahí siempre que la hemos necesitado, con su buen humor, sus buenas críticas y, siempre, su alegre acento. A Jesús Rodríguez y Pablo Ortiz, por su gran paciencia y por ayudarnos a enmendar nuestros errores. A Rodrigo García, antiguo presidente de ABSal, quien nos ha escuchado y guiado en esta difícil travesía de la que, sin quererlo, terminó formando parte. También a Arturo Blázquez su dedicación en este último congreso de FEBiotec en el que participa, por su apoyo con el diseño web y la experiencia con la que nos ha guiado a lo largo de estos meses. Y, por supuesto, gracias al resto de las Juntas Directivas de la Federación Española de Biotecnólogos y de la Asociación de Biotecnología de Salamanca por su altruista consejo, su experiencia y su opinión siempre que lo hemos precisado.

A los voluntarios, por sacrificar parte de vuestro tiempo libre estival (y congresual) para hacer posible lo imposible. Y muy en especial a los voluntarios de la Asociación de Biotecnología de Salamanca que, con su inestimable compromiso e inagotable ilusión, se mostraron dispuestos desde el primer momento a aportar su tiempo, sus ideas y su mayor esfuerzo para que este proyecto pudiera seguir adelante. Sois y seréis siempre los verdaderos pilares de BAC 2015 y de todas las actividades que realizamos. A nuestras queridas familias, amigos, parejas y compañeros por su comprensión cuando no podíamos quedar, estudiar o simplemente contestar al teléfono porque la organización del Congreso nos ocupaba. Y finalmente, gracias a ti, asistente, seas quien seas, seas cómo seas. Gracias por haber participado y haber formado parte estos días de la familia BAC. Esperamos que hayas quedado satisfecho/a y que tu deseo y tu interés por seguir asistiendo en los años venideros no se atenúe. A ti, y a todos los anteriormente mencionados, gracias de corazón de parte de todo el Comité Organizador.

El Comité Organizador de BAC 2015

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Dear attendant, We, the Organizing Committee of BAC 2015, want to show our deepest gratitude to all those individuals and entities that have made this possible (including you). The seed of what would become BAC 2015 was planted just a year ago. By then, it was nothing more than an undefined project. However, from the very beginning, the University of Salamanca (USAL) did not hesitate to believe in us and support an initiative about science and biotechnology that would become what is already BAC 2015. Therefore, we want to begin by thanking the USal, for having provided the extraordinary historic venue where we are in and for their invaluable involvement, without which BAC 2015 would not have been possible. Especially to the governing team, led by the Rector Daniel Hernandez Ruipérez, and to the Vice Rector for Research and Transfer, Juan Manuel Corchado, who wanted to support the congress from the very first moment. We also thank the very essential contribution of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Salamanca, as well as all its direction team; in particular, the now former Dean Manuel Manso, who was always proud of his students and has driven our activities over the years; the current Dean, Rosario Arévalo, who offered her unconditional support from the beginning and Isabel Muñoz, Vice-Dean of Lecturing and Coordinator of the BSc in Biotechnology, for their invaluable support and presence in all our activities. We do not want to forget Dr. Manuel Fuentes, Dr. Carmen García Macías, and Dr. Avelino Bueno, from the Cancer Research Center (CIC), and Francisco Valle Brozas, PhD student at the Spanish Pulsed Lasers Centre (CLPU), for helping in the organization of training courses and making the visits to these excellent research centres possible. They might perhaps in the future become the workplace of part of our attendants. Neither do we want to forget Dr. Sergio Moreno, director of IBFG, for his immediate help when we consulted him and his good advice. We do not want to leave without making a special mention of Dr. María Dolores Rodríguez (Lola for us) for her endless enthusiasm and support for all our activities. Thank you very much for joining us on the difficulties and trusting us at all times. Also, thanks to Dr. Óscar Lorenzo, CIALE researcher, who has encouraged us to continue, always offering the best advice and smile, and Dr. Miguel Angel Blázquez, who has been deeply involved in organizing this conference.

Moreover, BAC 2015 would not have been possible without all those entities that, in one way or another, have collaborated on this Congress: NZYTech, University of Vic, Mushroom Technology Centre of La Rioja, IUCT, Pharmacy El Corrillo, ARPA Foundation, CESIF, Avanzabus, Renfe. Thank you for believing in our project, contributing to our commitment for science and making possible these kind of events, so necessary for the participants of the great adventure of Biotechnology who want to share their knowledge and experience. Without you, research would not succeed. Also thanks to all partners who, with their support and dissemination have allowed for the first time in many years, that BAC 2015 surpasses boundaries and reaches the entire of the world. This ninth edition of the Annual Congress of Biotechnology posed a risky and radical change, through the division of sciBAC and estuBAC. A change that would not have been possible without the excellent Scientific Committee, who have guided us and provided good advice in drafting the 2015 BAC programme. Thanks also to Francesco Lescai, from the European Federation of Biotechnologists, for making possible the collaboration with Elsevier and providing us with contacts to speakers at an European level, and to Lynn Sherrer, from Elsevier, for making it possible that many students and researchers share the essential parts of their research to the development of biotechnology. And of course, our thanks to all the speakers who have accepted our invitation and have contributed their time to share their work with attendees to BAC 2015. We also thank Susana Pérez Vilán and the whole team of Salamanca Convention Bureau, for their constant and totally selfless support for our Congress, from the first to the last minute. Without you, this Congress would not have had that glow that you have provided. We also show our gratitude to Dr. F. Xavier Avilés, who, with a simple e-mail, cheered a rainy January afternoon offering a collaboration, a partnership that has been forged and strengthened during these months. We trust and we look forward to keep it. To Javier López Gil and the volunteers Audiovisual Communication, for making it possible for this BAC 2015 to be remembered. Angela Bernardo and Roberto Flores, for their advice and guidance on this trip that they, years ago, had already begun.

Thank you very much to the Chairwoman of the Spanish Federation of Biotechnologists, María José Conde, for her understanding and for being available whenever we needed her, with her good humour, good comments and, always, her cheerful accent. To Jesús Rodríguez and Pablo Ortiz, for their patience and for helping to fix our mistakes. To Rodrigo García, former chairman of ABSal, who has listened to us and guided in this difficult way, until he inadvertently became part of it. To Arturo Blázquez, for his dedication in the last congress he participates, for designing the whole web page and, above all, for guiding us with his experience for all these months. And of course, thanks to the rest of the executive boards of

the Spanish Federation of Biotechnologists and the Biotechnology Association of Salamanca for his unselfish advice, their experience and their advice whenever we have needed it. To the volunteers, who sacrifice part of their summer (and congress) free time to make the impossible possible. And especially to the volunteers of the Association of Biotechnology of Salamanca, that, with their invaluable commitment and inexhaustible enthusiasm, were prepared from the outset to give their time, their ideas and their best so that this project could move forward. You are and always will be the true pillars of BAC 2015 and all our activities. To our dear families, friends, partners and colleagues for their understanding when we could not stay, study or just answer the phone because the organization of the Congress kept us busy. And finally, thank you, attendant, whoever you are. Thanks for participating and being part these days of BAC family. We hope you are satisfied and that your desire and interest to continue attending in the coming years will not dim. To you, and to all the above, heartfelt thanks on behalf of all the Organizing Committee.

The Organizing Committee of BAC 2015

BAC 2015 would not be possible without the support of their sponsors and collaborators, which make this project a reality. We want to sincerely thank them, and especially the University of Salamanca, for its support and trust in the project from the very beginning.

INDEX OF AUTHORS Abáigar A. Abbas M. Acosta O. Aguilar C.N.

Aguilera-Carbo A. Alabadí D. Albertos P.

Alimon H. Álvarez R. Alcaraz-Gómez M.A. Álvarez Pérez V.

Alves L. Amaral C. Amela I. Ancín M. Antunes C. M. Arenas-Vidal J. Armendáriz F. Asensio A. Ávila-Barba P.M. Avilés F.X. Babel N. Baelo A. Bandouchova H. Barros M. M. Bautista V. Bay M. Bekatorou A. Belmares-Cerda R.E. Blanco-Touriñán N.

M4 PS-R52 PS-R27 CO18 PS-R36 PS-R37 CO18 PS-R26 PS-R52 CO12 PS-R28 PS-R28 PS-R27 PS-R5 PS-R51 CO4 CO16 PS-R2 CO11 PS-R46 PS-R16 PS-R2 M7 M4 E4 PS-R43 PS-R54 S13 CO22 PS-R3 PS-R4 PS-R24 PS-R15 PS-R30 PS-R39 CO18 PS-R26 CO13

Blanco-Touriñán N.

Blázquez M.A.

Blázquez-Durán R.

Blázquez-Moreno A. Blázquez-Navarro A. Bonete J. M. Burke A. Busto-Núñez M.D. Cabello P. Caldeira A.

Calvo A. Camacho M. Calvo A. Candeias A.

Carballo J. Carreiro E. P. Carro L. Casado J. G.

Cedano J. Celador-Lera L.

Černý J.

PS-R28 PS-R52 E5 CO13 PS-R26 PS-R52 CO16 CO4 PS-R51 CO2 CO22 M3 PS-R15 PS-R2 PS-R38 CO9 CO17 PS-R49 PS-R50 PS-R6 PS-R15 PS-R46 CO17 PS-R49 PS-R50 PS-R14 PS-R19 PS-R2 CO8 CO4 CO16 PS-R51 PS-R46 CO14 PS-R20 PS-R21 PS-R18 PS-R29 CO1

Index of authors PS-R23 CO1 PS-R2 PS-R31 PS-R14 PS-R2 CO6 PS-R20 PS-R6 CO9 PS-R6 PS-R28 CO7 CO8 PS-R18 PS-R47 PS-R42 Diezemann C. CO22 Dimitrellou D. PS-R39 Dodd T. P2 Domingo Zaragozá F. M5 Domínguez J. M. PS-R14 PS-R19 Erceg S. S8 Esclapez J. PS-R15 Espinosa-Alcantud M. D. PS-R23 Esteve-Núñez A. S4 Esteban JC. E4 M2 Farran I. PS-R16 Farruggia B. PS-R36 Ferragut G. PS-R46 Felipo‐Benavent A. PS-R26 Fernandes R. PS-R49 PS-R50 Fernández A. PS-R28 Fernández G. PS-R28 Chiva R. Císařová I. Cordeiro M.M. Córdoba J. Cortés Diéguez S. Costa A. R. Crespo A. Cruz-Gonzalez X. De Aberasturi A. De la Paz Escribano M. De la Roja N. De Luxán C. Díez B. Díez-Méndez A.

Fernández-San Millán A. PS-R16 Ferrando A. P3 Fleuri R. F. PS-R24 PS-R25 Flieger M. CO1 Flores-Félix J.D. PS-R40 PS-R41 PS-R53 CO14 PS-R21 PS-R29 PS-R33 PS-R34 PS-R40 PS-R41 Fradejas M. PS-R33 PS-R34 Francisco da Costa S. CO11 Franco-Serrano L. PS-R46 Fuentes M. S2 Ganatsios V. PS-R39 Garbayo I. PS-R15 García-Carmona F. PS-R5 García-Carneros I. E4 García-Domínguez X. PS-R10 García-Fraile P. CO1 PS-R4 PS-R42 CO8 PS-R21 PS-R32 PS-R42 PS-R54 García-Hernández-Gil C. PS-R5 García-Hernández M. PS-R8 García-Galindo AI. PS-R37 García I. PS-R6 García-Moreno D. PS-R11

Index of authors García-Peñarrubia P. García-Recio E. M. Giraldo P. Gómez-García R. Gomez-Pilar J. Gómez-Ramos S. Gómez-Sánchez A. González V. M. González Manzano S. González-Pérez M.

González-Saenz P. González Sánchez M. González Peréz S. Gracida-Rodríguez J.N. Grande Rodríguez M Guirado A. Hermosa R. Hernández S. Hernández-García J. Herrera Estrella L. Hervás M. Hornero R. Huber R. Jiménez A. Jiménez-López A. Jiménez-Trigos E. Julián E. Kern-Novelli P. Kohoutova L. Kolařík M.

PS-R12 PS-R7 PS-R8 CO20 PS-R36 PS-R9 PS-R38 PS-R17 PS-R8 PS-R7 PS-R17 CO17 PS-R49 PS-R50 PS-R1 CO3 CO3 CO10 PS-R35 CO5 PS-R12 PS-R30 PS-R46 PS-R52 P1 CO7 PS-R9 P4 PS-R21 PS-R23 PS-R10 PS-R3 PS-R24 PS-R25 PS-R5 CO1 PS-R4 PS-R42

Koutinas A. La Rosa Y. M. Larraya L. Lechón Gómez T.

Ledesma R. Letman P. Liang P. López Cortajarena A. López-Cuellar M. R. López-Morejón L. López Muñoz López-Nicolás J.M. López Vázquez A. Lorenzo-Sánchez O.

Lubeiro A. Luque-Almagro V.M. Man P. Manso I. Manzano Román R. Marcos-García M.

Marco‐Jiménez F. Martín-Bufájer J.M Martín Herranz D. E. Martín M. E. Martinelli F. Martínez M.

PS-R39 PS-R38 PS-R16 CO13 PS-R22 PS-R28 E3 PS-R13 CO21 CO21 S9 PS-R44 PS-R45 PS-R6 PS-R11 PS-R5 CO7 PS-R28 CO12 CO13 PS-R17 PS-R22 PS-R28 PS-R9 CO9 CO1 CO9 CO3 CO15 PS-R32 PS-R48 PS-R41 PS-R10 PS-R44 M6 PS-R7 PS-R8 PS-R26 PS-R28

Index of authors CO19 PS-R31 Martínez-Esparza M. PS-R12 Martínez-Espinosa R. M. PS-R15 Martínez-García A. CO21 Martínez-Molina E. PS-R41 Martínez-Navarro F.J. PS-R11 Martins R. PS-R2 Martins T. PS-R2 Mata-Cárdenas B. CO18 Matencio-Durán A. PS-R5 Mateos-García A. E4 Mateos I. CO12 PS-R28 PS-R21 Mateos P. F. PS-R32 PS-R41 PS-R42 PS-R43 PS-R47 PS-R53 PS-R54 PS-R36 Medina-Morales M. A. PS-R37 CO8 Menéndez E. CO14 PS-R18 PS-R20 PS-R21 PS-R29 PS-R32 PS-R41 PS-R43 PS-R47 PS-R48 PS-R53 PS-R54 Meseguer J. PS-R11 Martínez-Carrasco R.

Molina V. Molina-Heredia F.P. Monte E. Morchón R. Morcuende R. Moreno-Vivián Mulero V. Müller K. Navarro JA. Neumann A. Nicolás C. Nikel P. I. Novák P. Nunes P. Orzáez D. Orduz S. Ortega N. Palacios D. Palomares V. Pandiella A. Pedraz L. Pereira A. Pérez E. Pérez M. J. Pérez P. Pérez-Guevara F.

Pérez-Morgado Pérez-Paz A. Pico G.

PS-R9 CO7 PS-R30 E2 CO19 PS-R31 CO9 PS-R11 CO22 CO7 CO22 PS-R30 E6 CO1 CO17 S7 M1 CO20 PS-R38 PS-R38 CO13 PS-R28 S1 CO6 CO17 PS-R49 PS-R30 PS-R14 PS-R19 CO19 PS-R31 CO10 PS-R35 PS-R45 PS-R7 PS-R14 PS-R19 PS-R36 PS-R37

Index of authors Pikula J. Pilar-Izquierdo M. C. Pimentel C. Pire C. Pires T. Pollmann S. Portero Sánchez I. Querol E. Ramos M. P. Redrado M. Reinke C. Revuelta J.L. Reyes-Sosa F.M. Reyburn H.T Rivas R.

Robledo M. Rodolfo M. Rodrigo-Baños M. Rodrigues Pivetta M. Rodríguez D. Rodríguez-Herrera R. Rodríguez M.J. Roldán M.D.

PS-R4 PS-R38 CO11 PS-R15 PS-R2 S5 PS-R22 CO5 PS-R46 E4 PS-R6 CO22 PS-R13 CO7 CO2 CO8 CO14 PS-R18 PS-R20 PS-R21 PS-R29 PS-R32 PS-R33 PS-R34 PS-R40 PS-R41 PS-R43 PS-R47 PS-R48 PS-R53 PS-R54 PS-R47 PS-R45 PS-R15 PS-R25 PS-R28 CO18 PS-R6 CO9

Romanini D. Rubio B. Rubio-Canalejas A. Rubio D. Rueda P. Ruiz-Alcaraz A. J. Ruiz T. Sacristán S. Sáez L. P. Salema Fevereiro P. Sánchez-Herrero S. Sánchez-Margallo F.M

Sánchez-Ovejero C. Sánchez-Vicente I. Sandalio L. Santos Buelga C. Santos M.A. Sanz Andreu L. Sanz C. Sanz L.

Sauer M. Serrano M. Schachtner Schallies K. Sefrin A. Siles Lucas M. Stein M. Stervbo U. Stodůlková E. Tabernero A. Tamame M. Tapia-Araya A.

PS-R37 PS-R30 PS-R29 PS-R20 PS-R27 PS-R6 PS-R12 PS-R6 PS-R7 CO9 CO11 PS-R48 CO4 CO16 PS-R51 CO3 CO12 PS-R28 PS-R22 PS-R17 S11 PS-R17 CO12 CO13 PS-R22 PS-R28 PS-R22 S3 CO22 PS-R1 CO22 CO3 CO22 CO22 CO1 E1 PS-R23 CO4 PS-R51

Index of authors Teixeira J. Toledo-Lobo M. V. Torregosa-Crespo J. Torrado A. Torrents D. Torrents E. Tristán-Manzano M. Trujillo-Güiza M.L. Usón A. Valencia-Jiménez K.M. Valeros F. Vela González FJ. Velázquez M. E.

Veramendi-Charola J. Vergara-Porras-B.

Vera-Donoso C. D. Vicente J.S. Vicente-Pérez R. Vieira R.

Vilchez C. Villalba M. Weist B. Zelenka T.

S10 PS-R7 PS-R15 CO7 S12 CO6 PS-R3 PS-R12 PS-R27 CO16 CO20 PS-R31 CO4 PS-R51 CO14 PS-R41 S6 PS-R16 CO10 PS-R35 PS-R44 PS-R45 PS-R10 PS-R10 CO19 CO17 PS-R49 PS-R50 PS-R15 PS-R6 CO22 CO1

Salamanca 8- 10 julio 2015 www.febiotec.es www.bac2015.es

ANNUAL CONGRESS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY