Collaboration

Collaboration with public institutions

In 2001 we began collaborating with Dr. Ed Etxeberria (University of Florida, USA) to investigate the mechanisms of sucrose uptake in heterotrophic cells that specialise in the accumulation of starch. Since then, and as a result of this collaboration, we have been able to confirm the existence of a previously unknown mechanism for the endocytic uptake of nutrients (Etxeberria et al. 2005, Plant Cell Physiol. 46, 474-481). This mechanism is responsible for the uptake of the major part of the saccharose necessary for the biosynthesis of starch.

In 2002 we started cooperating with Dr. Alejandro Viale (Rosario University, Argentina), working on mechanisms (both biochemical and molecular) for the regulation of glycogen metabolism in bacteria.

Since the end of 2002 we have been cooperating with Dr. Toshiaki Mitsui (Niigata University, Japan) on the characterisation of hydrolytic enzymes of the starch precursor molecule (ADPglucose) located in the plastids. This collaboration has enabled us to identify a previously unknown protein pathway between the endoplastic reticulum-Golgi and the plastids.

In mid-2003 we started cooperating with Dr. Phil Dix (Maynooth University, Ireland) for the productions of plants with an altered central glucidic metabolism. Such plants are the result of the plastidial genomics engineering.

Collaboration with private enterprise

In the year 2000, after the publication of a study in which we described the existence of new enzymes involved in starch metabolism (Rodríguez-López et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97, 8705-8710), the Japanese pharmaceutical company JCR Pharmaceuticals Co. Ltd. Recognised that similar enzymes could exist in mammals.This led to a four-year period of collaboration on the search for new enzymes and mechanisms for the regulation of glucogen metabolism in humans.In 2002 we started a three-year period of collaboration with Viscofan S.A. whose fundamental objective was the production of plants with altered starch properties. In June of 2006 we initiated a collaboration with Bio-Idén Carbohydrate Biotechnology to produce varieties of plants accumulating high levels of starch destined to bioethanol production.