Postdoctoral Fellows
Postdoctoral Fellows
Building 2, Level 3, 3266-WS14
Israel got his Ph.D. at the Scientific and Technological Research Institute of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. During his Ph.D. studies, he focused on the functional characterization of protein degradation tags, especially in plant models. His doctoral research provided strong evidence that the homodimerization of a maize spermine synthase enzyme is key to its enzymatic activity and protein stability. Later, as a postdoctoral fellow, he moved to The Center for Genome Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). There he studied plant innate immunity through chemical screenings to identify bioactive molecules that modify the accumulation of reactive oxygen species during the early immune response of Arabidopsis thaliana to the phytopathogenic fungus Botrytis cinerea. Currently, he is enrolled as a postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Desert Agriculture in the group of Professor Monika Chodasiewicz. His postdoctoral project studies the molecular grammar governing the driving forces for phase separation of low-complexity RNA binding proteins involved in the assembly of stress granules.
My scientific interests focus on comprehending how genetically encoded molecular mechanisms allow plants to respond and adapt efficiently to the more often challenging environment. I began my research career studying how protein sequences are determinants of protein-protein interaction specificity. Later, I gradually moved toward understanding the principles governing protein phase separation and its implication for plant stress tolerance against salinity and heat stress. I am particularly interested in studying stress granule dynamics; using multiple biochemistry, cell biology, and genetics approaches, we aim to answer the critical questions of its biology and dynamics.
Prof. Monika Chodasiewicz's Group