Our laboratory uses nuclear transgenic plants, viral vectors, and transplastomic plants to produce proteins of pharmacological interest.
In particular, over the past few years we have attempted to produce hEGF in tobacco plants. We have recently initiated a research line for the production of bovine rotavirus and human papillomavirus for vaccine development in transplastomic tobacco plants.
We are also developing transgenic tobacco and potato plants to achieve resistance to viral, bacterial, and fungal diseases.
Lab Members
Dra. María Eugenia Segretin
Independent Researcher CONICET
JTP Departamento Fisiología, Biología Molecular y Celular, FCEyN, UBA.
mariasegretin@gmail.com
Lic. Marcelo Juarez
Doctoral Fellow CONICET
marce.juarez90@gmail.com
Lic. Mora Guaglianone
Doctoral Fellow AGENCIA
moraguagli@gmail.com
Juan Azcue
Student, FCEyN, UBA.
Valentina León
Student, FCEyN, UBA.
Dr. Mauro M. Morgenfeld
Assistant Researcher CONICET
maumigmor@gmail.com
Lic. Catalina Francisca Vater
Doctoral Fellow CONICET
cata_vater@hotmail.com
Dra. Verónica Giammaria
Professional Staff
Delfina Terradas
Student, UADE.
Publications
Field testing, gene flow assessment and pre-commercial studies on transgenic Solanum tuberosum (cv. Spunta) plants selected for PVY-resistance in Argentina.
Bravo Almonacid F, Rudoy V, Welin B, Segretin ME, Bedogni MC, Stolowicz F, Gomez M, López MG, Serino G, Cabral S, Dos Santos C, Huarte M, Mentaberry A, Bravo Almonacid F, Rudoy V, Welin B, Segretin ME, Bedogni MC, Stolowicz F, Criscuolo M, Foti M, Gomez M, López M, Serino G, Cabral S, Dos Santos C, Huarte M, Mentaberry A. (2012)
Transgenic Research; Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2012 vol. 21 p. 967 – 982
Lentz EM, Garaicoechea L, Alfano EF, Parreño V, Wigdorovitz A, Bravo Almonacid F
Translational fusion and redirection to thylakoid lumen as strategies to improve the accumulation of a camelid antibody fragment in transplastomic tobacco
Planta; Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2012 vol. 236 p. 703 – 714
Flavodoxin displays dose-dependent positive and negative effects on photosynthesis and stress tolerance when expressed in transgenic tobacco plants.
Ceccoli RD, Blanco NE, Segretin ME, Melzer M, Hanke GT, Scheibe R, Hajirezaei MR, Bravo-Almonacid FF, Carrillo N. (2012)
Planta; Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2012 vol. 236 p. 1447 – 1458
Cyanobacterial flavodoxin complements ferredoxin deficiency in knocked-down transgenic tobacco plants.
Blanco NE, Ceccoli RD, Segretin ME, Poli HO, Voss I, Melzer M, Bravo-Almonacid F, Scheibe R, Hajirezaei MR, Carrillo N. (2011)
Plant Journal; Año: 2011 vol. 65 p. 922 – 935
Safety assessment of non-browning potatoes: opening the discussion about the relevance of substantial equivalence on next generation biotech crops.
Llorente B, Alonso GD, Bravo-Almonacid F, Rodríguez V, López MG, Carrari F, Torres HN, Flawiá MM (2011)
Plant Biotechnology Journal; Año: 2011 p. 136 – 150
Transformation of Solanum tuberosum plastids allows high expression levels of b-glucuronidase both in leaves and microtubers developed in vitro
Segretin ME, Lentz EM, Wirth SA, Morgenfeld MM, Bravo Almonacid FF
Planta; Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2011 vol. 235 p. 807 – 818
VP8* antigen produced in tobacco transplastomic plants confers protection against bovine rotavirus infection in a suckling mouse model
Lentz EM, Mozgovoj MV, Bellido D, Dus Santos MJ, Wigdorovitz A, Bravo Almonacid FF
Journal of Biotechnology; Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2011 vol. 156 p. 100 – 107
Transgenic potato plants simultaneously expressing the AP24, lysozime and dermaseptine genes are highly resistant to Erwinia carotovora.
Rivero M, Furman N, Mencacci N, Picca P, Toum L, Lentz E, Bravo Almonacid F, Mentaberry A
Journal of Biotechnology; Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2011 vol. 157 p. 334 – 343
High expression level of a foot-and-mouth-disease-virus (FMDV) epitope in tobacco transplastomic plants
Lentz EM, Segretin ME, Morgenfeld MM, Wirth SA, Dus Santos MJ, Mozgovoj MV, Wigdorovitz A, Bravo-Almonacid FF
Planta; Lugar: Heidelberg; Año: 2010 vol. 231 p. 387 – 395
A quantitative real-time PCR method for in planta monitoring of Phytophthora infestans growth
Llorente B, Bravo Almonacid FF; Cvitanich C, Orlowska E, Torres HN, Flawiá MM, Alonso GD
Letters in Applied Microbiology; Año: 2010 vol. 51 p. 603 – 610
Improvement of Aroma in Transgenic Potato as a Consequence of Impairing Tuber Browning
Llorente B, Rodríguez V, Alonso GD, Torres HN, Flawiá MM, Bravo Almonacid FF
PLoS ONE; Año: 2010 vol. 5 p. 1 – 7
Potato Virus X Coat Protein Fusion to Human Papillomavirus 16 E7 Oncoprotein Enhance Antigen Stability and Accumulation in Tobacco Chloroplast
Morgenfeld M, Segretin ME, Wirth S, Lentz E, Zelada A, Mentaberry A, Gissmann L, Bravo-Almonacid FF
MOLECULAR BIOTECHNOLOGY; Lugar: NEW YORK; Año: 2009 p. 243 – 249
Accumulation of hEGF and hEGF-fusion proteins in chloroplast-transformed tobacco plants is higher in the dark than in the light
Wirth S, Segretin ME, Mentaberry A, Bravo-Almonacid FF
JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY; Año: 2006 p. 159 – 172
Expression of active human epidermal growth factor (hEGF) in tobacco
Wirth S, Calamante G, Mentaberry A, Bussmann L, Barañao L, Bravo-Almonacid FF
Molecular Breeding; Año: 2004 vol. 13 p. 23 – 35
Grants
PICT-2011-1761
“Desarrollo de nuevos vectores para la obtención de plantas transplastómicas resistentes a patógenos”
Institución otorgante: ANPCyT, MINCyT
Director: Dr. Fernando Bravo-Almonacid
Período: 2012-2015
PICT-2011-2510
“Desarrollo de plantas transplastómicas de papa (Solanum tuberosum) resistentes a patógenos”
Institución otorgante: ANPCyT, MINCyT
Director: Dra. María Eugenia Segretin
Período: 2012-2014
PIP-CONICET 2011-2013
“Desarrollo de un sistema de expresión de proteínas heterólogas inducible por homoserin lactonas en plantas transplastómicas”
Institución otorgante: CONICET
Director: Dr. Fernando Bravo-Almonacid
Período: 2011-2013
Ex Lab Members
Dra. Carolina Müller
Dr. Federico Mirkin
Lic. Iván Gurovich
Dr. Federico Alfano
Dra. Noelia Boccardo
Dra. Sonia Wirth
Dr. Ezequiel M. Lentz

- Undergraduate degree in Biochemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, National University of La Plata – 1986.
- Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, National University of La Plata – 1992.
- Plant Biotechnology Professor, National University of Quilmes. 2008- Cont.
- Principal Researcher CONICET. 2015- Cont.
