I'm interested in the mechanisms of light sensing in fungi and the evolution of photoreception in eukaryotes. Fungi use light as an environmental signal to regulate development, guide the growth of fruiting bodies, and promote the biosynthesis of pigments and other metabolites. I'm interested in how photoreceptors regulate transcription and activate signal transduction pathways that lead to changes in fungal development or changes in the direction of growth (phototropism).
Understanding the mechanisms of fungal photoreception will provide useful applied tools such as light-dependent promoters for regulated expression of proteins of interest, and the development of novel optogenetic tools based on fungal photoreceptors.
My permanent position is at the Department of Genetics, University of Seville, Spain
