Rodrigo A. Gutierrez

Biography

I pioneered the combined use of classical experimental biology, functional genomics and bioinformatics approaches to unravel molecular mechanisms of plant form and function. I recognized early in my career that data organization, integration and analysis would be a major challenge for experimental biologists. It was also clear to me that a holistic view of molecular processes was needed to understand biological systems. In an effort to contribute to these challenges, I developed bioinformatics skills to create tools that facilitate data integration and analysis and enable plant systems biology research. Iteratively combining bioinformatics tools with functional genomics and classical molecular genetics approaches I have discovered important molecular mechanisms plants utilize to respond to changes in nitrogen (N) nutrient availability using Arabidopsis as a model system. In addition, my holistic approach has allowed connecting processes that have been classically studied independently (e.g. plant nutrition and circadian rhythms, plant nutrition and hormone signaling). I have started a strong and productive plant systems biology research program in Chile to understand mechanisms and regulatory network functions in the plant response to N nutrient/metabolites. This is essential for developing strategies that intervene in molecular networks for biotechnological purposes such as improving N use efficiency in plants or modifying the amino acid content of seeds, which are important issues for health, agriculture and human nutrition. It is of paramount importance for modern agriculture to improve crop N use efficiency as world population, food needs and crop use diversification (e.g. for biofuel production) will continue to increase.