Maria Teresa Martinez-Pastor

Biography

I obtained a Degree in Chemistry, specialty Biochemistry, from the University of Valencia (UV) in 1993, with an Extraordinary Degree Award for the best academic record, and obtained my PhD in 1997, supervised by Dr Francisco Estruch at the Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the UV, and at the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology, CSIC. My PhD thesis focused on gene regulation in response to stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and resulted in the identification of Msn2 and Msn4 as the transcriptional factors of the General Response to Stress, and characterization of their binding to STRE element. In the pre-doctoral period, I spent short stays at the CSIC Institute for Biomedical Research, Madrid, and at the Vienna Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (Dr Helmut Ruis Lab).
From January 1998 to December 2000 I enjoyed a 2-year post-doctoral Marie Curie Fellowship, and one-year Medical Research Council (MRC) contract at Dr Robb Krumlauf’s lab in the National Institute for Medical Research, London. I worked on gene regulation of the mouse HoxB cluster during neural development, developing a system to modify large clones in Bacterial Artificial Chromosomes (BACs) through transposon insertion, which allowed the identification of long-distance acting regulatory elements, and led to two publications.
After my return to Spain, I worked for 4 months in the Research Center of Hospital La Fe, Valencia. In July 2001 I passed the competitive exams for Secondary Education Teachers of the Generalitat Valenciana, a profession that I held until November 2012. In this period, between 2003- 2008 and 2009-2012 I was Adjunct Professor at the Dept of Genetics of the UV, and in 2008- 2009 Adjunct Professor of the Dept of Food Technology at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), positions that I combined with my main teaching job. In this period I collaborated part-time in a project on the inactivation of microorganisms with supercritical fluids (2009-2012; PI: Dr José Benedito, Food Technology Dept, UPV,) which was reflected in 3 publications, a book chapter and a patent.
In November 2012 I obtained a position as Associate Professor (Prof. Contratado Doctor) in the Dept of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at UV, and joined the Copper and Iron Homeostasis Laboratory, led by Dr Sergi Puig. Since then I have been PI of the project AICO-2014-004 (Mechanisms of actuation of the metabolic remodeller Cth2 in response to iron deficiency in yeast and plants) of the Generalitat Valenciana and member of the research team in 5 national Research Projects (PI: Dr Sergi Puig) and 1 regional Research Project (PI: Dr Ana Perea). I have led a line of research focused on the study of translational regulation in the yeast S. cerevisiae upon iron deficiency, identifying mTOR and Gcn2/eIF2alpha as the main pathways involved, and we are currently analyzing the translational response to high copper. We have proposed new strategies to increase iron content in yeast for biotechnological purposes, extending our studies to other yeasts of the genus Saccharomyces and, recently, we have discovered new interconnections between lipids and iron homeostasis in S. cerevisiae, studies that are now being extended to pathogenic fungi of Candida spp. and could lead to the development of more efficient antifungals.
My research activity comprehends 38 articles published in scientific journals, a patent and a book chapter. I have been granted 3 six-year periods of research, the last one in December 2019. Regarding internationalization, 10 of my 38 publications are co-authored with foreign researchers, and I have conducted my research in 2 international institutions: a 3-year post-doc in NIMR, London (UK), funded by a Marie Curie Grant, and a short pre-doctoral stay in Austria. I have participated in 20 international congresses and applied for one international patent
Since 2021 I am a full professor of Biochemistry in the UV, where I teach in the Degrees in Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry and Biotechnology, and in 3 official Masters. I have supervised 3 PhD Theses, 6 Master’s Theses, 14 undergraduate theses and 4 undergraduate internships. I have served as a referee for various scientific journals, participated as an expert evaluating Research Projects for the French ANR, and as member of Examination Tribunals for positions in the UV. Between 2018-2024 I have been the Secretary of the Faculty of Biology of the UV. In 2022, according to the new agreement UV-CSIC, I decided to join the ‘Systems biology of yeast of biotechnological interest’ group, Department of Biotechnology, IATA-CSIC Dept. of Biotechnology of the IATA-CSIC. Since then, I have a double appointment, at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Valencia and IATA-CSIC.