Dr. Marcel·lí del Olmo Muñoz
                                                    Departament de Bioquímica i Biologia Molecular
                                                                Facultat de Ciències Biològiques
                                                                        Universitat de València
                                                       46100 Burjassot (Valencia) SPAIN
                                                                Phone number: 34-963544868
                                                                Fax number: 34-963544635
                                                                e-mail: m.del.olmo@uv.es
 
 

                                                              Research interests

- Stress response in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae during the processes involved in wine making, mainly alcoholic fermentation and also biological aging. We are characterizing the stress response in wine yeasts isolated from several sources, looking for the physiological, metabolical and molecular reasons that could explain their ability to properly conduct fermentations. Besides we are trying the understand the way in which yeast cells (wine and laboratory strains) respond to stress conditions taking place during wine production: osmotic stress due to high sugar concentrations, ethanol stress, nitrogen starvation stress and acetaldehyde stress (especially relevant for flor strains involved in the biological aging of Sherry wines for instance). We are also studying the transcriptional regulation of SPI1, a gene expressed during stationary phase and highly transcribed at the end of vinification. Besides we try to use this information for improving stress response during vinification.
- Polyadenylation and transcription termination in the yeast S. cerevisiae.
 

                                                          Recent publications

1. Ivorra, C.; Pérez-Ortín, J.E., Del Olmo, M. (1999). Reverse correlation of stress-resistance ability and stuck fermentations in wine yeasts. A molecular study. Biotechnol. & Bioeng. 64, 698-708.
2. van Helden, J.; del Olmo, M., Pérez-Ortín, J.E. (2000). Statistical analysis of yeast genomic downstream sequences reveals putative polyadenylation signals. Nuc. Acids Res. 28, 1000-1010.
3.  Carrasco, P., Querol, A., del Olmo, M. (2001) Analysis of the stress resistance of comercial wine yeast strains. Arch. Microbiol. 175, 450-457.
4. González-Álvarez, M., Alzuet, G., Borrás, J., Macías, B., del Olmo, M., Liu-González, M., Sanz, F. (2002) Nuclease activity of (Cu(sulfathiazolato)2(benzimidazole)2)2MeOH. Synthesis, properties and cristal structure. J. Inorg. Biochem. 89, 29-35.
5. Aranda, A.; Querol, A., Olmo, M. (2002) Correlation between acetaldehyde and etanol resístanse and expresión of HSP genes in yeast strains isolated during biological aging of sherry wines. Arch. Microbiol. 177, 304-312.
6. Pérez-Torrado, R.; Carrasco, P., Aranda, A., Gimeno-Alcañiz, J.; Pérez-Ortín, J.E.; Matallana, E., del Olmo, M. (2002) Study of the first hours of microvinification by the use of osmotic stress-response genes as probes. Sys. Appl. Microbiol. 25, 153-161.
7. Campbell, S.G., del Olmo, M., Beglan, P., Bond, U. (2002) A sequence element downstream of the yeast HTB1 gene contributes to mRNA 3’ processing and cell cycle regulation. Mol. Cell. Biol. 22, 8415-8425.
8. Carrasco, P.; Pérez-Ortín, J.E., del Olmo, M. (2003). Arginase activity is a useful marker of nitrogen limitation during wine fermentations Syst Appl Microbiol. 3, 471-479.
9. Aranda, A, Olmo M. (2003). Response to acetaldehyde stress in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae involves a strain-dependent regulation of several ALD genes and is mediated by the general stress response pathway.
Yeast 20, 747-759.
10. Querol, A.; Fernández-Espinar, M.T.; del Olmo, M., Barrio, E (2003). Adaptative evolution of wine yeasts. Int J Food Microbiol. 86, 3-10.
11. Zuzuarregui, A., del Olmo, M. (2004) Analyses of stress resistance under laboratory conditions constitute a suitable criterion for wine yeast selection. ANTO. In press.
12. Aranda, A., del Olmo, M. (2004) Exposure to acetaldehyde in yeast determines an induction of sulfur amino acid metabolism and polyamine transporter genes, which depends on Met4p and Haa1p transcription factors respectively. App. Environ. Microbiol. In press.
13. Zuzuarregui, A., del Olmo, M. (2004) Expression of stress response genes in wine strains with different fermentative behaviour. FEMS Yeast Res. In press.
 

                                                       Recent Research Projects

1. C.I.C.Y.T. ALI98-1041: “Mejora genética de las respuestas fisiológicas de las levaduras vínicas a los estreses debidos al proceso de fermentación”. September 1998- Septemebe 1999. I.P.: José Enrique Pérez Ortín.
2. GV99-105-1-13: “Mejora de la respuesta a estrés de levaduras vínicas industriales”. January 2000-January 2002. I.P.: Emilia Matallana Redondo.
5. C.I.C.Y.T. ALI99-1224-002-02: “Mejora de la respuesta a estrés de levaduras vínicas industriales”. January 2000-January 2003. I.P.: Emilia Matallana Redondo.
3. Ramón Areces. “Mejora genética de levaduras vínicas mediante la sobreexpresión en diferentes etapas del proceso fermentativo de genes codificantes de enzimas implicados en la liberación de aromas”. January 2000-January 2003. I.P. Daniel Ramón Vidal.
4. GV00-011-13: "Caracterización molecular de nuevas cepas de levadura de panadería de Torulaspora con mayor tolerancia a la congelación". January 2001-January 2003. I.P.: Francisca Rández Gil.
5. MCYT: AGL2002-01109: “Desarrollo de estrategias para la mejora de la respuesta a estreses característicos del uso industrial de levaduras vínicas”. December 2002-December 2005. I.P.: Marcel•lí del Olmo Muñoz.
 

                                                   Research contracts with companies

1. "Análisis de la respuesta a algunos tipos de estrés de diferentes cepas de levaduras vínicas". January 2001-June 2002. I.P.: Marcel•lí del Olmo Muñoz. Company: Danstar Ferment.
 
 

                                                       PhD advisor

1. Agustín Aranda Fernández. "Estudio estructural y funcional de la región 3' del gen FBP1 de Saccharomyces cerevisiae". 1996. Mark: Apto “Cum laude”. Advisors: Marcel•lí del Olmo Muñoz and José Enrique Pérez Ortín.
2. Purificación Carrasco Valero. “Análisis de la respuesta a estrés en levaduras vínicas”. 2001. Mark: Apto “Cum laude”. Advisors: Marcel•lí del Olmo Muñoz and José Enrique Pérez Ortín.
3. Aurora Zuzuarregui Miró. In progress.
 

                                                       Teching activity

During the last years I have been mainly involved in teaching Biochemistry for students in their first course in Biology and in Chemistry and Molecular Biology Basics for students in the third course of Biology.