The detailed description of the content of this line of research is included in the description of the group's research activity.
Biofiltration and biotrickling filter technologies for the treatment of industrial emissions contaminated with VOCs and odours are investigated. The operating parameters, mathematical modelling and microbiology of the process are studied on a laboratory, pilot and industrial scale.
- Isolation and characterisation of novel B. thuringiensis genes encoding proteins with high insecticidal action.
- Use of natural or genetically modified isolates with high effectiveness and/or broader spectrum of action.
Studies on the ecology of yeast and bacteria species in wine. Taxonomic analysis and description of new species. Development of various methodologies for the detection, identification and quantification of species present in wine: fluorescence in situ hybridisation, Enochip de det.
Fundamental and applied limnology: Dynamics and functioning of epicontinental aquatic ecosystems. Community structure and functional diversity. Assessment of environmental and conservation status. Microbial ecology in lentic ecosystems: Study of the composition and functionality of the microbial community by molecular techniques. Metagenomics. Metabarcoding and e-DNA Biogeochemistry and carbon balances in Mediterranean wetlands, fluxes of carbonate greenhouse gases. Effects of environmental properties and conservation status on the climate change mitigation capacity of lentic ecosystems. Ecotoxicology. Geographic information systems (GIS). Remote-sensing. Polar limnology.
The aim is to develop tools for the genetic manipulation of this species: plasmids, malolactic mutants and DNA introduction systems. Comparative genomics to establish relationships between genome and resistance to wine stress factors.
Studies on the application of comparative genomics to prokaryotic taxonomy. It includes both the collection of data (new sequences, extension and/or closing) of type strains and additional strains of interest to the group, as well as their subsequent analysis with computer tools and public sequences.
... in emergency myelopoiesis during candidiasis and reveal the mechanisms involved in trained innate immunity during fungal infections.
The hypothesis we are currently working on is that HSPCs can directly detect microorganisms and contribute to protection against infection by different mechanisms, including their ability to differentiate into myeloid cells with an enhanced (trained) phenotype to face the pathogen and initiate the immune response.
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Selection of Oenococcus oeni and Lactobacillus plantarum strains as malolactic cultures. Development of advanced strategies to carry out malolactic fermentation: immobilised cells, continuous deacidification, non-proliferating cells. Adaptation of strains to SO2 and pH.
This line of work is aimed at understanding the utilisation capacities of substrates present in must or wine and their effects on bacterial growth and wine characteristics.
Search for strains of lactic acid bacteria capable of degrading biogenic amines in wines. Search for enzymes responsible for the degradation of biogenic amines. Development of cellular and enzymatic systems that allow their use in wines and other foods.
Microbiological study of wastewater treatment systems by applying both basic techniques, such as observation by phase contrast or differential staining, and molecular techniques, including FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridisation) or qPCR (quantitative polymerase chain reaction). Study of biological systems from the point of view of microbial diversity, applying massive NGS (next-generation sequencing) techniques.
Design and development of efficient technologies for the valorisation of organic waste from different sources, such as urban wastewater, industrial wastewater, municipal solid waste, algal biomass, etc. Depending on the type of waste to be recovered, CALAGUA evaluates the viability of different anaerobic treatment systems, such as mesophilic or thermophilic anaerobic digesters, or anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBR), as well as the combination of different anaerobic systems to transform existing WWTPs into nutrient, reclaimed water and energy factories.
Pathogenic bacteria in aquaculture: fish and zoonotic pathogens. Biology of pathogen-host interaction. Immune response to pathogens. Diagnosis and control of fish diseases. Vaccines.
Design and development, both from a scientific and technology transfer point of view, conducting pilot-scale experiments on microalgae cultures for the removal of nutrients from urban wastewater.
Study and optimisation in the laboratory and pilot plant of advanced configurations for the biological removal of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) to prevent their discharge and the eutrophication of rivers, lakes and coasts. Study of phosphorus recovery systems in the form of struvite by crystallisation processes and nitrogen recovery processes by means of membrane contactors.
- Study of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in both biopesticide formulations and transgenic plants.
- Study of the mechanisms of resistance to synthetic pesticides and promotion of their selectivity.
Selection of lactic bacteria and yeasts to correct imbalances in the composition of musts and wines. Microorganisms can transform part of the sugars in the must into acids (lactic acid, succinic acid, etc.) or glycerol. This leads to an increase in the acidity and smoothness of the wines and a reduction in the alcohol content. This is a line of work of eminently practical interest.
Classification, identification and nomenclature of marine bacteria: polyphasic
characterisation (phenotypic, genomic and phylogenetic), especially of
alpha/gamma-proteobacteria and bacteroidetes by MLSA, DNA-DNA hybridisation, taxogenomic indices and classical phenotyping.
