In this collection of papers I have summarized my investigations into the field of evolutionary genetics and more specifically into patterns of biodiversity and evolutionary processes. The lizards (and frogs) studied here share common features in that they are largely present in unique environments, which are also regions that are biologically understudied. Most of these taxa show high degrees of endemism, interesting natural history characteristics, and each group manifests distinctive adaptations of general evolutionary interest. My work in the genus Telmatobius has been a progressive approach that began in my MS program, and it first focused on alpha taxonomy, morphological variation, and species boundaries. This work led to new studies initiated and completed at BYU involving further taxonomic revision (Formas et al., 2003; Chapter 1), and then revisiting and re-evaluating species boundaries established earlier (with allozyme markers) and this time with population level molecular (mitochondrial DNA) markers (Chapter 2). Our results indicate that the striking differences in size, coloration and general appearance in the various Lake Titicaca morphotypes are not genetically based. Further, there is evidence that these morphotypes have evolved very rapidly after demographic bottlenecks eroded present genetic variability. Telmatobius frogs of Lake Titicaca are listed by the International (IUCN) as critically endangered. We support this classification and further suggest studies to explore open questions like the possibility of adaptation along ecological resource gradients. Lizards of the genus Microlophus are interesting but for different reasons, and studies of this group constitutes the bulk of my dissertation work. The genus includes both Galapagos insular species, and continental taxa distributed in a linear gradient along > 4000 km of the western coast of South America. In studying Microlophus I first tackled the unresolved phylogenetic relationships within the genus (Chapter 3) and then pay attention to phylogeographic aspects of the most speciose lizard radiation in the Galapagos Archipelago (Chapter 4). Chapter 3 is a single manuscript provisionally accepted in the journal Systematic Biology. This paper introduces the lizard genus Microlophus (“lava lizards”) as a study system, and includes a large nuclear data set accompanied by an equally large mitochondrial data set (7877 characters in total). This paper explicitly differentiates among sequence alignments of gene regions that vary in tempo and class of mutational events. We show that this recognition is important and we suggest ways to appropriately deal with the alignment of multi-locus non-coding DNA data sets. A secondary finding in this study is that mtDNA and nDNA topologies are discordant with each other but that both are strongly supported, and that the nuclear topology is concordant with species distribution patterns along coastal South America. We hypothesize that in this particular region of the tree, the nuclear genome recovers a topology that is closer to the species tree, and conflicts occur due to likely secondary contact of distantly related taxa, suggesting that unique taxonomic relationships in the mtDNA gene tree are the result of hybridization. This last point highlights the value of dense taxonomic and character sampling for teasing apart different aspects of evolutionary processes. Chapter 4 is a manuscript to be submitted to the journal Evolution; in this study we further investigate the most speciose radiation of Microlophus in the Galapagos, based on an unparalleled sampling of most islands and small islets in the Archipelago. We use mtDNA sequences to both test hypothesized between-island colonization routes, as well as the expectation that within-island phylogeographic structure should be greater on older islands. Our mtDNA gene tree is strongly supported and allows rejection of previous alternatives, and we propose a novel sequence of between-island colonization events. Our results also reject the idea of phylogeographic structure been related solely to island age. Instead, we provide evidence to suggest that active volcanism as a major player in the generation of genetic diversity in within-island environments, and this is further compounded by the seemingly stochastic nature of within-island long-distance colonization routes mediated by ocean currents. We suggest that the direction and intensity of these currents, as currently understood, are insufficient to generate a priori hypotheses of oceanic colonization routes and their influence on gene flow. We do show that the standard stepping-stone model of migration, where genetic interchange is only possible among neighboring localities, does not explain much of the within-island population genetic structure unraveled by this study. From a biological conservation perspective the study of patterns of recent evolutionary history in the Galapagos provides with a window to evolutionary processes that have shaped and continue to impact the generation of biodiversity in the Galapagos Archipelago. Islands have long been viewed as natural laboratories of evolutionary change, and thus all island isolates are or could be distinctly important components of the larger, archipelago-wide processes. We provide working hypotheses for some of the demographic processes that might be generating within- and between-island biodiversity in this clade of lizards; confirmation of these explanations with independent data will have management implications for conserving the unique patterns observed in the Galapagos biota, but also the processes that generated these patterns.

Enterococcus faecium è un componente fondamentale del microbiota di diversi alimenti fermentati quali formaggi e salumi e viene spesso isolato in alto numero in alimenti pronti al consumo. É inoltre largamente utilizzato come probiotico sia per l’uomo che per gli animali. Allo stesso tempo, però, questa specie batterica rappresenta una delle cause principali di infezioni nosocomiali quali endocarditi ed infezioni al tratto urinario. Studi recenti hanno dimostato che la specie E. faecium è costituita da due sub-popolazioni principali: la prima è denominate hospital associated (HA) clade “A” ed include la maggior parte dei ceppi responsabili di infezioni umane; la seconda è chiamata community associated (CA) clade “B”, e contiene principalmente ceppi commensali dell’uomo. Analisi più approfondite hanno rivelato un ulteriore suddivisione all’interno del clade A, nel sub-clade A1 (che raggruppa la maggioranza dei ceppi clinici) e nel sub-clade A2, associato agli animali e più sporadicamente ad infezioni umane. Nel 2012, EFSA ha redatto una linea guida per la valutazione della sicurezza di E. faecium usato come probiotico per gli animali, concludendo che i cepi appartenenti all’hospital-associated clade non devono essere utilizzati in nutrizione animale. Comunque, la distinzione tra le due sub-popolazioni è stata fatta utilizzando dati ottenuti prevalentemente da isolati umani e animali e solo un numero limitato di ceppi isolati dagli alimenti è stato considerato. Obiettivo di questa tesi di dottorato è stato quello di valutare la sicurezza di E. faecium negli alimenti fermentati, considerando ceppi isolati da formaggi artigianali e prodotti carnei e utilizzando sia tecniche di genomica che analisi fisiologiche. Nessuno dei ceppi alimentari studiati è risultato parte del clade A1, ma un ceppo isolato da un salame stagionato pronto al consumo ha rivelato diversi tratti tipici dei ceppi A1, tra cui particolari IS, transposase e geni di resistenza agli antibiotici. Questi risultati, così come altri dati, sottolineano la necessità di approfondire le conoscenze circa il ruolo dei ceppi di E. faecium isolati da alimenti come fattore di rischio per la salute umana. / Enterococcus faecium is commonly found in high numbers in ready to eat foods, being a member of the bacterial communities of a variety of fermented foods, including cheese and sausages, and is widely used as human and animal probiotic. However, this bacterial species is a leading cause of nosocomial infection, mainly endocarditis and urinary tract infections. Recent studies have demonstrated that E. faecium species consists of two very distinct clades: the hospital associated (HA) clade “A”, which includes most of the strains responsible for human infections, and the community associated (CA) clade “B”, that contains primarily human commensal isolates. Deeper analysis revealed a further split within clade A into sub-clade A1 (which groups the vast majority of clinical isolates), and sub-clade A2, associated with animals and sporadic human infections. In 2012, the European Food Safety Authority has issued a guideline for the safety assessment of E. faecium used as animal probiotics, concluding the strains belonging to the hospital-associated clade should not be used in animal nutrition. However, the differentiation of the two clades has been performed using data mainly deriving from human and animal isolates, and only a limited number of strains from the food chain were considered. Aim of this doctoral thesis was to assess the safety of E. faecium in fermented food, considering strains isolated from artisanal cheese and meat products, and using both whole genome-based techniques and physiological studies. None of the food isolates studied in this work belong to the epidemic clade A1, however a strain isolated from a ready to eat salami revealed several A1-specific traits, such as specific IS, transposases and antibiotic resistance genes. These results, as well as other data, underline the emergency of deeper understanding the role of E. faecium isolated from fermented foods as risk factor for human health.

Since the human inclination to estimate and trace natural diversity, usable species definitions as well as taxonomical systems are required. As a consequence, the first proposed classification schemes assigned the filamentous and parenchymatous taxa to the green algal order Chaetophorales sensu Wille. The introduction of ultrastructural and molecular methods provided novel insight into algal evolution and generated taxonomic revisions based on phylogenetic inference. However, until now, the number of molecular phylogenetic studies focusing on the Chaetophorales s.s. is surprisingly low. To enhance knowledge about phylogenetic relationships among taxa within the order, the nuclear?encoded SSU rDNA sequences from 30 strains covering all three chaetophoralean families have been investigated. All revealed monophyletic groupings were further screened for molecular non-homoplasious synapomorphies within the Viridiplantae. To address the question of the correspondence between morphological characters traditionally used for taxonomical delimitation of the Chaetophorales and the tree topology favored by molecular data, the list of morphological/ ultrastructural/ecological characters was elaborated and further analyzed. In addition, to obtain a close-up view into the evolution of Compensatory Base Changes (CBCs) of the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) which is currently often used to delimit putative biological species, 86 newly obtained/published sequences of ITS2 for five families of the order Ulvales were analyzed. Furthermore, a detailed comparative study of all ITS2 substitutions has been done. Subsequently all revealed CBCs and hemi- CBCs have been mapped upon the ITS2 phylogenetic tree topology. Finally, CBCs/hCBCs taxonomic inference in the Ulvales has been discussed.

A busca por uma construção vacinal contra o HIV-1 é urgente. Os linfócitos T CD4+ têm assumido um papel de destaque no campo de vacinas por participar no controle da replicação do HIV-1, seja auxiliando as funções efetoras de linfócitos T CD8+ e a produção de anticorpos por linfócitos B ou mesmo agindo de forma citotóxica sobre macrófagos infectados. A utilização de sequências consenso do grupo M do HIV-1 é apontada como uma das maneiras de se contornar os problemas relacionados à diversidade viral. Além disso, é preciso construir vacinas que apresentem potencial de induzir respostas imunes com grande cobertura populacional. Com o intuito de induzir respostas amplas de linfócitos T CD4+ contra diversos subtipos do HIV-1 em uma população geneticamente diversa para moléculas HLA-DR, identificamos em nosso trabalho prévio 34 peptídeos promíscuos (previstos de se ligarem a múltiplas moléculas HLA-DR) e conservados da sequência consenso do grupo M do HIV-1. Desenvolvemos uma vacina de DNA codificando 7 peptídeos de Env (HIVenv7) e outra vacina (HIVBr27) codificando os demais 27 peptídeos. A vacina HIVBr27 foi imunogênica em camundongos BALB/c, induzindo uma resposta ampla e polifuncional de linfócitos T CD4+ e CD8+. A vacina HIVenv7 foi pouco imunogênica e mostrou-se capaz de suprimir a resposta induzida pela HIVBr27 em regime de co-imunização. No presente trabalho demonstramos que a imunização com HIVBr27 induz uma resposta imune celular mediada por linfócitos T CD4+ e CD8+ contra peptídeos de diferentes subtipos do HIV-1. Além disso, a imunização com HIVBr27 mostrou-se parcialmente protetora contra a infecção pelo vírus Vaccinia recombinante codificando as proteínas Gag e Pol do HIV-1. Ensaios in vitro demonstraram que os peptídeos codificados pela HIVBr27 se ligam a múltiplas moléculas HLA de classe II e são reconhecidos por células de pacientes infectados pelo HIV-1. Demonstramos também que a vacina HIVenv7 não possui propriedades imunossupressoras consistentes, contrariando os resultados obtidos previamente. Os peptídeos codificados pela HIVenv7 se ligaram a múltiplas moléculas HLA de classe II, mas apresentaram baixa frequência de reconhecimento por células de pacientes infectados pelo HIV-1. Acreditamos que a vacina HIVBr27 possui potencial de induzir uma resposta imune de grande cobertura populacional e direcionada a diferentes variantes do HIV-1. Por outro lado, a vacina HIVenv7 se mostrou pouco imunogênica e não deve ser utilizada em estudos futuros / The search for an HIV-1 vaccine construct is urgent. The CD4+ T cells have assumed a prominent role in the vaccine field participating in the control of HIV-1 replication either by helping CD8+ T cell effector function and B cell-mediated antibody production or by acting as citotoxic cells on infected macrophages. The use of HIV-1 M-group consensus sequences is pointed as an alternative to overcome viral diversity. Besides, it is necessary to construct vaccines that would potentially induce immune responses with broad population coverage. Intending to induce a broad CD4+ T-cell immune response against different HIV-1 subtypes in a population bearing diverse HLA-DR molecules we have previously identified 34 promiscuous peptides (potentially binding to multiple HLA-DR molecules) and conserved within the HIV-1 M-group consensus sequence. We construct a DNA vaccine encoding 7 Env peptides (HIVenv7) and another vaccine (HIVBr27) encoding 27 peptides. The HIVBr27 vaccine was immunogenic in BALB/c mice, inducing a broad and polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell response. The HIVenv7 vaccine was much less immunogenic and suppressed HIVBr27-induced immune responses when co-immunized. Here, we have shown that HIVBr27 immunization leads to a cross-clade CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell immune response. Besides, HIVBr27 immunization has partially protected mice challenged with a recombinant Vaccinia virus encoding HIV-1 Gag e Pol. In vitro assays have shown that HIVBr27- encoded peptides bind to multiple HLA class II molecules and are recognized by HIV- 1-infected patients. We have also shown that HIVenv7 has no consistent immunosuppressive properties, contradicting our previous results. The HIVenv7- encoded peptides bound to multiple HLA class II molecules but were recognized by a low number of HIV-1-infected patients. We believe that our vaccine HIVBr27 has potential to induce an immune response with broad population coverage, towards different HIV-1 variants. On the other hand, the HIVenv7 vaccine was poorly immunogenic and should not be used in future studies

A busca por uma construção vacinal contra o HIV-1 é urgente. Os linfócitos T CD4+ têm assumido um papel de destaque no campo de vacinas por participar no controle da replicação do HIV-1, seja auxiliando as funções efetoras de linfócitos T CD8+ e a produção de anticorpos por linfócitos B ou mesmo agindo de forma citotóxica sobre macrófagos infectados. A utilização de sequências consenso do grupo M do HIV-1 é apontada como uma das maneiras de se contornar os problemas relacionados à diversidade viral. Além disso, é preciso construir vacinas que apresentem potencial de induzir respostas imunes com grande cobertura populacional. Com o intuito de induzir respostas amplas de linfócitos T CD4+ contra diversos subtipos do HIV-1 em uma população geneticamente diversa para moléculas HLA-DR, identificamos em nosso trabalho prévio 34 peptídeos promíscuos (previstos de se ligarem a múltiplas moléculas HLA-DR) e conservados da sequência consenso do grupo M do HIV-1. Desenvolvemos uma vacina de DNA codificando 7 peptídeos de Env (HIVenv7) e outra vacina (HIVBr27) codificando os demais 27 peptídeos. A vacina HIVBr27 foi imunogênica em camundongos BALB/c, induzindo uma resposta ampla e polifuncional de linfócitos T CD4+ e CD8+. A vacina HIVenv7 foi pouco imunogênica e mostrou-se capaz de suprimir a resposta induzida pela HIVBr27 em regime de co-imunização. No presente trabalho demonstramos que a imunização com HIVBr27 induz uma resposta imune celular mediada por linfócitos T CD4+ e CD8+ contra peptídeos de diferentes subtipos do HIV-1. Além disso, a imunização com HIVBr27 mostrou-se parcialmente protetora contra a infecção pelo vírus Vaccinia recombinante codificando as proteínas Gag e Pol do HIV-1. Ensaios in vitro demonstraram que os peptídeos codificados pela HIVBr27 se ligam a múltiplas moléculas HLA de classe II e são reconhecidos por células de pacientes infectados pelo HIV-1. Demonstramos também que a vacina HIVenv7 não possui propriedades imunossupressoras consistentes, contrariando os resultados obtidos previamente. Os peptídeos codificados pela HIVenv7 se ligaram a múltiplas moléculas HLA de classe II, mas apresentaram baixa frequência de reconhecimento por células de pacientes infectados pelo HIV-1. Acreditamos que a vacina HIVBr27 possui potencial de induzir uma resposta imune de grande cobertura populacional e direcionada a diferentes variantes do HIV-1. Por outro lado, a vacina HIVenv7 se mostrou pouco imunogênica e não deve ser utilizada em estudos futuros / The search for an HIV-1 vaccine construct is urgent. The CD4+ T cells have assumed a prominent role in the vaccine field participating in the control of HIV-1 replication either by helping CD8+ T cell effector function and B cell-mediated antibody production or by acting as citotoxic cells on infected macrophages. The use of HIV-1 M-group consensus sequences is pointed as an alternative to overcome viral diversity. Besides, it is necessary to construct vaccines that would potentially induce immune responses with broad population coverage. Intending to induce a broad CD4+ T-cell immune response against different HIV-1 subtypes in a population bearing diverse HLA-DR molecules we have previously identified 34 promiscuous peptides (potentially binding to multiple HLA-DR molecules) and conserved within the HIV-1 M-group consensus sequence. We construct a DNA vaccine encoding 7 Env peptides (HIVenv7) and another vaccine (HIVBr27) encoding 27 peptides. The HIVBr27 vaccine was immunogenic in BALB/c mice, inducing a broad and polyfunctional CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell response. The HIVenv7 vaccine was much less immunogenic and suppressed HIVBr27-induced immune responses when co-immunized. Here, we have shown that HIVBr27 immunization leads to a cross-clade CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell immune response. Besides, HIVBr27 immunization has partially protected mice challenged with a recombinant Vaccinia virus encoding HIV-1 Gag e Pol. In vitro assays have shown that HIVBr27- encoded peptides bind to multiple HLA class II molecules and are recognized by HIV- 1-infected patients. We have also shown that HIVenv7 has no consistent immunosuppressive properties, contradicting our previous results. The HIVenv7- encoded peptides bound to multiple HLA class II molecules but were recognized by a low number of HIV-1-infected patients. We believe that our vaccine HIVBr27 has potential to induce an immune response with broad population coverage, towards different HIV-1 variants. On the other hand, the HIVenv7 vaccine was poorly immunogenic and should not be used in future studies

[EN] ABSTRACT Abscisic acid (ABA) signaling plays a critical role in regulating root growth and root system architecture. ABA-mediated growth promotion and root tropic response under water stress are key responses for plant survival under limiting water conditions. In this work, we have explored the role of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PYR/PYL/RCAR receptors (PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1 (PYR1)/PYR1 LIKE (PYL)/REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS) for root ABA signaling. As a result, we discovered that PYL8 plays a nonredundant role for the regulation of root ABA sensitivity. Unexpectedly, given the multigenic nature and partial functional redundancy observed in the PYR/PYL family, the single pyl8 mutant showed reduced sensitivity to ABA-mediated root growth inhibition. This effect was due to the lack of PYL8-mediated inhibition of several clade A phosphatases type 2C (PP2Cs), since PYL8 interacted in vivo with at least five PP2Cs, namely HYPERSENSITIVE TO ABA1 (HAB1), HAB2, ABAINSENSITIVE1 (ABI1), ABI2, and PP2CA/ABA-HYPERSENSITIVE GERMINATION3 as revealed by tandem affinity purification and mass spectrometry proteomic approaches. Membrane-delimited abscisic acid (ABA) signal transduction plays a critical role in early ABA signaling, but the molecular mechanisms linking core signaling components to the plasma membrane are unclear. We show that transient calciumdependent interactions of PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors with membranes are mediated through a 10-member family of C2-domain ABA-related (CAR) proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana. Specifically, we found that PYL4 interacted in an ABA-independent manner with CAR1 in both the plasma membrane and nucleus of plant cells. CAR1 belongs to a plant-specific gene family encoding CAR1 to CAR10 proteins, and bimolecular fluorescence complementation and coimmunoprecipitation assays showed that PYL4-CAR1 as well as other PYR/PYL-CAR pairs interacted in plant cells. The crystal structure of CAR4 was solved, which revealed that, in addition to a classical calcium-dependent lipid binding C2 domain, a specific CAR signature is likely responsible for the interaction with PYR/PYL/RCAR receptors and their recruitment to phospholipid vesicles. This interaction is relevant for PYR/PYL/RCAR function and ABA signaling, since different car triple mutants affected in CAR1, CAR4, CAR5, and CAR9 genes showed reduced sensitivity to ABA in seedling establishment and root growth assays. In summary, we identified PYR/PYL/RCAR-interacting partners that mediate a transient Ca2+-dependent interaction with phospholipid vesicles, which affects PYR/PYL/RCAR subcellular localization and positively regulates ABA signaling. / [ES] RESUMEN La señalización por la hormona vegetal ácido abscísico (ABA) desempeña un papel crítico en la regulación del crecimiento de la raíz y en la arquitectura del sistema radical. La promoción de crecimiento de la raíz en condiciones de estrés hídrico mediada por ABA es clave para la supervivencia de las plantas bajo condiciones limitantes de agua. En este trabajo, hemos explorado el papel de los receptores PYR/PYL/RCAR (PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1 (PYR1)/PYR1 LIKE (PYL)/ REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS) de Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) en la ruta de señalización de ABA en raíz. Así, hemos descubierto que el receptor de ABA PYL8 juega un papel no redundante en la regulación de la percepción de ABA en raíz. Inesperadamente, dada la naturaleza multigénica y la redundancia funcional parcial observada en la familia PYR/PYL/RCAR, el mutante pyl8 fue el único mutante sencillo de pérdida de función de los receptores PYR/PYL/RCAR que mostraba una sensibilidad reducida a la inhibición del crecimiento mediada por ABA en raíz. Este efecto se debe a la falta de inhibición mediada por PYL8 de varias fosfatasas del grupo A tipo 2C (PP2Cs), ya que PYL8 es capaz de interactuar in vivo con al menos cinco PP2Cs, denominadas HYPERSENSITIVE TO ABA1 (HAB1), HAB2, ABAINSENSITIVE1 (ABI1), ABI2, and PP2CA/ABA-HYPERSENSITIVE GERMINATION3 según lo han revelado la purificación por afinidad en tándem (TAP por sus siglas en inglés) y estudios proteómicos de espectrometría de masas. La transducción de la señal del ABA localizada en la membrana plasmática celular juega un papel crucial en los pasos iniciales de la señalización de la fitohormona, pero los mecanismos moleculares que unen los componentes básicos de la señalización y la membrana plasmática no están claros. Estudiando las interacciones de los receptores del ABA PYR/PYL/RCAR con la membrana plasmática hemos encontrado que éstos pueden interaccionar transitoriamente con ella de forma dependiente de calcio gracias a una familia de proteínas con dominios C2 relacionadas con la ruta de señalización de ABA (denominadas C2-domain ABA-related (CAR) proteins). Específicamente, se encontró que PYL4 interacciona de manera independiente de ABA con CAR1 tanto en la membrana plasmática como en el núcleo de las células vegetales. La proteína CAR1 pertenece a una familia multigénica constituida por 10 miembros en Arabidopsis thaliana, desde CAR1 hasta CAR10, y que solo se encuentra en plantas. Los ensayos de complementación bi-molecular de fluorescencia y de co-immunoprecipitación confirmaron la interacción en células vegetales tanto de PYL4-CAR1 como de otras parejas de PYR/PYL-CAR. La cristalización de la proteína CAR4 reveló que, además de un dominio C2 clásico de unión a lípidos dependiente de calcio, las proteínas de la familia CAR presentan un dominio específico que probablemente es responsable de la interacción con los receptores PYR/PYL/RCAR y de su posterior reclutamiento a las vesículas de fosfolípidos. Esta interacción es relevante para la función de los receptores PYR/PYL/RCAR en la señalización del ABA, ya que diferentes mutantes triples car de pérdida de función, que tienen afectados los genes CAR1, CAR4, CAR5, y CAR9, demostraron una reducción de la sensibilidad al ABA en ensayos de establecimiento de plántula y crecimiento de la raíz. En resumen, hemos identificado nueva familia de proteínas que son capaces mediar las interacciones transitorias dependientes de Ca2+ con vesículas de fosfolípidos, lo que a su vez afecta localización de PYR/PYL/RCAR y regula positivamente la señalización de ABA. / [CA] RESUM La senyalització per l'hormona vegetal àcid abcíssic (ABA) exerceix un paper crític en la regulació del creixement de l'arrel i també en l'arquitectura del sistema radical. La promoció del creixement de l'arrel en condicions d'estrés hídric, regulada per ABA és clau per la supervivència de les plantes sota condicions limitants d'aigua. Amb aquest treball, hem investigat el paper dels receptors PYR/PYL/RCAR (PYRABACTIN RESISTANCE1 (PYR1)/PYR1 LIKE (PYL)/ REGULATORY COMPONENTS OF ABA RECEPTORS) d'Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) en el camí de senyalització d'ABA en arrel. Així, hem descobert que el receptor d'ABA PYL8 exerceix un paper no redundant en la regulació de la percepció d'ABA en arrel. Inesperadament, donada la naturalesa multigènica i la redundància funcional parcial que s'observa en la família PYR/PYL/RCAR, el mutant pyl8 va ser l'únic mutant senzill de pèrdua de funció dels receptors PYR/PYL/RCAR que mostrava una sensibilitat reduïda a la inhibició del creixement mitjançada per l'ABA en l'arrel. Doncs aquest efecte es deu a la falta d'inhibició regulada per PYL8 de diverses fosfatases del grup A tipus 2C (PP2Cs), ja que PYL8 té la capacitat d'interactuar in vivo almenys amb cinc PP2Cs, anomenades HYPERSENSITIVE TO ABA1 (HAB1), HAB2, ABAINSENSITIVE1 (ABI1), ABI2, and PP2CA/ABAHYPERSENSITIVE GERMINATION3 segons ho han revelat per una banda la purificació per afinitat en tàndem (TAP són les seues sigles en anglés) i per altra banda, estudis proteòmics d'espectrometria de masses. Pel que fa a la transducció del senyal del l'ABA, la qual es localitza en la membrana plasmàtica cel¿lular, juga un paper molt important en els primers instants de la senyalització de la fitohormona, no obstant això els mecanismes moleculars que uneixen els components bàsics d'aquesta senyalització amb la membrana plasmàtica, no es troben del tot clars. Per tant, s'han estudiat les interaccions que tenen els receptors del ABA PYR/PYL/RCAR amb la membrana plasmàtica, i hem trobat que aquests tenen la capacitat d'interaccionar transitòriament amb la membrana de forma dependent al calci, gràcies a una família de proteïnes amb domini C2, les quals es troben relacionades amb la ruta de senyalització d'ABA(anomenades C2domain ABArelated (CAR) proteins).Específicament, es va trobar que PYL4 interacciona d'una manera independent al ABA amb CAR1, tant en la membrana plasmàtica, com en el nucli de les cèl¿lules vegetals. La proteïna CAR1 pertany a la família multigènica constituïda per 10 components en Arabidopsis thaliana, des de CAR1 fins CAR10, que tan sols es troba en plantes. Els assajos de complementació bimolecular de fluorescència i de co-immunoprecipitació, van confirmar la interacció en cèl¿lules vegetals, tant de PYL4CAR1 com d'altres parelles de PYR/PYL-CAR. La cristal¿lització de la proteïna CAR4 va revelar que, a més d'un domini C2 clàssic de unió a lípids dependent del calci, les proteïnes de la família CAR presenten un domini PYR/PYL/RCAR, i del seu posterior reclutament a les vesícules fosfolipídiques. Doncs, aquesta interacció és rellevant en la funció dels receptors PYR/PYL/RCAR, ja que participa en la senyalització del l'ABA. Aquesta interacció es clau per a la funció dels receptors, ja que diferents mutants triples car de pèrdua de funció, els quals posseïxen afectats els gens CAR1, CAR4, CAR5 i CAR9, van mostrar una reducció de la sensibilitat a l'ABA en assajos d'establiment de plàntula i creixement de l'arrel. En conclusió, hem identificat una nova família de proteïnes amb la capacitat d'organitzar les interaccions transitòries dependents del calci amb vesícules de fosfolípids, fet que al seu torn afecta la localització de PYR/PYL/RCAR i regula positivament la senyalització d'ABA. / Rodríguez Solovey, LN. (2015). IDENTIFICATION OF TARGETS AND AUXILIARY PROTEINS OF PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA RECEPTORS: PROTEIN PHOSPHATASES TYPE 2C (PP2Cs) AND C2-DOMAIN ABA-RELATED PROTEINS (CARs) [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/58862