ENGLISH / ESPAŇOL

- Biography

- Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

- Scientific publications

- Communications to scientific meetings

- Significant research accomplishments

Other related websites about Dr. Alvarez's research work:

• Plant-made vaccine for prevention of bubonic and pneumonic plague

• Improving bread-making quality of wheat by genetic engeneering (Spanish)

Biography

Maria Lucrecia Alvarez, Ph.D., works on the development of transgenic plants intended for therapeutical or industrial applications. She obtained a Master in Biochemistry and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology at the Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina (2000). Her Ph.D. thesis dissertation was on “Improvement of Nutritional and Bread-Making Quality of Wheat by Genetic Engineering”. She received part of her Ph.D. training at the Institute of Arable Crops Research (IACR), Long Ashton Research Station, Bristol University, Bristol (England, 1996), supported by British Council and Fundación Antorchas (Argentina). In 2000, Dr. Alvarez studied the particular rheological properties of the dough made with flours from the transgenic wheat that she obtained, during her visit as a Research Scholar to the Department of Genetics and Plant Improvement, Polytechnic University of Madrid (Spain).

In 2002, Dr. Alvarez joined Dr. Walmsley’s research team at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona (USA) as a Visiting Research Scholar, partially supported by a fellowship from Fundación Antorchas (Argentina). In 2003, Dr Alvarez was contracted by Arizona State University as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and joined Dr. Guy Cardineau’s laboratory. She is currently working in the development of an oral plant-made vaccine in tomato targeted against pneumonic and bubonic plague (Alvarez et. al. 2006, Vaccine 24: 2477- 2490). Other current areas of interest include a project on “Reversion of Gene Silencing” as a strategy to recover the expression of transgenic proteins in plants that are transformed with many copies of a transgene but have lost expression, presumably due to RNA silencing. As a part of a collaborative project with the Instituto Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico), Dr. Alvarez and Dr. Cardineau are developing transgenic alfalfa expressing hG-CSF (Human Granulocyte Colony Stimulator Factor) that would be used as a treatment in patients with leukemia and anemia as well as to counteract some of the negative side effects of the chemotherapy for cancer.

Scientific publications

Manuscripts in preparation or recently submitted for publication

1.    Alvarez ML, DiStefano JK. The role of non-coding RNA in diabetic nephropathy: potential applications as biomarkers for disease development and progression (submitted).

2.    Alvarez ML, DiStefano JK. Towards miRNA-based therapeutics for diabetic nephropathy (submitted).

3.    Alvarez ML, Khosroheidari M, Eddy E, Cotta Done S, DiStefano JK. MicroRNA-27a decreases the level and efficiency of the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor and contributes to the dysregulation of cholesterol homeostasis (in preparation)

4.    Alvarez ML, Khosroheidari M, Eddy E, DiStefano JK. Role of microRNA 1207-5p and its host gene PVT1 as mediators of diabetic kidney disease (in preparation).

A) Book chpaters

1. 
   
   Alvarez ML and Cardineau GA (2010) New strategies to solve an ancient problem: prevention of bubonic and pneumonic plague using plant-derived vaccines. In: Handbook of disease outbreaks: prevention, detection and control. Holmgren A. and Borg G Ed. Nova Publishers, New York. ISBN: 978-1-60876-224-8. https://www.novapublishers.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=23_129_287_878&products_id=13845&osCsid=71f28d50268f1dc005760c5cbd4e9b9a


2. 
   
   Alvarez ML and Nourbakhsh M. RNA Mapping Protocols. In: Disease Gene Identification. Johanna K. Wolford Ed. Methods in Molecular Biology series (In Press). http://www.springer.com/biomed/human+genetics/book/978-1-61737-953-6

B) Original research articles (peer-reviewed publications)

1. Alvarez ML, Khosroheidari M, Ravi R, DiStefano JK (2012). Comparison of protein, microRNA, and mRNA yields using different methods of urinary exosome isolation for the discovery of kidney disease biomarkers. Kidney Int. advance online publication, July 11, 2012; doi:10.1038/ki.2012.256.

2. Matsuda R, Kabota Ch, Alvarez ML, Cardineau GA (2012). Effect of High Electrical Conductivity of Hydroponic Nutrient Solution on Vaccine Protein Content in Transgenic Tomato. Hort Technol 22: 362-367.

3. Pinkhasov J, Alvarez ML, Rigano MM, Piensook K, Larios D, Pabst M, Grass J, Mukherjee P, Gendler SJ, Walmsley AM, Mason HS (2011). Recombinant plant-expressed tumour-associated MUC1 peptide is immunogenic and capable of breaking tolerance in MUC1.Tg mice. Plant Biotechnol J 9:933-1150.

4. Alvarez ML and DiStefano JK (2011). Non-coding RNA and diabetic nephropathy. Treatment Strategies – Diabetes- 3: 66-71. http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/8422a6ee#/8422a6ee/66

5. Alvarez ML and DiStefano JK (2011). Characterization of the plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 gene PVT1 as mediator of diabetic kidney disease. PlosONE, 6:1-8.

6. Pinkhasov J, Alvarez ML, Pathangey LB, Tinder TL, Mason HS, Walmsley AM, Gendler SJ, Mukherjee P (2010). Analysis of a cholera B subunit (CTB) and human mucin 1 (MUC1) conjugate protein in a MUC1-tolerant mouse model. Cancer Immunol Imunother 59: 1801-1811.

7. Matsuda R, Kabota Ch, Alvarez ML, Cardineau G (2010) Determining the optimal timing on fruit harvest in transgenic tomato expressing F1-V, a candidate subunit vaccine against plague. HortSci 45: 347-351.

8. Alvarez ML and Cardineau GA (2010). Prevention of bubonic and pneumonic plague using plant-derived vaccines. Biotechnology Advances 28: 184-196.

9. Alvarez ML, Martin F, Topal E, Cardineau GA (2010) High accumulation of recombinant proteins in induced ER-derived storage organelles in plants. Plant Mol Biol 72:75-89.

10. Matsuda R, Kabota Ch, Alvarez ML, Cardineau GA (2009) Biopharmaceutical protein production under controlled environments: growth, development and vaccine productivity of transgenic tomato plants grown hydroponically in greenhouse. HortScience 44:1594-1599.

11. Matsuda R, Kubota C, Alvarez ML and Cardineau, GA (2008) Preliminary evaluation of transgenic tomato plants expressing a Yersinia pestis antigen fusion protein F1-V grown in a greenhouse. Acta Hort. (ISHS) 797:381-385. Article in PDF.

12. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Topal E, Cardineau GA (2008) P19- dependent and P19-independent reversion of f1-v gene silencing in tomato. Plant Mol Biol 68: 61-79. Article in PDF.

13. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Rigano MM, Pinkhasov J, Walmsley AM, Mason HS, Cardineau GA (2006). Plant-made subunit vaccine against pneumonic and bubonic plague is orally immunogenic in mice. Vaccine 24: 2477- 2490. Article in PDF.

14. Rigano MM, Alvarez ML, Pinkhasov J, Jin Y, Sala F, Arntzen Ch, Walmsley AM (2004) Expression and stability of a fusion protein consisting of the enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat labile toxin B subunit and a tuberculosis antigen in Arabidopsis thaliana. Plant Cell Rep 22: 502-508. Article in PDF.

15. Walmsley AM, Alvarez ML, Jin Y, Pinkhasov J, Rigano MM, Kirk D, Mason HS, Arntzen Ch (2003) Expression of an LTB fusion protein in transgenic tomato. Plant Cell Rep 21: 1020 – 1026. Article in PDF.

16. Permingeat HG*, Alvarez ML*, Cervigni GD, Ravizzini R, Vallejos RH (2003) Stable wheat transformation obtained without selectable markers. Plant Mol Biol 52: 415- 419. (*) Both authors contributed equally with the paper. Article in PDF.

17. Alvarez ML, Gómez M, Carrillo JM and Vallejos RH (2001). Analysis of dough functionality of flour from transgenic wheat. Mol Breed 8:103-108. Article in PDF.

18. Alvarez ML, Vallejos RH (2001) El pan nuestro de cada día. Ciencia Hoy 11: 35-43. Article in PDF

19. Alvarez ML, Guelman S, Halford NG, Lustig S, Reggiardo MI, Ryabushkina N, Shewry P, Stein J, Vallejos RH (2000) Silencing of HMW glutenins in transgenic wheat expressing extra HMW subunits. Theor Appl Genet 100:319-327. Article in PDF.

20. Alvarez ML, Laguné A, Jaffré G, Balagué C, Fernández L (1994) Relación entre cepas de enterobacterias manosa resistentes y presencia de células centelleantes en el sedimento urinario. Infect Microbiol Clin 6:136-140. Article in PDF

C) Congress Proceedings

Alvarez ML, DiStefano JK (2010). Characterization of the plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 gene (PVT1) as mediator of diabetic kidney disease. Diabetes 59: A1-A2.

Alvarez ML, Topal E, Martin F and Cardineau GA (2009). Higher accumulation of F1-V fusion recombinant protein in plants after induction of protein body formation. Proceedings of Vitro Biology Meeting, Charleston, S.C.. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Animal 45: S36.

Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Topal E, Cardineau GA. (2008). High f1-v gene expression in transgenic tomato after spontaneous or P19-induced reversion of gene silencing. Proceedings of World Congress on In Vitro Biology, Tucson, AZ. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol Plant 44: 56.

Topal E, Alvarez ML, Mason HS. (2008). Plant-derived Intimin Vaccine to Prevent Colonization of Enterohaemorragic Escherichia coli. Proceedings of World Congress on In Vitro Biology, Tucson, AZ. In Vitro Cell Dev Biol 44: 36.

Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Crisantes JD, Rigano MM, Pinkhasov J, Walmsley AM, Mason HS, Cardineau GA (2004). Stable plant expression of F1-V fusion protein antigens from Yersinia pestis for use as a vaccine against plague. In: Proceedings of REDBIO Congress 2004, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Alvarez ML, Gómez M, Carrillo JM, Guelman S, Halford N, Lustig S, Reggiardo M, Ryabushkina N, Shewry P, Stein J, Vallejos RH (2001). Transgenic wheat with better breadmaking quality. In: Proceedings of the the 5th National Wheat Congress, Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina.

Communications to scientific meetings

1. Alvarez ML and Johanna K. DiStefano (2009) Pvt-1 gene knockdown in glomerular mesangial cells to elucidate its role in diabetic nephropathy. 2009 Translational Genomics Research Meeting, June 4th, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A. (Poster presentation).
2. Alvarez ML, Topal E, Martin F and Cardineau GA (2009). Higher accumulation of F1-V fusion recombinant protein in plants after induction of protein body formation. SIVB (Society for In Vitro Biology) meeting, June 6-10, Charleston, SC, U.S.A (Oral presentation).
3. Matsuda R, Kubota Ch., Alvarez ML, Gamboa J, Cardineau GA (2008). Growth, Development, and Protein Productivity of Transgenic Tomato Plants Expressing a Yersinia pestis Antigen Fusion Protein F1-V in a Greenhouse. ISHS International Workshop on Greenhouse Environmental Control and Crop Production in Semi-Arid Regions, October 20-24, Tucson, U.S.A.
4. Alvarez ML, Topal E, Martin F, Cardineau GA (2008). High accumulation of recombinant proteins in induced er-derived storage organelles in plants. Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists and the Sociedad Mexicana de Bioquimica, June 22-25, Merida, MEXICO.
5. Topal E, Alvarez ML, Mason HS. (2008). Transgenic Tomato-derived Intimin Vaccine to Prevent Colonization of Enterohaemorragic Escherichia coli. Joint Annual Meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists and the Sociedad Mexicana de Bioquimica, June 22-25, Merida, MEXICO.
6. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd H, Topal E, Cardineau GA (2008). High f1-v gene expression in transgenic tomato after spontaneous or P19-induced reversion of gene silencing. 2008 World Congress on In vitro Biology, June 14-18, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.
7. Topal E, Alvarez ML, Mason HS. (2008). Plant-derived Intimin Vaccine to Prevent Colonization of Enterohaemorragic Escherichia coli. 2008 World Congress on In vitro Biology, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A.
8. Matsuda R, Kubota Ch., Alvarez ML, Gamboa J, Cardineau GA (2008). Biopharmaceutical Production under Controlled Environments: Photosynthetic Rate, Soluble Protein Concentration and Growth of Transgenic Tomato Plants Expressing a Yersinia pestis F1-V Antigen Fusion Protein. 2008 International Meeting on Controlled Environment Agriculture, Cocoa Beach, FL, U.S.A.
9. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Topal E, Cardineau GA (2007) Transient and Stable Expression of TBSV-P19 Induces Reversion of f1-v Gene Silencing in Tomato. Valley-wide Biodesign Institute Postdoctoral poster symposium, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A.
10. Rigano MM, Alvarez ML, Pinkhasov J, Izzo AA, Cardi T, Walmsley AM. (2007) Production of an oral, tuberculosis vaccine in transgenic and transplastomic plants. Plant transformation technologies. Vienna, February 4-7, AUSTRIA.
11. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Topal E, Ewing M, Crisantes JD, Cardineau GA (2007) Transient and stable expression of TBSV-P19 induces reversion of F1-V gene silencing in tomato. Gene Silencing: the Biology of Small RNAs and the Epigenome. 24th Symposium in Plant Biology. University of California, Riverside, CA, January 18-20, U.S.A.
12. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Crisantes JD, Kilbourne J, Rigano MM, Pinkhasov J, Rocke T, Cardineau GA (2006) Protection against plague in mice using an orally delivered F1-V transgenic tomato vaccine. New Cells for New Vaccines: focus on plant and insect cells technologies, Coral Gables (Miami), FL, September 28-29, U.S.A.
13. Topal E, Alvarez ML, O’Brien AD, Mason HS (2006) Plant-made intimin vaccine expressed in tomato for mucosal delivery to prevent colonization of enterohaemorragic Escherichia coli. New Cells for New Vaccines: focus on plant and insect cells technologies, Coral Gables (Miami), FL, September 28-29, U.S.A.
14. Rigano MM, Alvarez ML, Pinkhasov J, Izzo AA, Cardi T, Walmsley AM (2006) The development of transgenic and transplastomic plants for production of a tuberculosis subunit vaccine. 50th Annual Congress of the Italian Society of Agriculture Genetics, Ischia (Naples),September 10-14, ITALY.
15. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Crisantes JD, Kilbourne J, Rigano MM, Pinkhasov J, Rocke T Cardineau GA (2006) Subunit vaccine developed in tomato targeted against plague and its immunogenicity in mice. Second Annual Vaccine Renaissance, Providence, RI, June 6-9, U.S.A.
16. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Crisantes JD, Kilbourne J, Rigano MM, Pinkhasov J, Cardineau GA Oral immunogenicity of an F1-V transgenic tomato vaccine targeted against plague (2006). 9th Annual Conference on Vaccine Research, Baltimore, MD, May 8-10, U.S.A.
17. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Crisantes JD, Pinkhasov J, Rigano MM, Kilbourne J, Mason HS Cardineau GA (2005) Plant-derived subunit vaccine for mucosal delivery targeted against pneumonic and bubonic plague. Meeting on Molecular and Immunological Approaches to Vaccine Design, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., December 1-4, U.S.A.
18. Pnkhasov J, Alvarez ML, Rigano MM, Mukherjee P, Gendler SJ, Arntzen CJ, Mason HS and Walmsley AM (2005). A MUC1-based plant engineered breast cancer vaccine. The fourth Era Hope meeting Department of Defense (DOD) Breast Cancer Research Program (BCRP), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 8 – 11, U.S.A.
19. Alvarez ML, Pinyerd HL, Crisantes JD, Rigano MM, Pinkhasov J, Walmsley AM, Mason HS, Arntzen, Ch., Cardineau GA (2004). Stable plant expression of F1-V fusion protein antigens from Yersinia pestis for use as vaccine against plague REDBIO: V Latin American and Caribbean Meeting on Agriculture Biotechnology, June 21st to 25th,, Santo Domingo, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.
20. Rigano MM, Alvarez ML, Pinkhasov J, Sala F, Arntzen CJ, Walmsley AM (2003). The use of transgenic plants for the production of vaccine proteins: an economical alternative ICABR’s 7th International Conference on: “Productivity, public Goods and Public Policy: Agricultural Biotechnology Potentials”, June 29, 30 July 1, 2 and 3, Ravello, ITALY.
21. Rigano MM, Alvarez ML, Pinkhasov J, Sala F, Arntzen Ch, Walmsley AM (2003). Expression of a tuberculosis antigen in Arabidopsis thaliana and tomato plants” ISPMB (International Society of Plant Molecular Biology), 7th International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology, June 23-28, Barcelona, SPAIN.
22. Pinhasov J, Alvarez ML, Rigano MM, Mukherjee P, Gendler SJ, Arntzen CJ, Mason HS and Walmsley AM (2003). Development of a plant-derived breast cancer vaccine. ISPMB (International Society of Plant Molecular Biology), 7th International Congress of Plant Molecular Biology, June 23-28, 2003, Barcelona, SPAIN.
23. Alvarez ML, Gómez M, Carrillo JM, Guelman S, Halford N, Lustig S, Reggiardo M, Ryabushkina N, Shewry P, Stein J, Vallejos RH (2001) Obtención de trigo transgénico con mejor calidad panadera. V Congreso Nacional de Trigo y III Simposio Nacional de Cereales de Siembra Otoño Invernal, September 2001, Villa Carlos Paz, ARGENTINA.
24. Alvarez ML, Guelman S, Halford NG, Lustig S, Reggiardo MI, Ryabushkina N, Shewry, P., Stein, J., Vallejos, R.H (1999). Gene silencing of endogenous high molecular weight glutenin subunits genes induced by the introduction of homologous transgenes in wheat IV Symposium in Plant Biotechnology. REDBIO, Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA.
25. Alvarez ML, Guelman S, Halford NG, Lustig S, Reggiardo MI, Ryabushkina N, Shewry P, Stein J, Vallejos RH (1999). Transgene-induced silencing of endogenous HMW glutenin subunits genes in wheat International Symposium in Common Themes in Transcription and RNA processing (ICGEB meeting), Buenos Aires, ARGENTINA
26. Alvarez ML, Lustig S, Stein J, López M, Reggiardo M, Vallejos RH(1998). Silenciamiento de subunidades de glutenina de alto peso molecular endógenas por transformación con los genes de las subunidades 1Ax1 y 1Dx5" (1998). XXXIV Annual Meeting of Argentinean Society for the Research in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SAIB), Mendoza, ARGENTINA.
27. Vallejos RH, Alvarez ML, Halford NG, Heisterborg CM, Morata M, Ravizzini R, Shewry P (1996) Wheat genetic transformation as a tool contributing to breeding for quality. 10th International Cereal and Bread Congress, June 1996, Chalkidiki, GREECE.
28. Vallejos RH, Alvarez ML, Bacigaluppo S, Halford NG, Heisterborg CM, Morata M, Ravizzini R, Shewry P (1996). Genetic engineering of wheat HMW glutenin for improving bread-making quality. VIII Congress of the Pan-American Association of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology societies (PABMB), Pucón, CHILE.
29. Vallejos RH, Alvarez ML, Cervigni G, Heisterborg CM, Morre J, Ortiz JP, Palena C, Permingeat H, Romagnoli MV, Rossi G, Zanor MI (1995) Genetic engineering of cereals. First International Symposium on novel and non-conventional plants: prospects for their practical use, Moscow, RUSSIA.
30. Vallejos RH, Alvarez ML, Cervigni G¸ Heisterborg CM, Morre J, Morata M, Ortiz JP, Palena C, Permingeat H, Ravizzini R, Rossi G, Spitteler M (1995). Genetic engineering of cereals: Transgenic expression in maize and wheat. Biotecnología Habana ‘95: New Opportunities in Plant, Animal and Industrial Biotechnology, November 1995, Havana, CUBA.

Significant research accomplishments

Project: “Plant-made subunit vaccine against pneumonic and bubonic plague”
Place of work: CIDV- Biodesign A at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A. (2003 – present).
Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate

The goal of this project was to express Yersinia pestis antigens in tomato to develop an oral plant-derived plague vaccine. We successfully obtained transgenic tomato expressing high levels of the fusion protein F1-V (F1 and V are the two most immunogenic antigens from Y. pestis). The immunogenicity of the plant-derived plague vaccine was demonstrated in animal trials. The results obtained were presented in national and international conferences and published (Alvarez et al., 2004; Alvarez et al., 2006).
Dr. Alvarez designed and pursued all the experiments of this project including plasmid constructs, tomato transformation, screening and selection of the transgenic plants and animal trials to test the tomato-derived plague vaccine. Dr. Alvarez directed the undergraduate students that collaborated with this project.


Project: “Reversion of f1-v gene silencing induced by transient and stable expression of TBSV-P19 in tomato”
Place of work: CIDV- Biodesign A at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A. (2003 – present).
Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate

The aim of this project was to restore the f1-v gene expression in silenced tomato plants through the stable expression of the viral suppressor of gene silencing, P19, driven by a constitutive promoter as well as in an ethanol inducible promoter. Plants with the highest P19 protein levels correlated with the highest F1-V protein accumulation in transient and stable. These results confirmed the potential exploitation of P19 to substantially increase the expression of value-added proteins in plants (Alvarez et al., manuscript recently submitted for publication).
Dr. Alvarez designed and pursued all the experiments of this project including tomato transformation, screening and selection of the transgenic plants.

Project: “Plant-derived vaccines as immuno-contraceptives for animals”
Place of work: CIDV- Biodesign A at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A. (2001 – 2002).
Positions: Research Scholar and Fundación Antorchas Fellow

The common brushtail possum is a marsupial native from Australia which was introduced to New Zealand by Europeans to establish a fur industry. They soon escaped into the wild where they have thrived as an invasive species with around 60 million individuals estimated. There have been numerous attempts to eradicate them because of the damage they do to native trees and wildlife, as well as acting as a carrier of bovine tuberculosis. The goal of this project was to develop an oral plant-derived vaccine to be used as immuno-contraceptive specie specific for possum population control. The seven amino acid epitope from ZP3 (zona pellucida glycoprotein 3) was fused to the heat-labile toxin (LT) of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli and expressed in tomato. The fusion protein was found to assemble into pentamers and had an average expression level of 37.8 μg/g in freeze-dried transgenic tissues. The species-specific nature of this epitope was shown by the inability of antibodies raised against non-target species to detect the LTB fusion protein (Walmsley et al., 2003).
I collaborated on this project doing the molecular characterization of the transgenic tomato plants expressing the fusion protein LTB-ZP3.


Project: “Analysis of dough functionality of flour from transgenic wheat”
Place of work: Superior Technical School for Agronomists (ETSIA), Department of Genetics and Plant Improvement, Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM), Madrid, SPAIN (2000)
Position: Research Scholar and Fellow of British Council and Fundacion Antorchas (Argentina).

The goal of this project was to determine the new physical properties of the dough made with flour from the different transgenic wheat lines expressing alleles of glutenins associated with better bread-making quality. The rheological properties of flours from five different lines of transgenic wheats that either express or over-express subunits 1Dx5 or 1Ax1 were analyzed by mixograph assays and SDS sedimentation tests. In one of the transgenic lines, the over-expression of subunit 1Dx5 resulted in a 2-fold increase in mixing time, associated with a significant improvement in dough strength, and a lower resistance breakdown, suggesting an important increase in dough quality (Alvarez et. al., 2001).
I designed all the experiments and pursed all the dough analysis with the collaboration of colleagues at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain.


Project (Ph.D Thesis): “Improvement of bread-making and nutritional quality of wheat by genetic engineering”.
Places of work:
1) Center for Biochemical and Photosynthetic Studies (CEFOBI), National University of Rosario, ARGENTINA (1995 – 2000)
2) Cell Biology Department, Institute of Arable Crops Research (IACR), Long Ashton Research Station, Bristol University, Bristol, ENGLAND (2000)
Positions:
1) Graduate Student and Doctoral Fellow from CONICET (Argentinean National Council for Scientific and Technical Research) (1995-2000)
2) Research Scholar and Fellow of British Council/ Fundación Antorchas

The main goal of this project was to improve the bread-making quality of wheat expressing high molecular weight (HMW) subunits of glutenins associated with better dough quality for bread.
Wheat HMW glutenin subunit genes 1Ax1 and 1Dx5 were introduced and either expressed or over-expressed into a commercial wheat cultivar that already expresses five subunits. Six independent transgenic wheat lines were obtained and characterized by SDS-PAGE and Southern-blot analyses. The 1Dx5 gene was over-expressed in two lines without changes in the other endosperm proteins. Two wheat lines expressed the 1Ax1 transgene with associated silencing of the 1Ax2* endogenous subunit. Southern analysis of the four events confirmed transformation and suggested that the transgenes were present in low gene copy number. Silencing of all the HMW glutenin subunits was observed in two different transgenic wheat lines expressing the 1Ax1 subunit transgene and over-expressing the 1Dx5 gene. Transgenes and expression patterns were stably transmitted to the progenies in all the events except one where in some of the segregating T2 seeds the silencing of all HMW glutenin subunits was reverted associated with a drastic loss of transgenes from a high to a low copy number.
This project was part of Dr. Alvarez's Ph.D Thesis; the results obtained were published in different journals (Alvarez et al., 2000; Alvarez et al., 2001a; Alvarez et al.,2001 b).

Project: “Study of the presence of fimbriae P in bacteria causing urinary infection”.
Place of work: Department of Microbiology, School of Biochemistry, National University of Rosario, ARGENTINA (1992-1993)
Position: Undergraduate Student and Fellow of Rosario State University Foundation.

The long term goal of this project was to study the presence of glitter cells in the urinary sediment as a marker of high urinary infection by Enterobacterias mannose resistant that express fimbriae Pap. A total of 143 Enterobactereaceae strains isolated from patients with urinary infection were classified by biochemical and serological tests. The adhesive ability of the bacteria was determined using the human red cells group A agglutination test. The erythrocytes were suspended in phosphate buffer saline (PBS) either with or without mannose for testing mannose-resistant (MR-HA) or mannose- sensitive (MS-HA) hemagglutination. The number of Escherichia coli strains that expressed mannose-resistant fimbriae was 2-fold higher than the strains with mannose-sensitive fimbriae. There was a correlation between high urinary infections produced by E. coli strains with mannose-resistant fimbriae and presence of cells with special characteristics, glitter cells, in the urinary sediment.
Dr. Alvarez isolated and characterized the bacteria causing urinary infections using biochemical and serological tests. She determined the presence of mannose-resistant fimbriae in the bacteria as well as the glitter cells in the urinary sediment (Alvarez et al., 1994).