MontieLab
Centre for Genomic Sciences (CCG)
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
(UNAM)
About Us
The group was started on March 2022, headed by Dr. Jesús Montiel González. The group belongs to the program Functional Genomics of Eukaryotes, in the prestigious Centre for Genomic Sciences (https://www.ccg.unam.mx/) of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). The centre is located in Cuernavaca, México and possess funding and infrastructure necessary to develop high-impact research.
Research Projects available for thesis and Experimental stays
Research Interest
Our group aims to identify and characterize molecular components recruited during symbiotic associations that legumes establish with soil bacteria called rhizobia for biological nitrogen fixation, and with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for phosphorus assimilation.
For this purpose, we employ comprehensive approaches that include diverse microscopy techniques, molecular biology, transcriptomics, isolation and characterization of plant mutants. Our working models include the model legume Lotus japonicus and bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), this later the most relevant legume crop in México. These projects are carried out in continuous collaboration with different national and international research groups.
Dr. Jesús Montiel González
(Principal Investigator)
Jesús Montiel is a biologist graduated from Benemerita Universidad Autonoma de Puebla. Since his graduate studies have covered diverse angles of the legume-Rhizobia relationship in prestigious research institutes: Institute of Biotechnology (UNAM), Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Polytechnic University of Madrid and Aarhus University, Denmark.
Since March 2022, Jesús Montiel joined the program Functional Genomics of Eukaryotes at the Centre for Genomic Sciences, developing different research lines to elucidate the molecular components employed by legume roots to facilitate the colonization of symbiotic microorganisms. The different projects involve the characterization of legume genes (Lotus or common bean) involved in various biological processes such as cell-wall remodelling proteins, transcriptional regulators, among others… For this purpose, plant molecular biology, bioinformatics, and microscopy techniques (optical and confocal) are used in homozygous mutants affected in genes-of-interest. These projects are carried out in coordination with different collaborators from national and foreign research centres.
