Contact Dr Hernandez-Verdeja
Email: t.hernandez-verdeja@lancaster.ac.uk
Lancaster Environment Centre
Lancaster University
Lancaster, LA1 4YQ
United Kingdom
Twitter: @tamara_hverdeja
Research interests
My broad research interest is to understand the molecular mechanisms that regulate plant development in response to environmental cues and challenges. In the course of my career I have successfully investigated this problem from physiological, biochemical, molecular and genetic perspectives using the model organisms Arabidopsis and poplar. Although chloroplast biogenesis and function are essential and required for proper plant development and adaptation to environmental stresses, the molecular mechanisms and their potential applications in crop biotechnology remain largely unexplored. My previous research focused on plastid-to-nucleus signalling during chloroplast biogenesis, and currently I’m working on the UKRI program to engineer C2 photosynthesis in C3 crops.
Publications
- Hernández-Verdeja, T. & Lundgren, M. R. (2023) GOLDEN2-LIKE transcription factors: A golden ticket to improve crops? Plants People Planet. Link
- Hernández-Verdeja, T.; Vuorijoki, L., Jin, X., Vergara, A., Dubreuil, C. & Strand, Å. (2022) GENOMES UNCOUPLED 1 plays a key role during the de-etiolation process in Arabidopsis. New Phytologist, 169: 397-406. Link
- Hernández-Verdeja, T.; Vuorijoki, L. & Strand, Å. (2020) Emerging from the darkness: interplay between light and plastid signaling during chloroplast biogenesis. Physiologia Plantarum, 169: 397-406. Link
- Catalá, R.; Carrasco-López, C; Perea-Resa, C.; Hernández-Verdeja, T. & Salinas, J. (2019) Emerging roles of LSM complexes in posttranscriptional regulation of plant responses to abiotic stress. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, 167. Link
- Diaz, MG.*; Hernández-Verdeja, T.*; Kremnev, D.; Crawford, T.; Dubreuil, C. & Strand, Å. (2018) Redox regulation of PEP activity during seedling establishment in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nature Communications, 9:50. *These authors contributed equally to this work. Link
- Hernández-Verdeja, T. & Strand, Å. (2018) Retrograde signals navigate the path to chloroplast development. Plant Physiology, 176:967-976. Link
- Triozzi, P.; Ramos-Sánchez, J.M.; Hernández-Verdeja, T.; Moreno-Cortes, A.; Allona, I. & Perales, M. (2018) Photoperiodic regulation of shoot apical growth in poplar. Frontiers in Plant Science, 9, 1030. Link
- Carrasco-López, C.*; Hernández-Verdeja, T.*; Perea-Resa, C.; Abia, D.; Catalá, R. & Salinas, J. (2017) Environment-dependent regulation of spliceosome activity by the LSM2-8 complex in Arabidopsis. Nucleic Acids Research, 45:7416-7431. *These authors contributed equally to this work. Link
- Moreno-Cortes, A.; Ramos-Sánchez, J.M.; Hernández-Verdeja, T.; González-Melendi, P.; Alves, A.; Simoes, R.; Rodrigues, J.C.; Guijarro, M.; Canellas, I.; Sixto, H. & Allona, I. (2017) Impact of RAV1-engineering on poplar biomass production: a short-rotation coppice field trial. Biotechnology for Biofuels, 10:110. Link
- Perea-Resa, C.*; Hernández-Verdeja, T.*; López-Cobollo, R.; Castellano, M. M. & Salinas, J. (2012) LSM proteins provide accurate splicing and decay of selected transcripts to ensure normal Arabidopsis development. Plant Cell, 24:4930-4947. *These authors contributed equally to this work. Link
- Moreno-Cortés, A.; Hernández-Verdeja, T.; Sánchez-Jiménez, P.; González-Melendi, P.; Aragoncillo, C. & Allona, I. (2012) CsRAV1 induces sylleptic branching in hybrid poplar. New Phytologist, 194:83-90. Link
Professional experience
- Postdoctoral researcher. Lancaster University, UK. 2021 – present.
- Postdoctoral researcher. Umea Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Sweden. 2015 – 2020.
- Graduate researcher. Centre for Plant Biotechnology and Genomics (CBGP), Spain. 2011 – 2014.
- PhD candidate. National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology and Center for Biological Research (INIA and CIB) Spain. 2007 – 2011.
- Undergraduate collaboration fellow. Complutense University (UCM) Spain. 2001 – 2002.
Education
- PhD in Biology. Complutense University (UCM), Spain. 2014.
- Master of Advanced Studies in Genetics and Cellular Biology. Complutense University (UCM), Spain. 2005.
- Degree in Biology. Complutense University (UCM), Spain. 2002.