Paco Romero

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Postdoctoral Associate

During my PhD at the Institute of Food Chemistry and Technology (IATA-CSIC), my research was focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms involved in the dehydration response and ripening of citrus fruits, with special emphasis on determining the role of the hormone abscisic acid in these processes.

Based on the idea that cuticular components are critical for limiting water loss from fruit, and thus for resisting desiccation and spoilage, the aim of my postdoc research is to uncover whether the structural and regulatory pathways that mediate their biosynthesis, transport and assembly are modulated in response to drought stress during postharvest storage, using tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and orange (Citrus sinensis) as a model systems for climacteric and non-climacteric fruits, respectively.

This proposal has been recently funded by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA, European Commission), allowing a 3-year collaboration between the Rose Lab (Cornell University) and the Postharvest Physiology, Pathology and Biotechnology Lab (IATA-CSIC). The outcomes of this proposal will represent a major advance in the understanding of the crosslink between water stress, hormone signalling, cuticle metabolism and fruit biology, and will suggest strategies for enhancing shelf life, drought hardiness and fruit quality.