Our laboratory is interested in determining gene regulatory networks controlling plant responses to nutrient availability, as well as their interaction with other organisms such as fungi. To address our research questions, we use integrative approaches that combine the use of omics data, regulatory network modeling and experimental validations using molecular biology tools in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, as well as in crops such as Solanum lycopersicum. Our current research lines are:

Gene regulatory networks of the nutrient response in plants

Nutrients such as Nitrogen, Sulfur are key controllers of plant growth and development. However, plants are often exposed to soils with limiting amounts of nutrients for their optimal growth. Current agronomic practices employ huge amounts of fertilizers to maintain crop productivity, causing damages to ecosystems and the environment. In order to propose novel strategies to help plants cope with nutritional limitations, it is of paramount importance to understand how plants sense and respond to nutrients. Using omics approaches and network biology approaches, we are determining gene expression regulators (transcription factors, epigenetic factors, small RNAs) playing central roles in nutrient-dependent gene expression control in plants.

Plant-Fungi inter-species interactions

We aim to unravel how plants respond to changes in their environment and how their interaction with other organisms may aid to the development of new technologies to maximize crop yields in Chile —a developing country in which agriculture is an important economic area. For instance, while pathogenic fungi may cause severe losses to crops, other plant-fungal interactions result in improved plant growth, tolerance to stress and nutrient acquisition. Consequently, understanding the molecular bases of the plant-fungi interactions is key to biotechnological improvement of the Chilean industry. In this research line we are conducting basic and applied research to 1. Determine the role of plant and fungal sRNAs on organism gene expression regulation and growth and on inter-species communication 2. Identify fungal species that boost plant growth in normal and stressful conditions 3. Identify fungal communities associated with the rhizosphere of plants living in extreme conditions.

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Biography

Dr. Vidal obtained her Doctorate degree in Biological Sciences from P. Universidad Católica de Chile (PUC) working with Dr. Rodrigo A. Gutiérrez in the identification of the small RNA and mRNA components of the transcriptome in response to nitrate in Arabidopsis thaliana. After finishing her Doctorate, Dr. Vidal worked as an Adjunct Researcher in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology in PUC, supported by an Academy Insertion Fellowship (Proyecto Bicentenario de Ciencia y Tecnología). As an Adjunct Researcher, she led different investigations related to the identification of gene regulatory networks controlled by Nitrogen in plants. Dr. Vidal joins the Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics in 2016 as an assistant professor and is appointed Center Director in 2019. Dr. Vidal is currently Associate Professor in U. Mayor, Associate Researcher of the Millennium Institute for Integrative Biology iBio, Deputy Director of Anillo ACT210007 and has participated as Principal Investigator of different projects (FONDECYT 11121225, FONDECYT 1170926, FONDECYT 1211130, REDES180097, FONDEQUIP210208).

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Selected publications

1. Contreras-López, O.+, Vidal, E.A.+, Riveras, E.+, Álvarez, J.M.+, Moyano, T.C.+, Sparks, E., Medina, J., Pasquino, A., Benfey, P.N., Coruzzi, G.M., Gutiérrez, R.A., 2022, Spatiotemporal analysis identifies ABF2 and ABF3 as key hubs of endodermal response to nitrate. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 119, e2107879119. +These authors contributed equally to this work
2. Olivares-Yañez, C., Sánchez, E., Pérez-Lara, G., Seguel, A., Camejo, P.Y., Larrondo, L.F., Vidal, E.A.*, Canessa, P.*, 2021, A comprehensive transcription factor and DNA-binding motif resource for the construction of gene regulatory networks in Botrytis cinerea and Trichoderma atroviride. Comput. Struct. Biotechnol. J. 19, 6212-6228. *Co-corresponding authors
3. Canales, J.*, Uribe, F., Henríquez-Valencia, C., Lovazzano, C., Medina, J., Vidal, E.A.*, 2020, Transcriptomic Analysis at Organ and Time Scale Reveals Gene Regulatory Networks Controlling the Sulfate Starvation Response of Solanum lycopersicum. BMC Plant Biol 20, 385. *Co-corresponding authors
4. Vidal, E.A., Moyano, T.C., Riveras, E., Contreras-López, O., Gutiérrez, R.A., 2013, Systems approaches map regulatory networks downstream of the auxin receptor AFB3 in the nitrate response of Arabidopsis thaliana roots. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, 110(31):12840-5
5. Vidal, E.A., Araus, V., Lu, C., Parry, G., Green, P.J., Coruzzi, G.M., and Gutiérrez, R.A., 2010, Nitrate-responsive miR393/AFB3 regulatory module controls root system architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 107, 4477-4482