Proyectos

Plants, with their two-layered immune system, are equipped to combat pathogen invasion. The first layer, Pattern Triggered Immunity (PTI), is a powerful defense mechanism. It relies on Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs) to detect Microbe-Associated Molecular Patterns (MAMPs) from microbes, triggering a robust defense response. This response, including signaling cascades, gene expression changes, and production of antimicrobials and defense hormones, contributes to restricting pathogen colonization. PTI activation can trigger a systemic response known as Induced Systemic Resistance (IRS), enhancing plant defenses throughout the organism and leading to Non-Host-Resistance. The potential of PTI activation to enhance a plant's overall defensive capacity is a promising strategy to improve crop health. PTI activation at infection sites triggers the production of mobile signals within the plant, which then spread IRS throughout the plant, enhancing its overall defensive capacity. Flg22 and xyn11, two well-known MAMPs, trigger PTI in tomato, activating various defense responses and, interestingly, including IRS in tomatoes and other plants. Plant roots, often overlooked in discussions of plant immune systems, possess their own immune system, though less potent than leaves. They respond to MAMPs like Flg22 and chitin, but with weaker production of defense chemicals. Despite this difference, roots activate various defenses like PR proteins and callose deposition. Uniquely, roots secrete antifungal secondary metabolites like flavonoids. These root exudates play a crucial role in shaping the surrounding microbiome, attracting beneficial microbes, and possess antimicrobial activity itself. Studies have shown that root exudate composition can be manipulated to influence the soil microbiome and potentially enhance plant growth. This underlines the importance of considering roots in our understanding of plant immune systems, particularly how defense responses are displayed in the root after immune activation in leaves in terms of a systemic immune response. This often overlooked aspect is crucial for a comprehensive understanding of plant immunity. Plants and microbes communicate two-way, establishing an interaction, by instance, plant root exudates influence the composition of the rhizosphere microbiome, which in turn regulates plant growth and immunity. Research suggests that specific bacteria within the rhizosphere microbiome can enhance plant immunity. In fact, transplanting the microbiome from a resistant tomato variety to a susceptible one improved disease resistance. Understanding this plant-microbiome-soil interaction is crucial for developing sustainable agriculture. Our ongoing research investigates how soil type influences tomato immunity and its connection to the soil microbiome. Preliminary results show that different soil types affect the strength of plant immunity responses, even though the overall bacterial types (phyla) are similar. Interestingly, specific bacterial isolates from a soil type with higher immunity were able to directly trigger plant defense mechanisms. Unraveling the intricate interplay between soil type, the rhizosphere microbiome, and tomato immunity holds the key to unlocking sustainable and resilient agricultural practices. This proposal aims to investigate the potential of targeted Pattern-Triggered Immunity (PTI) activation in tomato leaves to enhance plant defense against diverse pathogens. We hypothesize that leaf application of microbial elicitors (flg22 and Xyn11) will trigger PTI, leading to changes in root gene expression and root exudate composition. These alterations are expected to enrich beneficial bacteria in the rhizosphere microbiome, ultimately enhancing resistance against both the foliar pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato and the soil-borne pathogen Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lycopersici. To achieve this, we have defined three specific objectives: 1) Evaluate the impact of leaf-applied elicitors on pathogen susceptibility, root gene expression, root exudate composition, and soil microbiome composition. 2) Develop synthetic exudates mimicking PTI-activated plants and construct synthetic microbial communities potentially containing beneficial bacteria. 3) Assess the effectiveness of leaf-applied elicitors and synthetic microbial communities on the root microbiome and plant health under field conditions. With this, we aim to elucidate the mechanisms by which leaf-based PTI activation influences root-level processes and shapes the rhizosphere microbiome to enhance tomato plant defense against various pathogens. The findings hold promise for developing novel and sustainable strategies for disease management in tomato production.

Slope-based Variational Analysis and Optimization

Estudio de propiedades métricas y estructurales de los espacios de Wasserstein (provenientes de la teoría de transporte óptimo), y búsqueda de aplicaciones en optimización bajo incertidumbre.

Monogenetic volcanoes are the most common expression of magmatism on the Earth’s surface, and they are found in every tectonic setting, yet key aspects of the behavior and evolution of monogenetic volcanic systems remain poorly understood. Understanding the processes that govern the evolution of monogenetic volcanoes, and the timescales over which these processes operate, is critical for hazard assessment in active distributed volcanic fields. The Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ), one of the three volcanic regions of The Andes, displays a diverse landscape characterized by historically and potentially active volcanic structures, including ~60 large stratovolcanoes, three giant silicic caldera systems, and hundreds of small eruptive centers. Even these monogenetic volcanoes are considerably smaller in size and volume, they tend to be grouped in space and time, forming distributed volcanic fields, and provide information from source to surface processes that are usually obscured by the commonly dominant more evolved compositions in the Andean arc. Among the Holocene clustered small eruptive centers within the SVZ, this project focuses on the youngest distributed volcanic field in Chile, Carrán-Los Venados, which includes not only the most recent monogenetic eruption in Chile, which occurred in 1979, but it also hosts two other historical eruptions in 1907 and 1955. The Carrán-Los Venados distributed volcanic field (CLV) has received limited attention, despite its placement at position No. 9 in the specific risk ranking of active volcanoes in Chile compiled by SERNAGEOMIN in 2020. Past research on the CLV has mostly focused on chronicling and observing the impacts of the historic eruptions. While some studies have touched upon the geochemical and tectonic aspects of the region, there remains a distinct absence of a comprehensive and cohesive examination of the entire volcanic field. Therefore, building upon previous research conducted in CLV, this project aims to tackle this knowledge gap, and we propose to carry out a detailed multi-disciplinary study (physical volcanology, petrology/geochemistry, and volcanic hazards). Primary research questions include: When did the volcanism start in CLV? What processes contribute to the formation of this volcanism, and what are the magmatic factors that influence its evolution? Where does the volcanic activity take place, and how does it manifest on the surface? What should we expect in the next eruption? To answer these questions, we propose a methodology based on deposit characterization and mapping, geochronology, morphometry, rheology, petrography, mineral chemistry, geothermobarometry and hygrometry, and geochemical characterization and modelling. The integration of these diverse datasets will provide key constraints on the sources, processes, and timescales of magma ascent and storage leading to eruption of the CLV clustered small eruptive centers and small stratovolcanoes, providing an important framework for better understanding the behavior of distributed volcanic fields globally. Furthermore, this project aims to provide valuable support to undergraduate and graduate students, who will have the unique opportunity to engage in all aspects of this research project, making it a significant component of their dissertation studies. Additionally, the study will foster ongoing international collaboration, creating avenues for future student and faculty exchanges. Moreover, it will facilitate outreach educational initiatives for the local community, including specialized seminars, thereby promoting knowledge dissemination and interactive learning experiences.

Producción Escalable de Inmunoestimulantes Nanoestructurados para el Control de Piscirickettsiosis en Salmón del Atlántico

El proyecto tiene como objetivo desarrollar e implementar modelos de aprendizaje automático (Machine Learning, ML) para analizar datos ómicos generados a partir de plantas agronómicas, con el fin de identificar patrones moleculares clave asociados a su productividad, resistencia a estreses abióticos (como sequía y salinidad) y bióticos (como plagas y enfermedades), y su adaptación a condiciones climáticas cambiantes.

The main objective of this proposal is to study the miRNA:mRNA post-transcriptional regulatory networks in non-model plant species associated with the process of climate change stress resilience.The proposal integrates the development of computational algorithms, the use of massive data of public non-coding RNA sequences, and the use of a biological model to study post-transcriptional regulatory networks (at the genome-scale) in biological processes associated with climate resilience and adaptation of endemic plant species.

Tactile sensing capabilities are crucial for manual dexterity, yet remain beyond the reach of today’s robots. While recently developed robotic skins can measure contact forces accurately, they cannot bend or stretch, and therefore they cannot cover complex robot parts, such as finger joints or deformable links. Lorenzo and team will develop an innovative skin based on magnetic technology that can measure 3D contact forces on multiple contact points, as well as bend and stretch. This will unlock full-cover articulated and soft robots, which will ultimately lead to vastly advanced robot dexterity in manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, healthcare, and beyond.

La ocurrencia de desastres asociados a amenazas naturales representa un desafío muy importante para Chile. Los frecuentes incendios en territorios forestales, los costos asociados a aluviones e inundaciones como las ocurridas en los inviernos de 2021 y de 2023 en la región de O’Higgins, e incluso la permanente amenaza de terremotos y volcanes, representan enormes costos para los territorios. Recientemente, la institucionalidad pública ha avanzado en el desarrollo de políticas de prevención de desastres con la aprobación de la Ley 21.364 (2021), creando el Sistema Nacional de Prevención y Respuesta ante Desastres (SINAPRED), sustituyendo la Oficina Nacional de Emergencia (ONEMI) por el Servicio Nacional de Prevención y Respuesta ante Desastres (SENAPRED). La ciencia tiene mucho que aportar a esta nueva institucionalidad pública. La Universidad de O’Higgins (UOH), por ejemplo, colabora con SENAPRED O’Higgins a través de la Mesa de Peligros Geológicos, instaurada el año 2021. No obstante, el desafío de la prevención de desastres y el fomento de la resiliencia necesita otras perspectivas que consideren las características de los espacios geográficos donde se producen los riesgos. Se necesita un trabajo colaborativo con la institucionalidad pública y la comunidad local, pero sobre todo, una perspectiva interdisciplinaria que aúne los conocimientos de la ciencia social y natural. La propuesta presentada busca generar una red que vincule a investigadores/as nacionales (UOH y Universidad de Chile) con investigadores de universidades de Países Bajos (Universidad Libre de Amsterdam) y Dinamarca (Universidad de Copenhague), para realizar actividades de intercambio de experiencias e investigación aplicada. Estos investigadores han logrado incidir en políticas públicas y estrategias a nivel local y regional en diversos países de Europa. Siguiendo una mirada multi-sectorial y nutridos de varias disciplinas, estos expertos han desarrollado perspectivas, herramientas y conocimientos de los cuales, sin duda, podemos aprender dada la coyuntura chilena con su nueva institucionalidad. El proyecto contempla tres etapas para crear y potenciar esta red. Primero, el equipo nacional visitar Ámsterdam y Copenhague para vincularse con equipos interdisciplinarios, intercambiando experiencias de trabajo aplicado. Destaca el trabajo que realiza el equipo de Chile con SENAPRED O’Higgins, y el trabajo aplicado en Europa con el Proyecto LINKS (https://links-project.eu/). Segundo, un experto de Europa visitará la UOH. En esta visita, el invitado participará en reuniones y talleres, y colaborará con investigación aplicada en la región. Y tercero, el proyecto realizará una serie de eventos presenciales, como un seminario nacional con el experto internacional, además de talleres aplicados con diferentes partes interesadas. A estos eventos se invitará a representantes de organismos públicos, académicos/as de otras instituciones y a la comunidad interesada en general. Como resultado, esta red permitirá: (1) intercambiar experiencias y difundir conocimiento aplicado sobre la gestión del riesgo a través de perspectivas interdisciplinarias; (3) potenciar el capital humano de estudiantes de la UOH y promover la investigación interdisciplinaria en la gestión del riesgo; y (3) crear y consolidar una entidad que visibilice el trabajo que realiza la UOH en torno a la gestión del riesgo, contribuyendo así a la reducción del riesgo de desastres a nivel regional y de la macrozona.

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