The Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) is an independent organization established as a Consortium of four main research institutions: the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA), Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), and University of Barcelona (UB).
This innovative arrangement brings together diverse plant and farm animal research groups, and provides a unique nurturing ground for research and training, exploring the genetic and genomic determinants that are common for plants and animals. CRAG is devoted to leading-edge research in the molecular basis of genetic characters of interest in plants and farm animals, and in the applications of molecular approaches for breeding of species important for agriculture and food production. Research at CRAG spans from primarily basic science to applied studies in close collaboration with Industry. The Center is organized into four different Scientific Programs: Plant Development and Signal Transduction, Plant Responses to Stress, Plant Synthetic Biology and Metabolic Engineering, and Plant and Animal Genomics. These Programs are supported by several state-of-the-art technological platforms, that are also open to the wider scientific community.
CRAG strives to translate the results of its research into benefits for society. It also aims to train the next generation of plant and farm animal scientists, who will play a vital role in helping to address the societal and global challenges of this century.
The research at the Plant and Animal Genomics Programme is mainly focused on understanding the organization, evolution and variability of the genomes of crops and domestic animals, unveiling their domestication process and elucidating the genetic basis of traits important for crop and livestock improvement.
The Programme is structured in six research groups, which routinely use a wide range of genetic, genomic, paleogenomic, bioinformatic, statistical, population genetics and phenotypic approaches in crops such as melon, peach, apple, strawberry and wheat, and livestock species such as pig and goat, among others. We develop bioinformatics methodologies and software tools for genome data analysis. We also apply gene editing technologies for the functional validation of candidate genes for traits of interest.
The main objective of the Plant and Animal Genomics Programme is translating genomic information into phenotypes, for this reason some of our research activities are applied to commercial breeding programmes in collaboration with private companies and public institutions.
The intern shall be given the opportunity to join the following research groups:
From June 10 to September 1, 2024 (adjustable at the discretion of the organisation)
Plants are a primary source of nutrients, chemicals, and materials for humans. Our program aims to generate fundamental knowledge on plant physiology and metabolism and to use this knowledge to improve crops through plant synthetic and metabolic engineering approaches. We are interested in deciphering the control of primary and secondary metabolism for the production of high-quality bioproducts and the enhancement of plant performance and yield. Furthermore, by using a synthetic biology framework, we aim to contribute to the advancement of basic plant research and provide novel biotechnological tools.
In particular, our Program addresses the study of the regulation of isoprenoid and lignin biosynthetic pathways, the organization of the cell endomembrane system, the fixation of carbon through photosynthesis, and the development of microalgae as a bioengineering and synthetic biology platform. These pathways and processes impact yield, fruit and seed quality, nutritional content, digestibility, bioenergetic value, and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. Our work aims to develop technologies to reprogram plant cells, including the design of genetic circuits for fine tuning gene expression, the design of novel metabolic pathways, and the use of plant cells as biofactories to express molecules of therapeutic interest.
The experimental approaches emerge from the biochemistry, genetics, molecular, and cell biology fields, and include advanced plant/microalgae system methodologies with transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic analyses. A substantial part of the research activities is performed in well-established models (Marchantia or Arabidopsis), crop plants (tomato, rice, and maize), and microalgae (Chlamydomonas and Chlorella).
The intern shall be given the opportunity to join the following research groups:-
From June 10 to September 1, 2024 (adjustable at the discretion of the organisation)
The goal of our research programme is to understand how plants respond to stresses caused by biotic and abiotic factors. We study how plants recognize pathogens and sense adverse environmental conditions, how these signals are transduced and which physiological and biochemical responses to stress are triggered. We also investigate the biological cycle of relevant pathogens and the genes that control their virulence.
The teams in our programme work on different crops (rice, melon, solanaceous plants, etc.), as well as on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana studying their interaction with important plant pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, fungi and oomycetes. We study antimicrobial peptide production, transcriptional and posttranscriptional regulation of plant defence responses, and cell death in disease resistance. Our research also aims at understanding the interactions between defence and development and plant responses to combined stresses.
In collaboration with agro-biotech companies, we also devote our efforts to apply the acquired knowledge to obtain crops with enhanced resistance to pathogens and better adapted to changing environmental conditions.
The intern shall be given the opportunity to join the following research groups:
From June 10 to September 1, 2024 (adjustable at the discretion of the organisation)
Plants are highly influenced by the surrounding environmental changes, which shape growth and development over the entire plant life cycle. Elucidating how internal and external cues are coordinated to spatially and temporally regulate plant development is essential for understanding plant optimum fitness and reproductive success.
Research in our Program aims to gain in-depth fundamental knowledge on the molecular and cellular determinants governing plant signaling and development. We use multifaceted and integrative approaches, from cells, tissues and organs all the way to the whole plant. Our research focuses on environmental cues, mainly light and temperature, and endogenous pathways such as hormone and circadian signalling, to examine their effect on multiple developmental processes, from seed germination or root development to floral induction. Molecular mechanisms involving non-coding RNA molecules and post-translational regulation of protein function are also topics covered in our Program. We employ a combination of molecular, genetic, biochemical, and computational approaches using Arabidopsis thaliana as well as a variety of other species such as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Sorghum bicolor.
Ultimately, our Program aims to obtain a comprehensive understanding of how plants grow, develop and evolve in coordination with the surrounding environment. The drastic environmental changes imposed by climate alteration negatively impact the productivity of agronomically important crops. A detailed and predictive understanding of plant growth and development will be essential to tackle these negative effects.
The intern shall be given the opportunity to join the following research groups:
From June 10 to September 1, 2024 (adjustable at the discretion of the organisation)