Comparative genomics to search for functional intra-cultivar variation in grapevine

SPEAKER: Pablo Carbonell Bejerano - Institute for Grape and Wine Sciences (ICVV, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain)

Pablo Carbonell Bejerano is permanent researcher for the Spanish National Sciences Council (SCIS) at the Institute for Grape and Wine Sciences (ICVV, Logroño, La Rioja, Spain) since April 2022. After conducting his PhD thesis at the Plant Cell and Molecular Biology Institute (IBMCP, Valencia, Spain, 2003-2008) studying the molecular control of fruit set capability in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, he performed several postdoctoral stages focused on grapevine research. Working at the Spanish National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB, Madrid, 2009-2011) he applied transcriptomics to understand grapevine berry ripening and its interaction with abiotic and biotic factors. Then he got introduced into genetics and genomics research at the ICVV (2012-2018) to identify the genetic origin of functional diversity in grapevine, including the origin of grape seedlessness and somatic variation in fruit colour. More recently, he moved to the Max Planck Institute for Biology (Tübingen, Germany, 2018-2022) to develop skills in long-read sequencing (PacBio and Nanopore) and bioinformatics to study plant genomic and epigenomic diversity, including the production of genome assemblies for relevant grapevine cultivars.

The current research lines of Pablo Carbonell at ICVV comprise the screening of improved natural somatic variants with increased agronomic quality and climate change adaptable traits in Spanish elite grapevine wine cultivars, and the search of the responsible genome and epigenome variation.

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Host: Claudio Moser