Functional Genomics in Medicago truncatula: Methods and Protocols

Dr. Luis A. Cañas is a Staff Scientist of The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Institute for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology (IBMCP) of Valencia. While working in the Plant Molecular Biology Dep. at the University of Georgia (Athens, USA), he evaluated the use of floral-specific monoclonal antibodies as molecular markers to study floral organ development. On his return to Spain, he was firstly working at the Biological Research Center (CIB, CSIC) in Madrid and finally he became staff scientist of the CSIC at the IBMCP. Work in his lab is focused in the study of the MADS-box regulatory genes involved in floral organ development in legumes, using Medicago truncatula as model system and integrating molecular evolution approaches to determine their mode of evolution after duplication.

Dr. José Pío Beltrán is Professor of The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) at the Institute for Plant Cell and Molecular Biology (IBMCP) of which he wasthe founder. While working at the Max Planck Institute für Züchtungsforschung (Köln, Germany) he isolated the gene Deficiens from Antirrhinum majus, the first floral organ identity homeotic gene to be discovered. He has been investigating for more than thirty years on floral and fruit development in legumes, especially in Medicago truncatula. He has been the President of the Federation of European Societies of Plant Biology (FESPB) as well as the President of the European Plant Science Organization (EPSO).