Lab Members | Dinkova S Lab

Tzvetanka Dimitrova Dinkova - PI

She is a Mexican scientist specialized in the study of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of plants. Her research focuses on understanding the mechanisms by which plants can modulate the expression of their genes, primarily focusing on early development (embryogenesis) and biotic and abiotic stress during the process of protein production (translation). In parallel, she conducts studies on genetic and epigenetic regulation mediated by small RNAs (sRNAs) during processes of cellular dedifferentiation for plant genetic transformation.

Ernesto Vázquez Chimalhua ( Postdoc)

He is a biologist graduated from the UMSNH, currently doing a postdoctoral stay where he studies the initiation factors of the eiF4e translation and the eiF(iso)4e isoform in the root development of A. thaliana during cold acclimation.

Marlon Adrián Pulido Torres
(PhD student)

He is a biologist graduated from the National University of Colombia. He is a doctoral student and is interested in plant translation regulation and cytoplasmic condensates involved in stress response and development.

Tania Coral Viruel Ramírez
(PhD student)

She is a biologist graduated from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, she has a master's degree in biological sciences from UNAM and is currently PhD student in biological sciences. She analyzes the expression pattern of auxin response factors (transcriptional activating or repressing factors) that could be important for somatic embryogenesis of corn, both in induction and plant regeneration of the VS-535 variety.

Emmanuel Nahum Zambrano Zepeda (Masters student)

He is an engineer in food biotechnology from the Polytechnic University of Puebla and is currently a master's student. Nahum studies the function of microRNAs in maize somatic embryogenesis. Through the STTM (short tandem target mimics) technique, he captured miR528 and miR156 from maize to disable them and observe the change in the post-transcriptional regulation of their target genes in embryogenic callus of tuxpeño maize VS-535.

Itzel García Bravo (Masters student)

She studied biotechnology engineering at the University of Papaloapan, Oaxaca and is currently a master's student. During her career she became interested in studying mexican plants to seek to maintain food security in the face of adverse conditions such as climate change and the uncontrolled use of pesticides. To this end, her study has been based on the herbicidal properties of extracts from mexican tropical plants and is currently studying the response to heat in mexican varieties of maize.

Paola I. Aguirre (Masters student)

She is a chemical pharmacobiologist graduate from the School of Chemistry, UNAM. She is interested in understanding genetic and epigenetic regulation in plants. Currently studying the function of microRNAs in response to stress in plants, particularly the function of maize miR528 and its heterologous expression in A. thaliana.

Aldo Gariglio (Masters student)

Biologist and economist with passion in plant biology, bioeconomy and biotechnology, seeking to find biosustainable solutions to global environmental issues and challenges. He is currently a master's student and his project is focused on analyzing auxin signaling during the different stages of maize somatic embryogenesis

Karen Quiroz Nuñez
(Undergraduate student)

Karen is a Chemistry undergraduate student, her work focuses on the variation of protein expression in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings during heat stress, comparing a wild line against a mutant lacking 4EHP

María Manuela Nájera
(Academic Technician)

She is a master in biochemistry sciences. In the laboratory she is in charge of analyzing the alternative splicing of a TOR subunit (LST8) in maize. In addition, Manuela has a lot of experience in plant science and helps all members of the laboratory with her knowledge in biochemistry and molecular biology techniques.