Prof. Dr. José L. Caballero

Prof. Dr. José L. Caballero got his PhD in 1986 working on the E. coli RDP reductase/DNA replication complex interaction. At the early nineties, he moves to David Hopwood´s Lab at John Innes Centre, Norwich-UK, where he spent more than four years working on polyketide antibiotic metabolism and molecular production in Streptomyces. There, he got into close contact with prestigious plant molecular researchers. Back to University of Córdoba, Spain, he remains as Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. Since 1994, together with Prof. J. Muñoz-Blanco, coordinates the Research Team Group-BIO278 “Biotecnología & Farmacognosia Vegetal” from Junta Andalucía, Spain, mainly involved in the molecular events underlaying the fruit ripening process and plant defense mechanisms to pathogens in strawberry and olive. Prof. Dr. José L. Caballero is a great expert in molecular biology, cloning and strawberry plant transformation techniques with more than seventy-five relevant articles published in reputable International Journals. Also, he maintains a close collaborative research with industrial partners and International Labs from EU and USA. Among his relevant goals achieved over the years:

1. first time identification of genes related to the biosynthesis of actinorhodin antibiotic in S. coelicolor;
2. characterization of control, transport and resistance genes to this antibiotic as a model system for polyketide antibiotics;
3. first time identification of strawberry genes related to ripening process and defence to C. acutatum, causing anthracnose;
4. functional characterization of fruit cell wall softening and defense genes in strawberry.