Juan Pablo SANCHEZ. Ph.D. Molecular Biology U. Cornell. Associate Professor, University of Tarapaca . Postdoctoral fellow and Associated in the Rockefeller University- Head of the Plant Biotechnology Center For Arid Zones

Dr. Sánchez has recently joined our Institute as Associate Investigator after working for six years at Rockefeller University in New York in the laboratory of Dr. Nam-Hai Chua, who is one of the world authorities in the fields of plant molecular biology and biotechnology. Dr. Sánchez determined new components of the signal transduction of ABA and stress response in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. In addition, together with Sangamo Corp, Dr. Sánchez developed a zinc finger chimera technology for a targeted gene expression regulation of genes of interest, a technology that currently hold two patents in the plant field. Furthermore, Dr. Sánchez has participated in several genomic projects in collaboration with Dupont (Pioneer Hybrid) and Rockefeller University. This project used microarray and MPSS technology for expression profiling of plant stress and hormonal responses.

ACADEMIC POSITIONS

Associate Professor Universidad de Tarapacá. Head of the Plant Biotechnology Center For Arid Zones

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Ishiai, M., Sánchez, J.P., Amin. A, Mukarami, Y. and Hurwitz. J. (1996). Purification, gene cloning and reconstitution of the heterotrimeric single-stranded DNA binding protein from Schizosaccharomyces pombe.J.Bio.Chem., 271, pp20868-20878.

Sánchez, J.P., Murakami, Y., Huberman, J.A. and Hurwitz. J.(1998). Isolation, characterization and molecular cloning of a protein (Abp2) that binds to a Schizosaccharomyces pombe origin of replication (ars3002 ). Molecular and Cellular Biology. 18. P1670-1681

Sánchez, J.P., and Chua.N.H.(2001). Arabidopsis PLC1 is required for secondary responses to abscisic acid signals. Plant Cell, Vol. 13, 1143–1154.

Lemichez, E. , Wu, Y., Sánchez, J.P., Mettouchi,A. and Chua,N-H. (2001). Inactivation of AtRac1 by abscisic acid is essential for stomatal closure. Genes & Develop 15:1808 –1816.

Sánchez, J.P., Ullman, C., Moore, M., Choo,Y. and Chua. N.H.(2002) Regulation of gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana by artificial zinc finger chimeras. Plant Cell Physiol. 43, 1465-1472.

Hoth,S., Morgante,M., Sánchez, J.P., Hanafey, M., Tingey, S. and Chua.N.H.(2002) Genome-wide gene expression profiling in Arabidopsis thaliana reveals new targets of abscisic acid and largely impaired gene regulation in the abi1-1 mutant. J. Cell Science 115, 4891-4900.Wu, Y., Sánchez, J.P., Lopez-Molina , L., Himmelbach,A., Grill,E.and Chua,N-H. (2003). The abi1-1 mutation blocks ABA signaling downstream of cADPR action Plant Journal 34, 307-315.

PATENTS

US patent application serial N:09/732,348. Regulation gene expression in plants.

Regulations of gene expression in plants by proteins design to bind to a desired DNA sequence basic in a zinc finger domain. DNA binding protein that specifically recognized predetermined sequence can be modified to carry an activator or repressor domain.

International application PCT/US01/02051. Regulation gene expression in plants by zinc finger chimeras