Bruno Peixoto: Plant Physiology First Author

Bruno Peixoto, first author of “Impact of the SnRK1 protein kinase on sucrose homeostasis and the transcriptome during the diel cycle”

Current Position: PhD student in Dr. Elena Baena-González’s lab at the Gulbenkian Institute of Science (IGC, Oeiras, Portugal).

Education: BSc in Biology at the University of Porto, Portugal. MSc in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

Non-scientific Interests: Reading, Photography, Street art, Board and video games.

Brief Bio: I started my career as an undergraduate student in Prof. José Pissarra’s lab in 2010, where I used cardosins, aspartic proteinases from Cynara cardunculus, as study models to investigate the molecular mechanisms by which plant cells can sort proteins to the vacuole via the endomembrane system. This work relied heavily on molecular biology and imaging techniques, and cemented my desire to become a plant biologist. I continued to pursue this area of research during my MSc. During this time, I also spent some time in Prof. Paula Veríssimo’s lab, where I had my first contact with biochemistry and enzymology techniques. In 2016 I started my PhD project in Dr. Elena Baena-González’s lab. During my PhD, I investigated the functions of SnRK1-mediated energy signaling during the regular day-night cycle, uncovering a clear impact of the SnRK1 kinase on diel transcriptional patterns and on the homeostatic regulation of primary metabolism.