The Plant Nutrition research group at CIBIO-BIOPOLIS, University of Porto, works on plant metal micronutrients, in particular zinc. We investigate how plants sense zinc status and regulate an adequate zinc supply. This research is based on our previous discoveries that the transcription factors bZIP19 and bZIP23, in the model Arabidopsis thaliana, are major regulators of zinc homeostasis, with a dual role as zinc sensors and key regulators of the response to zinc deficiency. 

Plant nutrition is of major importance within Plant Sciences, with implications in agriculture, biotechnology and food production. Understanding how plants acquire, transport and distribute mineral nutrients helps optimizing plant growth, improving production of sustainable and nutritious crops, and also adapting agricultural practices to soil and ecosystems protection and climate change.

Our main interests are: 

Our research has shown that F-bZIP-based control of zinc homeostasis is a tractable module for evolutionary and functional studies (reviewed in Assunção 2022, Planta). We continue to advance fundamental knowledge on plant micronutrient regulation, and applying that knowledge to improve the nutritional value of crops (biofrotification) and their adaptation to nutrient-poor soils, thus contributing for a more sustainable agriculture and healthier human nutrition.