Dr María Florencia (Flor) Bogino Research Portfolio
Research Interests
The natural sciences have fascinated me for as long as I can remember. However, during the first years of my biology degree, I discovered how amazing plants are. Throughout evolution, they have developed an extraordinary array of biochemical reactions and signalling networks that allow them to survive in a changing environment despite being unable to “run away” from it. In particular, I am interested in how plants defend themselves against stressful situations, for example when they are attacked by pathogenic microbes.
Current Research
I recently joined the Schornack group as a postdoctoral researcher, with the aim of better understanding how plant pathogens manipulate the plant’s secretion of defence components to facilitate successful infection. To address this, I use a broad range of microscopy and biochemical approaches.
Visualisation of the plant cell secretory endomembrane system using a secreted Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) reporter (pTrafficLights, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-017-0379-1). Scale bar represents 20 µm.
Previous Research
I completed my undergraduate and doctoral studies at the National University of Córdoba, Argentina. In my undergraduate thesis, I studied the effects of allantoin accumulation during oxidative stress in plants. During my PhD, I focused on effector proteins from the filamentous plant pathogens Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis and Golovinomyces orontii, and their impact on plant development and immunity.
The expression of the effector HaRxL106 from Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis alters plant development depending on the transcription factor BIM1. Scale bar represents 2 cm.
Publications
Bogino, M.F., Lapegna Senz, J.M., Tamagnone, N., Kourdova, L. T., Romanowski, A., Wirthmueller, L., Fabro G. An oomycete effector that induces shade avoidance like growth and suppresses plant defenses targets the AUX/IAA protein IAA11(2025). bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.02.06.636700
Kourdova, L. T. †, Mottola, M. †, Peppino Margutti, M. Y., Bogino, M. F., Maritano, P., Vico, R., Ambroggio, E. E., Blanco-Herrera, F., Fanani, M. L.*, and Fabro, G*. Rhamnolipid-stabilized nanoemulsions containing essential oils as biopesticides and biostimulants of the plant immune system. (2025). Agronomy. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040824. († Co-first authors, * Co-corresponding authors)
Bogino, M.F., Lapegna Senz, J.M., Kourdova, L. T., Tamagnone, N., Romanowski, A., Wirthmueller, L.*, Fabro G*. Downy mildew effector HaRxL106 interacts with the transcription factor BIM1 altering plant growth, BR signaling and susceptibility to pathogens. (2024) The Plant Journal. https://doi.org/10.1111/tpj.17159. (* Co-corresponding authors)
Mottola, M. #, Bertolino, M. C. #, Kourdova, L. T.#, Valdivia Pérez, J. A., Bogino, M. F., Nocelli, N. E., Chaveriat, L., Martin, P., Vico, R.V., Fabro, G.*, and Fanani, M. L*. Nanoemulsions of synthetic rhamnolipids act as plant resistance inducers without damaging plant tissues or affecting soil microbiota. (2023). Frontiers in Plant Science, Q1, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2023.1195718. (* Co-corresponding authors, # Co-first authors)
Lescano, I., Bogino, M. F., Martini, C., Tessi, T. M., González, C. A., Schumacher, K., & Desimone, M. Arabidopsis thaliana Ureide Permease 5 (AtUPS5) connects cell compartments involved in Ureide metabolism. (2020) Plant Physiology: https://doi.org/10.1104/pp.19.0113.