John Délano-Frier
John Paul Délano-Frier, Ph.D., is a Research Professor in the Biotechnology and Biochemistry Department of Cinvestav, at Irapuato, Guanajuato, México. Dr. Délano-Frier’s laboratory engages in different lines of inquiry that have a unifying principle based on a better understanding of biotic and abiotic stress mechanisms in plants, using conventional and non-conventional plant models such as Arabidopsis thaliana, tomato, tobacco, chilli pepper, grain amaranth (e.g., Amaranthus hypochondriacus and others) and husk tomato (Physalis spp.), among others. Part of this work involves the study of the bioactive peptide, systemin, and its precursor, the intrinsically disordered prosystemin protein, not only as regulators of both defense responses against chewing insects and necrotrophic fungi, but also of beneficial interactions with growth-promoting rhizobacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. His research is focused, as well, on the characterization of unknown function genes, mostly identified in grain amaranths. Dr. Délano-Frier studied Food Science and Technology at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, at Guaymas, Sonora, México. He later obtained his master´s degree in Food Science at The University of Reading, United Kingdom, and subsequently shifted his interest to stress-related plant physiology after attaining his PhD at Washington State University, under the supervision of the late Dr. Clarence Ryan.