Domain of specialization My PhD thesis had a special focus on transport mechanisms and metabolism of weak carboxylic acids in yeast as well on the molecular basis underlying weak carboxylic acid resistance in yeast. Then, I was then particularly determined to exploit new analytical cytological approaches in yeast biology studies. Particularly I was interested to detect functional and structural changes in yeast induced by different stimuli; to assess the effects of fungicides on Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cycle; to determine of yeast DNA ploidy, based on the development of new DNA staining protocol; to use fluorescent proteins for in vivo monitoring of cellular processes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and in the determination of yeast antifungal susceptibility. Main scientific area of research/Other scientific areas Cellular and Molecular Biology/ Regulated Cell Death in yeast and mammalian cell lines Currently my main scientific research area is on Regulated Cell Death and on the use of yeast as a cellular model to study the biochemical/molecular mechanisms underlying this process. My research has been focused on the elucidation of apoptotic mechanisms and signalling pathways, namely those involving mitochondria membrane permeabilization and the release of apoptogenic factors, as well as the crosstalk between the mitochondria and the vacuole. My group found for the first time the release of cytochrome c and the involvement of a mitochondrial mediated pathway in yeast wild-type cells independent of the heterologous expression of Bax. These finding, as well as the organization of the 1st International Meeting on Yeast Apoptosis in Braga, which gathered several researchers that started working on this topic, were relevant contributions to the emergence of the field of yeast apoptosis. My Lab has also begun studies with mammalian cell lines and corroborated several of my major findings obtained with yeast cells, reinforcing this simple model system as a powerful tool in cell death research. In particular, the lysosomal protease Cathepsin D was shown to play a similar role in acetate-induced apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells as its orthologue Pep4p in acetic acid-induced apoptosis in yeast cells. More recently, and in collaboration with researchers from national and international institutions, I have been using yeast as an ¿in vivo¿ system for functional and molecular studies of individual mammalian apoptotic regulators, such as proteins of the Bcl-2 family and of their regulation. I am currently investigating the regulation of Bax-dependent cell death by N-terminal acetylation as well as the mechanisms underlying the anti-tumoral activity of the milk protein lactoferrin and the signaling pathways involved in acetic acid/acetate-induced cell death. My global aim is to continue elucidating the regulatory network controlling regulated cell death in living organisms, and ultimately uncover attractive molecular targets for the development of novel biobased solutions with biomedical or biotechnological applications. More recently, I have been focusing on the agriculture sustainable area, in particular on the exploration of wine yeast natural biodiversity and omics´s approaches to design strain selection strategies for their ability to cope with changes in grape must composition due to climate changes, supported by the WINE-TUNING FCT-funded project.