She obtained her degree in Biology from the University of Oviedo in 2016. She subsequently completed the Interuniversity Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology and Biomedicine (University of Cantabria – University of the Basque Country), carrying out her Master’s thesis under the supervision of M. Pilar Garcillán-Barcia and Fernando de la Cruz. During this time, she acquired skills in a wide variety of techniques across the fields of Microbial Genetics, Molecular Biology, Synthetic Biology, and Bioinformatics. To further complement her training, she completed an online Specialization Diploma in Bioinformatics Analysis at the University Pablo de Olavide. She is currently developing her doctoral thesis, focused on harnessing the pangenome for the genomic surveillance of Salmonella serovars, using bioinformatics approaches. Arancha has presented her work at various scientific meetings, including the XXVIII (2021) and XXIX (2023) Meetings of the Spanish National Society for Microbiology; the International Symposium Salmonella and Salmonellosis 2022; Mikrobiogune 2022 and 2024; the EMBO Workshop on Plasmids as Vehicles of AMR Spread 2023; the XIV Meeting of the Molecular Microbiology Group of SEM 2024; and the International Symposium on Plasmid Biology 2022 and 2024. She was also a recipient of an EMBO Scientific Exchange Grant (Ref. 10739, 2024).
Functional Plasmidomics
Research lines
Plasmids have long served as a powerful ally to molecular biologists, who have engineered them as cloning and expression vectors, and as a formidable foe to clinicians due to their role in antibiotic resistance dissemination. Yet, beyond this anthropocentric view, plasmids play a crucial role in bacterial evolution in the natural world. Despite their well-known and widely studied involvement in antimicrobial resistance, they harbor untold secrets about bacterial physiology and ecology, along with vast biotechnological potential waiting to be uncovered. Our lines of research include the development of bioinformatics tools to assist the genomic comparison of plasmids from various, largely underexplored bacterial phyla, harnessing the accessory genome to refine molecular epidemiology of relevant pathogens, investigating plasmid-encoded T6SSs from both a genomic and functional perspective, and developing plasmid anti-transfer strategies.
Collaborators
- Eric Cascales (Institut de Microbiologie de la Méditerranée, CNRS, France)
- Eduardo Rocha (Institut Pasteur, France)
- Kaitlin Tagg (Centers for Disease Control, USA)
- Peter Pristas (Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia)
- Tue Kjærgaard Nielsen (University of Copenhagen, Denmark)
- Manel Camps (University of California at Santa Cruz, USA)
- Damien Devos (Institut Pasteur Lille, France)
- Íñigo Lasa y Cristina Solano (Universidad Pública de Navarra, Spain)
- Francisco Rodríguez-Valera (Universidad Miguel Hernández, Spain)
- David Albesa (Instituto Biofisika, Spain)
- Jorge Calvo (Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Spain)
- Elena Cabezón (IBBTEC, Spain)
Funding
- EMBO Scientific Exchange Grants to group members Arancha Peñil Celis (Ref. 10739, 2024), María del Mar Quiñonero Coronel (Ref. 10617, 2024) and Daniel García López (Ref. 11430, 2025).
- Unravelling the Plasmidome of Extremophilic Bacteria for Biotechnological Innovation (PLASMEX) (BISAS24004). Bilateral Joint Mobility Actions CSIC-SAS 2024.
- Using the Salmonella accessory genome to pinpoint the source of human illness from chickens (75D30123P18303). 2023-2024. Centers for Disease Control (USA).
- Novel Bacterial Polymers: Exploiting the Green Commons (TED2021-129640B-I00). Proyecto de Transición Ecológica y Transición Digital 2021. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and NextGenerationEU.
- Plasmid supremacy (PID2020-117923GB-I00). I+D Projects 2020. Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación.
- Nanocursos en Biociencias. IV Call Formavanz Programme. Fundación General CSIC.
