MauricioAntunesAssociate Professor- Plant Molecular BiologyBiochemistry and Molecular Biology,Biotechnology,Faculty,Genetics,Plant Biologymauricio.antunes@unt.edu940-369-5457126 Science Research Building

Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyBiotechnologyFacultyGeneticsPlant Biologyhttp://bdi.unt.edu/mauricio-antunes Highlights:  Dr. Antunes’ research interests include plant molecular biology, synthetic biology and biotechnology. Antunes Lab Page Google Scholar Dr. Mauricio Antunes teaches classes in the following subjects: general biology, biochemistry & molecular biology, and a molecular microbiology research laboratory. Degrees: Doctor of Philosophy in Plant Molecular Biology, Purdue University Master of Science in Crop Production, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil Bachelor of Science in Agronomy, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil Experience: Antunes' specific research projects are in the following topics: Synthetic transcriptional and post-transcriptional control systems modulated by inputs. Small RNAs as mobile signaling molecules in plants. Engineering complex synthetic genetic circuits to improve plant production and biosynthesis. Re-wiring metabolic pathways in plants using gene regulatory controls. Selected Publications: Strader, L.C.; Chen, T.; Dong, X.; Edwards, D.; Sureshkumar, S.; Balasubramanian, S.; Antunes, M.S.; Zebluim, L.; Chaisupa, P.; Wright, R.C. (2025) Core biological principles and tools stemming from basic Arabidopsis research. The Plant Cell 37(7): koaf141. https://doi.org/10.1093/plcell/koaf141 Kassaw, T.K.; Xu, W.; Zalewski, C.S.; Kiwimagi, K.; Weiss, R.; Antunes, M.S.; Prasad, A.; Medford, J.I. (2025) Genetic Toggle Switch in Plants. ACS Synthetic Biology, 14(6):1988-2001. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.4c00777 Ferreira, S.S; Pandey, S.; Hemminger, J.; Bozdag, S.; Antunes, M.S. (2025) Early changes in microRNA expression in Arabidopsis plants infected with the fungal pathogen Fusarium graminearum. PLoS ONE 20(2): e0318532. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0318532 Ferreira, S.S.; Antunes, M.S. (2024) Genetically encoded Boolean logic operators to sense and integrate phenylpropanoid metabolite levels in plants. New Phytologist, 243(2): 674-687. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.19823 Anderson, C.E.; Ferreira, S.S.; Antunes, M.S. (2023) Integration of multiple stress signals in plants using synthetic Boolean logic gates. Plant Physiology, 192(4): 3189-3202. https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiad254 Ferreira, S.S.; Anderson, C.E.; Antunes, M.S. (2023) A logical way to reprogram plants. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 654: 80-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.02.080 Amack, S.C.; Ferreira, S.S.; Antunes, M.S. (2023) Tuning the Transcriptional Activity of the CaMV 35S Promoter in Plants by Single-Nucleotide Changes in the TATA Box. ACS Synthetic Biology 12(1): 178-185. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssynbio.2c00457 Ferreira, S.S.; Antunes, M.S. (2021) Re-engineering plant phenylpropanoid metabolism with the aid of synthetic biosensors. Frontiers in Plant Science 12:701385. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.701385 Amack, S.C.; Antunes, M.S. (2020) CaMV35S promoter - A plant biology and biotechnology workhorse in the era of synthetic biology. Current Plant Biology 24: 100179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpb.2020.100179 Kassaw, T.K.; Donayre-Torres, A.J.; Antunes, M.S.; Morey, K.J.; Medford, J.I. (2018) Engineering Synthetic Regulatory Circuits in Plants. Plant Science 273: 13-22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plantsci.2018.04.005 Bick, M.J.; Greisen, P.J.; Morey, K.J.; Antunes, M.S.; La, D.; Sankaran, B.; Reymond, L.; Johnsson, K.; Medford, J.I.; Baker, D. (2017) Computational design of environmental sensors for the potent opioid fentanyl. eLife 6: e28909. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.28909