Maria Pequito Luís (BC1A-192D-725C)

Curriculum Vitae

Maria Pequito Luís

Maria is a PhD student with a robust background in host-pathogen interactions, with a BSc in Cell and Molecular Biology and a MSc in Molecular Genetics and Biomedicine (NOVA FCT). During her PhD at the Infection Biology Lab (FCT NOVA) Maria is studying and characterizing the function of Chlamydia trachomatis proteins, namely a secreted protein proposed to act on the host cell microtubules. During this time, Maria gained experience in infection assays using mammalian cell lines, in molecular genetics and in immunofluoresence microscopy. She has one first author publication, where she characterized the function of the C. trachomatis effector protein IncM, and two co-authored publications, concerning the association of C. trachomatis effectors with lipid droplets or with the human centrosomal protein CCDC146. Maria presented her work in talks at the "FEMS 2019 - 8th Congress of European Microbiologists" (Glasgow, UK) and at the "International Intracellular Bacteria Meeting 2022" (Lausanne, Switzerland). In the latter she was honored with the third-best oral presentation award. In addition, at the Microbiotec 2021 National Congress (Lisbon, Portugal), Maria received the best poster communication award. Maria has also assisted in the supervision of undergraduate and master students.

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Identification

Personal identification

Full name: Maria Pequito Luís
Date of birth: 1995/10/09
Gender: Female

Citation names

Luís, Maria P.

Author identifiers

Ciência ID: BC1A-192D-725C
ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9449-7908

Email addresses

ms.luis@campus.fct.unl.pt (Professional)

Knowledge fields

Natural sciences - Biological Sciences - Microbiology

Languages

Language	Speaking	Reading	Writing	Listening	Peer-review
English	Advanced (C1)	Proficiency (C2)	Advanced (C1)	Proficiency (C2)
Portuguese (Mother tongue)

Education

	Degree	Classification
2020/03/01 - 2024 Ongoing	Biologia (Doutoramento) Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal
2018 Concluded	Genética Molecular e Biomedicina (Mestrado) Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal "Characterization of an inclusion membrane protein of Chlamydia trachomatis" (THESIS/DISSERTATION)	17
2016 Concluded	Biologia Celular e Molecular (Licenciatura) Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal	16

Affiliation

Science

	Category Host institution	Employer
2020/04/01 - 2024/03/31	Researcher (Research)	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, Portugal
	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal
2019/01/01 - 2020/03/31	Researcher (Research)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal
	REQUIMTE Unidade de Ciências Biomoleculares Aplicadas, Portugal (...)
2016/01 - 2016/02	Research Trainee (Research)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal

Projects

Contract

	Designation	Funders
2021/01/01 - 2025/12/31	Institute for Health and Bioeconomy LA/P/0140/2020 10.54499/LA/P/0140/2020 Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento, Portugal Universidade de Lisboa Instituto de Bioengenharia e Biociências, Portugal Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal INESC Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias, Portugal Rede de Química e Tecnologia Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde, Portugal Associação para a Inovação e Desenvolvimento da FCT, Portugal Unidade de Ciências Biomoleculares Aplicadas, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Ongoing
2020/01/01 - 2023/12/31	Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit UIDB/04378/2020 10.54499/UIDB/04378/2020 Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Ciências Biomoleculares Aplicadas, Portugal Rede de Química e Tecnologia Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde, Portugal Associação para a Inovação e Desenvolvimento da FCT, Portugal Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Tecnologias e Agroambiente, Portugal Universidade do Porto, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Concluded
2020/01/01 - 2023/12/31	Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit UIDP/04378/2020 10.54499/UIDP/04378/2020 Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Portugal Unidade de Ciências Biomoleculares Aplicadas, Portugal Rede de Química e Tecnologia Laboratório Associado para a Química Verde, Portugal Associação para a Inovação e Desenvolvimento da FCT, Portugal Universidade do Porto Instituto de Ciências Tecnologias e Agroambiente, Portugal Universidade do Porto, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Concluded
2019/01/01 - 2020/03/31	A multidisciplinary approach to study Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane (Inc) proteins PTDC/IMI-MIC/1300/2014 Research Fellow REQUIMTE Unidade de Ciências Biomoleculares Aplicadas, Portugal	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Ongoing

Outputs

Publications

Conference poster

Maria Pequito Luís*; Catarina Simões; L. Jaime Mota. Corresponding author: L. Jaime Mota. "Induction of multinucleation in infected host cells by a Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane protein". Paper presented in Microbiotec21, 2021.
Joana N. Bugalhão*; Carolina Brizida; Maria P. Luís; Inês S. Pereira; Maria da Cunha; Sara V. Pais; Luís Jaime Mota. "IncL is a novel Chlamydia trachomatis protein interacting with host cell lipid droplets and eukaryotic 14-3-3 proteins". Paper presented in Microbiotec21, 2021.
Maria P. Luís*; Luís Jaime Mota. "The Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane protein IncM blocks cytokinesis in infected host cells.". Paper presented in Ciência 2021 - Encontro com a ciência e tecnologia em Portugal. Centro de congressos de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal., 2021.
Joana N. Bugalhão*; Carolina Brizida; Maria P. Luís; Adriana Vieira; Luís Jaime Mota. "IncL is a novel Chlamydia trachomatis protein that associates with host cell lipid droplets.". Paper presented in Ciência 2021 - Encontro com a ciência e tecnologia em Portugal. Centro de congressos de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal., 2021.
Maria Pequito Luís*; Luís Jaime Mota. "The Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane protein IncM causes multinucleation in infected host cells". Paper presented in Microbiotec19, 2019.
Joana N. Bugalhão; Maria P. Luís; Adriana Vieira; Luís Jaime Mota*. "Screen for novel Chlamydia trachomatis Inc proteins interfering with host cell trafficking pathways". Paper presented in Ninth Biennial Meeting of the Chlamydia Basic Research Society. Seattle, United States of America., 2019.
Joana N. Bugalhão*; Maria P. Luís; Adriana Vieira; L. Jaime Mota. "Characterization of a Chlamydia trachomatis protein that targets host cell lipid droplets". Paper presented in 8TH Congress of European Microbiologists – FEMS19, 2019.
Joana N. Bugalhão*; Adriana Vieira; Maria P. Luís; Luís Jaime Mota. "Identification and characterization of novel Chlamydia trachomatis virulence proteins interfering with host cell trafficking pathways". Paper presented in UCIBIO Annual Meeting 2018; Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal., 2018.
Joana N. Bugalhão*; Maria P. Luís; Adriana Vieira; Luís Jaime Mota. "Screen for novel Chlamydia trachomatis virulence proteins interfering with host cell trafficking pathways". Paper presented in 9th ITQB PhD Students Meeting; ITQB NOVA, Oeiras, Portugal, 2018.

Journal article

Luís, Maria P.; Pereira, Inês Serrano; Bugalhão, Joana N.; Simões, Catarina N.; Mota, Cristiano; Romão, Maria João; Mota, Luís Jaime. "The Chlamydia trachomatis IncM Protein Interferes with Host Cell Cytokinesis, Centrosome Positioning, and Golgi Distribution and Contributes to the Stability of the Pathogen-Containing Vacuole". Infection and Immunity 91 4 (2023): http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/iai.00405-22.
10.1128/iai.00405-22
Bugalhão, Joana N.; Luís, Maria P.; Pereira, Inês S.; da Cunha, Maria; Pais, Sara V.; Mota, Luís Jaime. "The Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane protein CT006 associates with lipid droplets in eukaryotic cells". PLOS ONE 17 2 (2022): e0264292. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264292.
Open access • 10.1371/journal.pone.0264292
Filipe Almeida; Maria P. Luís; Inês Serrano Pereira; Sara V. Pais; Luís Jaime Mota. "The Human Centrosomal Protein CCDC146 Binds Chlamydia trachomatis Inclusion Membrane Protein CT288 and Is Recruited to the Periphery of the Chlamydia-Containing Vacuole". Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology 8 (2018):
Open access • Published • 10.3389/fcimb.2018.00254

Activities

Oral presentation

	Presentation title	Event name Host (Event location)
2022/08	The Chlamydia trachomatis IncM protein interferes with host cell centrosome positioning and modulates inclusion structure	international intracellular bacteria meeting 2022 (Lausanne, Switzerland)
2019/07/08	Promotion of host cell multinucleation by a Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane protein	FEMS 2019 - 8th Congress of European Microbiologists Federation of European Microbiological Societies (FEMS) (Glasgow, United Kingdom)
2019	Induction of multinucleation by a Chlamydia trachomatis inclusion membrane protein	Bioseminars@DCV (Caparica, Portugal)

Supervision

	Thesis Title Role	Degree Subject (Type) Institution / Organization
2023/01 - 2023/03	The role of Chlamydia trachomatis IncM on inclusion morphology and intracellular bacteria multiplication Co-supervisor
2022/02 - 2022/04	The gene promoter relevance in the subcellular localization of Chlamydia trachomatis proteins Co-supervisor of Ana Pereira	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal
2020/09 - 2021/10	Molecular and Structural biology of a Chlamydia trachomatis virulence protein Co-supervisor of Catarina Simões	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal
2021/02 - 2021/04	Analysis of the Chlamydia trachomatis protein IncM by bioinformatic tools Co-supervisor of António Ramalho	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal
2019/01 - 2019/03	Analysis of the inhibition of eukaryotic host cell cytokinesis by a Chlamydia trachomatis virulence protein. Co-supervisor of Cláudia Montez	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal

Event organisation

	Event name Type of event (Role)	Institution / Organization
2020/02/08 - 2020/02/08	ClubeMath (2020/02/08 - 2020/02/08) Exhibition (Co-organisor)	Universidade Nova de Lisboa Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Portugal

Distinctions

Award

2023	THIRD BEST ORAL AWARD 2022 - Chlamydia The Swiss Society for Microbiology, Switzerland
2021	Best Poster Communication Award MICROBIOTEC 2021