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Dr. Ignacio Poblete

Teléfono: 
+56 2 2718 1808
E-mail: 
ignacio.poblete.c@usach.cl

Director del Laboratorio de Ingeniería en Biosistemas (bel-lab.org, BEL), donde se desarrollan las áreas de bioprocesos e ingeniería metabólica de microorganismos para la producción de químicos de interés industrial y la bioconversión de compuestos recalcitrantes y tóxicos.

Actualmente explotamos las capacidades metabólicas y creamos nuevas rutas biosintéticas en células bacterianas productoras de biopolímeros, ácidos orgánicos y aromáticos, nanopartículas metálicas y carotenoides. Usamos bacterias ambientales para la remediación de diésel, PCBs y metales pesados contenidos en distintos efluentes.

Publicaciones: 
  1. Morales-Guerrero, S., Durán-Osorio, F., Burgos-Ravanal, R., Moglie, Y., Méndez, D., Orellana-Saez, M., Fuentes, E., Poblete-Castro, I., González-Aramundiz, J.V., Dua, K., Duarte, Y., Zacconi, F.C. A Convergent Strategy for Factor Xa Inhibition: Synthesis, Bioinformatics, and Biological Analysis of 3,5-Disubstituted Isoxazoles. Archiv der Pharmazie, 359, e70281, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1002/ardp.70281
  2. Fuentes-Pereira, I., Hayes, R.E., Mmbaga, J.P., Poblete-Castro, I., Donoso-García, P., Gracia, F. Parametric analysis of microreactor design for enhanced methanol synthesis from CO2. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 111, 103524, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103524
  3. Fuentes-Pereira, I., Hayes, R.E., Mmbaga, J.P., Poblete-Castro, I., Díaz-Aburto, I., Donoso-García, P., Gracia, F. Three-dimensional evaluation of operating conditions and channel design in a wall-coated microreactor for dry reforming of methane. Journal of CO2 Utilization, 106, 103386, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103386
  4. Carvajal, A., de la Fuente, J., Santibañez, P., Jofré-Dupré, P., Navia, D., Donoso-Bravo, A., Poblete-Castro, I., Serrano, A. Microbial inoculum selection for product composition tuning in methane-arrested anaerobic leach bed reactors. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 13(6), 120326, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2025.120326
  5. Orellana-Saez, M., Gutierrez-Urrutia, I., Rodriguez-Oyarzo, F., Cordero-Jorquera, B., Carvajal, A., Castro-Nallar, E., Saldias, C., Hernandez-Vargas, E.A., Rivero-Buceta, V., Zacconi, F.C., Poblete-Castro, I. Sustainable Open Production of Short–Medium-Chain Length Polyhydroxyalkanoates from Crude Glycerol in Batch and Fed-Batch Bioreactors by Pseudomonas frigusceleri MPC6. ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, 13(43), 18448–18461, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.5c03946
  6. Díaz-Moreno, N., Lobos, C., Carvajal, A., Poblete, I., Cantera, S., Lebrero, R. Valorization of aromatic hydrocarbons into polyhydroxyalkanoates: advances towards sustainable waste gas treatment. Bioresource Technology, 436, 132991, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2025.132991
  7. Cox-Fermandois, A., Berríos-Pastén, C., Serrano, C., Arros, P., Poblete-Castro, I., Marcoleta, A. Large-scale analysis of polyhydroxyalkanoate synthases in Pseudomonas: highly diverse enzymes with potential for a novel class and dissemination by horizontal gene transfer. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 136(8), lxaf179, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1093/jambio/lxaf179
  8. Orellana-Saez, M., Lauzurique, Y., Donoso-Garcia, P., Carmona, M., Carvajal, A., Riveros, A.L., Kogan, M.J., Báez, D.F., Poblete-Castro, I. Aerobic bioremediation of selenite in marine and freshwater environments via intracellular selenium nanoparticle formation by Pseudomonas frigusceleri MPC6 in glycerol-fed continuous bioreactors. Journal of Environmental Management, 382, 125370, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125370
  9. Fuentes-Pereira, I., Hayes, R.E., Blanco, A., Poblete-Castro, I., Donoso-García, P., Gracia, F. CO hydrogenation in a microreactor under non-differential regime: Kinetics, and impact of reactor design and operational variables. Fuel, 386, 134134, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2024.134134
  10. Lauzurique, Y., Segura, S., Guerra, S., Carvajal, A., Huiliñir, C., Poblete-Castro, I. Enhancing methane production using various forms of steel shavings and their effect on microbial consortia during anaerobic digestion of swine wastewater. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering, 12(5), 113764, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jece.2024.113764
  11. Carvajal, A., Sepúlveda, C., Navia, D., Poblete-Castro, I., Pinto-Ibieta, F., Serrano, A. Bulking agent in dry anaerobic digestion as a key factor for the enhancement of biogas production. New Biotechnology, 82, 65–74, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nbt.2024.05.002
  12. Bobadilla-Fazzini, R.A., Poblete-Castro, I. Establishing a green biodesulfurization process for iron ore concentrates in stirred tank and leaching column bioreactors using Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11, 1324417, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1324417
  13. Luarte, T., Gómez-Aburto, V.A., Poblete-Castro, I., Castro-Nallar, E., et al. Levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the Antarctic atmosphere over time (1980 to 2021) and estimation of their atmospheric half-lives. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 23(14), 8103–8118, 2023. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-23-8103-2023
  14. Carmona, M., Poblete-Castro, I., Rai, M., Turner, R.J. Opportunities and obstacles in microbial synthesis of metal nanoparticles. Microbial Biotechnology, 16(5), 871–876, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.14254
  15. Vázquez, R., Rivero-Buceta, V., del Campo, R., Poblete-Castro, I., Herencias, C. Editorial: Advanced technologies in bioengineering to fight antimicrobial resistance. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 11, 1182463, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1182463
  16. Sulbaran-Bracho, Y., Orellana-Saez, M., Castro-Severyn, J., Galbán-Malagón, C., Castro-Nallar, E., Poblete-Castro, I. Continuous bioreactors enable high-level bioremediation of diesel-contaminated seawater at low and mesophilic temperatures using Antarctic bacterial consortia: Pollutant analysis and microbial community composition. Environmental Pollution, 321, 121139, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2023.121139
  17. Borrero-de Acuña, J.M., Poblete-Castro, I. Rational engineering of natural polyhydroxyalkanoates producing microorganisms for improved synthesis and recovery. Microbial Biotechnology, 16(2), 262–285, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.14109
  18. Núñez-Navarro, N., Salazar Muñoz, J., Castillo, F., Ramírez-Sarmiento, C.A., Poblete-Castro, I., Zacconi, F.C., Parra, L.P. Discovery of New Phenylacetone Monooxygenase Variants for the Development of Substituted Indigoids through Biocatalysis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(20), 12544, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232012544
  19. Bobadilla-Fazzini, R.A., Poblete-Castro, I. Biofilm Formation Is Crucial for Efficient Copper Bioleaching From Bornite Under Mesophilic Conditions: Unveiling the Lifestyle and Catalytic Role of Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria. Frontiers in Microbiology, 12, 761997, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.761997
  20. Acosta, A., Antipán, J., Fernández, M., Prado, G., Sandoval-Altamirano, C., Günther, G., Gutiérrez-Urrutia, I., Poblete-Castro, I., Vega, A., Pizarro, N. Photochemistry of P,N-bidentate rhenium(I) tricarbonyl complexes: reactive species generation and potential application for antibacterial photodynamic therapy. RSC Advances, 11(51), 31959–31966, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1039/d1ra06416a
  21. Hoffmann, S.L., Kohlstedt, M., Jungmann, L., Hutter, M., Poblete-Castro, I., Becker, J., Wittmann, C. Cascaded valorization of brown seaweed to produce l-lysine and value-added products using Corynebacterium glutamicum streamlined by systems metabolic engineering. Metabolic Engineering, 67, 293–307, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymben.2021.07.010
  22. Borrero-de Acuña, J.M., Gutierrez-Urrutia, I., Hidalgo-Dumont, C., Aravena-Carrasco, C., Orellana-Saez, M., Palominos-Gonzalez, N., van Duuren, J.B.J.H., Wagner, V., Gläser, L., Becker, J., Kohlstedt, M., Zacconi, F.C., Wittmann, C., Poblete-Castro, I. Channelling carbon flux through the meta-cleavage route for improved poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) production from benzoate and lignin-based aromatics in Pseudomonas putida H. Microbial Biotechnology, 14(6), 2385–2402, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.13705
  23. Borrero-de Acuña, J.M., Rohde, M., Saldias, C., Poblete-Castro, I. Fed-batch mcl-Polyhydroxyalkanoates production in Pseudomonas putida KT2440 and ΔphaZ mutant on biodiesel-derived crude glycerol. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 9, 642023, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2021.642023
  24. Poblete-Castro, I., Hoffmann, S.L., Becker, J., Wittmann, C. Cascaded valorization of seaweed using microbial cell factories. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 65, 102–113, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2020.02.008
  25. Borrero-de Acuña, J.M., Poblete-Castro, I. Expanding the reach of recombineering to environmental bacteria. Trends in Biotechnology, 38(7), 684–685, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2020.03.014
  26. Poblete-Castro, I., Aravena-Carrasco, C., Orellana-Saez, M., Pacheco, N., Cabrera, A., Borrero-de Acuña, J.M. Engineering the Osmotic State of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 for Efficient Cell Disruption and Downstream Processing of Poly(3-Hydroxyalkanoates). Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 8, 161, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00161
  27. Poblete-Castro, I., Wittmann, C., Nikel, P.I. Biochemistry, genetics and biotechnology of glycerol utilization in Pseudomonas species. Microbial Biotechnology, 13(1), 32–53, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1111/1751-7915.13400
  28. van Duuren, J.B.J.H., de Wild, P., Starck, S., Bradtmöller, C., Selzer, M., Mehlmann, K., Schneider, R., Kohlstedt, M., Poblete-Castro, I., Stolzenberger, J., Barton, N., Fritz, M., Scholl, S., Venus, J., Wittmann, C. Limited life cycle and cost assessment for the bioconversion of lignin-derived aromatics into adipic acid. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, 117(5), 1381–1393, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.27299
  29. Godard, T., Zühlke, D., Richter, G., Wall, M., Rohde, M., Riedel, K., Poblete-Castro, I., Krull, R., Biedendieck, R. Metabolic Rearrangements Causing Elevated Proline and Polyhydroxybutyrate Accumulation During the Osmotic Adaptation Response of Bacillus megaterium. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 8, 47, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.00047
  30. Poblete-Castro, I., Ramsay, B. A., Rehm, B. H. A. Editorial: Pathway, Genetic and Process Engineering of Microbes for Biopolymer Synthesis. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 8, 618383, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2020.618383
  31. Pardo-Esté, C., Castro-Severyn, J., Krüger, G.I., Cabezas, C.E., Briones, A.C., Aguirre, C., Morales, N., Baquedano, M.S., Sulbaran-Bracho, Y.N., Hidalgo, A.A., Meneses, C., Poblete-Castro, I., Castro-Nallar, E., Valvano, M.A., Saavedra, C.P. The transcription factor ArcA modulates Salmonella's metabolism in response to neutrophil hypochlorous acid-mediated stress. Frontiers in Microbiology, 10, 2754, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.02754
  32. Orellana-Saez, M., Pacheco, N., Costa, J.I., Mendez, K.N., Miossec, M.J., Meneses, C., Castro-Nallar, E., Marcoleta, A.E., Poblete-Castro, I. In-depth genomic and phenotypic characterization of the Antarctic psychrotolerant strain Pseudomonas sp. MPC6 reveals unique metabolic features, plasticity, and biotechnological potential. Frontiers in Microbiology, 10, 1154, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.01154
  33. Pacheco, N., Orellana-Saez, M., Pepczynska, M., Enrione, J., Bassas-Galia, M., Borrero-de Acuña, J.M., Zacconi, F.C., Marcoleta, A.E., Poblete-Castro, I. Exploiting the natural poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) production capacity of Antarctic Pseudomonas strains: from unique phenotypes to novel biopolymers. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology, 46(8), 1139–1153, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10295-019-02186-2
  34. Borrero-de Acuña, J.M., Aravena-Carrasco, C., Gutierrez-Urrutia, I., Duchens, D., Poblete-Castro, I. Enhanced synthesis of medium-chain-length poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) by inactivating the tricarboxylate transport system of Pseudomonas putida KT2440 and process development using waste vegetable oil. Process Biochemistry, 77, 23–30, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procbio.2018.10.012
  35. Gutierrez-Urrutia, I., Miossec, M.J., Valenzuela, S.L., Meneses, C., Martins dos Santos, V.A.P., Castro-Nallar, E., Poblete-Castro, I. Genome sequence of two members of the chloroaromatic-degrading MT community: Pseudomonas reinekei MT1 and Achromobacter xylosoxidans MT3. Journal of Biotechnology, 275, 13–16, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2018.03.019
  36. Oliva-Arancibia, B., Órdenes-Aenishanslins, N., Bruna, N., Ibarra, P.S., Zacconi, F.C., Pérez-Donoso, J.M., Poblete-Castro, I. Co-synthesis of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates and CdS quantum dots nanoparticles in Pseudomonas putida KT2440. Journal of Biotechnology, 264, 29–37, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiotec.2017.10.013
  37. Borrero-de Acuña, J.M., Hidalgo-Dumont, C., Pacheco, N., Cabrera, A., Poblete-Castro, I. A novel programmable lysozyme-based lysis system in Pseudomonas putida for biopolymer production. Scientific Reports, 7, 4373, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04741-2
  38. Torres-Cerna, C.E., Alanis, A.Y., Poblete-Castro, I., Hernandez-Vargas, E.A. Batch cultivation model for biopolymer production. Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Quarterly, 31(1), 89–99, 2017. https://doi.org/10.15255/cabeq.2016.952
  39. Varas, M., Valdivieso, C., Mauriaca, C., Ortíz-Severín, J., Paradela, A., Poblete-Castro, I., Cabrera, R., Chávez, F.P. Multi-level evaluation of Escherichia coli polyphosphate related mutants using global transcriptomic, proteomic and phenomic analyses. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - General Subjects, 1861(4), 871–883, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2017.01.007
  40. Varas, M., Valdivieso, C., Mauriaca, C., Ortíz-Severín, J., Paradela, A., Poblete-Castro, I., Cabrera, R., Chávez, F. P. Datasets for transcriptomics, q-proteomics and phenotype microarrays of polyphosphate metabolism mutants from Escherichia coli. Data in Brief, 12, 13-17, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2017.03.010
  41. Beckers, V., Poblete-Castro, I., Tomasch, J., Wittmann, C. Integrated analysis of gene expression and metabolic fluxes in PHA-producing Pseudomonas putida grown on glycerol. Microbial Cell Factories, 15, 73, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12934-016-0470-2
  42. Torres-Cerna, C. E., Alanis, A. Y., Poblete-Castro, I., Bermejo-Jambrina, M., Hernandez-Vargas, E. A. A comparative study of differential evolution algorithms for parameter fitting procedures. 2016 IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation (CEC), 4662-4666, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1109/cec.2016.7744385
  43. Vizoso, P., Pacheco, N., Bastias-Molina, M., Meneses, C., Poblete-Castro, I. Draft Genome Sequence of the Phenol-Degrading Bacterium Pseudomonas putida H. Genome Announcements, 3(4), e00936-15, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1128/genomeA.00936-15
  44. Poblete-Castro, I., Binger, D., Oehlert, R., Rohde, M. Comparison of mcl-Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoates) synthesis by different Pseudomonas putida strains from crude glycerol: citrate accumulates at high titer under PHA-producing conditions. BMC Biotechnology, 14, 962, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12896-014-0110-z
  45. Borrero-de Acuña, J.M., Bielecka, A., Häussler, S., Schobert, M., Jahn, M., Wittmann, C., Jahn, D., Poblete-Castro, I. Production of medium chain length polyhydroxyalkanoate in metabolic flux optimized Pseudomonas putida. Microbial Cell Factories, 13, 88, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2859-13-88
  46. Poblete-Castro, I., Rodriguez, A.L., Lam, C.M.C., Kessler, W. Improved production of medium-chain-length polyhydroxyalkanoates in glucose-based fed-batch cultivations of metabolically engineered Pseudomonas putida strains. Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, 24(1), 59–69, 2014. https://doi.org/10.4014/jmb.1308.08052
  47. Poblete-Castro, I., Binger, D., Rodrigues, A., Becker, J., Martins dos Santos, V.A.P., Wittmann, C. In-silico-driven metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas putida for enhanced production of poly-hydroxyalkanoates. Metabolic Engineering, 15, 113–123, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ymben.2012.10.004
  48. Poblete-Castro, I., Escapa, I.F., Jäger, C., Puchalka, J., Lam, C.M.C., Schomburg, D., Prieto, M.A., Martins dos Santos, V.A.P. The metabolic response of P. putida KT2442 producing high levels of polyhydroxyalkanoate under single- and multiple-nutrient-limited growth: Highlights from a multi-level omics approach. Microbial Cell Factories, 11, 34, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2859-11-34
  49. Poblete-Castro, I., Becker, J., Dohnt, K., Martins dos Santos, V., Wittmann, C. Industrial biotechnology of Pseudomonas putida and related species. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 93(6), 2279–2290, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00253-012-3928-0
Proyectos: 

2025 DICYT Postdoctorado 092511PC, "Modulating the carbon flux in the central carbon metabolism of Pseudomonas frigusceleri for enhanced production of biopolymers from waste algae hydrolysate". Investigador responsable.

2021-2024 FONDECYT Regular 1210332 (Universidad Andrés Bello), "Turning plastic into bioplastic: Engineering Pseudomonas strains for the efficient synthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoates from PET derived compounds". Investigador principal.

2021-2024 FONDECYT Regular 1210032, "Biopolymers production from solid urban wastes". Co-investigador.

2021-2022 INACH RG_17_19, "A systems-wide understanding of the Antarctic Pseudomonas frigusceleri MPC6 strain for fast-growing and novel biopolymer synthesis at low temperatures". Investigador principal.

2020-2023 Anillo ANID-PIA ACT192057, "Long-range transport of xenobiotics and microorganisms: teleconnections and influence on terrestrial ecosystems". Subdirector.

2017-2020 FONDECYT, "System-level analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana Pseudomonas syringae interaction: dual assessment of the transcriptomic and metabolomic responses to unravel bacterial effects leading to resistance or susceptibility through the regulatory node WRKY7/11/17". Co-investigador.

2016-2019 BMBF (Alemania), "LignoValue". Co-investigador.

2016-2018 FONDECYT, "Systems metabolic engineering of Pseudomonas putida for the synthesis of tailor-made polyhydroxyalkanoates". Investigador principal.

Tipo Persona: 
Academicos