Cristina Pujades Corbi

Studies and academic degrees:

Academic degrees:

• 1986            Licenciatura en Biología, University of Barcelona 
• 1991            Ph.D. in Biology, University of Barcelona

Research Experience:   

• 1987-91        PhD student, Universitat de Barcelona
• 1991-95        Postdoctoral fellow, DFCI-Harvard Medical School, Boston
• 1995-99        Postdoctoral fellow, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris
• 1999-2002     Maître de Conférences, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris
• 2002-06        Ramón y Cajal Researcher, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona
• From 2007     Associate Professor, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona   

Awards and fellowships:

• 2007            I3 award for the intensification of the research activity, UPF
• 1997-99       Postdoctoral fellowship of Tranining and Mobility of Researchers from EU (Marie-Curie fellowship)
• 1995-97       Postdoctoral longterm fellowship from Human Frontiers Science Program
• 1994            Post-doctoral fellowship from Lady Tata Trust (UK)
• 1991-93       Postdoctoral long term fellowship from Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spain) 

Research interests:

A central problem in developmental biology is to understand how multiple cell types are generated and maintained in highly organized spatial patterns. The Central Nervous System is initially subdivided into regions, where there is a progressive refinement of pattern. Each region has a distinct identity that underlies the generation of a specific set of cell types. We are studying the posterior part of the developing brain of the vertebrates - the hindbrain - as model to analyze the molecular mechanisms of tissue subdivision and cell differentiation. We want to address three fundamental questions of the development of the hindbrain and one of the adjacent sensory organs, the inner ear. First, how does an apparently homogeneous neuroepithelium become patterned along the anteroposterior (AP) axis? Second, how are morphological boundaries formed between groups of cells with different identities in the hindbrain? And third, how is the wiring of the inner ear with the relay centers of the hindbrain organized? We will address these questions using the distinct advantages of a variety of vertebrate model systems. In particular, we study zebrafish and mice embryos as they are amenable for functional analysis of genes.

Publications :

Coll-Lladó, M, Acinas, S.G., Pujades, C, Pedrós-Alió, C. Transcriptome fingerprinting analysis: an approach to explore gene expression patterns in marine microbial communities. PLoS ONE 6(8): e22950. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0022950, 2011

C Miró-Julià, S Roselló, VG Martínez, DR Fink, C Escoda-Ferran, O Padilla, C Vázquez-Echeverría, P Espinal-Marin, C Pujades, A García-Pardo, J Vila, C Serra-Pagès, U Holmskov, J Yélamos, F Lozano. Molecular and functional characterization of mouse s5d-srcrb, a new member of the group b scavenger receptor cysteine-rich superfamily. J Immunol Feb 15;186(4):2344-54. Epub 2011 Jan 7, 2011

Jimenez-Guri, E and Pujades, C An ancient mechanism of hindbrain patterning has been conserved in vertebrate evolution. Evolution and Development, 13:1, 38-46, 2011

Jimenez-Guri, E, Udina, F, Colas, JF, Sharpe, J,  Padrón, L, Torres M, Pujades, C. Clonal analysis in mice underlines the importance of positional information during hindbrain segmentation. PLoS ONE 5(4): e10112. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010112, 2010

Sapède, D. and Pujades, C. Hedgehog signalling governs the development of sensory epithelium and its associated innervation in the zebrafish inner ear. J. Neurosc. 30: 3612-3623, 2010

Aragón, F. and Pujades, C. FGF signaling controls caudal hindbrain specification through Ras-ERK1/2 pathway. BMC Dev. Biol. 9:61, 2009

Alsina, B., Giraldez, F. and Pujades, C. Patterning and cell fate in inner ear development. Review in Science in Hispania Special Issue, Int. J. Dev. Biol. 53(8-10):1503-13, 2009

Vázquez-Echeverría, C., Dominguez-Frutos, E., Charnay, P., Schimmang, T. and Pujades, C. Analysis of kreisler mutants reveals new roles of the hindbrain-derived signals in the establishment of the otic neurogenic domain. Dev. Biol., 322(1):167-78, 2008

Schneider-Maunoury, S. and Pujades, C. Hindbrain signals in otic regionalization: walk on the wild side. Review in Ear Development Special Issue, Ed. F. Giraldez and B. Fritzch Int. J. Dev. Biol 51(6-7):495-506, 2007

L. Guimarães, E. Domínguez del Toro, F. Chatonnet, L. Wrobel, C. Pujades, L. S. Monteiro, J. Champagnat. Exposure to Retinoic Acid at the Onset of Hindbrain Segmentation Induces Episodic Breathing in Mice. Eur. J. Neurosc. 25 , 1-11, 2007

Lecaudey, V., Ulloa, E., Anselme, I., Stedman, A., Schneider-Maunoury, S., Pujades, C. Role of the hindbrain in patterning the otic vesicle: A study of the zebrafish vhnf1 mutant. Dev. Biol., 303(1):134-43, 2007

Pujades, C. Kamaid, A., Alsina, B., Giraldez, F. BMP4 regulates the development of hair-cells by modulating progenitor cell survival. Dev. Biol., 292(1):55-67, 2006

Aragón, F., Vazquez-Echeverría, C., Ulloa, E., Reber, M., Cereghini, S., Alsina, B., Giraldez, F., Pujades, C.  vHnf1 regulates specification of caudal rhombomere identity in the chick hindbrain. Dev. Dyn. 234(3), pp. 567-76, 2005

B. Alsina, G. Abelló, E. Ulloa, D. Henrique, C. Pujades, F. Giraldez. FGF10 is required for epithelial differentiation of otic neuroblasts. Dev. Biol. 267:119-134, 2004

F. Mechta, F. Giudicelli, C. Pujades, P. Charnay, M. Yaniv. kreisler control c-jun regulation and function in the developing hindbrain. Dev. Biol. 258,: 419-431, 2003

C. Pujades*, B. Guez-Guez, D. Dunon. MCAM, a cell adhesion molecule expressed in the myogenic lineage during early chick embryonic development. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 46: 263-266, 2002

O. Voiculescu, E. Taillebourg, C. Pujades, C. Kress, S. Buart, P. Charnay, S. Scheneider-Maunoury. Hindbrain patterning : Krox20 couples segmentation and specification of regional identity. Development 128: 4967-4978, 2001

S. Allais, N. Allioli, C. Pujades, O. Vanio, B. Imhoff, D. Dunon. HEMCAM regulates cell surface expression of β1 integrins. J. Cell Sci. 114: 1847-1859, 2001

F. Helmbacher, C. Pujades, C. Desmarquet, M. Frain, F. Rijli, P. Chambon, P. Charnay. Hoxa-1 and Krox-20 synergize in the patterning of rhombomere 3. Development 125: 4739-4748, 1998

C. Pujades, R. Allon, R. Yaucht, L. Burkly, T. Springer, R. Lobb, M.E. Hemler. Defining extracellular integrin a chain sites that affect cell adhesion and adhesion strengthening without altering soluble ligand binding. Mol. Biol. Cell. 8, No. 12: 2647-2657, 1997

J.B. Weitzman, C. Pujades, M.E. Hemler. Antibody-redirected Cell Adhesion, Independent of Ligand Binding. Eur. J. Immunol., No. 27, pp. 78-83, 1997

C. Pujades, J. Teixidó, G. Bazzoni, M.E. Hemler. Integrin α4 cysteines 278 and 717 modulate VLA-4 ligand binding and also contribute to a4/180 formation. Biochem. J. No. 313: 899-908, 1996

M.E. Hemler, C. Pujades, J. Bodorova. CD49e (VLA-5) report. Leukocyte typing V (ed. S. Schlossman et al.), Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1994

C.M. Parker, C. Pujades, M.B. Brenner, M.E. Hemler. α4/180: a novel form of the integrin a4 subunit. J. Biol. Chem. 268, No. 10: 7028-7035, 1993

R. Bastos, P. Engel, C. Pujades, R. Falchetto, R. Aligué, O. Bachs. Increase of cytokeratin D during liver regeneration: association with the nuclear matrix. Hepatology 16, No. 6: 1434-1446, 1992

C. Pujades*, E. Forsberg, C. Enrich, S. Johansson. Changes in cell surface expression of fibronectin and fibronectin receptor α5β1 during liver regeneration. J. Cell Sci. 102: 815 -820, 1992

C. Pujades, R. Bastos, C. Enrich, O. Bachs. Decrease of calmodulin and actin in the plasma membrane of rat liver cells during proliferative activation. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comun. 173, No. 3: 1287, 1990

C. Pujades*, C. Enrich, S. Johansson. Purification of fibronectin receptor α5β1 from rat liver cells. Generation of antibodies against it. Inmunología 9, No. 4: 133-139, October Desember 1990

R. Aligué, R. Bastos, J. Serratosa, C. Enrich, P. James, C. Pujades, O. Bachs. Increase of a 55 kd keratin-like protein in the nuclear matrix of rat liver cells during proliferative activation. Exp. Cell Res. 186: 346-353, 1990

PUBLIC UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE

Collaborator of the on-line journal Biomedia (Observatori de la Comunicació Científica, UPF)
Collaborator of the journal Médicos al día (Chile) 
Collaborator of the journal of contemporany culture Transversal (Ajuntament de Lleida), issue 22, 2002 
Collaborator of the on-line journal Barcelona Review  http://www.barcelonareview.com
Collaborator in Viu la Ciència Contemporànea 2003, Societat Catalana de Biologia
Invited speaker in the course El lenguaje raptado, Universidad Internacional Menéndez y Pelayo, Cuenca 2004
Editor of issue 26 of Transversal (Ajuntament de Lleida). Dues mirades: art i ciència, june 2005
Workshop in embriology: El cervell en directe, Brain Awarness Week, BAW 2006
Invited speaker in the summer course Gènere i ciència of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 2007
Collaborator in Vine al labo 2007, Societat Catalana de Biologia
Author of a child book within the collection Tu també pots ser investigador: Receptes i plànols per fer un organisme
Invited speaker in the Observatori Fabra within the framework Nits amb estrelles, Barcelona 2009
Collaborator in Escolab 2010, ICUB (Institut de Cultura de Barcelona)
Scientific coffee: El ratolí, la mosca i l'home. Casa Orlandai 2010
Fête de la Sciene, Institut Français Barcelona: L'infiniment petit, 2010
Grid-Spinoza project: Exploración sobre los procesos de creación (artística y científica). HANGAR-PRBB collaboration, 2011
Interview in the project Fem talent, 2011