NFAT proteins and immune cells
Cristina López-Rodríguez and Jose Aramburu
Group website
Research Outline
The immune system plays an essential role in the organism, both in the defence against pathogens and tumors as in regulating the function of multiple tissues. Immune cells continuously sense a wide variety of inputs from other cells and their environment and use transcription factors and chromatin regulatory mechanisms to integrate this information into specific gene expression patterns that shape their activity and functional specialization. We are interested in understanding gene regulatory mechanisms that allow immune cells to respond to diverse stimuli and differentiation cues and maintain functional competency under stress conditions such as found in inflamed microenvironments and tumors.
Research Lines
Role of NFAT transcription factors in gene regulation in immune cells.
Description: Our main interest is to identify points of control in immune responses at the level of gene expression regulation. We have focused our recent work on NFAT5, a distinct Rel-like protein with hybrid features between NF-κB and the calcineurin-regulated NFATc. We have elucidated specific roles for NFAT5 in the development of the immune system, identified pathways connecting cell growth-regulatory mechanisms with stress adaptation responses, and uncovered roles for NFAT5 in anti-pathogen defences.
Stress adaptation responses in immune cell functions.
Description: Adaptive stress responses are relevant in the immune system, whose cells must function in a variety of anatomical niches where they can be exposed to diverse stress sources. Our current work focuses on understanding how immune cells interpret specific stress signals in different growth and differentiation contexts to modify their functional capabilities in an organism.
Team
PhD students: Hector Huerga Encabo, Maria Val Casals, Laia Traveset Martínez, Laura Higuera González, Anastasia Krasko, Víctor Cerdán Porqueras, Joel Pizarro Muñoz
Postdocs: Marta Riera Borrull, Diana Reyes Garau
Technicians: Alba Deyá Vidal
Selected publications
- Huerga Encabo H, Traveset L, Argilaguet J, Angulo A, Nistal-Villán E, Jaiswal R, Escalante CR, Gekas C, Meyerhans A, Aramburu J, López-Rodríguez C. 2020. The transcription factor NFAT5 limits infection-induced type I interferon responses. J Exp Med. 217: e20190449. doi: 10.1084/jem.20190449. PMID: 31816635.
- Aramburu J and López Rodríguez C. 2019. Regulation of Inflammatory Functions of Macrophages and T Lymphocytes by NFAT5. Frontiers in Immunology.10: 535. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.00535. eCollection 2019.PMID: 30949179.
Other relevant information
Invited conference:
Cristina Lopez Rodriguez; invited by Professor Dr. Edgar Serfling. Department of Dermatology, University of Wurzburg, Germany. May 2019.
Regulation of Inflammatory Functions of Macrophages and T Lymphocytes by NFAT5.
International Project
Title: Harnessing immune circadian rhythms to advance anti-tumour immunotherapeutic strategies. Ref: 20-0144
Funding institution: Worldwide Cancer Research UK
Principal Investigators: Cristina López-Rodríguez and Jose Aramburu
Duration: Feb 2020 - Jan 2023
Thesis defended
Hector Huerga Encabo: January 2019. Received the Extraordinary Award of Universitat Pompeu Fabra in 2020
Maria Val Casals: July 2020
Laia Traveset Martínez: November 2020