ISABEL LASTRES-BECKER, PhD
Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Department of Biochemistry
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
email: ilbecker@iib.uam.es
RESEARCH INTEREST
In our laboratory we are interested in unravelling the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases, so that new therapeutic targets that slow or stop neurodegenerative progress can be discovered. The research projects we develop have a multidisciplinary approach that combines basic and translational research, using cell culture techniques, murine models and postmortem samples from patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Therefore, we have three main focus in the laboratory:
1. Parkinson’s disease:
Involvement of mitophagy in Parkinson’s disease, in collaboration with Dr. Patricia Boya
2. Tauopathies like AD and PSP:
i) New therapeutic strategies in the neurodegeneration associated with tauopathies based on the modulation of miRNAs.
ii) Implications of cannabinoid receptor CB2 in tauopathies
3. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
i) Design and development of innovative drugs for the ALS treatment in collaboration with Dr. Ana Martínez.
ii) Analysis of RNA granule transport and translation of proteins in situ in ALS: involvement of STAUFEN and TDP-43? In collaboration with Dr. Eva de Lago and Dr. Sergio Gascón.
SELECTION OF PUBLICATIONS
1. Lastres-Becker I., Nonis FD., Nowock J., Auburger G. NEW ALTERNATIVE SPLICING VARIANTS OF THE SCA2 TRANSCRIPT. Neurological Research and Practice. 2019 (accepted).
2. Galán-Ganga M, Del Río R, Jiménez-Moreno N, Díaz-Guerra M, Lastres-Becker I. Cannabinoid CB(2) Receptor Modulation by the Transcription Factor NRF2 is Specific in Microglial Cells. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2019 Aug 5. doi: 10.1007/s10571-019-00719-y. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31385133.
3. Galán-Ganga M, García-Yagüe ÁJ, Lastres-Becker I. Role of MSK1 in the Induction of NF-κB by the Chemokine CX3CL1 in Microglial Cells. Cell Mol Neurobiol. 2019 Apr;39(3):331-340. doi: 10.1007/s10571-019-00664-w. Epub 2019 Mar 4. PubMed PMID: 30830503.
4. Castro-Sánchez S, García-Yagüe ÁJ, Kügler S, Lastres-Becker I. CX3CR1-deficient microglia shows impaired signalling of the transcription factor NRF2: Implications in tauopathies. Redox Biol. 2019 Apr;22:101118. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2019.101118. Epub 2019 Feb 6. PubMed PMID: 30769286; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6375000.
5. Castro-Sánchez S, García-Yagüe ÁJ, López-Royo T, Casarejos M, Lanciego JL, Lastres-Becker I. Cx3cr1-deficiency exacerbates alpha-synuclein-A53T induced neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. Glia. 2018 Aug;66(8):1752-1762. doi: 10.1002/glia.23338. Epub 2018 Apr 6. PubMed PMID: 29624735.
6. Cuadrado A, Kügler S, Lastres-Becker I. Pharmacological targeting of GSK-3 and NRF2 provides neuroprotection in a preclinical model of tauopathy. Redox Biol. 2018 Apr;14:522-534. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2017.10.010. Epub 2017 Nov 6. PubMed PMID: 29121589; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5681345.
7. Lastres-Becker I. Role of the Transcription Factor Nrf2 in Parkinson’s Disease: New Insights. J Alzheimers Dis Parkinsonism 2017, 7:4. DOI: 10.4172/2161-0460.1000340
8. Lastres-Becker I*, Nonis D, Eich F, Klinkenberg M, Gorospe M, Kötter P, Klein FA, Kedersha N, Auburger G*. Mammalian ataxin-2 modulates translation control at the pre-initiation complex via PI3K/mTOR and is induced by starvation. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2016 Sep;1862(9):1558-69. doi: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2016.05.017. Epub 2016 May 27. PubMed PMID: 27240544; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4967000.
9. Lastres-Becker I*, García-Yagüe AJ, Scannevin RH, Casarejos MJ, Kügler S, Rábano A, Cuadrado A*. Repurposing the NRF2 Activator Dimethyl Fumarate as Therapy Against Synucleinopathy in Parkinson’s Disease. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2016 Jul 10;25(2):61-77. doi: 10.1089/ars.2015.6549. Epub 2016 Apr 27. PubMed PMID: 27009601; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4943471.
10. Cuadrado A, Martín-Moldes Z, Ye J, Lastres-Becker I. Transcription factors NRF2 and NF-κB are coordinated effectors of the Rho family, GTP-binding protein RAC1 during inflammation. J Biol Chem. 2014 May 30;289(22):15244-58. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M113.540633. Epub 2014 Apr 22. PubMed PMID: 24759106; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4140883.
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