Microdominios de membrana ricos en tetraspaninas en vesículas extracelulares y adhesión y migración celular.
Our group research group focuses on the functional characterization of membrane nanodomains involved in cell-cell adhesion and migration as well as in the biogenesis, cargo selection, and function of extracellular vesicles (EVs). The field of extracellular vesicles has experienced an unprecedented surge in the last two decades. The revelation of their ability to transport and deliver genetic material, with potential function as drug delivery systems and as non-invasive disease biomarkers, has rendered the EV literature almost overwhelming. However, the intricate technical challenges associated with EV isolation, characterization, and heterogeneity sometimes hinder the reproducibility and standardization of these studies. Despite the predominant translational focus, several aspects of EV biology and functionality in a physiological setting remain elusive or inadequately explored.
Our group has made seminal contributions to demonstrate that tetraspanins based nanodomains play an important role on EV cargo selection and biogenesis processes. Our data unveiled that the EV biogenesis route converges and impacts autophagy and mitochondrial turnover describing a new role for tetraspanins as regulators of non-canonical mitophagy and therefore, cell metabolic fitness.
Our contributions also extend to the development of methodologies, techniques, and reagents related to EVs, in collaboration with biotechnology companies, and clinical researchers, advancing the use of these tools at a clinical level in the diagnosis and prognosis of various oncological diseases.
María Yáñez-Mó.
Correo electrónico: maria.yannez@uam.es.
Departamento de Biología Molecular (UAM)
Número de plazas ofertadas: 1.
Facultad de Medicina. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Calle del Arzobispo Morcillo 4. 28029 Madrid. Tel.: +34 914 975 486. Correo electrónico: informacion.medicina@uam.es
