Developmental Biology and Genomics Group
Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics
Faculty of Biology, UB
Florenci Serras
ORCID ID: 0000-0003-1184-5386
Tel +34 934021 331
Montserrat Corominas
ORCID ID: 0000-0002-0724-8346
Tel +34 934 037 003
http://www.ub.edu/developmentalbiology
Principal investigators: Florenci Serras • Montserrat Corominas
PhD: José Esteban Collado • Elena Vizcaya Molina
PhD students: Raziel Amador Ríos • Carlos Camilleri Robles
Current
Research
The Developmental Biology and Genomics group aims to understand the genetic and molecular mechanisms that control development and regeneration. We use a wide variety of innovative technologies including genetic engineering, genomics and bioimaging. The work of our laboratories pursues to establish connections between basic research and human health and disease.
A key issue in development is the coordination between proliferation, differentiation and organization of cells into functional tissues. Similarly, in tissue regeneration, cells proliferate, differentiate and organize themselves to reconstruct the missing parts. One of the most intriguing questions in current biology is to discover the genetic programs required to reconstruct damaged tissues and to unveil the differences and similarities between regeneration and development.
The ultimate goal of our lab is to identify regeneration-enabling programs and reveal the mechanisms of their action. We employ Drosophila imaginal discs, which are epithelial tissues amenable to genetic analysis, in which we apply genetic and surgical techniques to disrupt epithelia and monitor repair and regeneration. The design of engineered genetic tools in imaginal tissues has been fundamental to understand some of the basic principles that govern epithelial regeneration.
Regulation of transcription plays a significant role in development and regeneration and, thus, a central question in both biological processes is the identification of molecules and regulatory regions capable to orchestrate spatio-temporal gene expression programs. These programs result from genes being turned on or off in a coordinated manner conveyed by interactions between transcription factors and DNA in the context of chromatin. Our laboratory employs state of the art genetic and genomics approaches to address the regulation of gene expression during development and regeneration.
Selected
Publications
Vizcaya-Molina, E.; Klein, C.C.; Serras, F.; Mishra, R.K.; Guigó, R.; Corominas, M. Damage-responsive elements in Drosophila regeneration. Genome Research. 28(12), 1852-1866, 2018. doi.org/10.1101/gr.233098.117
Hariharan, I. K.; Serras F. Imaginal disc regeneration takes flight. Current Opinion in Cell Biology. 48:10-16, 2017. doi.org/10.1016/j.ceb.2017.03.005
Santabárbara-Ruiz, P.; López-Santillán, M.; Martínez-Rodríguez, I.; Binagui-Casas, A.; Pérez, L.; Milán, M.; Corominas, M.; Serras, F. ROS-Induced JNK and p38 Signaling Is Required for Unpaired Cytokine Activation during Drosophila Regeneration. PLoS Genet. 11(10):e1005595, 2015. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1005595
Pérez-Lluch, S.; Blanco, E.; Tilgner, H.; Curado, J.; Ruiz-Romero, M.; Corominas, M.; Guigó, R. Absence of canonical marks of active chromatin in developmentally regulated genes.
Nature Genetics. 47(10):1158-1167, 2015. doi.org/10.1038/ng.3381
Bergantiños, C.; Corominas, M.; Serras, F. Cell death-induced regeneration in wing imaginal discs requires JNK signalling. Development. 137(7):1169-79, 2010. doi.org/10.1242/dev.045559
Selected
Publications
Author
Vizcaya-Molina, E.; Klein, C.C.; Serras, F.; Mishra, R.K.; Guigó, R.; Corominas, M.Identification
Genome Research, In Press.Author
Identification
Hariharan IK, Serras F.
Imaginal disc regeneration takes flight.
Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2017 Oct;48:10-16. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2017.03.005.
Author
Identification
Santabárbara-Ruiz P, López-Santillán M, Martínez-Rodríguez I, Binagui-Casas A, Pérez L, Milán M, Corominas M, Serras F.
ROS-Induced JNK and p38 Signaling Is Required for Unpaired Cytokine Activation during Drosophila Regeneration.
PLoS Genet. 2015 Oct 23;11(10):e1005595. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005595. eCollection.
Author
Identification
Pérez-Lluch S.; Blanco E.; Tilgner H.; Curado J.; Ruiz-Romero M.; Corominas M.; Guigó R.
Absence of canonical marks of active chromatin in developmentally regulated genes.
Nat Genet. 2015 Oct;47(10):1158-1167. doi: 10.1038/ng.3381.
Author
Bergantiños C.; Corominas M.; Serras F.Identification
Development. 2010 Apr;137(7):1169-79. doi: 10.1242/dev.045559.ll death-induced regeneration in wing imaginal discs requires JNK signalling.