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 SerrasMontserrat Corominas
PhD: José Esteban Collado • Elena Vizcaya Molina
PhD students: Raziel Amador Ríos • Carlos Camilleri Robles

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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

Damage-responsive elements in Drosophila regeneration.

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.

Cell death-induced regeneration in wing imaginal discs requires JNK signalling.

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.

Author

Identification