ORCID Research Profile
CRISTINA MALAGELADA GRAU
Position: Associate Professor
Research team
Nuria Martin Flores
Early stage researcher
Leticia Pérez Sisqués
Collaborator
leticiaperezsisques (at) ub.edu
Contact details
Dr. Cristina Malagelada Grau
Department of Biomedicine
Faculty of Medicine. Casanova 143.
08036 Barcelona (Spain)
934021919
cristina.malagelada (at) ub.edu
Research Interests
mTOR is a serine/threonine kinase that coordinates anabolic and catabolic processes in the cell as a response to extra cellular events such as nutrient levels, energy availability or stress situations. mTOR and its signalling pathways have been described mainly in proliferative non-neuronal cells. Therefore, the role that mTOR plays in differentiated cells as neurons is not very clear. There is evidence of mTOR as a modulator of survival, differentiation and development of neurons. It is also a key player in axonal growth, dendritic arborisation and synaptogenesis. In the adult brain, mTOR has been implicated in physiologic processes like neural plasticity, learning or memory. Moreover, its activity can be altered in pathological processes including tuberous sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, brain tumours and cortical dysplasia.
Our main research line is the study of mTOR and one of its main modulators the protein RTP801, in neurodegeneration associated to Parkinson’s disease, neural plasticity and development.
Current Research Lines
- Parkinson’s disease
- Huntington’s disease
- Neurodegeneration
- Signaling
Technologies / methods
- Rat and mouse neuronal cultures, primary cultures and cell lines, biochemistry, cellular biology, murine models, postmortem human brain samples use. Toxin models for PD, molecular biology.
Highlighted publications
· Canal M, Martín-Flores N, Pérez-Sisqués L, Romaní-Aumedes J, Altas B, Man HY, Kawabe H, Alberch J, Malagelada C. Loss of NEDD4 contributes to RTP801 elevation and neuron toxicity: implications for Parkinson’s disease (2016) Oncotarget 7(37): 58813–58831.
· Martín-Flores N, Romaní-Aumedes J, Rué L, Canal M, Sanders P, Straccia M, Allen ND, Alberch J, Canals JM, Pérez-Navarro E, Malagelada C. RTP801 Is Involved in Mutant Huntingtin-Induced Cell Death. (2015) Mol Neurobiol.
· Canal M, Romaní-Aumedes J, Martín-Flores N, Pérez-Fernández V, Malagelada C.RTP801/REDD1: a stress coping regulator that turns into a troublemaker in neurodegenerative disorders. (2014) Front Cell Neurosci.
· Romaní-Aumedes J, Canal M, Martín-Flores N, Sun X, Pérez-Fernández V, Wewering S, Fernández-Santiago R, Ezquerra M, Pont-Sunyer C, Lafuente A, Alberch J, Luebbert H, Tolosa E, Levy OA, Greene LA, Malagelada C. (2014)Parkin loss of function contributes to RTP801 elevation and neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s disease. Cell Death Dis.
· Malagelada C, López-Toledano MA, Willett RT, Jin ZH, Shelanski ML, Greene LA.(2011);RTP801/REDD1 regulates the timing of cortical neurogenesis and neuron migration. J Neurosci; 31(9):3186-96.