Research

Area 5

Molecular genetics

Team leader

  • Cristóbal Mezquita
    (Facultat de Medicina)

Strategic objectives


The research group comprises the laboratories ofGene Expression and Cancer (www.fisiologia.net) and Human Genetics (www.ub.edu/humangen). Our research work is set within the paradigm of current physiology: the study of genic expression mechanisms as a new approach to the study of the functions of the body. On one hand, our work is presently directed towards the proteomic and molecular characterization of spermatozoa in infertile patients and controls, while on the other, studies are made of the mechanisms involved in angiogenesis and in tumor cell invasion.

Main lines of research


The group has traditionally worked in relation to mechanisms of genic expression and differentiation of the spermatogenic germinal line, and more recently on the mechanisms involved in angiogenesis and in tumor cell invasion.

One of the relevant subjects has been the identification of numerous new proteins of the spermatozoon, with consideration of the potential for transmission to the oocyte and epigenetic function (Oliva et al., 2010). We have also contributed to the identification of alterations in relation to protamines in the sperm nucleus, predictive of the results of assisted reproduction techniques (de Mateo et al., 2010). In another line of research we have completed a mutational study of the genes encoding for protamines 1 and 2 in infertile patients – identifying different new mutations, polymorphisms and haplotypes (Jodar et al., 2010). One of the important challenges is to elucidate the basic mechanisms that operate in the nucleus-histone, nucleus-protamine transition during spermatogenesis, and to clarify the way in which its alterations may lead to alterations in the epigenetic information of the spermatozoon. An additional challenge will be the translation of important basic investigational findings to the clinical setting.

In relation to the tumor invasion mechanisms, the main challenge will be to determine the mechanisms implicated in regulating the genic expression of the new family of intracellular truncated forms of the VEGFR-1 molecule which we have characterized in our laboratory.