Research Program. Precision Nutrition and Aging

Posttranscriptional Regulation of Metabolic Diseases

Group leader: Dr. Cristina Ramírez Hidalgo

Objectives: Aging is an important contributor to the etiologies of metabolic decline and related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, T2DM and neurodegenerative disorders. Metabolic diseases are characterized by the failure of regulatory genes or enzymes to effectively orchestrate specifi c pathways involved in the control of key biological processes. In addition to the classical transcriptional regulators, recent discoveries have shown the remarkable role of small non-coding RNAs (microRNAs) and RNA binding proteins (RBPs) in the posttranscriptional regulation of metabolism, and their involvement in many pathological states. Our interest in this area is to discover and characterize novel molecular mechanisms that underlie dysregulation of lipid metabolism, glucose homeostasis, and inflammation during the development of pathologies like Alzheimer´s Disease, Diabetes and Atherosclerosis. Our group will approach these studies from a global perspective. Using a combination of genomics, in vivo models of human diseases, biochemistry, bioinformatics and molecular biology, we will investigate networks of non-coding RNAs and RBPs and their target genes to evaluate their impact on biological processes and age-related pathologies. These areas of investigation are necessary, not only because they address fundamental questions, but also because they will be of undeniable benefi t in our efforts to better understand and potentially treat ageassociated diseases.

Dr. Cristina Ramírez Hidalgo

Leader of the Posttranscriptional Regulation of Metabolic Diseases Group

Cristina M. Ramírez received her B.S. in Biology in 2001, and her PhD from the University of La Laguna in 2007. In 2010, after a first postdoctoral period at ULPGC, she was recruited by Dr. Carlos Fernández at NYU to study post-transcriptional regulators of lipid and glucose metabolism. She continued her work at Yale where she was appointed to the rank of faculty as an Associate Research Scientist. In 2015, she was awarded the prestigious    “AHA´s Scientific Development Grant” and the “AHA-James and Donna Dickenson-Sublett Award for the Advancement of Cardiovascular Research” special award. Dr. Ramírez´s main research has been focus on the characterization of posttranscriptional regulators of ABCA1, and their implication in Atherosclerosis and Alzheimer´s Disease. She has authored more than 40 publications including book chapters, reviews and peer reviewed articles published in top journals such as Circulation Research, Cell Reports, Mol Cell Biol, ATVB, PNAS, Diabetes and Nat Med, among others. Currently, Dr. Cristina Ramírez is a “TALENTO Program” Fellow and leads the group of posttranscriptional regulation of metabolic diseases which a primarily focus on better understanding and deciphering novel molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic opportunities to treat age-associated pathologies.

 

Email: cristina.ramirez@imdea.org 
Phone: +34 91 727 81 00, ext. 312

 

Members

Dr. Virginia Pardo Marqués

Senior research assistant

Virginia Pardo Marqués studied Biology at the Alcala de Henares University and a Master in Cell Signaling and Therapheutic Targets in the same university (2009). Then, she obtained her PhD in 2014 in the laboratory of Dra. Ángela M. Martínez Valverde at the Institute of Biomedical Research “Alberto Sols” (IIIBm-CSIC) in Madrid, where she was working on the molecular mechanisms of insulin resistance associated to inflammation in obesity and non-alcoholic liver disease states. In 2016, she joined the group of Dra. Rocio García Carbonero at the Hospital 12 de Octubre (Madrid), working on development of new drugs or therapeutic strategies in the field of gastrointestinal tumours, particularly pancreatic and colorectal cancer, and the development of biomarkers of diagnostic. In 2017, she moved to Laboratory of Clinical Translational Oncology at the Hospital 12 de Octubre, where she focused on several projects aimed to study of new biomarkers for the diagnosis of lung and breast cancer. In January 2019 she joind the Posttranscriptional Regulation of Metabolic Diseases Group at IMDEA Food Institute where her research is focus on the role of novel posttranscriptional regulators of insulin signaling and metabolism.

Email: virginia.pardo@imdea.org
Phone: +34 91 727 81 00

                                  

most relevant publications
  • Fernández-de Frutos M., Galán-Chilet I., Goedeke L., Kim B., Pardo-Marqués V., Pérez-García A., Herrero JI., Fernández-Hernando C., Kim J., Ramírez CM.“MiR-7 impairs insulin signaling and regulates Aβ levels through posttranscriptional regulation of the IRS-2, INSR, IDE and LXR pathway”. Mol Cell Biol. 2019, Sep 9. pii: MCB.00170-19. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00170-19. [Epub ahead of print].
  • Ramírez CM.*, Zhang X.*, Bandyopadhyay C., Rotll.n N., Sugiyama MG., Arial B., Liu X.,He S., Kraehling JR., Ulrich V., Lin CS., Velazquez H., Lasunci.n MA., Li G., Su.rez Y.,Tellides G., Swirski FK, Lee W., Schwartz MA., Sessa WC., Fernández-Hernando C. “Caveolin-1 regulates atherogenesis by attenuating LDL transcytosis and vascular inflammation independent of endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation”. Circulation, 2019 Jul 16;140(3):225-239.
  • Ramírez CM., Sheng-Lin C., Abdelmohsen K., Goedeke L., Yoon JH., Madrigal-Matute J., Martin-Ventura JL., Vo DT., Uren PJ., Penalva LO., Gorospe M., Fernández-Hernando C. “RNA-binding protein HuR regulates expression of ATP-binding cassette transporter A1” Journal Lipid Research. 2014, Apr 11; 55(6):1066-1076.
  • Yeung F., Ramírez CM., Mateos-Gómez PA., Pinzaru A.., Ceccarini , Kabir S., Fernández-Hernando C., Sfeir A. “Non-telomeric role for RAP1 in regulating metabolism and protecting against obesity.” Cell Reports. 2013, 3(6):1847-56.
  • Ramírez CM., Goedeke L., Rotllan N., Yoon JH., Cirera-Salinas D., Mattison JA., Suárez Y., de Cabo R., Gorospe M., Fernández-Hernando C. “MicroRNA 33 regulates glucose metabolism” Mol Cell Biol.2013, 33(15):2891-902.
  • Ramírez CM., Rotllan N., Vlassov AV., Dávalos A., Li M., Goedeke L., Aranda JF., Cirera-Salinas D., Araldi E., Salerno A., Wanschel AC., Zavadil J., Castrillo A., Kim J., Suárez Y., Fernández-Hernando C.“Control of cholesterol metabolism and plasma HDL levels by miRNA-144”. Circulation Research. 2013, 112(12):1592-601. *Article distinguished at cover page. [Editorial on Circ Res. 2013].
main research grants

Principal Investigator: Cristina Ramírez Hidalgo
Project Title: reguladores postranscripcionales de enfermedades metabólicas
Date: 2018-2020
Funded by: Agencia Estatal de Investigación. Convocatoria 2018. Ministerio de Ciencia

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Principal Investigator: Cristina Ramírez Hidalgo
Project Title: Novel posttranscripional regulators as molecular links between Diabetes and Alzheimer´s Disease
Date: 2018-2021
Funded by:  Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid. Spain

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Principal Investigator: Cristina Ramírez Hidalgo
Project Title: Role of miRNA in controlling LDLR activity and plasma LDL levels
Date: 2015-2018
Funded by:  American Heart Association. USA

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Participant Investigator: Cristina Ramírez Hidalgo
Project Title: Role of miR-33 during progression and regression of atherosclerosis
Date: 2012-20013
Funded by: American Heart Association; FDA Summer 2011 Postdoctoral grant AHA

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Principal Investigator: Cristina Ramírez Hidalgo
Project Title: Control de la respuesta inmune en macrófagos por receptores nucleares
Date: 2019-2011
Funded by: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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Participant Investigator: Cristina Ramírez Hidalgo
Project Title: Mecanismos de neuroprotección: Papel de LXRPPAR en procesos isquémicos neuroinflamatorios
Date: 2009
Funded by: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

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