CNS metabolism and signaling
Roser Masgrau Juanola
PhD, Lecturer
Lab members
Enrique Claro, PhD
Lab contact
Institution
Our projects
Our group is interested in signalling and metabolism in the brain at multiple levels, from single astrocytes, astrocyte-neuron interactions and neuronal circuits, to control of behaviour and memory. We are also interested in how these processes are altered in neurodegeneration, in particular Alzheimer’s disease, to elucidate multi-targeted and multi-cellular therapies.
In particular, we integrate real time fluorescent microscopy, biochemical tools, proteomics, behavioural tests and computational modelling to understand the highly complex and flexible astrocytic lipid metabolism, a process which we believe is key to match the energetic demand of neurotransmission in neural circuits. We are also interested in astrocytic calcium signalling to fully understand the bidirectional neuron-astrocyte communication.
We have expertise in mixed primary cultures, including murine neuronal, astrocytic and mixed preparations, and, more recently, human iPCs-derived models that allow us to perform a wide range of dynamic live-cell activity analysis for characterizations at subcellular, cellular or network level such as real time intracellular and organellar calcium imaging, mitochondrial fission and fusion monitoring, fluorescent lysosomal dynamics tracking or multicolour imaging of lipid droplets. We also have the know-how of multiple metabolic assays which we combine with biochemical tools and chromatographic analysis of molecular species of lipids. Our studies also include behaviour tests and computer analysis of proteomic/lipidomic sets of data provided by our international collaborators.
Our research group welcomes collaborations for drug discovery to validate drug candidates in our in vitro CNS models and using a wide range of functional readouts, but we also offer our experience in radiobinding assays built on more than 20 years.
Last publications
Larramona-Arcas R, González-Arias C, Perea G, Gutiérrez A, Vitorica J, García-Barrera T, Gómez-Ariza JL, Pascua-Maestro R, Ganfornina MD, Kara E, Hudry E, Martinez-Vicente M, Vila M, Galea E, Masgrau R. Sex-dependent calcium hyperactivity due to lysosomal-related dysfunction in astrocytes from APOE4 versus APOE3 gene targeted replacement mice. Mol Neurodegener.15:35, 2020. doi: 10.1186/s13024-020-00382-8.
Kastanenka KV, Moreno-Bote R, De Pittà M, Perea G, Eraso-Pichot A, Masgrau R, Poskanzer KE, Galea E. A roadmap to integrate astrocytes into Systems Neuroscience. Glia 68:5-26,2020. doi: 10.1002/glia.23632.
Riefolo F, Matera C, Garrido-Charles A, Gomila AMJ, Sortino R, Agnetta L, Claro E, Masgrau R, Holzgrabe U, Batlle M, Decker M, Guasch E, Gorostiza P. Optical Control of Cardiac Function with a Photoswitchable Muscarinic Agonist. J Am Chem Soc.141:7628-7636, 2019 doi: 10.1021/jacs.9b03505.
Eraso-Pichot A, Brasó-Vives M, Golbano A, Menacho C, Claro E, Galea E, Masgrau R. GSEA of mouse and human mitochondriomes reveals fatty acid oxidation in astrocytes. Glia. 2018 Aug;66(8):1724-1735. doi: 10.1002/glia.23330.
Pardo L, Valor LM, Eraso-Pichot A, Barco A, Golbano A, Hardingham GE, Masgrau R, Galea E. CREB Regulates Distinct Adaptive Transcriptional Programs in Astrocytes and Neurons. Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 25;7(1):6390. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-06231-x.
Masgrau R, Guaza C, Ransohoff RM, Galea E. Should We Stop Saying ‘Glia’ and ‘Neuroinflammation’? Trends Mol Med. 2017 Jun;23(6):486-500. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2017.04.005.
Hasel P, Dando O, Jiwaji Z, Baxter P, Todd AC, Heron S, Márkus NM, McQueen J, Hampton DW, Torvell M, Tiwari SS, McKay S, Eraso-Pichot A, Zorzano A, Masgrau R, Galea E, Chandran S, Wyllie DJA, Simpson TI, Hardingham GE. Neurons and neuronal activity control gene expression in astrocytes to regulate their development and metabolism. Nat Commun. 2017 May 2;8:15132. doi: 10.1038/ncomms15132. Erratum in: Nat Commun. 2018 Feb 06;9:16176.
Eraso-Pichot A, Larramona-Arcas R, Vicario-Orri E, Villalonga R, Pardo L, Galea E, Masgrau R. CREB decreases astrocytic excitability by modifying subcellular calcium fluxes via the sigma-1 receptor. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2017 Mar;74(5):937-950. doi: 10.1007/s00018-016-2397-5.
Pardo L, Schlüter A, Valor LM, Barco A, Giralt M, Golbano A, Hidalgo J, Jia P, Zhao Z, Jové M, Portero-Otin M, Ruiz M, Giménez-Llort L, Masgrau R, Pujol A, Galea E. Targeted activation of CREB in reactive astrocytes is neuroprotective in focal acute cortical injury. Glia. 2016 May;64(5):853-74. doi: 10.1002/glia.22969.
Roser Masgrau Juanola
PhD, Lecturer
Lab members
Enrique Claro, PhD
Lab contact
Institution
Our projects
Our group is interested in signalling and metabolism in the brain at multiple levels, from single astrocytes, astrocyte-neuron interactions and neuronal circuits, to control of behaviour and memory. We are also interested in how these processes are altered in neurodegeneration, in particular Alzheimer’s disease, to elucidate multi-targeted and multi-cellular therapies.
In particular, we integrate real time fluorescent microscopy, biochemical tools, proteomics, behavioural tests and computational modelling to understand the highly complex and flexible astrocytic lipid metabolism, a process which we believe is key to match the energetic demand of neurotransmission in neural circuits. We are also interested in astrocytic calcium signalling to fully understand the bidirectional neuron-astrocyte communication.
We have expertise in mixed primary cultures, including murine neuronal, astrocytic and mixed preparations, and, more recently, human iPCs-derived models that allow us to perform a wide range of dynamic live-cell activity analysis for characterizations at subcellular, cellular or network level such as real time intracellular and organellar calcium imaging, mitochondrial fission and fusion monitoring, fluorescent lysosomal dynamics tracking or multicolour imaging of lipid droplets. We also have the know-how of multiple metabolic assays which we combine with biochemical tools and chromatographic analysis of molecular species of lipids. Our studies also include behaviour tests and computer analysis of proteomic/lipidomic sets of data provided by our international collaborators.
Our research group welcomes collaborations for drug discovery to validate drug candidates in our in vitro CNS models and using a wide range of functional readouts, but we also offer our experience in radiobinding assays built on more than 20 years.
Last Publications
Larramona-Arcas R, González-Arias C, Perea G, Gutiérrez A, Vitorica J, García-Barrera T, Gómez-Ariza JL, Pascua-Maestro R, Ganfornina MD, Kara E, Hudry E, Martinez-Vicente M, Vila M, Galea E, Masgrau R. Sex-dependent calcium hyperactivity due to lysosomal-related dysfunction in astrocytes from APOE4 versus APOE3 gene targeted replacement mice. Mol Neurodegener.15:35, 2020. doi: 10.1186/s13024-020-00382-8.
Kastanenka KV, Moreno-Bote R, De Pittà M, Perea G, Eraso-Pichot A, Masgrau R, Poskanzer KE, Galea E. A roadmap to integrate astrocytes into Systems Neuroscience. Glia 68:5-26,2020. doi: 10.1002/glia.23632.
Riefolo F, Matera C, Garrido-Charles A, Gomila AMJ, Sortino R, Agnetta L, Claro E, Masgrau R, Holzgrabe U, Batlle M, Decker M, Guasch E, Gorostiza P. Optical Control of Cardiac Function with a Photoswitchable Muscarinic Agonist. J Am Chem Soc.141:7628-7636, 2019 doi: 10.1021/jacs.9b03505.
Eraso-Pichot A, Brasó-Vives M, Golbano A, Menacho C, Claro E, Galea E, Masgrau R. GSEA of mouse and human mitochondriomes reveals fatty acid oxidation in astrocytes. Glia. 2018 Aug;66(8):1724-1735. doi: 10.1002/glia.23330.
Pardo L, Valor LM, Eraso-Pichot A, Barco A, Golbano A, Hardingham GE, Masgrau R, Galea E. CREB Regulates Distinct Adaptive Transcriptional Programs in Astrocytes and Neurons. Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 25;7(1):6390. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-06231-x.
Masgrau R, Guaza C, Ransohoff RM, Galea E. Should We Stop Saying ‘Glia’ and ‘Neuroinflammation’? Trends Mol Med. 2017 Jun;23(6):486-500. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2017.04.005.
Hasel P, Dando O, Jiwaji Z, Baxter P, Todd AC, Heron S, Márkus NM, McQueen J, Hampton DW, Torvell M, Tiwari SS, McKay S, Eraso-Pichot A, Zorzano A, Masgrau R, Galea E, Chandran S, Wyllie DJA, Simpson TI, Hardingham GE. Neurons and neuronal activity control gene expression in astrocytes to regulate their development and metabolism. Nat Commun. 2017 May 2;8:15132. doi: 10.1038/ncomms15132. Erratum in: Nat Commun. 2018 Feb 06;9:16176.
Eraso-Pichot A, Larramona-Arcas R, Vicario-Orri E, Villalonga R, Pardo L, Galea E, Masgrau R. CREB decreases astrocytic excitability by modifying subcellular calcium fluxes via the sigma-1 receptor. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2017 Mar;74(5):937-950. doi: 10.1007/s00018-016-2397-5.
Pardo L, Schlüter A, Valor LM, Barco A, Giralt M, Golbano A, Hidalgo J, Jia P, Zhao Z, Jové M, Portero-Otin M, Ruiz M, Giménez-Llort L, Masgrau R, Pujol A, Galea E. Targeted activation of CREB in reactive astrocytes is neuroprotective in focal acute cortical injury. Glia. 2016 May;64(5):853-74. doi: 10.1002/glia.22969.