Ana Losada Group Leader
T +34 917328000 (Ext 3470)
alosada@cnio.es

Our research focuses on a protein complex named cohesin that embraces DNA to mediate sister chromatid cohesion, a process essential for chromosome segregation and faithful DNA repair by homologous recombination. Cohesin also plays a major role in the spatial organisation of the genome by promoting long-range DNA looping, which in turn contributes to transcriptional regulation. Mutations in cohesin have been found in several tumour types, most prominently in bladder cancer, Ewing sarcoma and acute myeloid leukaemia. Germ line mutations in cohesin and its regulatory factors are also at the origin of human developmental syndromes collectively known as cohesinopathies.

Our goal is to understand how cohesin works, how it is regulated and how its dysfunction contributes to cancer and other human diseases. In particular, we are intrigued by the existence of different versions of the cohesin complex. We use human cells and mouse models carrying knock out alleles of genes encoding variant cohesin subunits to investigate their functional specificity.

Publications

• Morales C, Ruiz-Torres M, Rodríguez-Acebes S, Lafarga V, Rodríguez-Corsino M, Megías D, Cisneros DA, Peters JM, Méndez J, Losada A (2020). PDS5 proteins are required for proper cohesin dynamics and participate in replication fork protection. J Biol Chem 295, 146-157. CNIO Publication.
• Cuadrado A, Giménez-Llorente D, Kojic A, Rodríguez-Corsino M, Cuartero Y, Martin-Serrano G, Gómez-López G, Marti-Renom MA, Losada A (2019). Specific Contributions of Cohesin-SA1 and Cohesin-SA2 to TADs and Polycomb Domains in Embryonic Stem Cells.. Cell Reports 27, 3500-3510. CNIO Publication. Open Access
• De Koninck M, Lapi E, Badia-Careaga C, Cossio I, Giménez-Llorente D, Rodríguez-Corsino M, Andrada E, Hidalgo A, Manzanares M, Real FX, Losada (2019). STAG2 cohesin is essential for heart morphogenesis.. BioRivx (in press). CNIO Publication.
• Viera A, Berenguer I, Ruiz-Torres M, Gómez R, Guajardo A, Barbero JL, Losada A, Suja JA (2019). PDS5 proteins regulate the length of axial elements and telomere integrity during male mouse meiosis. BioRivx (in press). CNIO Publication.
• Kojic A, Cuadrado A, De Koninck M, Giménez-Llorente D, Rodríguez-Corsino M, Gómez-López G, Le Dily F, Marti-Renom MA, Losada A (2018). Distinct roles of cohesin-SA1 and cohesin-SA2 in 3D chromosome organization. Nat Struct Mol Biol 25, 496-504. CNIO Publication.
• Morales C, Losada A (2018). Establishing and dissolving cohesion during the vertebrate cell cycle. Curr Opin Cell Biol 52, 51-57. CNIO Publication.
• Mata-Garrido J, Tapia O, Casafont I, Berciano MT, Cuadrado A, Lafarga M (2018). Persistent accumulation of unrepaired DNA damage in rat cortical neurons: nuclear organization and ChIP-seq analysis of damaged DNA. Acta Neuropathol Commun 6, 68. CNIO Publication. Open Access
• Messina G, Atterrato MT, Prozzillo Y, Piacentini L, Losada A, Dimitri P (2017). The human Cranio Facial Development Protein 1 (Cfdp1) gene encodes a protein required for the maintenance of higher-order chromatin organization. Sci Rep 7, 45022. CNIO Publication.
• Williams SJ, Abrieu A, Losada A (2017). Bub1 targeting to centromeres is sufficient for Sgo1 recruitment in the absence of kinetochores. Chromosoma 126, 279-286. CNIO Publication.
• De Koninck M, Losada A (2016). Cohesin Mutations in Cancer.. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 6, a026476. CNIO Publication.
• Gómez R, Felipe-Medina N, Ruiz-Torres M, Berenguer I, Viera A, Pérez S, Barbero JL, LLano E, Fukuda T, Alsheimer M, Pendás AM, Losada A, Suja A (2016). Sororin loads to the synaptonemal complex central region independently of meiotic cohesin complexes.. EMBO Rep 17, 695-707. CNIO Publication.
• Abe T, Kawasumi R, Arakawa H, Hori T, Shirahige K, Losada A, Fukagawa T, Branzei D (2016). Chromatin determinants of the inner-centromere rely on replication factors with functions that impart cohesion.. Oncotarget 7, 67934-67947. CNIO Publication.
• Cuadrado A, Remeseiro S, Graña O, Pisano, DG, Losada A (2015). The contribution of cohesin-SA1 to gene expression and chromatin architecture in two murine tissues. Nucleic Acids Res 43, 3056-3067. CNIO Publication.
• Krizaic I, Williams SJ, Sánchez P, Rodríguez-Corsino M, Stukenberg PT, Losada A (2015). The distinct functions of CENP-C and CENP-T/W in centromere propagation and function in Xenopus egg extracts.. Nucleus 6, 133-143. CNIO Publication.