Óscar Fernández-Capetillo Group Leader
T +34 917328000 (Ext 3480)
ofernandez@cnio.es

The Genomic Instability Group centres its research on understanding how cells respond to DNA damage, in particular to a specific type of harm known as replication stress (RS). Oncogene-induced RS has been confirmed as the main source of genomic rearrangements in cancer cells. In mammals, RS triggers a cellular response initiated by ATR and CHK1 kinases, known as the Replicative Stress Response ( RSR ). Throughout the years, our laboratory has developed a wide battery of cellular and animal tools for the study of the RSR. Among them, we have mice with enhanced or limited function of ATR and CHK1 kinases, cell lines in which the RSR can be activated at will and chemical inhibitors of ATR. Our studies have enhanced our understanding of the impact of RS on cancer and ageing, and have provided novel drugs with antitumoural potential that exploit the presence of RS in cancer cells. Overall, our goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms governing genome protection and repair – particularly during replication – and to exploit this knowledge as a way to fight against cancer.

Publications

• Olbrich T, Vega-Sendino M, Murga M, de Carcer G, Malumbres M, Ortega S, Ruiz S, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2019). A Chemical Screen Identifies Compounds Capable of Selecting for Haploidy in Mammalian Cells.. Cell Reports 28, 597-604. CNIO Publication. Open Access
• Corman A, Jung B, Häggblad M, Bräutigam L, Lafarga V, Lidemalm L, Hühn D, Carreras-Puigvert J, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2019). A Chemical Screen Identifies Compounds Limiting the Toxicity of C9ORF72 Dipeptide Repeats. Cell Chem Biol 26, 235-243. CNIO Publication.
• Zong D, Adam S, Wang Y, Sasanuma H, Callén E, Murga M, Day A, Kruhlak MJ, Wong N, Munro M, Ray Chaudhuri A, Karim B, Xia B, Takeda S, Johnson N, Durocher D, Nussenzweig A (2019). BRCA1 Haploinsufficiency Is Masked by RNF168-Mediated Chromatin Ubiquitylation. Mol Cell 73, 1267-1281. CNIO Publication.
• Lafarga V, Sung HM, Haneke K, Roessig L, Pauleau AL, Bruer M, Rodriguez-Acebes S, Lopez-Contreras AJ, Gruss OJ, Erhardt S, Mendez J, Fernandez-Capetillo O, Stoecklin G (2019). TIAR marks nuclear G2/M transition granules and restricts CDK1 activity under replication stress. EMBO Rep 20, e46224. CNIO Publication.
• Baltanás FC, Berciano MT, Tapia O, Narcis JO, Lafarga V, Díaz D, Weruaga E, Santos E, Lafarga M (2019). Nucleolin reorganization and nucleolar stress in purkinje cells of mutant PCD mice. Neurobiol Dis 127, 312-322. CNIO Publication.
• Lafarga V, Sung H-M, Haneke K, Roessig L, Pauleau A-L, Bruer M, Rodríguez-Acebes S, López-Contreras A, Gruss OJ, Erhardt S, Méndez J, Fernández-Capetillo O, Stoecklin G (2019). TIAR controls mitotic entry, maintains genome stability and retains CDK1 in checkpoint bodies.. EMBO Rep 20, pii: e46224. CNIO Publication.
• Galarreta A, Lecona E, Valledor P, Ubieto P, Lafarga V, Specks J, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2018). USP7 couples DNA replication termination to mitotic entry. bioRxiv (in press). CNIO Publication.
• Lafarga V, Sirozh O, Diaz-Lopez I, Hisaoka M, Zarzuela E, Boskovic J, Jovanovic B, Fernandez-Leiro R, Munoz J, Stoecklin G, Ventoso I, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2018). DNA and RNA binding mediate the toxicity of arginine-rich peptides encoded by C9ORF72 GGGGCC repeats. bioRxiv (in press). CNIO Publication.
• Lecona E, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2018). Targeting ATR in cancer. Nat Rev Cancer 18, 586-595. CNIO Publication.
• Mayor-Ruiz C, Olbrich T, Drosten M, Lecona E, Vega-Sendino M, Ortega S, Dominguez O, Barbacid M, Ruiz S, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2018). ERF deletion rescues RAS deficiency in mouse embryonic stem cells. Genes Dev 32, 568-576. CNIO Publication. Open Access
• Lynch CJ, Bernad R, Calvo I, Nóbrega-Pereira S, Ruiz S, Ibarz N, Martinez-Val A, Graña-Castro O, Gómez-López G, Andrés-León E, Espinosa Angarica V, Del Sol A, Ortega S, Fernandez-Capetillo O, Rojo E, Munoz J, Serrano M (2018). The RNA Polymerase II Factor RPAP1 Is Critical for Mediator-Driven Transcription and Cell Identity. Cell Reports 22, 396-410. CNIO Publication. Open Access
• Lafarga V, Tapia O, Sharma S, Bengoechea R, Stoecklin G, Lafarga M, Berciano MT (2018). CBP-mediated SMN acetylation modulates Cajal body biogenesis and the cytoplasmic targeting of SMN. Cell Mol Life Sci 75, 527-576. CNIO Publication.
• Pacheco S, Maldonado-Linares A, Marcet-Ortega M, Rojas C, Martínez-Marchal M, Fuentes-Lazaro J, Lange J, Jasin M, Keeney S, Fernandez-Capetillo O, Garcia-Caldés M, Roig I (2018). ATR is required to complete meiotic recombination in mice. Nat Commun 9, 2622. CNIO Publication. Open Access
• Mayor-Ruiz C, Dominguez O, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2017). TrapSeq: An RNA Sequencing-Based Pipeline for the Identification of Gene-Trap Insertions in Mammalian Cells.. J Mol Biol 429, 2780-2789. CNIO Publication.
• Olbrich T, Mayor-Ruiz C, Vega-Sendino M, Gomez C, Ortega S, Ruiz S, Fernandez-Capetillo O. (2017). A p53-dependent response limits the viability of mammalian haploid cells.. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114, 9367-9372. CNIO Publication.
• Lecona E, Rodriguez-Acebes S, Specks J, Lopez-Contreras AJ, Ruppen I, Murga M, Muñoz J, Mendez J, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2016). USP7 is a SUMO deubiquitinase essential for DNA replication.. Nat Struct Mol Biol 23, 270-277. CNIO Publication.
• Ray Chaudhuri A, Callen E, Ding X, Gogola E, Duarte AA, Lee JE, Wong N, Lafarga V, Calvo JA, Panzarino NJ, John S, Day A, Crespo AV, Shen B, Starnes LM, de Ruiter JR, Daniel JA, Konstantinopoulos PA, Cortez D, Cantor SB, Fernandez-Capetillo O, Ge K, Jonkers J, Rottenberg S, Sharan SK, Nussenzweig A (2016). Replication fork stability confers chemoresistance in BRCA-deficient cells. Nature 535, 382-387. CNIO Publication.
• Murga M, Lecona E, Kamileri I, Díaz M, Lugli N, Sotiriou SK, Anton ME, Méndez J, Halazonetis TD, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2016). POLD3 Is Haploinsufficient for DNA Replication in Mice. Mol Cell 63, 877-883. CNIO Publication.
• Ruiz S, Mayor-Ruiz C, Lafarga V, Murga M, Vega-Sendino M, Ortega S, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2016). A Genome-wide CRISPR Screen Identifies CDC25A as a Determinant of Sensitivity to ATR Inhibitors. Mol Cell 62, 307-313. CNIO Publication.
• Morgado-Palacin I, Day A, Murga M, Lafarga V, Anton ME, Tubbs A, Chen HT, Ergan A, Anderson R, Bhandoola A, Pike KG, Barlaam B, Cadogan E, Wang X, Pierce AJ, Hubbard C, Armstrong SA, Nussenzweig A, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2016). Targeting the kinase activities of ATR and ATM exhibits antitumoral activity in mouse models of MLL-rearranged AML.. Sci Signal 9, ra91. CNIO Publication.
• Nieto-Soler M, Morgado-Palacin I, Lafarga V, Lecona E, Murga M, Callen E, Azorin D, Alonso J, Lopez-Contreras AJ, Nussenzweig A, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2016). Efficacy of ATR inhibitors as single agents in Ewing sarcoma.. Oncotarget 7, 58759-58767. CNIO Publication.
• Lecona E, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2016). A SUMO and ubiquitin code coordinates protein traffic at replication factories.. Bioessays 38, 1209-1217. CNIO Publication.
• Fernandez-Capetillo O (2016). The (elusive) role of the SMC5/6 complex.. Cell Cycle 15, 775-776. CNIO Publication.
• Fernández-Capetillo Ó, Yan N, Dionne J, Bassett D, Sebastian S, Hendon C, Schlichting H, Baker M. (2015). Hopes for the year ahead.. Nature 517, 111-113. CNIO Publication.
• Alvarez S, Díaz M, Flach J, Rodriguez-Acebes S, López-Contreras AJ, Martínez D, Cañamero M, Fernández-Capetillo O, Isern J, Passegué E, Méndez J (2015). Replication stress caused by low MCM expression limits fetal erythropoiesis and hematopoietic stem cell functionality.. Nat Communications 6, 8548. CNIO Publication.
• Farrés J, Llacuna L, Martin-Caballero J, Martínez C, Lozano JJ, Ampurdanés C, López-Contreras AJ, Florensa L, Navarro J, Ottina E, Dantzer F, Schreiber V, Villunger A, Fernández-Capetillo O, Yélamos J. (2015). PARP-2 sustains erythropoiesis in mice by limiting replicative stress in erythroid progenitors.. Cell Death Differ 22, 1144-1157. CNIO Publication.
• Ruiz S, Fernandez-Capetillo O. (2015). Reducing genomic instability in iPSCs.. Oncotarget 6, 34045-34046. CNIO Publication.
• Specks J, Lecona E, Lopez-Contreras AJ, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2015). A single conserved residue mediates binding of the ribonucleotide reductase catalytic subunit RRM1 to RRM2 and is essential for mouse development.. Mol Cell Biol 35, 2910-2917. CNIO Publication.
• Specks J, Nieto-Soler M, Lopez-Contreras AJ, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2015). Modeling the study of DNA damage responses in mice.. Methods Mol Biol 1267, 413-437. CNIO Publication.
• Lopez-Contreras AJ, Specks J, Barlow JH, Ambrogio C, Desler C, Vikingsson S, Rodrigo-Perez S, Green H, Rasmussen LJ, Murga M, Nussenzweig A, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2015). Increased Rrm2 gene dosage reduces fragile site breakage and prolongs survival of ATR mutant mice.. Genes Dev 29, 690-695. CNIO Publication.
• Ruiz S, Lopez-Contreras AJ, Gabut M, Marion RM, Gutierrez-Martinez P, Bua S, Ramirez O, Olalde I, Rodrigo-Perez S, Li H, Marques-Bonet T, Serrano M, Blasco MA, Batada NN, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2015). Limiting replication stress during somatic cell reprogramming reduces genomic instability in induced pluripotent stem cells.. Nat Communications 6, 8036. CNIO Publication.
• Jacome A, Gutierrez-Martinez P, Schiavoni F, Tenaglia E, Martinez P, Rodríguez-Acebes S, Lecona E, Murga M, Méndez J, Blasco MA, Fernandez-Capetillo O (2015). NSMCE2 suppresses cancer and aging in mice independently of its SUMO ligase activity.. EMBO J 34, 2604-2619. CNIO Publication.