Metabolism and Cell Signalling Group

Alejo Efeyan Group Leader
T +34 917328000 (Ext 3540)
aefeyan@cnio.es

Staff Scientists

Bárbara Martínez
Ana Ortega

Graduate Students

Lucía de Prado
Nerea Deleyto
Ana Belén Plata
Elena Sánchez

Technicians

Cristina Lebrero
Ana Sagrera
Alba Sanz

In the Metabolism and Cell Signalling Lab we study the interplay of nutrients, metabolism and cancer. Every cell in the organism integrates signals emanating from the abundance of intracellular nutrients and from the nutritional state of the organism as a whole. Integration of cellular and systemic nutrient abundance cues is key for adequate cellular and organismal functions, and importantly, the components of these signalling cascades are generally corrupted in cancer cells. Together with genetic mutations, environmental perturbations, such as those occurring in obesity, affect the cellular signalling cascades that control the responses to nutrients and hormones. In the lab, we combine mouse genetics and cell biological tools to gain insight into the genetic and environmental corruptions of nutrient signalling cascades, aiming to conceive therapeutic interventions in the context of cancer, obesity and the process of ageing.

Publications

Pae J, Ersching J, Castro TBR, Schips M, Mesin L, Allon SJ, Ordovas-Montanes J, Mlynarczyk C, Melnick A, Efeyan A, Shalek AK, Meyer-Hermann M, Victora GD (2021). Cyclin D3 drives inertial cell cycling in dark zone germinal center B cells. J Exp Med 218, e20201699. CNIO Publication.
Ramón Y Cajal S, Sancho P, Soucek L, Peinado H, Abad M, Valiente M, Efeyan A, Pardo J, Quesada V, Jimeno J, Duque PM, Antón A, Varela I, Schuhmacher AJ (2020). A spotlight on cancer researchers in Spain: new paradigms and disruptive ideas. Clin Transl Oncol 22, 798-801. CNIO Publication.
Spicer G, Gutierrez-Erlandsson S, Matesanz R, Bernard H, Adam AP, Efeyan A, Thompson S (2020). Harnessing DNA for nanothermometry. J BIOPHOTONICS (in press). CNIO Publication.
Ortega-Molina A, Deleyto-Seldas N, Carreras J, Sanz A, Lebrero-Fernández C, Menéndez C, Vandenberg A, Fernández-Ruiz B, Marín-Arraiza L, de la Calle Arregui C, Plata-Gómez A, Caleiras E , de Martino A , Martínez-Martín N, Troulé K, Piñeiro-Yáñez E, Nakamura N, Araf S, Victora GD, Okosun J, Fitzgibbon J & Efeyan A (2019). Oncogenic Rag GTPase signaling enhances B cell activation and drives folicular lymphoma sensitive to pharmacological inhibition of mTOR.. Nat Metabolism 1, 775-789. CNIO Publication.
Spicer G, Efeyan A, Adam AP, Thompson SA (2019). Universal guidelines for the conversion of proteins and dyes into functional nanothermometers.. J BIOPHOTONICS 12, e201900044. CNIO Publication.
Zabala-Letona A, Arruabarrena-Aristorena A, Martín-Martín N, Fernandez-Ruiz S, Sutherland JD, Clasquin M, Tomas-Cortazar J, Jimenez J, Torres I, Quang P, Ximenez-Embun P, Bago R, Ugalde-Olano A, Loizaga-Iriarte A, Lacasa-Viscasillas I, Unda M, Torrano V, Cabrera D, van Liempd SM, Cendon Y, Castro E, Murray S, Revandkar A, Alimonti A, Zhang Y, Barnett A, Lein G, Pirman D, Cortazar AR, Arreal L, Prudkin L, Astobiza I, Valcarcel-Jimenez L, Zuñiga-García P, Fernandez-Dominguez I, Piva M, Caro-Maldonado A, Sánchez-Mosquera P, Castillo-Martín M, Serra V, Beraza N, Gentilella A, Thomas G, Azkargorta M, Elortza F, Farràs R, Olmos D, Efeyan A, Anguita J, Muñoz J, Falcón-Pérez JM, Barrio R, Macarulla T, Mato JM, Martinez-Chantar ML, Cordon-Cardo C, Aransay AM, Marks K, Baselga J, Tabernero J, Nuciforo P, Manning BD, Marjon K, Carracedo A (2017). mTORC1-dependent AMD1 regulation sustains polyamine metabolism in prostate cancer.. Nature 547, 109-113. CNIO Publication.
Ersching J*, Efeyan A*, Mesin L, Jacobsen JT, Pasqual G, Grabiner BC, Dominguez-Sola D, Sabatini DM, Victora GD (2017). Germinal Center Selection and Affinity Maturation Require Dynamic Regulation of mTORC1 Kinase. Immunity 46, 1045-1058. CNIO Publication.
Okosun J, Wolfson RL, Wang J, Araf S, Wilkins L, Castellano BM, Escudero-Ibarz L, Al Seraihi AF, Richter J, Bernhart SH, Efeyan A, Iqbal S, Matthews J, Clear A, Guerra-Assunção JA, Bödör C, Quentmeier H, Mansbridge C, Johnson P, Davies A, Strefford JC, Packham G, Barrans S, Jack A, Du MQ, Calaminici M, Lister TA, Auer R, Montoto S, Gribben JG, Siebert R, Chelala C, Zoncu R, Sabatini DM, Fitzgibbon J (2016). Recurrent mTORC1-activating RRAGC mutations in follicular lymphoma.. Nat Genet 48, 183-188. Publication in other institutions.