Metabolism and Cell Signalling Group

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

Staff Scientists

Bárbara Martínez

Graduate Students

Lucía de Prado
Nerea Deleyto
Ana Belén Plata
Elena Sánchez

Technicians

Ana Sagrera
Alba Sanz

In the Metabolism and Cell Signalling Lab we study the links between nutrients, cancer, and ageing. All cells integrate signals emanating from the abundance of intracellular nutrients and from the nutritional state of the entire organism. Integration of these signals is key for adjusting metabolic functions, energy storage and expenditure; and, importantly, the components of these signalling cascades are generally corrupted in cancer and are drivers of the metabolic complications of chronic nutrient overload. Conversely, dietary restriction regimes are extremely efficacious interventions against tumorigenesis and to delay the process of ageing, albeit we still ignore the fundamental molecular underpinnings of such protective effects. 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.
de la Calle Arregui C, Plata-Gómez AB, Deleyto-Seldas N, García F, Ortega-Molina A, Abril-Garrido J, Rodriguez E, Nemazanyy I, Tribouillard L, de Martino A, Caleiras E, Campos-Olivas R, Mulero F, Laplante M, Muñoz J, Pende M, Sabio G, Sabatini DM, Efeyan A (2021). Limited survival and impaired hepatic fasting metabolism in mice with constitutive Rag GTPase signaling. Nat Commun 12, 3660. CNIO Publication.
Ortega-Molina A, Lebrero-Fernández C, Sanz A, Deleyto-Seldas N, Plata-Gómez AB, Menéndez C, Graña-Castro O, Caleiras E, Efeyan A (2021). Inhibition of Rag GTPase signaling in mice suppresses B cell responses and lymphomagenesis with minimal detrimental trade-offs.. Cell Reports 36, 109372. CNIO Publication.
Deleyto-Seldas N, Efeyan A. (2021). The mTOR-Autophagy Axis and the Control of Metabolism. Front Cell Dev Biol 9, 655731. CNIO Publication.
Spicer G, Gutierrez-Erlandsson S, Matesanz R, Bernard H, Adam AP, Efeyan A, Thompson S (2021). Harnessing DNA for nanothermometry. J BIOPHOTONICS 14, e202000341. CNIO Publication.
Plata-Gómez AB, Crespo M, de la Calle Arregui C, de Prado-Rivas L, Sabio G, Efeyan A (2021). Protocol for the assessment of mTOR activity in mouse primary hepatocytes. Star Protocols 2, 100918. 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.