Yeast Functional Genomics

The Research Team UCM-920640-"Functional Genomics of Yeasts and Fungi", formally created in 2004, was qualified in 2018 as one of the "Excellent" groups of the UCM. It develops their research and teaching activities tasks in the Department of Microbiology and Parasitology of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the UCM (for more information about the group see details in http://www.ucm.es/yeastgenomics). The research activity of the group focuses on the use of Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a biological model for the characterization of mechanisms relevant to the biogenesis of the fungal cell wall and morphogenesis, as well as the signal transduction routes mediated by MAPK and the transcriptional machinery necessary to regulate gene expression in response to stress situations on this structure. All these objectives are developed using genomic strategies (development of screenings with collections of mutants, transcriptomics, proteomics, etc.) together with genetics, molecular and cellular biology and biochemical approaches. <br /><br />In relation to the Cell Wall Integrity signaling pathway, mediated by the MAPK Slt2, we are trying to characterize both transcriptional mechanisms, such as the role of chromatin remodeling complexes and other regulatory elements associated, and post-transcriptional mechanisms which are essential for the regulation of gene expression through this route, especially those that derive from the balance between synthesis and degradation of mRNA, as well as its transport, an essential aspect in the control of gene expression in Eukaryotes. The basic knowledge of these processes is essential for the identification of potential therapeutic targets for the development of combined therapies using antifungals inhibitors of cell wall synthesis, currently used in clinical, together with drugs that inhibit the mechanisms of adaptation regulated mainly by the CWI pathway. <br />

-Identification of new regulatory elements essential for adequate yeast responses to cell wall stress in the context of MAPK signaling through genetic and biochemical approaches, as well as genomics and proteomics tools.<br />-Characterization of the role

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