Instituto de Neurociencias,
UMH-CSIC Unidad de Neurobiología
del Desarrollo CSIC y Universidad Miguel Hernández,
Campus de Sant Joan
03550 - Sant Joan d´Alacant
Spain

+34-96-5919 /230 (office) /249 (Lab)
+34-96-5919561
acarmena@umh.es

Job opportunities

During the development of the nervous system a great diversity of neuronal types is generated. Indeed, the human brain has more than 100.000 millions of neurons, most of them specified during the embryonic development. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms that underlie the acquisition of neuronal identities is the main objective of our group.

Specifically, we are interested in analyzing the mechanisms of cross-talk between the signal transduction pathways involved in the generation of cellular diversity. This will allow us to discover the functional signaling networks established within the cell and the key nodes within the networks required for their formation and regulation. In this context, PDZ domain-containing proteins (PSD-95, Dlg, ZO-1) have a special interest for us, as potential nodes of cross-communication between signaling pathways.

Our group analyzes the function of PDZ proteins, including the PDZ protein Canoe/AF-6, during fundamental biological processes for the generation of cellular identities. At present, we are focused on the analysis of asymmetric cell divisions. Asymmetric cell division is a highly conserved mechanism to generate cell diversity during development and a key process to maintain stem cell identity. Neuroblasts, the stem cells of the Drosophila central nervous system, constitute our model system. To implement this project, we combine different techniques including Genetics, Cellular Biology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Malfunction of PDZ-proteins has been associated to numerous pathologies, such as schizophrenia, deafness, Parkinson, Alzheimer and cancer. Hence, the results of our analysis could contribute to clarify the molecular failures that underlie such diseases as well as to improve the design of therapeutic agents directed to correct those pathologies.

Carmena, A.*, Speicher, S. and Baylies M. (* corresponding author) (2006):"The PDZ protein Canoe/AF-6 Links Ras-MAPK, Notch and Wingless/Wnt Signaling Pathways by Directly Interacting with Ras, Notch and Dishevelled"..PLoS ONE 1(1):e66. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0000066

Carmena, A. and Baylies, M.(2005):"The Development of the Drosophila Larval Somatic Musculature"..In “Drosophila Muscle Development”, H. Sink editor. Landes Bioscience.:

Carmena, A., Buff, E., Halfon, M.S., Gisselbrecht, S., Jiménez, F., Baylies, M.K., and Michelson, A.M.(2002):“Reciprocal regulatory interactions between the Notch and Ras signaling pathways in the Drosophila embryonic mesoderm"...Dev.Biol.:244, 226-242.

Halfon, M.S., Carmena, A., Gisselbrecht, S., Sackerson, C.M., Jiménez, F., Baylies, M.K. and. Michelson, A.M.(2000):“Ras pathway specificity is determined by the integration of multiple signal-activated and tissue-restricted transcription factors”...Cell:103, 63-74

Carmena, A., Gisselbrecht, S., Harrison, J., Jiménez, F. and Michelson, A.M.(1998):"Combinatorial Signalling Codes for the Progressive Determination of Cell Fates in the Drosophila Embryonic Mesoderm"...Genes Dev:12, 3910-3922.

Carmena, A., Murugasu-Oei, B., Menon, D., Jiménez, F. and Chia, W.(1998):"inscuteable and numb mediate asymmetric muscle progenitor cell divisions during Drosophila myogenesis"..Genes Dev.:12, 304-315.

Speicher, S., García-Alonso, L., Carmena, A., Martín-Bermudo, M.D., de la Escalera S., Jiménez F.(1998):"Neurotactin Functions in Concert with Other Identified CAMs in Growth Cone Guidance in Drosophila"..Neuron:20, 221-233.

Buff, E., Carmena, A., Gisselbrecht, S., Jiménez, F. and Michelson, A.M.(1998):"Signaling by the Drosophila Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor is Required for the Specification and Diversification of Embryonic Muscle Progenitors"..Development:125, 2075-2078.

Carmena, A., Bate, M. and Jiménez, F.(1995):"lethal of scute, a proneural gene, participates in the specification of muscle progenitors during Drosophila embryogenesis"..Genes Dev.:9, 2373-2383.

Martín-Bermudo, M.D.*, Carmena, A.* and Jiménez, F. (* coauthors) (1995):"Neurogenic genes control gene expression at the transcriptional level in early neurogenesis and in mesectoderm specification"..Development:121, 219-224.