Axons follow very precise paths during the development of the nervous system to reach their final targets and establish synaptic contact.  Different levels of regulation, ranging from transcriptional to translational and posttranslational mechanisms operate all together to elicit a correct axonal projection pattern. Research in our laboratory focus on the understanding of all these mechanisms and how they integrate and interact to each other. We are also interested in the relevance of new mechanisms emerging as possible modulators of axon guidance, arbor refinement and circuitry consolidation such as chromatin remodeling or neural activity.

García-Frigola C, Carreres M, Vegar C, Mason C & Herrera E (2008). Zic2 promotes axonal divergence at the optic chiasm midline by direct regulation of the EphB1 receptor. Development 135(10):1833-41.

Herrera E & García-Frigola C (2008). Genetics and development of the optic chiasm. Frontiers in Bioscience 13, 1646-1653

García-Frigola C, Carreres M, Vegar C & Herrera E (2007). Gene delivery in retinal ganglion cells by in utero electroporation. BMC Developmental Biology 7:103

Erskine L & Herrera E (2007). The retinal axons journey: Insights into molecular mechanisms of axon guidance. Developmental Biology 308:(1)1-14.

Williams S, Mason CA & Herrera E (2004). The optic chiasm as a midline point choice. Current Opinion in Neurobiology 14:1:51

Herrera E, Marcus R, Li S, Lai E & Mason C (2004). The transcription factor FoxD1 is required for the proper establishment of the optic chiasm. Development 131:5727

Herrera E, Brown L, Aruga J, Rachel R, Brown S & Mason C (2003). The transcription factor Zic2 designates the uncrossed retinal ganglion cell axon projection. Cell 114, 545-557. Cover caption.

Herrera E, Martínez-A C & Blasco MA (2000). Impaired germinal center reaction in mice with short telomeres. EMBO J 19(3):472-81.

Herrera E, Samper E, Martin-Caballero J, Flores J, Lee H & Blasco MA (1999). Disease states associated with telomerase deficiency appear earlier in mice with short telomeres. EMBO J 18(11): 2950-60

Herrera E, Samper E & Blasco MA (1999). Telomere shortening in mTR-/-embryos is associated with failure to close the neural tube. EMBO J 18(5): 1172-81

Martín-Rivera L*, Herrera E*, Albar JP & Blasco MA (1998). Expression of mouse telomerase catalytic subunit in embryos and adult tissues. PNAS 95:10471-76. * co-authors.

We use a multidisciplinary set of aproaches ranging from biochemistry and molecular biology, mouse genetics, expression pattern analysis (in situ hybridization, immunohistochemistry...), differential gene profile analysis (microarrays), in utero gene delivery and a wide variety of in vitro assays (retinal explants, retina-chiasm cocultures, retina-colliculo cocultures...).