Dr. Roser Masgrau is a Principal Investigator at the Signaling and New Therapeutic Targets (SINDIATER) research group. Her research is on calcium signaling and metabolism in astrocytes.

Laboratory members:

• Enrique Claro – Senior Researcher
• Francina Joana Begur – PhD student

Former members:

• Miquel Barceló
• Abel Eraso
• Arantxa Golbano
• Raquel Larramona
• Luis Pardo
• Rubén Villalonga
• Elena Vicario

STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

In healthy brains, astrocytes modulate neurotransmission: they surround synapses and, under the control of calcium transients, respond to, take up and release neurotransmitters, namely glutamate, D-serine, ATP, or TNF-alpha. Astrocytes have been implicated in various cellular processes allegedly related to memory acquisition such as neuronal synchronization, inhibitory synaptic transmission, long-term potentiation (LTP) and synaptic scaling. Astrocytes also protect neurons from oxidative stress. In neurodegenerative diseases, astrocytes may contribute to pathology by loss-of-function or gain of toxic function.

The general objectives of our research group are:

1. To find out molecular mechanisms by which astrocytes regulate memory formation
2. To establish astrocytes as a therapeutic target in neurodegeneration
 

MAIN RESEARCH LINES

1. Uncover the regulation and role of fatty acid oxidation in the brain: does fatty acid oxidation shape astrocytic excitability, neuronal networks and cognitive functions?
2. Gain knowledge about the impairment of fatty acid oxidation in APOE4 compared to APOE3 astrocytes to provide a therapeutic approach for Alzheimer’s

COLLABORATIONS

• Guojun Bu, Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, USA
• Grant Churchill, University of Oxford, Oxford, U.K.
• Pau Gorostiza, Institut de Biotecnologia de Catalunya, Barcelona
• Antonia Gutiérrez, Universidad de Málaga.
• Diego Sánchez y Lola Ganfornina, Universidad de Valladolid, Valladolid.
• Several INc research groups

More info

• Larramona-Arcas R, González-Arias C, Perea G, Gutiérrez A, Vitorica J, García-Barrera T, Gómez-Ariza JL, Pascua-Maestro R, Ganfornina MD, Kara E, Hudry E, Martinez-Vicente M, Vila M, Galea E, Masgrau R. Sex-dependent calcium hyperactivity due to lysosomal-related dysfunction in astrocytes from APOE4 versus APOE3 gene targeted replacement mice. Mol Neurodegener. 2020 Jun 9;15(1):35. doi: 10.1186/s13024-020-00382-8. (IF=14.195)
• Kastanenka KV, Moreno-Bote R, De Pittà M, Perea G, Eraso-Pichot A, Masgrau R, Poskanzer KE, Galea E. A roadmap to integrate astrocytes into Systems Neuroscience. Glia. 2020 Jan;68(1):5-26. doi: 10.1002/glia.23632. (IF=5.984)
• Riefolo F, Matera C, Garrido-Charles A, Gomila AMJ, Sortino R, Agnetta L, Claro E, Masgrau R, Holzgrabe U, Batlle M, Decker M, Guasch E, Gorostiza P. Optical Control of Cardiac Function with a Photoswitchable Muscarinic Agonist. J Am Chem Soc. 2019 May 8;141(18):7628-7636. doi: 10.1021/jacs.9b03505. (IF = 14.612)
• Eraso-Pichot A, Brasó-Vives M, Golbano A, Menacho C, Claro E, Galea E, Masgrau R. GSEA of mouse and human mitochondriomes reveals fatty acid oxidation in astrocytes. Glia. 2018 Aug;66(8):1724-1735. doi: 10.1002/glia.23330. (IF = 14.612)
• Pardo L, Valor LM, Eraso-Pichot A, Barco A, Golbano A, Hardingham GE, Masgrau R, Galea E. CREB Regulates Distinct Adaptive Transcriptional Programs in Astrocytes and Neurons. Sci Rep. 2017 Jul 25;7(1):6390. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-06231-x. (IF = 4.122)
• Masgrau R, Guaza C, Ransohoff RM, Galea E. Should We Stop Saying 'Glia' and 'Neuroinflammation'? Trends Mol Med. 2017 Jun;23(6):486-500. doi: 10.1016/j.molmed.2017.04.005. (IF=11.021)
• Hasel P, Dando O, Jiwaji Z, Baxter P, Todd AC, Heron S, Márkus NM, McQueen J, Hampton DW, Torvell M, Tiwari SS, McKay S, Eraso-Pichot A, Zorzano A, Masgrau R, Galea E, Chandran S, Wyllie DJA, Simpson TI, Hardingham GE. Neurons and neuronal activity control gene expression in astrocytes to regulate their development and metabolism. Nat Commun. 2017 May 2;8:15132. doi: 10.1038/ncomms15132. Erratum in: Nat Commun. 2018 Feb 06;9:16176. (IF= 12.353)
• Eraso-Pichot A, Larramona-Arcas R, Vicario-Orri E, Villalonga R, Pardo L, Galea E, Masgrau R. CREB decreases astrocytic excitability by modifying subcellular calcium fluxes via the sigma-1 receptor. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2017 Mar;74(5):937-950. doi: 10.1007/s00018-016-2397-5. (IF=11.021)

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