Our next webinar on “Hypoxia & mitochondrial dynamics” will take place on 7th of November 2023 at 15:00 h CET and we are excited to announce the following speakers:
Control of bioenergetics and ROS from mitochondrial cristae
Rubén Quintana-Cabrera, PhD
Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Neurobiology, Cajal Institute, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
My work aims to characterize the molecular determinants of mitochondrial physiology, particularly in the nervous system. Early during in my career at the University of Salamanca (Spain, lab Prof. Juan P. Bolaños) we described how γ-glutamylcysteine acts as a mitochondrial antioxidant in neuroprotective gene therapy. A research stage (EMBO STF, Univ. Geneva) expanded our results on the mitochondrial antioxidant capacity at the crossroads with mitochondrial dynamics and autophagy. I later contributed at the University of Padua (Italy, lab Prof. Luca Scorrano) to seminal works on how mitochondrial dynamics and ultrastructure set respiratory bioenergetics, tissue homeostasis and the sorting of mitochondria for autophagy, among others. We described how cristae engage ATPase oligomerization and activity to safeguard mitochondrial function. Back to the University of Salamanca with a Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación and Marie Curie-IF fellowships, I contributed to further works in neural metabolic and redox communication in the setting of neuroprotection and cognitive function. My current interests as a Ramón y Cajal principal investigator at the Cajal Institute (CSIC, Madrid) expand our studies on mitochondrial bioenergetics, redox, dynamics and metabolism to integrative responses during the acquisition of exogenous mitochondria and intercellular transfer, to uncover how mitochondrial content and functional reprogramming drive physio(patho)logy in the nervous system.
Na+ controls hypoxic redox signalling through the oxidative phosphorylation system
Pablo Hernansanz Agustín, PhD
Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
All metazoans depend on the consumption of O2 by the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system (OXPHOS) to produce energy. In addition, the OXPHOS uses O2 to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can drive cell adaptations, a phenomenon that occurs during hypoxia. Ca2+ is the best-known ion that acts as a second messenger, yet the role ascribed to Na+ is to serve as a mere mediator of plasma membrane potential. Here we show that Na+ acts as a second messenger regulating OXPHOS function and the production of ROS by modulating the fluidity of the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM). A conformational shift in mitochondrial complex I during acute hypoxia drives acidification of the matrix and the release of free Ca2+ from calcium phosphate precipitates. The concomitant activation of the mitochondrial Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCLX) promotes the import of Na+ into the matrix. Na+ interacts with phospholipids, reducing IMM fluidity and the mobility of free ubiquinone between complex II and complex III, but not inside supercomplexes. As a consequence, superoxide is produced at complex III. The inhibition of Na+ import through NCLX is sufficient to block this pathway, preventing adaptation to hypoxia. These results reveal that Na+ controls OXPHOS function and redox signalling through an unexpected interaction with phospholipids, with profound consequences for cellular metabolism.
How can I join the webinar?
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86469731540?pwd=Mu9W9zBMm65TpJb6k4pwviFjseHQxw.OgbiZAvSiHJI7kVt
Passcode: 433382
For any question or suggestion, contact us via email:
the SFRR-E ECR subcommittee
After the Meet the Professor session, we had a Networking event aimed at ECRs only. We know you loved our redox stickers, don’t worry we will bring them again next year in Istanbul! During the networking event, we met lots of other researchers at the same career stage while enjoying some drinks and we came out with the most bizarre titles for a research paper that one could ever imagine. One of the ideas ECRs came up with: “High resolution microscopy reveals lying-induced generation of hydroxyl radicals in the brain which promotesliver-myocyte communication through Pinocchio protein human patients affected by nose hypertrophy”. The authors of the most original paper titles won science-styled pens to use in the lab!
Webinar series “Emerging leaders in redox biology”
Rui Travasso, PhD
Nikos Margaritelis, PhD
Rafael Radi: Full Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biochemistry, Director of the Center for Biomedical Research (CEINBIO) at Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay. His research is focused on the production, chemical biology, cell signaling actions and pathological effects of oxidants and free radicals, with a strong focus on biochemical mechanisms of the pathogenic actions of nitric oxide through its interaction with superoxide radicals and the formation of peroxynitrite. 
Tobias Dick: Head of the Division of Redox Regulation at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. His research is focused in understanding the detailed molecular mechanisms by which redox signals are transmitted inside cells and creating tools that enable monitoring and manipulating redox signals inside living cells and model organisms.
Clare Hawkins: Professor of the Panum Institute, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen. Her research is focused on understanding the role of oxidative stress and inflammation in driving lesion development in atherosclerosis.
Michael J Davies: Head of the Protein Oxidation group of the University of Copenhagen. His research is focused in understanding the mechanisms of protein modification by reactive species (radicals, two-electron oxidants, glycation reactions), the biological consequences of such reactions, and the development of methods to quantify protein damage in disease with a particular emphasis on cardiovascular pathologies.
Patricia Oteiza: Professor at the Department of Nutrition and Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Environmental Toxicology of the University of California. Her research is focused on the impact of nutrition and toxicant exposure during early development, the health benefits of flavonoids in diet-induced obesity comorbidities and the involvement of redox-regulated mechanisms and oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of those conditions.
Giuseppe Valacchi: Full professor of Physiology at the University of Ferrara, adjunct professor at Kyung Hee University, Seoul and full Professor in Regenerative Medicine at North Carolina State University. His research is focused on understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that define the physio-pathological responses of tissues to exposome with special focus on environmental pollutants.
Niki Chondrogianni: Group leader of the Molecular and Cellular Ageing Lab of the National Hellenic Research Foundation Institute of Chemical Biology in Athens. Her work is focused on the identification of factors and pathways that regulate human aging with particular interest in the regulation of the proteasome and protein degradation during aging and senescence.
Juan Sastre: Professor of Physiology at the University of Valencia, Spain and president of SFRR-E. His research is focused on the role of oxidative stress and redox signaling in Gastroenterology, particularly in acute pancreatitis and liver cirrhosis.
Daniela Caporossi: Associate professor of Applied Biology at the University of Rome “Foro Italico”, Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences. Her research is focused on exercise and redox imbalance in the induction of molecular damage and apoptosis and the role of free radicals in cell signaling and modulation of gene expression in skeletal muscle.
Florian Gruber: Associate professor and group leader of the Christian Doppler Laboratory for Biotechnology of Skin Aging at the Medical University of Vienna. His research is focused on how the skin and its various cell types cope with intrinsic and extrinsic stressors and with aging and, in particular the role that lipids and their oxidation play in skin biology.
Pablo Evelson: Professor in General and Inorganic Chemistry of the Department of Analytical and Physical Chemistry, Buenos Aires, Argentina. His research is focused on the biochemistry of reactive oxygen species, focusing on oxidative stress (particularly the role of mitochondria) and antioxidants in inflammatory processes triggered by the exposure to environmental stressors.
Silvia Álvarez: Assistant professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry at the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her research is focused on inflammatory mechanisms, mitochondria and ER stress in endotoxemia.