Page 88 - CIBEREHD2016-ENG

LEAD rESEArCHEr
Gómez Castilla, Jordi
Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
Instituto de Parasitologia y Biomedicina Lopez Neyra Parque Tecnologico de Ciencias de la Salud
Avda. del Conocimiento, S/N 18100 Granada
(+34) 958 18 16 47
group Website
GROUP MEMBERS
Staff members: Gallego Jiménez, Isabel
Associated members: Briones Llorente, Carlos | Domingo Solans, Esteban | García Sacristán, Ana
Main lines of research
Dr. Jordi Gómez Lab has been involved in: characterization of the RNA structure of messenger RNA coding for the interferon alfa 5, which expression is liver specific, and to characterize its molecular mimicry with the genomic RNA of the Hepatitis C virus; (2) the RNA structure of the 5’ genomic region of HCV RNA in the presence of the liver specific microRNA miR-122; (3) in collaboration with Drs, Esteban Domingo (CBM-SO) and Juan Ignacio Esteban (Hosp. Vall d’ Hebron) we have evaluated the mutagenic effects of ribavirine
on the the 5’ genomic region of HCV, in cell culture, and also evaluated the mutagenic effects on viral RNA recognition by stereospecifc factors, and (4) a collaboration with Dr. Carlos Briones, is described in the following paragraph.
During 2013, the group of Dr. Carlos Briones at the Centro de Astrobiología (CSIC-INTA) continued the investigation of the structure/function relationships in the genomic RNA of hepatitis C virus (HCV). We have deepened into the structural characterization of the long-range interaction between the 5’ and 3’ ends of the HCV genome, and an article was published (online version in September 2013 and paper in January 2014) in collaboration with the group of Dr. Alfredo Berzal (IPBLN, CSIC) [1]. In parallel, we have extended a collaborative study with Dr. Jordi Gómez (IPBLN, CSIC) in which a magnesium-induced RNA conformational switch was described at the internal ribosome entry site (IRES) of HCV genome, thanks to the combined use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and molecular biology techniques [2]. Additionally, in 2013 Dr. Briones was the Chairman of the Organizing and Scientific Committees of the XII National Congress of Virology (Burgos, June 9-12), in which the plenary session ‘Hepatitis B and C: from basic virology to clinical practice’ was organized in collaboration with the CIBEREHD [http://cab.inta-csic.es/congresovirologiasev2013/index. php/en.html].
In Esteban Domingo’s lab the main interest is to understand how quasispecies dynamics allows adaptation of RNA viruses to changing environments, and to explore antiviral treatments that counteract the adaptive capacity of hepatitis C virus in cell culture.
We follow clinical developments concerning anti-HCV treatments, as part of CIBEREHD (a Spanish network on hepatic diseases), with the objective of applying our conclusions with model systems in cell culture to the improvement of antiviral treatments.
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PROGRAMMES
P3