Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Laureano de la Vega is a biochemist graduate from the University of Cordoba (Spain), he finished his PhD in Biochemistry in 2007 obtaining the highest degree, Summa Cum Laude, for his work investigating the molecular mechanisms regulating HIV latency. Following this, he moved to Giessen (Germany) to join the team of Prof. Lienhard Schmitz as a postdoctoral researcher from 2007 to 2013. During that time his research was focused on post-translational modifications of HIPK2, an important regulator of cell growth, cell death and differentiation. In 2013 he moved to Dundee where he started his own group focused on the regulation of stress response pathways in cancer.
Research interests
Stress Responses
Organisms need to be able to adapt to change in order to survive, and certain cellular programs (stress response pathways) have evolved to respond to a dynamic environment. Example of stress responses pathways include p53, NRF2, and HSF1 pathways. Stress responses are by definition acute, and their transient activation help normal cells to cope with cellular stresses. Interestingly, there is a large body of evidence showing that, in contrast to normal cells, cancer cells are constitutively under cellular stress (i.e. DNA damage/replication stress, proteotoxic stress, mitotic stress, metabolic stress, and oxidative stress) and they depend on the sustained activation of cytoprotective stress response pathways to survive.
The essential nature of the stress response pathways in cancer cells makes them attractive targets, and thus, a better understanding of how these pathways are regulated could help identify new ways to modulate stress responses to impair cancer cell survival. In that sense, our lab is focused in obtaining a detailed understanding of stress response pathways and their aberrations in cancer. For that, we are interested not only on key master regulators of stress responses (e.g. NRF2, HSF1 or P53) but as well in the upstream regulatory pathways that modulate their activity (i.e. upstream kinases).
HIPK/DYRK family
Homeodomain-Interacting Protein Kinases (HIPKs) are a subfamily of the Dual specificity tYrosine Regulated Kinase (DYRK) family of kinases. These kinases function as hubs for a wide variety of stress signals, ranging from DNA damage and hypoxia to reactive oxygen species and metabolic stress. HIPK/DYRKs function as integrators for these stress signals and modulate different downstream pathways in order to allow cells to cope with these situations. Different posttranslational modifications modulate the activity and physiological role of HIPK/DYRKs, and the study of how their activity is regulated in different pathophysiological scenarios is an important line of investigation in cancer research.
Based on the literature and on previous studies from the lab it has become apparent that HIPK/DYRKs can play a dual role in cancer; either inducing apoptosis or promoting cell survival. While the pathways involved in their tumour suppressor role are relatively well studied, the underlying mechanisms mediating their pro-survival function(s) are not well characterised. Specifically, we are interested in i) understanding how this family of kinases is regulated in cancer cells; ii) identifying novel HIPK/DYRK-regulated pro-survival/oncogenic pathways and iii) to identify the basis for such functional duality in cancer, as it will inform us in which type of cancer or under which conditions (i.e. initial stages of cancer versus well stablished cancers) these kinases can support cancer cell survival and tumour growth.
Teaching
Laureano currently teaches on the MRes Cancer Biology Course as a module lead, and on the BSc (Hons) level 3 Molecular Biology module and as a Journal Club leader.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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HIPK2 as a Novel Determinant of Tumour Progression and Therapeutic Resistance
1/02/17 → 31/01/23
Project: Research
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Use CRISPR/Cas9 Technology to Improve the Study of HIPKs Role and Regulation in Cancer Cells
1/04/15 → 31/03/16
Project: Research
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A novel CDC25A/DYRK2 regulatory switch modulates cell cycle and survival
Lara-Chica, M., Correa-Sáez, A., Jiménez-Izquierdo, R., Garrido-Rodríguez, M., Ponce, F. J., Moreno, R., Morrison, K., Di Vona, C., Arató, K., Jiménez-Jiménez, C., Morrugares, R., Schmitz, M. L., de la Luna, S., de la Vega, L. & Calzado, M. A., Jan 2022, In: Cell Death and Differentiation. 29, p. 105-117 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)16 Downloads (Pure) -
Pirin, an Nrf2-regulated protein, is overexpressed in human colorectal tumors
Zhang, Y., Knatko, E. V., Higgins, M., Dayalan Naidu, S., Smith, G., Honda, T., de la Vega, L. & Dinkova-Kostova, A. T., 28 Jan 2022, In: Antioxidants . 11, 2, 15 p., 262.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile10 Downloads (Pure) -
The synthetic triterpenoids CDDO-TFEA and CDDO-Me, but not CDDO, promote nuclear exclusion of BACH1 impairing its activity
Casares, L., Moreno, R., Ali, K. X., Higgins, M., Dayalan Naidu, S., Neill, G., Cassin, L., Kiib, A. E., Svenningsen, E. B., Minassi, A., Honda, T., Poulsen, T. B., Wiel, C., Sayin, V. I., Dinkova-Kostova, A. T., Olagnier, D. & de la Vega, L., May 2022, In: Redox Biology. 51, 12 p., 102291.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Downloads (Pure) -
Emerging roles of DYRK2 in cancer
Tandon, V., de la Vega, L. & Banerjee, S., 7 Jan 2021, In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. 296, 17 p., 100233.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)45 Downloads (Pure) -
The isothiocyanate sulforaphane inhibits mTOR in an NRF2-independent manner
Zhang, Y., Gilmour, A., Ahn, Y-H., de la Vega, L. & Dinkova-Kostova, A., Jun 2021, In: Phytomedicine. 86, 6 p., 153062.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile10 Citations (Scopus)110 Downloads (Pure)
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Life Sciences Virtual Work Experience Week 2021
Erin Hardee (Organiser), Senga Robertson-Albertyn (Contributor), Carmen Escudero-Martinez (Contributor), Anna Sanchez Avila (Contributor), Margarida Trigo (Contributor), Christopher Henstridge (Member), Laureano de la Vega (Contributor), Sourav Banerjee (Contributor), Grant Phillips (Contributor), Kaushik Hatti (Contributor) & Naomi Shek (Contributor)
26 Jul 2021 → 30 Jul 2021Activity: Other activity types › Schools engagement
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“Targeting the BACH1-NRF2 axis”
Laureano de la Vega (Speaker)
13 Oct 2021 → 15 Oct 2021Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Life Sciences Virtual Work Experience Week
Erin Hardee (Organiser), Amy Cameron (Contributor), Ali Floyd (Contributor), Senga Robertson-Albertyn (Contributor), Claire Gorby (Contributor), Helge Dorfmueller (Contributor), Julia Marchingo (Contributor), Graham Christie (Contributor), Megan Bergkessel (Contributor), Mathew Jones (Contributor), Jorunn Bos (Contributor), Sarah McKim (Contributor), Piers Hemsley (Contributor), Davide Bulgarelli (Contributor), Christopher Henstridge (Contributor), Laureano de la Vega (Contributor), Ros Langston (Contributor), Amy Rogers (Contributor), Charlotte Proby (Contributor), Olga Semenova (Contributor), Carmen Escudero-Martinez (Contributor), Colin Henderson (Contributor), Gillian Smith (Contributor), Dominic Grussu (Contributor), Robin Pflughaupt (Contributor), Giulia Saredi (Contributor), Vanesa Alvarez (Contributor), Beatrice Colon (Contributor), Sharon Matthews (Contributor), Diana Gudynaite (Examiner), Sascha Roth (Contributor), Laura Casares Perez (Contributor), Hugh Nicholson (Contributor), Morven Shuttleworth (Contributor), Vasudha Tandon (Contributor), Richard Smith (Contributor), Rita Moreno Dorta (Contributor), Ryan Kwan (Contributor), Chidozie Ogbonnaya (Contributor), Ayman Banah (Contributor), Claire Ross (Contributor), Fiona Ramage (Contributor) & Xiong Weng (Contributor)
27 Jul 2020 → 31 Jul 2020Activity: Other activity types › Schools engagement
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Dundee Discoveries Past and Present - self-guided walking tours
Matthew Jarron (Organiser), Amy Cameron (Organiser), Nicola Morrice (Contributor), Chim Lang (Contributor), Agathe Lermant (Contributor), Cara Nicholson (Contributor), Colin Henderson (Contributor), Ros Langston (Member), Laureano de la Vega (Member), Gillian Smith (Contributor), Daniella Cavellini (Contributor), Andrew Evans (Contributor), Jane Dickson (Contributor), Jacqueline Eccles (Contributor), Ola Epemolu (Contributor), Kevin Read (Contributor), Mattie Pawlowic (Contributor), Matthew Taylor (Contributor), Sarah McKim (Contributor), Henry McSorley (Contributor), Peter Mossey (Contributor), Susan Wyllie (Contributor), Niamh Nic Daeid (Contributor), Seaneen McDougall (Contributor), Ailsa Mackintosh (Contributor), Ali Floyd (Contributor), Catharine Goddard (Contributor), Li Kang (Contributor), James Gemmill (Contributor) & Rolf Black (Contributor)
Nov 2020Activity: Other activity types › Other