Mechanobiology of Organelles Lab

    Multiple recent studies, including our own (García-García et al., Nature communications, 2022, Echarri et al., Nature Communications, 2019, Del Pozo, Lolo & Echarri A., Curr Op Cell Biol, 2020 Echarri and Del Pozo, J Cell Science, 2015), have uncovered new mechanotransduction pathways, macromolecular complexes, complex cell structures, and even organelles that respond to mechanical signals. These findings, along with previous studies, strongly suggest that cells need to finely tune most, if not all, of their compartments, regions, and functional units in order to adapt to mechanical cues. However, our understanding of the mechanosensitive and mechanotransduction pathways operating within cell organelles and other structures is still limited or even unknown in some cases.

  Our lab is interested in understanding how mechanical signals are detected and transmitted throughout cell organelles and other cellular functional units. To achieve this goal, we will employ a combination of proximity labeling-based proteomics, comparative bioinformatics, molecular biology, and cell imaging techniques on various cellular models subjected to different forms of mechanical stress. Gaining insight into these pathways will enable us to further understand the communication between cells and its physical environment and uncover novel therapeutic targets in mechanotransduction pathways that have been disrupted in several human diseases, including cancer.