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| Neuroendocrinology and Neurogenesis Group |
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Inês Araújo’s Group
“New strategies to enhance injury-induced neurogenesis”
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| Research area |
One of the emerging roles of nitric oxide (NO) is its effect on the formation of new brain cells – neurogenesis. We are addressing the cellular and molecular targets of NO in neuronal precursors and in neural stem cells. Understanding the fundamental biological processes underlying neurogenesis is mandatory to identify new targets and design rational therapies for enhancing neurogenesis when this phenomenon is impaired or when the need arises to replenish lesioned brain areas.
Another main interest of this group is the neurobiology of calpains. The physiological functions of calpains are largely unknown in the nervous system, despite the fact that their involvement in several neurodegenerative disorders is well established. Our group is addressing the role of calpains in the phenomena of cell proliferation and migration in the central nervous system, in physiological and also pathological conditions where cell proliferation and/or migration are altered, such as epilepsy and ischemia.
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| The team |
| Inês Araújo |
| PhD, Researcher |
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| Caetana Carvalho |
| PhD, Researcher |
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| Maria Inês Morte |
| MSc, PhD Student |
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| Bruno Carreira |
| PhD, Researcher |
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| Ana Sofia Lourenço |
| MSc, PhD student |
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| Ana Isabel Santos |
| MSc, PhD student |
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| Vanessa Machado |
| MSc, PhD student |
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| Ana Rita Quadros |
| undergraduate student |
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| Maria Manuela Azevedo |
| BSc, MSc student |
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| Ongoing projects |
- PTDC/NEU-SAU/102612/2008
- PTDC/NEU-NMC/112183/2009
- BIAL-CNC Protocol 2008-2010
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| Collaborations |
António Francisco Ambrósio, IBILI, Center for Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medicine, Coimbra
Carlos Palmeira and Anabela Rolo, Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra.
Cláudia Cavadas, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra.
Patrik Brundin, Section for Neuronal Survival, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Rick Horwitz, Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Rodrigo Cunha, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra.
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| Curriculum Vitae |
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Education:
University of Coimbra, Portugal BSc in Biology 2000
University of Coimbra, Portugal PhD in Cell Biology 2005
Research experience:
2008 – present
Investigator, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
2009
Visiting Professor of Cell Biology, Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
2005 – 2008
Postdoctoral Fellow, Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Coimbra, Portugal, and Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
2000 - 2005
PhD Student, Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Coimbra, Department of Zoology, Coimbra, Portugal
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| Key publications |
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Neurobiology of NO
Carreira BP, Morte MI, Inácio Â, Rosmaninho-Salgado J, Costa G, Agasse F, Carmo A Couceiro P, Brundin P, Ambrósio AF, Carvalho CM, Araújo IM (2010) Nitric oxide stimulates the proliferation of neural stem cells bypassing the epidermal growth factor receptorStem Cells 28(7):1219-1230.
Álvaro AR, Martins J, Araújo IM, Rosmaninho-Salgado J, Ambrósio AF, Cavadas C. (2008) Neuropeptide Y stimulates retinal neural cell proliferation – involvement of nitric oxide. Journal of Neurochemistry 105(6):2501-2510.
Rosmaninho-Salgado J, Araújo IM, Álvaro AR, Duarte EP, Cavadas C. (2007) Intracellular signalling mechanisms coupled to NPY Y1 receptor activation that stimulates catecholamine release from mouse chromaffin cells. Journal of Neurochemistry 103(3):896-903.
Araújo IM, Verdasca MJ, Ambrósio AF, Carvalho CM (2004) Nitric oxide inhibits complex I following AMPA receptor activation via peroxynitrite.NeuroReport 15(13): 2007-2011.
* cover story of NeuroReport 15(13): 2007-2011.
Araújo IM, Ambrósio AF, Leal EC, Santos PF, Carvalho AP, Carvalho CM (2003) Neuronal nitric oxide synthase proteolysis limits the involvement of nitric oxide in kainate-induced neurotoxicity in hippocampal neurons. Journal of Neurochemistry 85(3): 791-800.
Neurobiology of calpains
Araújo IM, Carreira BP, Carvalho CM, Carvalho AP (2010) Calpains and delayed calcium deregulation in excitotoxicity. Neurochemical Research 35(12):1966-1969.
Araújo IM*, Carreira BP*, Pereira T, Santos PF, Soulet D, Inácio Â, Bahr BA, Carvalho AP, Ambrósio AF, Carvalho CM (2007) Changes in calcium dynamics following the reversal of the sodium-calcium exchanger have a key role in AMPA receptor-mediated neurodegeneration via calpain activation in hippocampal neurons. Cell Death and Differentiation 14(9):1635-1646. * the first 2 authors contributed equally for this work.
Araújo IM, Verdasca MJ, Leal EC, Bahr BA, Ambrósio AF, Carvalho AP, Carvalho CM (2004) Early calpain-mediated proteolysis following AMPA receptor activation compromises neuronal survival in cultured hippocampal neurons. Journal of Neurochemistry 91(6): 1322-31.
Araújo IM, Xapelli S, Gil JMAC, Mohapel P, Petersén Å, Pinheiro PS, Malva JO, Bahr BA, Brundin P, Carvalho CM (2005) Proteolysis of NR2B by calpain in the hippocampus of epileptic rats. Neuroreport 16(4): 393-6.
Araújo IM and Carvalho CM (2005) Role of nitric oxide and calpain activation in neuronal death and survival. Current Drug Targets CNS Neurological Disorders 4:319-324.
Neurological disorders
Araújo IM, Gil J, Carreira BP, Mohapel P, Petersén Å, Pinheiro PS, Soulet D, Bahr BA, Brundin P, Carvalho CM (2008) Calpain activation is involved in early caspase-independent neurodegeneration in the hippocampus following status epilepticus. Journal of Neurochemistry 105(3):666-676
Yu L, Shen H-Y, Coelho JE, Araújo IM, Huang Q-Y, Day Y-J, Rebola N, Canas PM, Rapp EK, Ferrara J, Taylor D, Müller CE, Linden J, Cunha RA, Chen J-F (2008) A2A receptors modulate motor activity and MPTP neurotoxicity by distinct cellular mechanisms. Annals of Neurology 63(3):338-346
Petersén Å*, Gil J*, Maat-Schieman MLC, Björkvist M, Tanila H, Araújo IM, Smith R, Popovic N, Wierup N, Norlén P, Li J-Y, Roos RAC, Sundler F, Mulder H, Brundin P (2005) Orexin Loss in Huntington's Disease. Human Molecular Genetics 14(1): 39-47.
* Research Highlight by Khamsi, R., Nature 432:288 (2005)
* Research Highlight by Hurtley, S., Science 307:483 (2005)
Gil J*, Mohapel P*, Araújo IM, Popovic N, Li J-Y, Brundin P, Petersén Å. (2005) Reduced hippocampal neurogenesis in R6/2 transgenic Huntington’s disease mice. Neurobiology of Disease 20(3): 744-751.
* the first 2 authors contributed equally for this work.
Araújo IM, Ambrósio AF, Leal EC, Verdasca MJ, Malva JO, Soares-da-Silva P, Carvalho AP, Carvalho CM (2004) Neurotoxicity induced by antiepileptic drugs in cultured hippocampal neurons: a comparative study between carbamazepine, oxcarbazepine and two new putative antiepileptic drugs, BIA 2-024 and BIA 2-093. Epilepsia 45(12):1498-505.
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