IGBMC : Institut de la Génétique et de la Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire

• Researchers

  Romeo RICCI

• Post-Doctoral Fellowships

  Helmuth GEHART

  Michael MIHLAN

  Joelle MORVAN

  Grzegorz SUMARA

• Phd Students

  Alexander GOGINASHVILI

  Helena de Fatima MAGLIARELLI

  Gergo MESZAROS

  Adrien PASQUIER

• Engineers & Technicians

  Eric ERBS

  Aurélie GODEL

Development & stem cells

Signal transduction in metabolism and inflammation

Appropriate sensing of environmental stresses and intracellular malfunction requires tightly controlled expression and activity of interconnected signal transduction components. Protein kinases represent key elements within these circuits transferring signals to their effectors by phosphorylation. The Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases (MAPKs) constitute a pivotal signaling node that convert environmental inputs into a whole plethora of cellular programs. Our laboratory mainly focused on in vivo functions of stress-activated p38 MAPKs. While most past studies focused on p38α, we have recently identified first non-redundant in vivo functions for p38δ. We found that p38δ regulated glucose homeostasis by controlling insulin secretion from pancreatic β cells in vivo and most recently that p38δ was pivotal in regulation of neutrophil-mediated inflammation. Furthermore, we demonstrated that p38δ exerted above functions by negatively regulating the activity of Protein Kinase D1 (PKD1). Overall, this work describes a new signaling axis that may be important in diabetes mellitus and inflammatory diseases, respectively.
The future core activity of my laboratory is directed towards elucidation of a particular role of p38δ and PKD1 downstream targets in neutrophils and pancreatic β cells by combining proteomic and cell biology approaches with experiments in genetically manipulated mice. Furthermore, we aim at finding common upstream signaling mechanisms that converge in p38δ-PKD1 signaling. Moreover, this biased approach is complemented by more comprehensive high-throughput screening approaches to discover novel pathways that might be important in metabolism and inflammation.

• Current projects

• Collaborations

• Prizes/Awards

  • Roméo RICCI - ERC Starting grant - European Research Council (ERC) - 2011
  • Roméo RICCI - Gutenberg prize - Cercle Gutenberg - 2010
  • Roméo RICCI - EMBO Young Investigator Award - European Molecular Biology Organization Young Investigator Programme (EMBO YIP) - 2009
  • Roméo RICCI - Young Investigator Award - Swiss Society for Endocrinology and Diabetes (SSED) - 2009
  • Roméo RICCI - Georg-Friedrich Goetz Research Award - Götz Foundation (University of Zurich) - 2008

• News

  • Sept. 13, 2012 - Mechanisms of insulin packaging in pancreatic beta cells: New targets in diabetes
  • Jan. 24, 2012 - IGBMC, an institute of excellence awarded by the European research council (ERC)

• Publications

  • A VLP-based vaccine against interleukin-1 protects mice from atherosclerosis.

    Tissot AC, Spohn G, Jennings GT, Shamshiev A, Kurrer MO, Windak R, Meier M, Viesti M, Hersberger M, Kündig TM, Ricci R, Bachmann MF.

    Eur J Immunol Mar 2013 ; 43:716-22 .

  • [Arfaptine-1 controls secretory granule biogenesis].

    Morvan J, Gehart H, Ricci R.

    Med Sci (Paris) Mar 2013 ; 29:247-9 .

  • The BAR Domain Protein Arfaptin-1 Controls Secretory Granule Biogenesis at the trans-Golgi Network.

    Gehart H, Goginashvili A, Beck R, Morvan J, Erbs E, Formentini I, De Matteis MA, Schwab Y, Wieland FT, Ricci R.

    Dev Cell Sept. 11, 2012 ; :0 .

  • Regulation of PTEN activity by p38-PKD1 signaling in neutrophils confers inflammatory responses in the lung.

    Ittner A, Block H, Reichel CA, Varjosalo M, Gehart H, Sumara G, Gstaiger M, Krombach F, Zarbock A, Ricci R.

    J Exp Med Nov. 5, 2012 ; :0 .

  • Hairless promotes PPAR expression and is required for white adipogenesis.

    Kumpf S, Mihlan M, Goginashvili A, Grandl G, Gehart H, Godel A, Schmidt J, Müller J, Bezzi M, Ittner A, Guccione E, Wolfrum C, Ricci R.

    EMBO Rep Nov. 6, 2012 ; 13:1012-20 .

  • Metabolic inflammation: Connecting obesity and insulin resistance.

    Dali-Youcef N, Mecili M, Ricci R, Andrès E.

    Ann Med July 26, 2012 ; :0 .

  • MAPK signalling in cellular metabolism: stress or wellness?

    Gehart H., Kumpf S., Ittner A., Ricci R.

    EMBO Rep Nov 2010 ; 11:834-40 .

  • Regulation of PKD by the MAPK p38delta in insulin secretion and glucose homeostasis

    Sumara G., Formentini I., Collins S., Sumara I., Windak R., Bodenmiller B., Ramracheya R., Caille D., Jiang H., Platt K.A., Meda P., Aebersold R., Rorsman P., Ricci R.

    Cell Jan. 23, 2009 ; 136:235-48 .

  • A Cul3-based E3 ligase removes Aurora B from mitotic chromosomes, regulating mitotic progression and completion of cytokinesis in human cells

    Sumara I., Quadroni M., Frei C., Olma M.H., Sumara G., Ricci R., Peter M.

    Dev Cell Jun 2007 ; 12:887-900 .

  • c-Jun/AP-1 controls liver regeneration by repressing p53/p21 and p38 MAPK activity

    Stepniak E., Ricci R., Eferl R., Sumara G., Sumara I., Rath M., Hui L., Wagner E.F.

    Genes Dev Aug. 15, 2006 ; 20:2306-14 .

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