In 2012, I obtained a 4-years PhD fellowship (FPI-UAM) and I started my PhD in Dr. Miguel Vidal’s laboratory at the Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas (CIB-CSIC). During my thesis, I studied the role of the Polycomb protein (PcG) RING1B, which is the core component of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1. Previous studies were showing that PcG are chromatin modifiers and transcriptional repressor, but other ‘’non-transcriptional’’ functions were suggested from more recent publications (M.Bravo… Show more In 2012, I obtained a 4-years PhD fellowship (FPI-UAM) and I started my PhD in Dr. Miguel Vidal’s laboratory at the Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas (CIB-CSIC). During my thesis, I studied the role of the Polycomb protein (PcG) RING1B, which is the core component of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 1. Previous studies were showing that PcG are chromatin modifiers and transcriptional repressor, but other ‘’non-transcriptional’’ functions were suggested from more recent publications (M.Bravo, F.Nicolini et al., 2015). To gain mechanistic insight into how RING1B regulates cell proliferation independently of its transcriptional repressor role, I used, neural stem cells (NSCs) as model. I personally derived these primary cells from a neurogenic zone of the fetal brain of Ring1B-conditional KO mouse model. I also crossed Ring1B-conditional KO mice with p53 or p21 knock-out. In conclusion, we linked the proliferation defected of Ring1B-mutant NSCs (M.Román et al., 2009) with the activation of a DNA damage response (DDR, ATM-p53-p21 axis) due to oxidative-DNA damage (γH2Ax and 53BP1 foci) caused by high levels of ROS. Thanks to these studies I am the second-author of one paper (Bravo et al. 2015) and I will be the first author of a second publication that we are currently writing. Show less

I joined Mariano Barbacid‘s laboratory at CNIO in 2011. During this stay, I contributed to generate a knock-in mouse model for the identification of Cancer Initiating Cells of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. I gained expertise on mouse work and molecular biology tecniques.

In 2009, with a LLP/Erasmus fellowship, I carried out my Master’s thesis at the pharmaceutical biochemistry laboratory headed by Prof. Francisco Estevez Rosas at the University of Gran Canaria (Canary Island). During this training period, I analysed the antitumor activity of several Flavonoids on different cancer cells, and I particularly studied the effect of Tamarixetin. These experiments lead to a publication as first author (F.Nicolini et al., 2014).

During my studies I had the opportunity to work in the laboratory of Dr. T. Thomson laboratory at Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona (IBMB-CSIC), working on the role of the ubiquitin ligase RNF8 and its activity on tumor suppressor p53 stabilization.