Talamás Rohana Patricia PhD

RESEARCH THEMES:

Cell Biology (actin cytoskeleton, cell signaling, vesicular transport) and Immunology (inflammation, COX-2 and Prostaglandin E2 production, subpopulations of T lymphocytes, Treg cells, cytokines) of Protozoan parasites (mainly Entamoeba histolytica and Leishmania mexicana).  More recent research on ovarian cancer (OvCa) looking for biomarkers and studying mechanisms involved in the disease development.

 

Research lines:

 

Entamoeba histolytica.

Initial contact between the trophozoites membrane and host cells is an important event that precedes the host cell lysis. There is plenty of evidence suggesting that the cytoskeleton and lectin activities may participate in this process. The properties of the membrane and its relation with the cytoskeleton may help the parasite to invade the host tissues as is the case for the liver.  In this process, the trophozoite needs to recognize and interact with extracellular matrix components such a fibronectin (FN), in order to degrade them and reach the target organs. My group is interested in the signaling processes that occur during the interaction of trophozoites with FN. Particularly, on the effect that such signaling exerts on the actin cytoskeleton structuration, and on the exo- and endocytosis processes of the FN receptor; all these aspects we are studying them using diverse methodological strategies and methodologies. Right now, we are studying:

§  If the interaction with FN induce the expression of different actin isoforms.

§  The participation of different GTPases in the actin polymerization process and the effect of diverse drugs on the actin structures.

§  The participation of Rab proteins (mainly Rab 21 and Rab 11) during the exo- and endocytosis of the FN receptor and during erythrophagocytosis.

§  Induction of COX-2 activity as a result of FN interaction.

§  Proteomic analysis of associated components during the formation of different actin structures.

 

All these projects with the aim to understand the mechanisms involved in the pathogenicity of this parasite, which until now is considered as a primitive eukaryote.

 

Leishmania mexicana.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is produced by L. mexicana; it presents three clinical manifestations: localized, difuse and predifuse. It is not clear whether these manifestations are due to the host, to the parasite or to the combination of both.  We have studied the humoral and cellular immune responses, induced in two different mice strains; one that is naturally resistant (C57/BL), and one that is susceptible (BALB/c) to the infection by L. mexicana.  We have established that in the mice model, PGE2 inhibits the production of Interleukin 12 (IL-12) in the susceptible model during the initial phase of the immune response, thus driving the immune response towards a predominance of the Th2 subpopulation. More recently we have identified that macrophages are one important source of PGE2, through the induction of COX-2 enzyme; also we have described the signaling pathway involved in this COX-2 activation.

Moreover, we have also found that there is a COX-2 like activity in Leishmania mexicana and we are analyzing the possible role of this enzymatic activity of the parasite in the modulation of the host immune response.   

 

Ovarian Cancer (OvCa).

Ovarian cancer (OvCa), among the gynecological cancers, occupies the main place as the cause of mortality in Mexico. It presents with very unspecific symptoms, and this is the reason why both women and physicians attribute the clinical manifestations to other common conditions. And then, it is too late when they discover the metastasis of the tumoral cells towards the abdominal cavity that induces the production of malignant ascites, unequivocal sign that the cancer has disseminated. In our laboratory we are interested in monitoring the changes in the expression profiles of proteins that constitute the ascites fluid and that could have important roles as biomarkers to follow the course of clinical manifestations, and also with the aim to understand better the molecular mechanisms that determine the growth and the tumor progression.  Eventually we would like to define molecules for the design of new diagnostic methods able to detect early phases of OvCa.


Indexed publication.

Entamoeba (2011-2016)

1). Montes Fonseca, S.L., Sánchez-Ramírez, B.E., Aguilar-Elguezabal, A., Talamás-Rohana, P. and Orrantia, E. (2011). Cytotoxicity of functionalized carbon nanotubes in J774A macrophages. Nanomedicine. 8(6):853-859.

2). Chávez-Munguía, B., Castañón, G., Hernández-Ramírez, V.I., González-Lázaro, M., Talamás-Rohana, P., Martínez-Palomo, A. (2012).Entamoeba histolytica electron-dense granule secretion in vitro and in vivo: Ultrastructural study. Microsc Res & Tech. 75(2):189-196.

3). Javier-Reyna, R., Hernández-Ramírez,V.I., González-Robles, A., Galván-Mendoza, I., Osorio-Trujillo, C., and Talamás-Rohana, P. (2012). Rab7 and actin cytoskeleton participate during mobilization of the b1EhFNR in fibronectin-stimulated Entamoeba histolyticatrophozoites.  Microsc Res &  Tech. 75(3):285-293.

4). Chávez-Munguía B., Castañón-Gutiérrez, G., Hernández-Ramírez, V.I., Talamás-Rohana, P. and Martínez-Palomo, A.  (2012).Differences in cap formation between invasive Entamoeba histolytica and non-invasive Entamoeba disparParasitol Res. 111(1):215-221.

5). González-Vázquez, M.C.,  Carabarin-Lima, A., Baylon-Pacheco, L., Talamás-Rohana, P., Rosales-Encina, J. L. (2012). Obtaining of three recombinant antigens of Entamoeba histolytica and evaluation of their immunogenic ability without adjuvant in a hamster model of immunoprotection. Acta Trop. 122(2):169-176.

6). Salgado-Jiménez, B., Arce-Fonseca, M., Baylón-Pacheco, L., Talamás-Rohana, P., and Rosales-Encina, J.L. 2011. Differential immune response in mice immunized either with A, R, or C domains from TcSP protein of Trypanosoma cruzi or with the coding DNAs. Parasite Immunol. Volume 35, Issue 1, pages 32–41, January 2013. Article first published online: 13 DEC 2012, DOI: 10.1111/pim.12017.

7). Flores-García Y., Rosales-Encina, J.L., Satoskar, A.R., Rosales, V,H., and Talamás-Rohana, P. (2013). Regulatory T cells subpopulations induced by amastigote stage-specific Trypanosoma cruzi surface protein SSP4 contribute to disease susceptibility.  Biomed Res Int. Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 632436, 10 pages.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/632436.

8). López-Contreras, L.A., Hernández-Ramírez, V.I., Flores-García, Y., Chávez-Munguía, B., and Talamás-Rohana, P. (2013). Src and PI3K inhibitors affect the virulence factors of Entamoeba histolytica. Parasitology 140: 202-209.

9). López-Contreras, L.A., Hernández-Ramírez, V.I., Lagunes-Guillén, A.E., Montaño, S., Chávez-Munguía, B., Sánchez-Ramírez, B.E., andTalamás-Rohana, P. (2013).  Exploring the role of lysine acetylation on Entamoeba histolytica virulence: a focus on the dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton. Biomed Res Int. 2013;2013:757392. doi: 10.1155/2013/757392. Epub 2013 Sep 1. PMID:24078923

10). M. Herrera-Martínez, V. I. Hernández-Ramírez, A. E. Lagunes-Guillén, B. Chávez-Munguía, P. Talamás-RohanaActin, RhoA, and Rab11 Participation during Encystment in Entamoeba invadens.Biomed Res Int. 2013; 2013: 919345. Published online 2013 September 24. doi: 10.1155/2013/919345 PMCID: PMC3794519 ArticlePubReader PDF–7.0M

11). Talamás-Lara, D., Chávez-Munguía, B., González-Robles, A., Talamás-Rohana, P., Salazar-Villatoro, L., Durán-Díaz, A. and Martínez-Palomo, A. (2014). Erythrphagocytosis in Entamoeba histolytica and Entamoeba dispar: a comparaive study. BioMed Res Int. Volume 2014 (2014).

12). Talamás-Lara D, Talamás-Rohana P, Fragoso-Soriano RJ, Espinosa-Cantellano M, Chávez-Munguía B, González-Robles A, Martínez-Palomo A. (2015). Cell-matrix interactions of Entamoeba histolytica and E. dispar. A comparative study by electron-, atomic force- and confocal microscopy. Exp Cell Res. 2015 Jul 29. pii: S0014-4827(15)30059-8. doi: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2015.07.030. 

13).  Herrera-Martínez MHernández-Ramírez VIHernández-Carlos BChávez-Munguía BCalderón-Oropeza MATalamás-Rohana P. Antiamoebic Activity of Adenophyllum aurantium (L.) Strother and Its Effect on the Actin Cytoskeleton of Entamoeba histolytica. Front Pharmacol. 2016 Jun 27;7:169. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2016.00169. eCollection 2016.

14). Aceves-Cano A, Gaytán-Ochoa R, Ramos-Martínez E, Erosa de la Vega G, González-Horta C, Talamás-Rohana P, Sánchez-Ramírez B. Morphological Findings in Trophozoites during Amoebic Abscess Development in Misoprostol-Treated BALB/c Mice. Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:898467. doi: 10.1155/2015/898467. Epub 2015 May 18. PMID:26090455.

15). López-Contreras, LA, Hernández-Ramírez, VI, Herrera-Martínez, M, Montaño S, Chávez-Munguía B, Talamás-Rohana P. In silico and functional analyses of Src-like protein kinase of Entamoeba sp. Parasites & Vectors (UNDER REVIEW).

 

 

PUBLICATIONS (2013-2016):

Leishmania mexicana

1). Díaz-Gandarilla, JA., Osorio-Trujillo, C., Hernández-Ramírez, V.I., and Talamás-Rohana, P. (2013). PPAR activation induces M1 macrophage polarization, via cPLA2-COX-2 inhibition, activating ROS production against Leishmania Mexicana. Biomed Res Int. Volume 2013 (2013), Article ID 215283, 13 pages. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/215283.

2). Martínez-Romero EG, Osorio-Trujillo JC, Arrieta-González MM, Harnández-Ramírez VI, Díaz-Gandarilla JA, Cruz-Rivera M, Rosales-Encina JL, Vaughan G, & Talamás-Rohana P. Mitogen-activated protein kinases and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells regulate the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 and prostaglandine E2 in Leishmania mexicana-infected macrophages.  PLoS ONE-D-16-28506 (SENT).

3). Estrada-Figueroa LA, Díaz-Gandarilla JA, Hernández-Ramírez VI, Arrieta-González MM, Osorio-Trujillo C, Rosales-Encina JL and Talamás-Rohana P. Leishmania mexicana gp63 is the enzyme responsible for cyclooxygenase (cox) activity in promastigotes. Biochimie (UNDER REVIEW).

 

 

 

PUBLICATIONS

Ovarian cancer (2011-2016).

1). Gallardo-Rincón, D. y 92 autores en orden alfabético. (2011). Tercer Consenso Nacional de Cáncer de Ovario 2011. Grupo de Investigación en Cáncer de Ovario y Tumores Ginecológicos de México “GICOM”. Revista de Investigación Clínica 63(6):665-702.

2). Garibay-Cerdenares OL, Hernández-Ramírez VI, Osorio-Trujillo JC, Hernández-Ortíz M, Gallardo-Rincón D, Cantú de León D, Encarnación-Guevara S, Villegas-Pineda JC, Talamás-Rohana P.  (2014). Proteomic identification of fucosylated haptoglobin alpha isoforms in ascitic fluids and its localization in ovarian carcinoma tissues from Mexican patients.  J Ovarian Res. 2014 Feb 27;7(1):27. doi: 10.1186/1757-2215-7-27.

3).  Garibay-Cerdenares OL, Hernández-Ramírez VI, Osorio-Trujillo JC, Gallardo-Rincón D, Talamás-Rohana P.  (2015). Haptoglobin and CCR2 receptor expression in ovarian cancer cells that were exposed to ascitic fluid: exploring a new role of haptoglobin in the tumoral microenvironment. Cell Adh Migr. 2015 Jul 25:0. [Epub ahead of print].

4). Villegas-Pineda, J.C., Garibay-Cerdenares, O.L., Hernández-Ramírez, V.I., Gallardo-Rincón, D., Cantú de León, D., Pérez-Montiel-Gómez, M.D., & Talamás-Rohana, P.  (2015). Integrins and haptoglobin: molecules overexpressed in ovarian cancer. Pathology –Research & Practice. 2015 Dec;211(12):973-81. doi: 10.1016/j.prp.2015.10.002. Epub 2015 Nov 6. PMID: 26549463.

 

 

 

PhD

2008: Verónica Ivonne Hernández Ramírez (Co-tutoría). Subcelullar distribution of the fibronectin receptor “EhFNR in Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites recovered from hepatic abscesses. Escuela Superior de Medicina Posgrado, Instituto Politécnico Nacional y Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN.

2010: Norma Cristina Segovia Gamboa (Co-tutor). Identification of vesicles with fibrilar content present in Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites recovered from hepatic lesions in the hamster liver.

2011: Yevel Flores García. Role of the recombinant protein MBP::SSP4 from Trypanosoma cruzi in the immune response modulation.
2011: Rosario Javier Reyna. Vesicular traffic of the b1 integrin-type receptor (b1EhFNR) in Entamoeba histolytica trophozoites.

M.Sc.

2008: Luis Alberto Estrada Figueroa. Comparative analysis of the cytokine profiles and other mediators of inflammation in liver from wild type C57BL/6J and Knoxk-out CD38 infected with Entamoeba histolytica.

2012: Mayra Herrera Martínez (Co-tutor). Participation of actin, RhoA, L220, ERK, Rab11 and enolase during encystation of Entamoeba invadens.

2012: Julio César Villegas Pineda. Comparative study of the expression pattern of proteases and integrins among cell lines, primary tumors of patients and xenotransplanted mice with ovarían carcinoma.