DRA. LILIANA QUINTANAR VERA
Química de la ciudad de México
Phone number
Correo: lilianaq@cinvestav.mx

Doctorate:
PhD in Chemistry, Stanford University, USA, 2004

Postdoc:
Department of Neurosciences, Institute of Cellular Physiology, UNAM, 2005

Sabbatical Stay:
Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, 2014-2015 

Research Topics:
In our research group we apply knowledge of bio-inorganic spectroscopy to study metal-protein interactions that are relevant in the development of degenerative diseases associated with protein aggregation. In recent years, we have studied the interaction of copper with proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases (such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and prion diseases) and degenerative diseases (such as cataracts and type 2 diabetes). In particular, we have studied the following systems: beta amyloside peptide, alpha-synuclein, prion protein, gamma-crystallin proteins and amylin or islet amyloid polypeptide associated with type 2 diabetes.

In all these systems we are interested in understanding how the metal binds to these proteins and what are the molecular determinants that dictate their copper coordination. Since copper binding sites are located in unstructured or intrinsically disordered regions of these proteins, we study how metal binding impacts their folding and aggregation properties, which are key to understanding the impact of copper on the formation of protein aggregates that are involved in the etiology of each disease. Finally, since copper is a redox-active metal, capable of activating oxygen and catalyzing its reduction, we ask the question of the redox activity of the copper-protein complexes involved in these diseases. By solving the molecular details of the redox cycle of these complexes and their reaction with oxygen, we will be able to determine the role that their redox activity plays in the function of these proteins and/or in the oxidative stress and cell death associated with each disease. This work will lay the groundwork for the development of molecules with therapeutic potential in these diseases.