Metlab
Background
Intricate signalling networks control cell division, differentiation, movement, organization and death. Understanding how cells read and transform these signals into changes in cell behaviour is a major research focus of our group. Cancer cells disobey these signals during tumour progression and metastasis. Metastasis is the final step in 90% of all fatal solid tumours. It is therefore a grave public health problem and consequently a field of considerable pharmaceutical interest.
Research Interests
Growth Control and Cancer Metastasis
Our research centres on how growth factors, signalling pathways, and gene expression programmes control normal cell proliferation and cancer cell metastasis.
We study the ways in which cancer cells evade tumour suppressor mechanisms and engage in metastatic behaviour. We focus on a cytostatic programme involving the transcriptional activation of cell cycle inhibitors and the transcriptional repression of growth-promoting and anti-differentiation factors. Furthermore, we examine how tumour cells evade these gene responses in order to pursue metastatic behaviour. By combining in vivo selection of human metastatic cells, transcriptomic profiling and functional testing, we identify genes that selectively mediate breast metastasis to specific organs. Gene transfer techniques and RNAi-mediated gene silencing are used to functionally validate candidate genes. We are encouraged by the recent validation of these findings in clinical samples. Several of these genes encode products that are susceptible to therapeutic targeting.
More info
Metlab
TGFbeta primes breast tumors for lung metastasis seeding through angiopoietin-like 4
Padua D, Zhang XH, Wang Q, Nadal C, Gerald WL, Gomis RR and Massagué J
Cell, 133 (1), 66-77 (2008)
Mediators of vascular remodeling co-opted for sequential steps in lung metastasis
Gupta GP, Nguyen DX, Chiang AC, Bos PD, Kim JY, Nadal C, Gomis RR, Todorova-Manova K and Massagué J
Nature, 446, 765-770 (2007)
C/EBPbeta at the core of the TGFbeta cytostatic response and its evasion in metastatic breast cancer cells
Gomis RR, Alarcon C, Nadal C, Van Poznak C and Massagué J
Cancer Cell, 10 (3), 203-214 (2006)
A FoxO-Smad synexpression group in human keratinocytes
Gomis RR, Alarcón C, He W, Wang Q, Seoane J, Lash A and Massagué J
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 103 (34), 12747-12752 (2006)
The logic of TGFbeta signaling
Massagué J and Gomis RR
FEBS Lett, 580 (12), 2811-2820 (2006)
Breast cancer bone metastasis mediated by the Smad tumor suppressor pathway
Kang Y, He W, Tulley S, Gupta GP, Serganova I, Chen CR, Manova-Todorova K, Blasberg R, Gerald WL, Massagué J.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 102 (39), 13909-13914 (2005)
Genes that mediate breast cancer metastasis to lung
Minn AJ, Gupta GP, Siegel PM, Bos PD, Shu W, Giri DD, Viale A, Olshen AB, Gerald WL and Massagué J
Nature, 436 (7050), 518-524 (2005)
Distinct organ-specific metastasis potential of individual breast cancer cells and primary tumors
Minn AJ, Kang Y, Serganova I, Gupta GP, Giri DD, Doubrovin M, Ponomarev V, Gerald WL, Blasberg R and Massagué J
J Clin Invest, 115 (1), 44-55 (2005)
Smad transcription factors
Massagué J, Seoane J and Wotton D
Genes Dev, 19 (23), 2783-2810 (2005)
Identifying site-specific metastasis genes and functions
Gupta GP, Minn AJ, Kang Y, Siegel PM, Serganova I, Cordón-Cardo C, Olshen AB, Gerald WL and Massagué J
Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol, 70, 149-158 (2005)
Integration of Smad and Forkhead pathways in the control of neuroepithelial and glioblastoma cell proliferation
Seoane J, Le HV, Shen L, Anderson SA and Massagué J
Cell, 117 (2), 211-223 (2004)
G1 cell cycle control and cancer
Massagué J
Nature, 432 (7015), 298-306 (2004)
Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions: twist in development and metastasis
Kang Y and Massagué J
Cell, 118 (3), 277-279 (2004)
A multigenic program mediating breastcancer metastasis to bone
Kang Y, Siegel PM, Shu W, Drobnjak M, Kakonen SM, Cordón-Cardo C, Guise TA and Massagué J
Cancer Cell, 3 (6), 537-549 (2003)
Metlab
Roger Gomis, PhD
Managing director
Roger Gomis is the Managing director of the Metlab. He received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (2002). He was a Research Fellow at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center until spring 2006, when he took up his current position.
tel. +34 93 403 99 59
Lab. tel. +34 93 403 99 61
e-mail: roger.gomis
irbbarcelona.org
Joan Massagué, PhD
Adjunct director, IRB Barcelona
Joan Massagué is Adjunct Director of IRB Barcelona. He is also Chairman of the Cancer Biology and Genetics Program at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Professor at Weill-Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, in New York. He received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (1978) from the University of Barcelona. He was a Research Fellow at Brown University until 1982, when he joined the Faculty of Biochemistry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. He assumed his current positions in 1989.
tel. +34 93 403 99 62
Fax + 34 93 403 99 60
e-mail: joan.massagueirbbarcelona.org
Lab manager
Marc Guiu
tel. +34 93 403 99 61
marc.guiuirbbarcelona.org
Research Associate
Mónica Morales
tel. +34 93 403 99 61
monica.moralesirbbarcelona.org
Lab Technician
Esther Fernández Rivas
tel. + 34 93 403 99 61
esther.fernandezirbbarcelona.org
PhD students
Anna Arnal
tel. +34 93 403 99 61
anna.arnalirbbarcelona.org
Maria Tarragona
tel. +34 93 403 99 61
maria.tarragonairbbarcelona.org
Milica Pavlovic
tel. +34 93 403 99 61
milica.pavlovicirbbarcelona.org
