Life @ CRG
Issue 3 July 2013
Newsletter of the Centre for Genomic Regulation
EU-LIFE: 1st community meeting at the CRG Gabrielle Bertier
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8th May, 8 pm. The first EULIFE community meeting participants gather, collect their badges and start looking for other people from their working group. For the past month, the 65 participants have been preparing this meeting from their home bases. They are distributed into 6 working groups focusing on: EU-LIFE strategy, with the directors of the 10 partner
institutes, translational research, grants, training, communication, and technology transfer. The next day, after words of welcome from Luis Serrano and Jo Bury, director of the VIB, Belgium, and a keynote lecture from Fabienne Gautier, deputy head of the European Research Area (ERA) policy, the groups divided into 6 separate rooms. Over
CRG JOINS GLOBAL ALLIANCE TO SHARE AND INTERPRET GENOMIC DATA Over 70 leading healthcare, research, and disease advocacy organisations involving scientists and collaborators from around the world have taken the first steps to form an international alliance dedicated to enabling secure sharing of genomic and clinical data. The cost of genome sequencing has fallen and more and more people are choosing to make their genetic and clinical data available for research, clinical, and personal use. However, interpreting this data requires an evidence base for biomedicine larger than any one party alone can develop, and which adheres
four intense hours they worked hard, getting to know each-other, sharing success stories and challenges in their area of expertise, and setting up a joint action plan for EU-LIFE. At the end of the day, the elected group chairs presented detailed feedback on their discussions. At 6 pm, Jo Bury closed the meeting with these inspiring words for EU-LIFE: ‘we leave feeling like a family’. <
to the highest standards of ethics and privacy.These organisations recognise that the public interest will be best served if we work together to develop and promulgate standards (both technical and regulatory) that make it possible to share and interpret this wealth of information in a manner that is both effective and responsible. “Now that sequencing a genome is becoming cheaper, one single institution can’t cope with the vast amount of information coming from both the personal genomic data that users make available for research and the fast pace of biomedical findings”, says CRG director Luis Serrano. The Global Alliance will respond to important challenges and enable future advance that would be impossible for a single institution. The platforms will enable sharing and learning regardless of where the data is stored and will also protect participant autonomy and privacy. <
EDITORIAL EU-LIFE today…and beyond
E Michela Bertero Head of International and Scientific Affairs
verything started last summer in Barcelona. Directors of research centres of excellence in Belgium, Portugal, Germany, France, Italy and the UK were invited to Barcelona, and we brainstormed about the creation of a partnership to push European excellence in life sciences forward. We recognised the need for such a project: whilst there are several alliances of universities and industry, none of them include independent research institutes. 2012 was also a pivotal time during which the European Commission launched a public consultation for the first proposal of H2020, and we committed to speaking as a single voice to support basic science. Since this first meeting, EU-LIFE has developed from an idea to a joint plan. More than sixty people from the various institutes gathered in Barcelona in May for the first community event (p. 1). Today, EU-LIFE encompasses ten European research institutes who share a multi-faceted mission that includes promoting excellence
and training, developing and sharing best practice in research and management, and influencing science policy. Although the institutes still compete when recruiting top scientists and acquiring prestigious grants, we believe there is added value in joining forces to address complex questions, such as how to select talent from emerging countries like India and China, how to retain top scientists in Europe during difficult economic times, and how to share our capacities to increase impact on knowledge and society. EU-LIFE has already taken root. The project website has a page for disseminating joint positions in partner institutes; next year, EULIFE will organise its first scientific meeting. Now the challenge will be to transform EULIFE from the vision of the directors into a long-term project engaging all communities (e.g., PhD students, postdocs, technicians, and management professionals) in concrete joint action and activities. More information at www.eu-life.eu <
INSIDE CRG WORKING TOWARDS THE ‘HR EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH’ LOGO Bruna Vives The CRG is working to obtain the ‘HR Excellence in Research’ logo, awarded by the European Commission to institutions providing a stimulating and favourable working environment for researchers, as outlined by the European Charter & Code. A Working Group involving Principal Investigators, postdocs, PhD students, technicians, core facilities, staff scientists and HR has been created to identify areas that could be improved and to establish an Action Plan to be submitted
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to the European Commission. As a result of the surveys carried out by the Working Group, three main areas for improvement have been identified: Training & Career Development (chaired by B. Vives), Promoting Female Scientific Careers (chaired by I. Vernos) and HR Policies & Practices (chaired by D. Ordaz). During July, the Working Group will meet to discuss and define actions to be approved by the Executive Board. For further information and comments please contact B. Vives (coordination), I. Vernos (senior PI), G. Tartaglia (junior PI), E. Sabidó (Head of Proteomics Facility), N. Martinez & B. Bolognesi (Postdocs), F. Lluis (staff scientist), L. Zapata & N. Czerniak, (PhD students), M. López (technician) and D. Ordaz (HR). <
INSIDE LUCIANO DI CROCE, ELECTED EMBO MEMBER Luciano Di Croce, group leader of the Epigenetic Events in Cancer laboratory and ICREA research professor has been elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO). The EMBO announced in May that 52 outstanding researchers from the life sciences were newly elected to its membership. The EMBO currently comprises around 1600 life scientists. “Our mem-
bers are the basis for the international reputation of our organisation”, explained EMBO Director Maria Leptin. “I look forward to the fresh input and ideas that the new EMBO members will bring with them.” EMBO members make invaluable contributions to the organisation by providing suggestions and feedback on EMBO activities. They serve on selection committees for EMBO programmes and mentor young scientists. Their input has helped to promote excellence in life sciences since 1964. <
BEN LEHNER RECEIVES THE EPPENDORF YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD
TRAINING SCIENCE TEACHERS AROUND THE GLOBE Juan Sarasua
Maria Leptin (EMBO Director), Axel Jahns (Eppendorf AG), Ben Lehner (Award Winner 2013), Francisco Chavarri (Managing Director, Eppendorf Ibérica), Reinhard Jahn (MPI Director of Biophysical Chemistry)
Ben Lehner received the 2013 Eppendorf Young Investigator Award on June 6 at the EMBL Advanced Training Centre in Heidelberg. This award honours outstanding work in biomedical research and supports young scientists, up to the age of 35, in Europe. It is presented in partnership between Eppendorf and the scientific journal Nature. The members of the jury decided to give the award to Ben Lehner for his discoveries on the fundamental question of why mutations in the genome result in variable phenotypes. They also highlighted his contribution to the understanding of how the function of genes is modulated during development and how these insights offer novel approaches for the understanding of genetic predisposition for disease. During the ceremony Ben Lehner stated that “this award is a testament to the commitment and energy of the past and present members of my laboratory and to our colleagues and collaborators in Barcelona and around the world”. More info at www.eppendorf.com/award <
The CRG has begun to collaborate with the “AMGEN Science Teacher Training Initiative” (http://www.scienceteachertraining.com), an enterprise to provide to secondary school life science teachers from across Europe with meaningful professional development opportunities. The EU network European School Net coordinates the project. The idea is to carefully select research centres of excellence with a good background on science teacher development, by setting up Webinars with their researchers. Last May we set up the first Webinar on one of our specialties, bioinformatics, with the participation of Marina Marcet-Houben, a postdoc from Toni Gabaldon’s lab. At 7:30 pm on Tuesday May 14, she gave a lecture to 43 teachers from various European and South American countries. In her talk, she gave a brief introduction to bioinformatics and some of the most commonly used tools and databases. The event was a success and we’re already planning another for after the holidays. <
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INSIDE CRG PICTURES AT THE CELL PICTURE SHOW The scientific journal Cell and Zeiss Microscopy have launched the “Cell Picture Show”. They describe it as a place to showcase striking images from cell, developmental, and molecular biology; a place to learn about cutting-edge research with beautiful images. There are various folders containing images related to different topics. Cell selected pictures from CRG researchers Jürgen Mayer and Jim Swoger from the Multilcellular Systems Biology laboratory. Take a look at the image gallery at www.cell.com/cell_picture_show-lightsheet1. <
A Look Inside the Head. By Jim Swoger, CRG.
RESEARCHERS FROM THE FULBRIGHT PROGRAMME VISIT THE CRG A delegation of Fulbright scholarship students visited the CRG in May. The Fulbright programme is an exchange programme with the United States which has existed for over 65 years. Its objectives are to encourage alliances and the exchange of ideas whilst trying to help in the search for solutions to global challenges. The young researchers in this programme work in various Spanish research centres and they had the opportunity to meet a selection of CRG group leaders and get to know the principal research carried out at the centre. <
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INTERNATIONAL PhD RETREAT David Hayes In June, over 30 students from the CRG travelled together with as many students from Paris’s Institut Curie, to the beautiful seaside town of Cadaqués. The retreat was widely considered a great success, with a high degree of interaction between the institutes. All students presented a 3 minute elevator talk outlining their work and initiating lots of further discussion that continued into the night, some excellent motivational speeches were given by group leaders from both institutes, and there was still easily enough time to visit the eccentrically designed house of Salvador Dali, to relax by the beach/pool and to party into the night. A strong basis of friendship and communication was formed between the students of the two institutes and we hope this can continue to form into a more solid collaboration and support network in the future. <
INSIDE ISABELLE VERNOS, CRG GENDER BALANCE CHAIR Isabelle Vernos, head of the Microtubule Function and Cell Division group, has been nominated Chair of the Gender Balance Committee. Isabelle will be responsible for creating and coordinating a sexual equality working group at the CRG which will ensure equal opportunities between men and women at the centre as well as take on board various activities (seminars, workshops and regulations) to promote this equilibrium. <
SCIENCE @ CRG APPERANCES CAN BE DECEIVING
NEW BREAKTHROUGH IN THE MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS
CRG researchers led by Miguel Beato have, in an article published in Cell Reports, just revealed that PLK1 kinase, up to now thought to be related to cancer, can also be crucial for the proper functioning of the cell.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is one of the most common, life-threatening, autosomal recessive genetic disorders, with a carrier frequency in the Caucasian population of around one in 25 people. Mutations in the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene determine the impairment of chloride transport in epithelial cells. The disease affects the lungs, digestive tract, sweat glands and reproductive tract in men. Since the characterization of CFTR more than 20 years ago, nearly 2000 pathogenic CFTR mutations have been reported. Although CFTR is one of the most extensively studied human disease genes, its high allelic heterogeneity makes the molecular diagnostics challenging.
PLK1 had always been associated with breast cancer due to its role in cell division. Now, Beato and his collaborators have observed that PLK1 also plays an important role in the regulation of genes activated during the resting stage and the initiation of division. “What we have seen using genomics and proteomics techniques is that when PLK1 is expressed in the correct amounts it participates in the response to oestrogen and is needed to control and regulate the genes that stop cell division”, explains Miguel Beato, head of the Chromatin and Gene Expression group. “Our work demonstrates that PLK is not always an indicator of poor prognosis. It is important that we learn to use this information and, when we design breast cancer treatments, take into account the fact that we need only reduce high levels of PLK1, which could be harmful, and try to maintain the physiological levels”, he adds. <
Researchers from the CRG, IDIBELL, and Quantitative Genomic Medicine Laboratories, Ltd. (qGenomics) have developed a next-generation sequencing assay for the complete molecular diagnostics of cystic fibrosis.The results of this investigation have been published in the Journal of Medical Genetics.They reveal that for genetic diseases like cystic fibrosis, the application of next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies, in combination with robust bioinformatics algorithms, achieves a complete characterisation of all types of mutations, changing the paradigms of classical molecular studies.This means accurate, fast and cheap characterisation of the genes responsible for specific genetic diseases. <
SPREADING SENESCENCE At the end of their life, having divided fifty or more times, our cells are often eased into retirement. They enter a state of limbo known as senescence, still active but unable to replicate again. Although typically associated with ageing, this phenomenon is also activated by oncogenes keeping at bay cells that are damaged or dangerous, in order to prevent their spread. Recent research has shown that this can be a crucial cancer-prevention technique, as senescence can be induced in the early stages of cancer development and suppress tumour growth. Now research from the MRC Clinical Sciences Centre (UK) with Spanish contribution from Dr. Salvador Aznar-Benitah’s lab at the CRG has unveiled a new quirk: by secreting a cocktail of factors, senescent cells can spread their retired state to other nearby cells. The research, published in Nature Cell Biology confirms something that has long been suspected but never proven: that cells can transmit their senescent state to their neighbours. <
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SCIENCE @ CRG CARNIVOROUS PLANT THROWS OUT JUNK DNA Genes make up about 2 percent of the human genome. The rest consists of genetic material known as noncoding DNA, and scientists have spent years puzzling over why this material exists in such voluminous quantities. Now, a new study offers an unexpected insight: the large majority of noncoding DNA, which is abundant in many living things, may not actually be needed for complex life, according to research set to appear in the journal Nature.
The clues lie in the genome of the carnivorous bladderwort plant, Utricularia gibba. The U. gibba genome is the smallest ever to be sequenced from a complex, multicellular plant. The researchers who sequenced it say that 97 percent of the genome consists of genes — bits of DNA that code for proteins — and small pieces of DNA that control those genes. It appears that the plant has deleted noncoding “junk” DNA from its genetic material over many generations. The new U. gibba genome shows that having an abundance of noncoding DNA is not crucial for complex life.
André E. Minoche and Heinz Himmelbauer from the CRG Genomics Unit participated in this international research project, which was led by LANGEBIO in Mexico with contributions from scientists in the US, Mexico, China, Singapore, Spain and Germany. <
CRG & SOCIETY STUDYING BIODIVERSITY As happens every year, the CRG has participated in the E2C3 MónNatura Pirineus stays of the Joves i Ciència de la Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera youth science programme. The CRG is the only research institute that has been selected to join this training programme since its first edition. This time, a group of nine young people has studied biodiversity in the small village of Son in the Pyrenees.The project, led by CRG researchers Daniel Trujillano and Oriol Pich along with Annick Labeeuw, wanted to bring the young people into contact with the study of species diversity and its evolution through the latest biomedical techniques. Students collected biological samples in order to later extract, amplify, visualise and sequence their genomes. <
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ART AND SCIENCE COME TOGETHER AGAIN AT THE CRG In May the awards ceremony for the sculpture contest was held. As always, all of the participating students were able to enjoy a day out at the CRG, an event which brought together around 300 people. Students and their families visited the laboratories at the centre and enjoyed an interactive show led by Biocomunica’t that introduced the latest human genome discoveries to the participants.
PAUL NURSE PASSES HIS ENTHUSIASM FOR SCIENCE ON TO THE YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE Nobel Prize winner, Sir Paul Nurse, spoke to the general public as part of the Easy Science Conferences. His talk “Great Ideas in Biology” was a tour of some of the most important discoveries from recent centuries. Nurse captivated his audience of secondary school students to senior citizens. At the end, Sir Paul chatted animatedly with the youngest participants.
Throughout the day the sculptures from the artistic cell competition were on display. This time there were more than 60 scientific works of art produced by more than 300 students from all corners of Catalonia. <
Sir Paul Nurse also gave a scientific talk in the PRBB where he charmed the scientific community. A master class in both its scientific content as well as for the communication skills of the speaker. <
FEATURING CRG Gender balance leads to scientific excellence… but how to achieve it? Veronica Raker Dr. Inés Sánchez de Madariaga, director of the Women and Science unit in the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness since 2006, led a recent debate on gender balance in science at the PRBB (see also her White Paper). Women are vastly underrepresented at the top in scientific fields, and this trend has not changed for decades. Apart from the issue of “fairness”, why should we care? As Inés pointed out, having women continue their careers as scientists increases the talent pool, improves scientific outcome by increasing diversity, and decreases the economic waste of training-but-not-hiring women scientists. But how can we achieve this? One way is through top-down approaches, such as evaluating research institutes based on their percentage of women PIs/full professors, as will likely occur in the upcoming EC Horizon 2020 funding scheme. Other ways will have to be implemented at the local, institutional level, such as providing: i) training to recognize inherent biases that both men and women have against women; ii) support for parents; and iii) mentoring for women scientists. Finally, Inés discussed why gender aspects should be incorporated directly into research; for example, whether cells come from a male or a female animal can influence results.
Photo: Camilla Iannone
The debate panel included three top CRG researchers who are all actively involved in striving for gender balance in science: Mara Dierssen, Juan Valcárcel, and Isabel Vernos (who is the chair of the European Research Council (ERC) Working Group on Gender Balance). The debate was sponsored by Gender Equality Actions within the EC FP7 projects 4DCellFate (coordinated by Luciano Di Croce) and SysteMTb (coordinated by Luis Serrano) through the CRG office Scientific and International Affairs (ISA). White paper: http://www.idi.mineco.gob.es/stfls/MICINN/ Ministerio/FICHEROS/UMYC/WhitePaper_Interactive.pdf. <
SYSTEMS BIOLOGY SUMMER COURSE ONCE AGAIN A SUCCESS Yogi Jaeger From June 9 to 14 we held the third edition of our Systems Biology Summer Course organised by Hilde Janssens, James Sharpe, Matthieu Louis, and Yogi Jaeger, with the excellent help of PhD students and postdocs from the CRG. This year’s edition was co-organised and sponsored by the SystemsX initiative from Switzerland, and ERASysAPP, a European network for funding applied systems biology. The fact that we received a record number of more than 90 applications for 24 available slots reflects the fact that our course is gaining in international reputation. The selected stu-
dents were exposed to an intense week of lectures, computer practicals, and discussions on current topics in systems biology, with a focus on the study and data-driven simulation of dynamic systems. Based on the feedback we received from students, the course was a success again this year. While one stu-
dent was happy to “have received a solid introduction to modelling that will help my general understanding of the field”, another even invoked a biblical quote (“at that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness”) to describe the course’s impact on them. <
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CORE FACILITIES LATEST FROM THE ALMU Raquel García Continuing the improvements and new acquisitions at the ALMU, the multiphoton Leica SP5 upright system is now equipped with two super-sensitive HyD non-descanned detectors and a pre-chirped unit for the laser that provides better contrast and deeper imaging of thick samples with less photodamage. The Olympus spinning-disk in microscopy room 582 has been upgraded with a scanner and a pulsed 355 nm laser for microdissection experiments (i.e., the cutting of an actin fibre in a developing embryo, the ablation of a cell organelle).
PEOPLE @ CRG WELCOMES
FAREWELLS
We warmly welcome; Marcos Francisco Pérez, Riddhiman Dhar, Carmen Maria Livi, Priyanka Sharma, Marvin Albert, Martin Schaefer, James Cotterell, Clara Berenguer, Mª Teresa Zomeño, Gabriel E. Mora, Mª Carmen Ortells and Amaya Abad.
Our best wishes to: Jasna Medvedovic, Caroline Bruns, Milos Pjanic, Antoine Graindorge, Martina Niksic, Jordi Pairó, Alexandre Cavaco, Luis Diambra, Luciano Marcón, Elisabeth Mateu, Elisa Docampo, Johanna Aigner, Laia Bassaganyas, Antonios Lioutas and Xavier Rúbies.
AWARDS AND HONOURS Ben Lehner, group leader of the Genetic Systems laboratory has been awarded the EppendorYoung Investigator Prize (see pag. 3). Luciano Di Croce, group leader of the Epigenetic Events in Cancer has been elected EMBO Member (see pag 3).
DIARY 30/09 - 02/10/13 - Courses@CRG Applied Super-resolution Light Microscopy www.crg.eu/microscopy_course_2013 Registration deadline: July 31st
30-31/10/13 - 12th CRG Annual Symposium Biological Control Networks in Barcelona 2013symposium.crg.eu Registration deadline: September 30th
14-18 /10/13 - Courses@CRG High Throughput Sequencing: Lab methods and computational challenges www.crg.eu/3g_Sequencing_Course_2013 Registration deadline: August 16th
21-22/11/2013 Barcelona Conference on Epigenetics and Cancer: Callenges, Opportunities and Perspectives. www.bdebate.org
Life@CRG, Newsletter of the Centre for Genomic Regulation. Published by the Centre for Genomic Regulation. Communication and Public Relations Department. Carrer Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003 Barcelona. www.crg.eu Editors: Gloria Lligadas & Laia Cendrós. Contributors: Michela Bertero, Gabrielle A. Bertier, Raquel Garcia, Bruna Vives, 8 | Live @ CRG Veronica Raker, David Hayes, Juan Sarasua, Gloria Lligadas, Blanka Wysocka, Annick Labeeuw and Laia Cendrós. Design: Ondeuev. Please feel free to send your suggestions and proposals to: comunicacio@crg.eu