Mª Félix Bastida, Ph.D.

Dr. Bastida research interest is to understand the interaction and crosstalk among the major signaling pathways operating in limb development. In particular the interactions in the posterior limb bud that lead to the activation of Shh. She found that BMP signalling negatively regulates Shh transcription and that this function is achieved indirectly at least in part by interfering with the FGF and WNT signaling pathways. Since Bmps are known targets of SHH, she described a negative feedback loop operating between BMPs and SHH to control Shh expression. She also showed that Bmp expression is positively regulated by FGF signaling and subject to an auto-regulatory loop therefore placing Bmp activity as an important point of crosstalk between the SHH, WNT and FGF pathways in the posterior limb bud mesoderm. At present she is further exploring the cross-regulation and integration of multiple signaling pathways during limb formation.

Phone: [+34] 942 206799 ext. 127
Email: mariafelix.bastida@unican.es 

Work pictures

Specific expression patterns of different Bmp family members during middle stages of chick wing development.

M. A. Fernández-Terán, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Fernández-Terán research interests include pattern formation during limb development an area in which she has been working over the past several decades. Among her contributions are the identification of the role Hand2 plays in limb development and in establishing the initial limb prepatterning and the role of the mesonephros. She also performed a comprehensive analysis of the patterns of cell death and cell proliferation during a wide period of chick and mouse limb development. Currently she is focusing in the function of the non-AER ectoderm during limb development and she is collaborating with several ongoing projects in the lab.

Phone: [+34] 942 201925
Email: angeles.fernandez@unican.es

Work pictures

Areas of apoptosis detected by TUNEL in a chick wing bud of 4 days of incubation.