Mikel Garcia-Marcos, PhD
Professor
Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
Biochemistry & Cell Biology

PhD, University of the Basque Country
BS, University of the Basque Country



We investigate signal transduction mechanisms with the ultimate goal of elucidating the molecular basis of human diseases and developing novel therapeutic approaches.

Our main interest is in heterotrimeric G proteins, which are molecular switches that relay extracellular signals. Heterotrimeric G proteins are primarily activated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) located at the plasma membrane. However, our lab focuses on a group of cytoplasmic factors that mimic the action of GPCRs by directly activating heterotrimeric G proteins. These non-receptor activators “rewire” signal transduction in different pathological settings, including cancer, fibrosis, insulin resistance and kidney failure, among many others.

Our current efforts are focused on:
(i) identifying the members of this group of non-receptor activators
(ii) defining their role in normal and pathological scenarios
(iii) characterizing the molecular mechanisms by which they are regulated
(iv) understanding the structural basis for their action on G proteins
(v) developing tools to specifically target them.

We are currently exploring this unconventional aspect of G protein signaling in the context of cancer, embryonic development and neurotransmission.Our multidisciplinary approach includes in vitro biochemistry to characterize protein complexes, cultured cells and model organisms (yeast, frog embryos, fish) for functional studies, and synthetic biology tools to manipulate and monitor signaling with exquisite spatiotemporal resolution..

Member
Boston University
BU-BMC Cancer Center


Member
Boston University
Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research


Member
Boston University
Genome Science Institute




Versatile and high-fidelity optical biosensor platforms for GPCR signaling
04/01/2023 - 01/31/2027 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
5R01GM147931-02

Molecular evolution of synthetic probes for orphan GPCRs
01/01/2024 - 12/31/2026 (Key Person / Mentor)
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
1F31HL172691-01

Alternative Mechanisms of Signaling via Trimeric G Proteins
06/01/2020 - 03/31/2025 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke
5R01NS117101-10

Direct chemogenetic control of heterotrimeric G protein signaling
09/01/2022 - 08/31/2024 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke
1R21NS127065-01A1

Non-canonical activation of heterotrimeric G protein signaling in vivo
09/20/2019 - 07/31/2024 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
5R01GM136132-04

Student Intern Agreement with Universidad Francisco de Vitoria - Covadonga Lopez Ramos
02/01/2018 - 07/31/2024 (PI)
Universidad Francisco de Vitoria


Optical biosensor platforms for the direct interrogation of GPCR signaling in cardiovascular cells
01/01/2022 - 12/31/2023 (Key Person / Mentor)
American Heart Association


Targeting of non-canonical G protein signaling with small molecules
07/01/2018 - 06/30/2023 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
5R01GM130120-04

Exploring the cancer mutational Landscape of G proteins with new biosensors
04/01/2019 - 11/01/2021 (Key Person / Mentor)
PI: Marcin Maziarz, PhD
American Cancer Society, Inc.


Next generation G protein activity biosensors
09/22/2018 - 08/31/2021 (PI)
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
5R21MH118745-02

Showing 10 of 17 results. Show All Results


Title


Yr Title Project-Sub Proj Pubs
2024 Versatile and high-fidelity optical biosensor platforms for GPCR signaling 5R01GM147931-02
2024 Versatile and high-fidelity optical biosensor platforms for GPCR signaling 3R01GM147931-02S1
2024 Alternative Mechanisms of Signaling Via Trimeric G Proteins 5R01NS117101-10
2023 Versatile and high-fidelity optical biosensor platforms for GPCR signaling 1R01GM147931-01A1
2023 Alternative Mechanisms of Signaling Via Trimeric G Proteins 5R01NS117101-09
2022 Non-canonical activation of heterotrimeric G protein signaling in vivo 3R01GM136132-03S1
2022 Non-canonical activation of heterotrimeric G protein signaling in vivo 5R01GM136132-04
2022 Alternative mechanisms of signaling via trimeric G proteins 3R01NS117101-08S1
2022 Alternative mechanisms of signaling via trimeric G proteins 5R01NS117101-08
2021 Non-canonical activation of heterotrimeric G protein signaling in vivo 5R01GM136132-03
Showing 10 of 29 results. Show All Results

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

iCite Analysis       Copy PMIDs To Clipboard

  1. Janicot R, Garcia-Marcos M. Protocol to investigate G protein-coupled receptor signaling kinetics and concentration-dependent responses using ONE-GO biosensors. STAR Protoc. 2024 Dec 20; 5(4):103383. PMID: 39395175
     
  2. Janicot R, Garcia-Marcos M. Protocol for detecting endogenous GPCR activity in primary cell cultures using ONE-GO biosensors. STAR Protoc. 2024 Dec 20; 5(4):103355. PMID: 39356642; PMCID: PMC11480228; DOI: 10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103355;
     
  3. Luebbers A, Janicot R, Zhao J, Philibert CE, Garcia-Marcos M. Direct detection of endogenous Gai activity in cells with a sensitive conformational biosensor. bioRxiv. 2024 Aug 22.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39229046; PMCID: PMC11370452; DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.21.609006;
     
  4. Janicot R, Garcia-Marcos M. Get Ready to Sharpen Your Tools: A Short Guide to Heterotrimeric G Protein Activity Biosensors. Mol Pharmacol. 2024 Aug 16; 106(3):129-144. PMID: 38991745; PMCID: PMC11331509; DOI: 10.1124/molpharm.124.000949;
     
  5. Philibert CE, Garcia-Marcos M. Smooth operator(s): dialing up and down neurotransmitter responses by G-protein regulators. Trends Cell Biol. 2024 Jul 24.View Related Profiles. PMID: 39054106
     
  6. Janicot R, Maziarz M, Park JC, Zhao J, Luebbers A, Green E, Philibert CE, Zhang H, Layne MD, Wu JC, Garcia-Marcos M. Direct interrogation of context-dependent GPCR activity with a universal biosensor platform. Cell. 2024 Mar 14; 187(6):1527-1546.e25.View Related Profiles. PMID: 38412860; PMCID: PMC10947893; DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.028;
     
  7. Garcia-Marcos M. Heterotrimeric G protein signaling without GPCRs: The Ga-binding-and-activating (GBA) motif. J Biol Chem. 2024 Mar; 300(3):105756. PMID: 38364891; PMCID: PMC10943482; DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105756;
     
  8. Cebul ER, Marivin A, Wexler LR, Perrat PN, Bénard CY, Garcia-Marcos M, Heiman MG. SAX-7/L1CAM acts with the adherens junction proteins MAGI-1, HMR-1/Cadherin, and AFD-1/Afadin to promote glial-mediated dendrite extension. bioRxiv. 2024 Jan 11. PMID: 38260503; PMCID: PMC10802611; DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.11.575259;
     
  9. Janicot R, Maziarz M, Park JC, Luebbers A, Green E, Zhao J, Philibert C, Zhang H, Layne MD, Wu JC, Garcia-Marcos M. Direct interrogation of context-dependent GPCR activity with a universal biosensor platform. bioRxiv. 2024 Jan 02.View Related Profiles. PMID: 38260348; PMCID: PMC10802303; DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.02.573921;
     
  10. Lao-Peregrin C, Xiang G, Kim J, Srivastava I, Fall AB, Gerhard DM, Kohtala P, Kim D, Song M, Garcia-Marcos M, Levitz J, Lee FS. Synaptic plasticity via receptor tyrosine kinase/G-protein-coupled receptor crosstalk. Cell Rep. 2024 Jan 23; 43(1):113595. PMID: 38117654; PMCID: PMC10844890; DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113595;
     
Showing 10 of 80 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 80 publications over 21 distinct years, with a maximum of 10 publications in 2023

YearPublications
20031
20052
20064
20071
20083
20091
20104
20116
20123
20131
20143
20155
20165
20176
20183
20193
20208
20211
20221
202310
20249
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