Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience and Receptor Pharmacology

2) Staff:

Dr. Daniel Rodríguez Ithurralde (DRI)

MD (UdelaR), PhD equivalent and PostDoctoral studies at Uppsala and Cambridge (UK) Universities

Unit Head. Principal Investigator of PEDECIBA, Program for Basic Sciences Development (PEDECIBA), joint program of  Universidad de la República (UdelaR), the Ministry of Education of Uruguay and PNUD (Programme des Nations Unies pour le Developpement) . 

Dr. Silvia Olivera Bravo (SOB). Doctor in Sciences (UdelaR-PEDECIBA). Graduate and PostDoctoral studies at Bristol (UK) and Alicante (Spain) Universities.

Associate Researcher,  Grade 3.

Prof. Adriana Maruri (AMP)

Research Fellow, Ministry of Education, Uruguay.

Associate Researcher Grade 1 upon Instititutional Evaluation

Lic. Gabriela Pistone

Master Student, Environmental Sciences

Fernanda Arce Millacet

Science Student, in her Graduate Thesis under DRI supervision.

Chem. Eng. Héctor García Hernández,

Pharmaceutic Chemist Laura Rügnitz,

Chem. Eng. Andrea Pascovich,

Chem. Bach. María Linares

Honorary Research Assistants integrating the Laboratory´s Biotechnology Group

3) Research: (i) Mechanisms of acute neurotoxicity and their links to neurodegenerative disease; (ii) Molecular and pharmacological modulation of glutamate receptors;  (iii) Pharmacological modulation of neuronal cholinergic receptors;  (iv) Morphogenetic and pathological roles of cholinesterases; (v) Molecular and cellular biomarkers of environmental toxicity in aquatic organisms.

4) Peer-reviewed publications (selection)

RODRÍGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D., MARURI, A. and RODRÍGUEZ, X.E. Motor neurone acetylcholinesterase release precedes neurotoxicity caused by systemic administration of excitatory amino acids and strychnine. J. Neurol. Sci., 160 (S1): S80-S86.


OLIVERA, S., RODRÍGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D. and HENLEY J. M. Pretreatment of rat cortical membranes with acetylcholinesterase potentiates [3H]-fluorowillardiine and [3H] AMPA binding. Neuropharmacol., 38: 505-512.


RODRÍGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D., HENLEY, J. M. and OLIVERA, S. E.. Mutual regulation between glutamate receptors and acetylcholinesterase. Physiological and pathological implications. Published in Compact Disk (CD) INABIS 2000 and in Internet Invited Symposium 21: Excitatory amino acid receptors.The present and the future (Chair: Dr Mikhail Soloviev), http://www.uclm.es/inabis2000/symposia/files/051/index.htm


OLIVERA, S., HENLEY, J. M. and RODRIGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D.. Acetylcholinesterase potentiation of AMPA receptors: a possible route to plasticity. Published in Compact Disk (CD) INABIS 2000 and in Internet invited Symposium 22: Protein regulation of neurotransmitter receptors. From synaptic plasticity to neurotoxicity;
http://www.uclm.es/inabis2000/symposia/files/045/index.htm

RODRÍGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D., HENLEY, J. M. and OLIVERA, S. E. . Molecular mechanisms in the regulation of neurotransmitter receptors. Physiological and pathological implications. Published in Compact Disk (CD) INABIS 2000 and in Internet invited Symposium 22,
http://www.uclm.es/inabis2000/symposia/files/044/index.htm

MARURI, A., RODRÍGUEZ, X.E., SAPRIZA, C., MIGUES, V. and RODRÍGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D.. Pathological roles of acetylcholinesterase and other synaptic proteins. Published in Compact Disk (CD) INABIS 2000 and in Internet invited Symposium 22,
http://www.uclm.es/inabis2000/symposia/files/043/index.htm

OLIVERA, S., RODRÍGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D. and HENLEY J. M. (2001) Regional localisation and developmental profile of acetylcholinesterase-evoked increases in [3H]-S-fluorowillardiine binding to AMPA receptors. Brit. J. Pharmacol., 133: 1055-1062.

OLIVERA, S., HENLEY, J. M. and RODRIGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D. (2002). Acetylcholinesterase potentiates AMPA receptors following precise anatomic and chronological patterns. On-line Proceedings of the 7th Internet World Congress on Biomedical Sciences . file: full text

OLIVERA, S., HENLEY, J. M. and RODRIGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D. (2002). Acetylcholinesterase potentiates neurite elongation and synaptogenesis in cultured neurones. On-line Proceedings of the 7th Internet World Congress on Biomedical Sciences . file: full text

OLIVERA, S., HENLEY, J. M. and RODRÍGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D.. AMPA receptor potentiation by acetylcholinesterase is age-dependently upregulated at synaptogenesis sites of the rat brain. Intl. J. Dev. Neurosci., 21: 49-61

OLIVERA, S., RODRÍGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D. and HENLEY, J. M.. Acetylcholinesterase promotes neurite elongation, synapse formation and surface expression of AMPA receptors in hippocampal neurones. Molecular and Cellular Neurosci., 23: 96-106.

OLIVERA, S., RODRÍGUEZ-ITHURRALDE, D. and HENLEY, J. M. Morphometric analysis of dendritic bramching and synaptic diferentiation evoked by acetylcholinesterase in cultured neurones. Sent to Intl. J. Dev. Neurosci.

Olivera, S., Rodríguez-Ithurralde, D. and Henley, J. M.  Acetylcholinesterase promotes neurite elongation, synapse formation and surface expression of AMPA receptors in hippocampal neurones.  Molecular and Cellular Neurosci., 23: 96-106.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL

Editor (selection)

Rodríguez-Ithurralde, D. Actas de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Vol. 1. Proceedings of the 1st Uruguayan Meeting in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Rodríguez-Ithurralde, D. Actas de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Vol. 2. Proceedings of the 2nd Uruguayan Meeting in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Book Chapters

Rodríguez-Ithurralde, D., Olivera, S., Henley, J.M. . Protein regulation of glutamate receptors. From synaptic plasticity to neurotoxicity (Symposium Conclusions). In: Conference Proceedings, , 6th Internet Congress for Biomedical Sciences (M. García Rojo, Ed.) .

Rodríguez-Ithurralde, D. Present relevance of fasciculins, high-affinity acetylcholinesterase ligands from African mambas venoms discovered in Uruguay. In: “Venomous animals and Biological Toxins” (D. Pose, Editor). Accepted.

Rodríguez-Ithurralde, D. Molecular and cellular markers of fishes as tools to detect aquatic contamination with agrochemicals . In: Proceedings of the 3rd Uruguayan Congress of Toxicology (J. Heus and D. Pose, Eds.). In preparation.

5) Teaching and training activities

DRI: Several Direction and Planning Boards of  PEDECIBA Doctorate and Master studies, Representative of SubArea Neuroscience in the Board of Master Studies of PEDECIBA

DRI: PhD Studies Directed: 1, Completed (Title): 1; Master Students Directed: 2; titled: 1.

DRI and SOB: Organization of many Postgraduate Courses, International Symposia, Congresses, International Workshops, Seminars and Round Tables, some of them as the Secretary of Uruguayan Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SBBM).

 

6) Services and outreach activities

See Item 5 with reference to Meeting organization.

Services: (1) Evaluation of the contamination with organ phosphate insecticides by means of  biochemical and cellular markers determined in fishes.