Biography
After graduate studies in molecular neurobiology at the Severo Ochoa Center for Molecular Biology (Madrid, Spain), in 2013 Jaime joined Dr. Timothy A. Ryan's laboratory at Weill Cornell Medical College for his postdoc where he worked on the development of new tools to study the role of presynaptic organelles in synaptic transmission. In 2019, Jaime was recruited as an independent team leader at the Institut du Cerveau de Paris, where he currently heads a laboratory focused on developing advanced optical tools to better understand the molecular mechanisms controlling synaptic transmission. His research is supported by a start-up grant from the European Research Council (ERC), an ATIP-future grant (Inserm, CNRS, France) and the Diane Barrière Chair in Synaptic Bioenergy (Institut du Cerveau, France). The goal of Juan-Sanz's laboratory is to understand the molecular basis that controls synaptic function in order to dissect how its disruption affects brain physiology and impacts human disease. We are using and developing state-of-the-art optical tools to examine various aspects of synapse biology to provide a detailed picture of the molecular mechanisms controlling synaptic transmission. Among these tools, we seek to develop new tools to accurately measure Ca2+ dynamics in neuronal organelles such as endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, or lysosomes. Another major focus of the laboratory is to understand the role of metabolism and bioenergetics in supporting synaptic function by dissecting the molecular mechanisms that support and coordinate local energy expenditure and production to preserve the metabolic integrity of synapses. The primary objective of the laboratory is to provide actionable knowledge that can be used to design better strategies for the detection, prevention and treatment of human diseases. We are collaborating with physicians at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital to study the physiology of the human brain and to increase our understanding of the synaptic molecular factors of epilepsy and other neurological diseases.
Research
Jaime's team aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that control synaptic function in order to understand how its disruption affects brain physiology and impacts human disease. She is using state-of-the-art optical tools to examine various aspects of synapse biology to develop a detailed picture of the molecular mechanisms that control synaptic transmission. Its main objective is to provide actionable knowledge that can be used to design better strategies for the detection, prevention and treatment of human diseases. She is collaborating with physicians at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital to study the physiology of the human brain and to improve understanding of the synaptic molecular drivers of epilepsy and other neurological diseases.
Main publications
- De la Rocha-Muñoz A., Núñez, E., Gómez-López, S., López‐Corcuera, B., de Juan-Sanz J* and Aragón, C (2020). The presynaptic glycine transporter GlyT2 is regulated by the Hedgehog pathway in vitro and in vivo. * Corresponding author. BioRxiv.
- Ashrafi, G.*, de Juan-Sanz, J*, Farrell, R.J. and Ryan T.A. (2020). Molecular tuning of the axonal mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter ensures metabolic flexibility of neurotransmission. Neuron, 105(4), 678-687.. * Co-first authors.
de la Rocha-Muñoz A., Núñez, E., Arribas-González, E., López‐Corcuera, B., Aragón, C* and de Juan-Sanz J* (2019). E3 ubiquitin ligases LNX1 and LNX2 are major regulators of the presynaptic glycine transporter GlyT2. * Co-corresponding authors. Scientific Reports. 9, 14944 - Koopmans F, van Nierop P, Andres-Alonso M, (…) Malenka R, Nicoll RA, Pulido C, de Juan-Sanz J, Sheng M, Südhof TC, (…) Thomas PD, Smit AB, Verhage M (2019). SynGO: An Evidence-Based, Expert-Curated Knowledge Base for the Synapse. Neuron, 103(2):217-234
- De Juan-Sanz, J., Holt, G. T., Schreiter, E. R., de Juan, F., Kim, D. S., & Ryan, T. A. (2017). Axonal endoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ content controls release probability in CNS nerve terminals. Neuron, 93(4), 867-881.