Dr. Sergio Rodriguez-Cuenca

TVPlab · Cambridge

Dr. Sergio Rodriguez-Cuenca

Assistant Research Professor

Emailsr441@medschl.cam.ac.uk

Profile

Explores lipid remodelling, mitochondrial function, peroxisomes and lipid droplets to understand adipose tissue metabolism and insulin resistance in obesity and metabolic disease.

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Research focus

I am interested in exploring the molecular mechanisms involved in controlling adipose tissue metabolism in health and disease.

Background and experience

I obtained my bachelor degrees in Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Balearic Islands, Spain. In 2005, I completed my PhD in Biochemistry at the same university. In 2006 I was awarded a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship (FP7) and joined the TVP Lab as Research Associate. I continued working in the IMS-MRL and was promoted to Senior Research Associate in 2013.

Current research interests

  1. To investigate the qualitative aspects of glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids remodelling and their relevance in the context of obesity/T2D and NAFLD. Particularly, I am interested in the plasticity of the molecular pathways responsible for the remodelling of the cellular membranes.
  2. To explore the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of insulin resistance and other metabolic disturbances associated to obesity and vice versa, how insulin resistance/diabetes impacts on mitochondrial biology. I am also interested in strategies aimed to increase mitochondrial performance as a possible therapy to fight against Metabolic Syndrome.
  3. To study the peroxisome biology, particularly the biosynthesis of etherlipids in the context of obesity and insulin resistance.
  4. To gain knowledge about the molecular mechanisms controlling lipolysis and lipid droplet biology in obesity and insulin resistance states.

Key publications

  1. Dysregulation of macrophage PEPD in obesity determines adipose tissue fibro-inflammation and insulin resistance. V Pellegrinelli, S Rodriguez-Cuenca, C Rouault, E Figueroa-Juarez, H Schilbert, S Virtue , JM Moreno-Navarrete, G Bidault, MC Vázquez Borrego, AR Dias , B. Pucker, M Dale, M Campbell, S Carobbio, YH Lin, M. Vacca, J Aron-Wisnewsky, S Mora, MM Masiero, A Emmanouilidou, S Mukhopadhyay, G Dougan, M den Hoed, R JF Loos, JM Fernández-Real, D Chiarugi, K Clément A Vidal-Puig. Nature Metabolism 2022 ;4(4):476-494.
  2. Allostatic hypermetabolic response in PGC1α/β heterozygote mouse despite mitochondrial defects. Rodriguez-Cuenca S, Lelliot CJ, Campbell M, Peddinti G3, Martinez-Uña M, Ingvorsen C, Dias AR, Relat J, Mora S, Hyötyläinen T, Zorzano A, Oresic M, Bjursell M, Bohlooly-Y M, Lindén D and Vidal-Puig, A. FASEB J. 2021 Sep;35(9):e21752.
  3. P465L-PPARγ mutation confers partial resistance to the hypolipidaemic action of fibrates. Rodriguez-Cuenca S, Carobbio S, Barceló-Coblijn G, Prieur X, Relat J, Amat R, Campbell M, Dias AR, Bahri M, Gray SL, Vidal-Puig A. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2018;20(10):2339-2350.
  4. Defective glucose and lipid metabolism in rheumatoid arthritis is determined by chronic inflammation in metabolic tissues. Arias de la Rosa I*, Escudero-Contreras A*, Rodríguez-Cuenca S*, Ruiz-Ponce M, Jiménez-Gómez Y, Ruiz-Limón P, Pérez-Sánchez C, Ábalos-Aguilera MC, Cecchi I, Ortega R, Calvo J, Guzmán-Ruiz R, Malagón MM, Collantes-Estevez E, Vidal-Puig A, López-Pedrera C, Barbarroja N. J Intern Med. 2018;284(1):61-77. * First co-author.
  5. Sphingolipids and glycerophospholipids - The "yin and yang" of lipotoxicity in metabolic diseases. Rodriguez-Cuenca S, Pellegrinelli V, Campbell M, Oresic M, Vidal-Puig A.Prog Lipid Res. 2017;66:14-29.