Teacher
Regina Menezes Echaniz

Resume

R. Menezes is the CBIOS Director of Societal Impact and Community Engagement and Principal Investigator in the Models & Molecular Mechanisms Lab, where she coordinates the Diabetes research team. Her research has been driven by curiosity about the genetic reprogramming that orchestrates cellular adaptation to environmental stimuli in the areas of Genetics and Molecular Biology. With a degree in Biological Sciences and a MSc in Biological Sciences - Genetics, she enrolled in the PhD Program in Genetics at UFRJ, where she was awarded a highly competitive scholarship by DAAD to do the PhD research at the Institut für Mikrobiologie - HHUD. Her doctoral studies advanced our understanding of the molecular switch that governs carbon source utilization in model eukaryotic organisms. As a post-doc at UNL, her focus remained on the exploration of cellular adaptive responses. Her international reputation in yeast genetics was consolidated in 2013, when a European consortium set her the compelling challenge to establish a SMART (Simple Molecular Architecture Research Tool) yeast platform tailored to the bioprospecting of molecules with therapeutic interest. The project was remarkably successful, from the design of pioneering model organisms to the discovery of novel bioactive compounds. In this project, she developed an innovative yeast model that faithfully replicates the proteotoxic effects of IAPP, culminating in beta-cell dysfunction and loss in diabetes. These discoveries catalyzed a fundamental shift in her research focus towards diabetes in 2016. Since then, her team, first at IBET and currently at CBIOS, has been dedicated to elucidating the health-promoting attributes of dietary (poly)phenolic metabolites to counteract IAPP-induced beta-cell dysfunction and to promote the increase of beta-cell mass. She has been recognized in clinical spheres through the Nuno Castelo-Branco Prize by SPD, research grants from the Portuguese Funding Agency, and iNova4Health Translational Medicine Program. Her team has also been supported by prestigious FCT and Fulbright scholarships for doctoral studies and advanced training.

Graus

• Doutoramento
  Equivalency of the PhD degree in Biology
• Doutoramento
  Biological Sciences - Genetics PhD
• Mestrado
  Biological Sciencies - Genetics MSc
• Licenciatura
  Biological Sciences BSc
• Outros
  Laboratory Animal Science Accreditation, FELASA Cat. C
• Outros
  Project management course: PRINCE2® and PMBOK®

Publicações

Magazine article

• 2024, ß-cell Exhaustion and Islet Microenvironment: The Role of Local Vascular Network., Revista Portuguesa de Diabetes
• 2014, MEDRONHO: UM FRUTO COM EFEITOS BENÉFICOS NAS DOENÇAS DEGENERATIVAS (Strawberry tree fruits: beneficial effects for neurodegenerative diseases), Agrotec

Journal article

• 2024-12, (Poly)phenols and diabetes: From effects to mechanisms by systematic multigenomic analysis, Ageing Research Reviews
• 2024-06-25, Exploring Vegetarian and Omnivorous Approaches to Cardiovascular Risk and Body Composition, Nutrients
• 2024-03, ß-cell Exhaustion and Islet Microenvironment: The Role of Local Vascular Network, Revista Portuguesa de Diabetes
• 2024-02-08, Gene expression analysis reveals diabetes-related gene signatures, Human Genomics
• 2023-05-16, Mediterranean Diet Adherence and Its Relationship to Metabolic Markers and Body Composition in Portuguese University Students, Nutrients
• 2023-04-06, Genipin prevents alpha-synuclein aggregation and toxicity by affecting endocytosis, metabolism and lipid storage, Nature Communications
• 2023-02-16, The (Poly)phenol-Carbohydrate Combination for Diabetes: Where Do We Stand?, Nutrients
• 2022-12-15, Urolithin B: Two-way attack on IAPP proteotoxicity with implications for diabetes, Frontiers in Endocrinology
• 2022-09, RNA Aptamer-functionalized Polymeric Nanoparticles in Targeted Delivery andCancer Therapy: An up-to-date Review, Current Pharmaceutical Design
• 2022-08-30, Updated Information of the Effects of (Poly)phenols against Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus in Humans: Reinforcing the Recommendations for Future Research, Nutrients
• 2022-04, Polyphenols and Their Metabolites in Renal Diseases: An Overview, Foods
• 2022, Ablation of Kex2 activity enhances proIAPP proteotoxicity in yeast, Journal Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Research
• 2021-12-31, Cecropia pachystachya protection against preproIAPP cytotoxicity is independent of Ca2+ homeostasis: lessons learned using a novel yeast model of preproIAPP-induced Ca2+ intracellular dysregulation, Journal Biomedical and Biopharmaceutical Research
• 2021-11-27, Urolithins: Diet-Derived Bioavailable Metabolites to Tackle Diabetes, Nutrients
• 2021-08-25, Rice Compounds with Impact on Diabetes Control, Foods
• 2021-08-25, Overview of Beneficial Effects of (Poly)phenol Metabolites in the Context of Neurodegenerative Diseases on Model Organisms, Nutrients
• 2021-06-02, Small Molecule Fisetin Modulates Alpha–Synuclein Aggregation, Molecules
• 2021-04-28, Supercritical CO2 Extraction as a Tool to Isolate Anti-Inflammatory Sesquiterpene Lactones from Cichorium intybus L. Roots, Molecules
• 2020-11-19, Assessing the Intestinal Permeability and Anti-Inflammatory Potential of Sesquiterpene Lactones from Chicory, Nutrients
• 2020-11-09, Evaluation of Starch Hydrolysis for Glycemic Index Prediction of Rice Varieties, Proceedings
• 2020-09-03, Heterologous Expression of Immature Forms of Human Islet Amyloid Polypeptide in Yeast Triggers Intracellular Aggregation and Cytotoxicity, Frontiers in Microbiology
• 2020-08-26, Bioprospection of Natural Sources of Polyphenols with Therapeutic Potential for Redox-Related Diseases, Antioxidants
• 2020-07-21, Flavonoids as Potential Drugs for VPS13-Dependent Rare Neurodegenerative Diseases, Genes
• 2020-07, Islet amyloid polypeptide & amyloid beta peptide roles in Alzheimer's disease: two triggers, one disease, NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH
• 2020-03-20, Islet Amyloid Polypeptide: A Partner in Crime With Aß in the Pathology of Alzheimer's Disease, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience
• 2020-02-12, Combined effect of interventions with pure or enriched mixtures of (poly)phenols and anti-diabetic medication in type 2 diabetes management: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled human trials, European Journal of Nutrition
• 2019-12, RNA-seq, de novo transcriptome assembly and flavonoid gene analysis in 13 wild and cultivated berry fruit species with high content of phenolics, BMC Genomics
• 2019-07-25, Carbon monoxide released by CORM-A1 prevents yeast cell death via autophagy stimulation, FEMS Yeast Research
• 2019-03, Identification and Microbial Production of the Raspberry Phenol Salidroside that Is Active against Huntington’s Disease, Plant Physiology
• 2018-09-24, Polyphenols as New Leads in Drug Discovery: Biological Activity and Mechanisms, Current Pharmaceutical Design
• 2018-09-24, Exploring the Benefits of Cellular Models to Uncover Bioactive Polyphenols for Neurodegeneration, Current Pharmaceutical Design
• 2017-09-08, BacHBerry: BACterial Hosts for production of Bioactive phenolics from bERRY fruits, Phytochemistry Reviews
• 2017-02-09, Impact of Flavonols on Cardiometabolic Biomarkers: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Human Trials to Explore the Role of Inter-Individual Variability, Nutrients
• 2017, Yeast and other lower eukaryotic organisms for studies of Vps13 proteins in health and disease, Traffic
• 2017, Polyphenols beyond barriers: A glimpse into the brain, Current Neuropharmacology
• 2017, Mediator, SWI/SNF and SAGA complexes regulate Yap8-dependent transcriptional activation of ACR2 in response to arsenate, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms
• 2017, Exploring the power of yeast to model aging and age-related neurodegenerative disorders, Biogerontology
• 2017, (Poly)phenol metabolites from Arbutus unedo leaves protect yeast from oxidative injury by activation of antioxidant and protein clearance pathways, Journal of Functional Foods
• 2016-01-02, Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition), Autophagy
• 2015-12-15, Metabolitos de frutas vermelhas para um envelhecimento saudável do cérebro (Red fruit metabolites for healthy brain aging), Revista Brasileira de Ciências do Envelhecimento Humano
• 2015-07-27, From the baker to the bedside: yeast models of Parkinson's disease, Microbial Cell
• 2015-07-24, Repression of the Low Affinity Iron Transporter Gene FET4, Journal of Biological Chemistry
• 2015, Inhibition of Yap2 activity by MAPKAP kinase Rck1 affects yeast tolerance to cadmium, FEBS Letters
• 2015, E4-Ubiquitin ligase Ufd2 stabilizes Yap8 and modulates arsenic stress responses independent of the U-box motif, Biology Open
• 2014, Yap1 mediates tolerance to cobalt toxicity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - General Subjects
• 2013, Relationship between ethanol and oxidative stress in laboratory and brewing yeast strains, Journal of Bioscience and Bioengineering
• 2013, Molecular characterization of TaSTOP1 homoeologues and their response to aluminium and proton (H+) toxicity in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), BMC Plant Biology
• 2012, The role of the Yap5 transcription factor in remodeling gene expression in response to Fe bioavailability, PLoS ONE
• 2012, Oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases and ageing, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
• 2012, Oxidative stress in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases: Insights from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
• 2012, Iron and neurodegeneration: From cellular homeostasis to disease, Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity
• 2012, Arsenic stress elicits cytosolic Ca2+ bursts and Crz1 activation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Microbiology (United Kingdom)
• 2010, The Yap family and its role in stress response, Yeast
• 2009, Yap4 PKA- and GSK3-dependent phosphorylation affects its stability but not its nuclear localization, Yeast
• 2008, Contribution of Yap1 towards Saccharomyces cerevisiae adaptation to arsenic-mediated oxidative stress, Biochemical Journal
• 2005, The yeast stress response: Role of the Yap family of b-ZIP transcription factors. The PABMB Lecture delivered on 30 June 2004 at the 29th FEBS Congress in Warsaw, FEBS Journal
• 2004, Yeast activator proteins and stress response: An overview, FEBS Letters
• 2004, Yap8p activation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae under arsenic conditions, FEBS Letters
• 2003, Sites for interaction between Gal80p and Gal1p in Kluyveromyces lactis: Structural model of galactokinase based on homology to the GHMP protein family, Journal of Molecular Biology
• 1999, Galactose induction in yeast involves association of Gal80p with Gal1p or Gal3p, Molecular and General Genetics
• 1995, Analysis of rDNA variation in the genus Didelphis (Marsupialia), Revista Brasileira de Genetica

Thesis / Dissertation

• 2002-02, PhD, Interaction between Gal1 and Gal80 in the regulation of galactose metabolism in Kluyveromyces lactis.
• 1997-03, Master, rDNA physical mapping of yeast in the genus Metschnikowia.
• 1993-03, Degree, Analysis and comparison of Didelphis albiventris and Didelphis aurita (Marsupialia) rDNA Restriction Patterns

Book chapter

• 2020, Chapter 5: Flavones and Flavonols, Dietary Polyphenols : Their Metabolism and Health Effects, John Wiley & Sons Inc
• 2016, High-Throughput Yeast-Based Reporter Assay to Identify Compounds with Anti-inflammatory Potential, Methods in Molecular Biology, Springer New York
• 2007, Transcrição em eucariontes e sua regulação (Transcription regulation in eukaryotes), O Mundo do RNA” (RNA world) , Lidel Edições Técnicas

Encyclopedia entry

• The Evidence of Benefits of (Poly)phenols against T2DM, Scholarly Community Encyclopedia
• Polyphenols in Renal Pathophysiology, Scholarly Community Encyclopedia
• Exploring Vegetarian and Omnivorous Approaches to Cardiovascular Risk and Body Composition, Scholarly Community Encyclopedia. MDPI

Conference abstract

• 2024, Impact of diet quality on cardiovascular risk and its risk factors: comparison between omnivorous and vegetarian individuals, XXVI Congresso APNEP 2024
• 2023-05-23, Pancreatic islet cell reprogramming into insulin producers: a multi-omics approach, American Physiology Summit 2023
• 2023-05-23, Metabolism-insulin secretion coupling in pancreatic beta-cells: the protective role of urolithin B towards IAPP aggregation, insulin release and mitochondrial respiration, American Physiology Summit 2023
• 2023-05-23, Dietary pattern, body composition, metabolic markers, and skin physiology, American Physiology Summit 2023 Meeting
• 2023, Body composition and cardiovascular risk: a comparison between vegetarians and omnivores, XXII Congresso de Nutrição e Alimentação
• 2014-09, Yap1-mediated repression of the yeast low affinity iron transporter gene, FET4, confers cadmium tolerance, FEBS EMBO 2014 Conference
• 2013-11, Yap1 mediates tolerance to cobalt toxicity in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 38th Congress of the Federation of European ruBiochemical-Societies (FEBS)
• 2009-09, Yap4 PKA- and GSK3-dependent phosphorylation affects its stability but not its nuclear localization, 34th Congress of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies
• 2009-09, The ubiquitin chain assembly factor Ufd2/E4 contributes to full arsenic adaptation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 34th Congress of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies
• 2007-07, Yapo mutant: A tool to explore the functional overlap of Yap1, Yap2 and Yap8, 32nd Congress of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS)
• 2007-07, Yap1 and Yap8 mediated response in yeast to arsenic stress, 32nd Congress of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS)
• 2006-06, Yap0 super-mutant - a tool to study the functional role of the Yap family members, 31st Congress of the Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS)
• 2003-07, Characterization of the function of YAP family members: involvement of Yap8p with arsenite- and arsenate-resistance mechanism, 21st International Conference on Yeast Genetics and Molecular Biology

Conference poster

• 2024-11-08, The impact of polyphenols on diabetes. mechanisms and therapeutic potential , 3º Encontro Internacional da Sociedade Portuguesa de Fisiologia
• 2024-11-07, Desregulação do IAPP e Função das Células ß na Diabetes: Um Estudo Transversal, 6º Congresso Nacional da APDP
• 2024-11, Potencial terapêutico dos (poli)fenóis na diabetes: efeitos e mecanismos de ação, 6º Congresso Nacional da APDP
• 2024-10, Disclosing the potential of (Poly)phenols in Managing Diabetes: from effects to mechanisms of action, 11th Annual ICPH Conference
• 2024-09, Iapp and ß-cell dysfunction in diabetes: a cross-sectional study, 60th European Association for the Study of Diabetes
• 2024-09, Exploring the molecular mechanisms underlying (poly)phenol health-promoting activities against diabetes, 60th European Association for the Study of Diabetes
• 2024-05-16, Evaluating metabolic health and lifestyle factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus: insights from a cross-sectional study, XXIII Congresso de Nutrição e Alimentação
• 2024-05, IAPP and ß-cell dysfunction in diabetes: unveiling the protective potential of urolithins, 3rd Annual Meeting of the ProteoCure COST Action
• 2024-04, Vegetarianism and Cardiovascular Health, American Physiology Summit 2024
• 2024-03-15, Assessing Well-being Levels in Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study, IV Jornadas Lusófonas de Nutrição
• 2024-03, The potential role of dietary (poly)phenols in diabetes, IV Jornadas Lusófonas de Nutrição
• 2024-03, (Poli)fenóis e a diabetes: dos efeitos aos mecanismos de ação, Congresso Português da Diabetes
• 2024, (Poli)fenos e a diabetes: dos efeitos aos mecanismos de ação, 20º Congresso Português de Diabetes
• 2023, Integrative multi-omics approach for pancreatic islet reprogramming into insulin producers, V CBIOS Seminar
• 2016-11-02, Bioprospection of phytochemicals mitigating cytotoxicity induced by aggregation-prone proteins, 3rd Proteostasis Action Meeting (Lisboa, Portugal)
• 2016-10-14, Novos polifenóis com potencial terapêutico revelados através da bioprospeção da biodiversidade dos pequenos frutos, V Colóquio nacional da produção de pequenos frutos (Oeiras, Portugal)
• 2015-10-27, Bioprospection of a berry germplasm for the identification of novel therapeutic (poly)phenols using a humanized yeast platform, 7th International Conference on Polyphenols and Health (ICPH) (Tours, France)
• 2014-12-17, Attenuation of neuroinflammation by raspberry (poly)phenols, XVIII Congress of the Portuguese Biochemical Society, 5th PF2MUC Symposium, satellite meeting “Zoom in microglia” (Coimbra, Portugal)
• 2014-10-14, (Poly)phenols from quasi-isogenic raspberries: Benefits for brain health, EuBerry final meeting (Mszczonów, Poland)

Other output

• 2024-11, Exploring Vegetarian and Omnivorous Approaches to Cardiovascular Risk and Body Composition, Scholarly Community Encyclopedia Video adapted from 10.3390/nu16132013. Nutrition plays a key role in preventing non-communicable diseases, with non-animal-based diets linked to improved body composition and health. In this study, vegetarians show lower LDL and non-HDL cholesterol, yet CVD risk depends more on body fat distribution, underscoring the importance of diet quality and composition.
• 2020-04, Standard Operating Procedure and Risk Assessment Document, The document describes the standard operating procedure (SOP) and the risk assessment protocol prepared by the CEDOC from NOVA Medical School, NOVA University of Lisbon (NMS/CEDOC) with the purpose of assisting the Portuguese community on the diagnosis for Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
• 2016-01-01, Erratum to, Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition) (Autophagy, 12, 1, 1-222, 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356