Joaquín Letelier
Profesor Asistente
Biólogo de la Universidad de Chile y doctor en Neurociencias de la Universidad de Valparaíso (2012). Realizó su trabajo postdoctoral en el Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD) en Sevilla antes de unirse como investigador al CIB en agosto de 2018. Utilizando modelos teleósteos (pez cebra y medaka), su investigación se centra en el estudio de enfermedades genéticas asociadas a ADN no codificante.
PUBLICATIONS
Fuentes R, Letelier J, Tajer B, Valdivia LE, Mullins MC. (2018). Fishing forward and reverse: advances in zebrafish genetics and phenomics. Mechanisms of Development.
Letelier J, de la Calle-Mustienes E, Pieretti J, Naranjo S, Maeso I, Nakamura T, Shubin N, Schneider I, Martínez Morales JR, Gómez-Skarmeta JL. (2018). A conserved Shh cis-regulatory module highlights a common developmental origin of unpaired and paired fins. Nature Genetics.
Letelier J, Terriente J, Belzunce I, Voltes A, Undurraga CA, Polvillo R, Devos L, Tena JJ, Maeso I, Retaux S, Gomez-Skarmeta JL, Martínez-Morales JR, Pujades C. (2018). Evolutionary emergence of the rac3b/rfng/sgca regulatory cluster refined mechanisms for hindbrain boundaries formation. PNAS.
Letelier J, Bovolenta P, Martínez-Morales JR. (2017). The pigmented epithelium, a bright partner against photoreceptor degeneration. Journal of Neurogenetics.
Nicolás-Perez M, Kuchling F, Letelier J, Polvillo R, Wittbrodt J, Martínez-Morales JR. (2016). Analysis of cellular behavior and cytoskeletal dynamics reveal a ratchet-like mechanism driving optic cup morphogenesis. eLife.
Gago-Rodrigues I, Fernández-Miñan A, Letelier J, Naranjo S, Tena JJ, Gómez-Skarmeta JL, Martinez-Morales JR. (2015) Analysis of opo cis-regulatory landscape uncovers Vsx2 requirement in early eye morphogenesis. Nature Communications.
Cortés-Campos C, Letelier J, Ceriani R, Whitlock KE. Zebrafish adult-derived hypothalamic neurospheres generate gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons. (2015). Biology open.
RESEARCH LINES
It is known that only a small part (less than 2%) of the human genome and other species has the potential to encode proteins. The remaining 98% of the DNA called non-coding, which was previously seen as non-functional (or junk DNA), now we know that it plays a key role in the temporal and spatial regulation of gene expression, through cis regulatory elements (promoters, isolators, enhancers, repressors) and non-coding RNAs. My line of research focuses mainly on the study of these regulatory elements and how they impact gene expression during embryonic development. Using genomic and genetic tools, in the laboratory we are interested in identifying regulatory elements and understanding how they impact the transcription of genes associated with the development of the visual system and the formation of appendages (fins).
PROJECTS
Name: FONDEQUIP
Title: Microscopio fluorescente lightsheet z1: una plataforma amigable y versátil para el estudio de propiedades emergentes en células, tejidos y especímenes completos con amplio rango de tamaños
Sponsor Institution: FONDECYT
Responsible Investigator: Leonardo Valdivia y Joaquín Letelier
Date of Execution: 2019-2021
Name: FDP
Title: Análisis del patrón de expresión de genes no caracterizados durante el desarrollo embrionario de vertebrados.
Sponsor Institution: Universidad Mayor
Responsible Investigator: Joaquin Letelier
Date of Execution: 2019-2020
Name: FONDECYT Iniciación
Title: Dissecting the role of Vsx transcription factors in the development of the vertebrate visual system.
Sponsor Institution: CONICYT
Resposible Investigator: Joaquin Letelier
Date of Execution: 2018-2021
Name: REDES
Title: Apoyo Redes internacionales entre centros de Investigación
Sponsor Institution: CONICYT
Responsible Investigator: Felipe Court
Other Investigator: Joaquin Letelier y Leonardo Valdivia
Date of Execution: 2018-2020
NETWORK
National
Leonardo Esteban Valdivia Alvarez, Universidad Mayor, Chile.
Diego Rojas Rivera, Universidad Mayor, Chile.
International
Juan Ramón Martínez-Morales, CABD, Universidad Pablo Olavide, Spain.
José Luis Gómez-Skarmeta, CABD, Universidad Pablo Olavide, Spain.