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Winton Programme for the Physics of Sustainability

Department of Physics
 

Biography

Rosana's research focuses on understanding DNA packaging insides cells, DNA structure, epigenetic phenomena, and the relationship between the structure of the genome and gene expression regulation. She received her undergraduate degree in Chemistry from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, and an MSc and DPhil in Theoretical Chemistry from the University of Oxford. She then did postdoctoral work with Tamar Schlick (NYU), Modesto Orozco (IRB Barcelona), Daan Frenkel (Cambridge), and David Wales (Cambridge). 
 

Research

We develop and apply novel multi-scale computational models to investigate the structure of the genome at the nanoscale level, in conditions mimicking those inside cells. Our research aims to link epigenomes with the specific chromatin nanostructures they lead to, and also to elucidate the molecular-level mechanisms behind such link. Our multi-scale computational models are anchored in all-atom molecular dynamics simulations, coarse-graining techniques, theory, and experiments from collaborators. 

Publications

Key publications: 
  1. Lichtinger SM, Garaizar A, Collepardo-Guevara R*, Reinhardt A*. Targeted modulation of protein liquid-liquid phase separation by evolution of amino-acid sequence. bioRxiv:  https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.10.20.347542  *co-correspondence
  2. Welsh TJ+, Krainer G+Espinosa JR+, Joseph JA, Sridhar ACollepardo-Guevara R*, Alberti S*, Knowles TPJ*. Single condensate zeta potential measurements reveal the role of electrostatics in protein condensate stability. bioRxiv: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.20.047910  (2020)*co-correspondence +co-first authors
  3. Farr SE, Woods EJ, Joseph JA, Garaizar ACollepardo-Guevara R. Nucleosome plasticity is a critical element of chromatin liquid–liquid phase separation and multivalent nucleosome interactions. Nat Commun (2021) in-press.
  4. Joseph JA, Espinosa JR, Sanchez-Burgos I, Garaizar A, Frenkel D, Collepardo-Guevara R. Thermodynamics and kinetics of phase separation of protein–RNA mixtures by a minimal model. Biophys J (2021) in-press
  5. Krainer G+, Welsh TJ+Joseph JA+, Espinosa JR, Wittmann S, de Csilléry E, Sridhar A, Toprakcioglu Z, Gudiškytė G, Czekalska MA, Arter WE, Guillén-Boixet J, Franzmann TM, St George-Hyslop P, Hyman AA*, Collepardo-Guevara R*, Alberti S*, Knowles TPJ*.  Reentrant liquid condensate phase of proteins is stabilized by hydrophobic and non-ionic interactions. Nat Commun (2021) 12 (1) 1-14.  *co-correspondence+co-first authors
  6. Sanchez-Burgos I, Espinosa JR, Joseph JACollepardo-Guevara R. Valency and binding affinity variations can regulate the multilayered organization of protein condensates with many components. Biomolecules (2021) 11 (2) 278.
  7. Garaizar A, Sanchez-Burgos ICollepardo-Guevara REspinosa JR. Expansion of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Increases the Range of Stability of Liquid–Liquid Phase Separation. Molecules (2020) 25 (20) 4705.
  8. Espinosa JE, Joseph JA, Garaizar A, Sanchez-Burgos I, Frenkel D, Collepardo-Guevara R. Liquid network connectivity regulates the stability and composition of biomolecular condensates with many components. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (2020) 117 (24) 13238-13247.
  9. Sridhar A, Farr SE, Portella G, Schlick T, Orozco M, Collepardo-Guevara R. Emergence of chromatin hierarchical loops from protein disorder and nucleosome asymmetry. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA (2020) 117 (13) 7216-7224.
  10. Sridhar AOrozco M, Collepardo-Guevara R. Protein disorder-to-order transition enhances the nucleosome-binding affinity of H1. Nucleic Acids Res (2020) 48 (10) 5318–5331. 
  11. Sandoval-Perez A, Garaizar A, Farr SE, Berger R, Brehm MA, Konig G, Schneider SW, Huck V, Radler JO, Collepardo-Guevara R, Aponte-Santamarıa C. DNA binds to a specific site of the adhesive blood-protein von Willebrand factor guided by electrostatic interactions. Nucleic Acid Res (2020) gkaa466.
  12. Espinosa JR, Garaizar A, Vega C, Frenkel D, Collepardo-Guevara R. Breakdown of the law of rectilinear diameter and related surprises in the liquid-vapor coexistence in systems of patchy particles. J Chem Phys (2019) 150 (22) 224510. 

For full/updated publications see: https://scholar.google.co.uk/citations?user=RavbEQkAAAAJ&hl=en

 

Interdisciplinary Lecturer in Genetics and Chemistry
Winton Advanced Research Fellow
ERC Starter Grant holder
Dr Rosana  Collepardo-Guevara

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