Alberto Marina
Alberto Marina
LABORATORY TECHNICIAN
Chemical Glycobiology Lab
Email: amarina@cicbiogune.es
Phone: 4209 / 944 061 321
Address: Bizkaia Science and Technology Park, building 800, Derio (Bizkaia)

The Chemical Glycobiology Lab is actively engaged in extensive multidisciplinary studies on diverse glycan-lectin systems related to health and disease. This collaborative research involves Senior (Jimenez-Barbero, Ardá, Ereño-Orbea, Unione) and Emerging Scientists (Gimeno), along with Specialists, Technicians, Postdoctoral associates, and Doctoral candidates.

Using a combination of diverse and synergic methodologies, including chemical synthesis, protein biochemistry and molecular biology, biophysics (ITC, BLI), molecular modelling, and structural biology (X-Ray crystallography and CryoEM), with special emphasis on NMR spectroscopy, the Chemical Glycobiology lab investigates the interactions of glycans related to immune responses, from cancer to bacterial and viral infections.

Indeed, glycans, prevalent on mammalian cells and in the extracellular matrix, collectively form the glycocalyx, impacting physical properties, regulating protein function, and acting as ligands for lectins. Dysregulation of glycosyltransferases results in tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACAs), unique to tumor cells. While TACAs are recognized therapeutic targets, their low immunogenicity presents a challenge for T-cell-dependent immune responses crucial in cancer therapy. TACAs play a crucial role in modulating immune responses within the tumor microenvironment through interactions with lectins. Similar interactions are observed in bacterial and viral-mediated infectious events.

From the application side, the focus is on structure-based drug and vaccine design, collaborating with research groups and pharmaceutical companies worldwide, investigating lectin-glycan and antibody-glycan molecular recognition processes. Additionally, from the basic perspective, we explore the conformational properties of glycans, specially the glycosyl oxocarbenium cations, key intermediates in synthesis and cleavage, and examine the presentation and dynamic properties of glycans designed for specific geometrical shapes.

In parallel, the laboratory continuously develops cutting-edge NMR-based techniques. Special emphasis is placed on the use of stable isotopes (13C, 19F) to push the boundaries of NMR applications. These advancements are vital for understanding the pivotal roles of glycans in their interactions with receptors, influencing biological responses associated with health or disease.

Specific areas and research lines include:

  • • Interactions of glycans with galectins and C-type lectins, overseen by Dr. Ana Ardá.
  • • Recognition of sialic acids by Siglecs and their role as glyco-immune checkpoints, led by Dr. June Ereño-Orbea.
  • • Attachment of glycans to influenza virus proteins and other pathogens, investigating their impact on infections, directed by Dr. Luca Unione.
  • • Analysis of proteoglycans and the functional landscape of glycosylation in cancer, spearheaded by Dr. Ana Gimeno.
Latest Publications

Insights into the transglucosylation activity of α-glucosidase from Schwanniomyces occidentalis

Merdzo, Z; Narmontaite, E; Gonzalez-Alfonso, JL; Poveda, A; Jimenez-Barbero, J; Plou, FJ; Fernández-Lobato, M;

APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

2024-12-01

Unveiling the GT114 family: Structural characterization of A075L, a glycosyltransferase from Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus-1 (PBCV-1)

Laugieri, ME; Speciale, I; Gimeno, A; Lin, SC; Byers, BW; Poveda, A; Nunez-Franco, R; Iturrioz, I; Moure, MJ; Jimenez-Oses, G; Russo-Krauss, I; Notaro, A; Van Etten, JL; Lowary, TL; Jimenez-Barbero, ...

PROTEIN SCIENCE

2024-12-01

Exploring glycan-lectin interactions in natural-like environments: A view using NMR experimentsinside cell and on cell surface.

Bertuzzi, Sara; Lete, Marta G; Franconetti, Antonio; Diercks, Tammo; Delgado, Sandra; Oyenarte, Iker; Moure, Maria J; Nunez-Sancho, Reyes; Valverde, Pablo; Lenza, Maria Pia; Sobczak, Klaudia; ...

Chemistry (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)

2024-11-26

Glycosylium Ions in Superacid Mimic the Transition State of Enzyme Reactions

Armand, M; Nin-Hill, A; Ardá, A; Berrino, E; Désiré, J; Martin-Mingot, A; Michelet, B; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Blériot, Y; Rovira, C; Thibaudeau, S;

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

2024-11-13

NMR investigations of glycan conformation, dynamics, and interactions

Angulo, J; Ardá, A; Bertuzzi, S; Canales, A; Ereño-Orbea, J; Gimeno, A; Gomez-Redondo, M; Muñoz-García, JC; Oquist, P; Monaco, S; Poveda, A; Unione, L; Jiménez-Barbero, J;

PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTROSCOPY

2024-10-18

Opposed Aromatic Surfaces Behave as Independent Binding Sites for Carbohydrate Stacking: Analysis of Sandwich-like CH/π/CH Complexes

Díaz-Casado, L; Mann, E; Jiménez-Moreno, E; Villacampa, A; Montalvillo-Jiménez, L; Sánchez-García, C; Corzana, F; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Gómez, AM; Santana, AG; Asensio, JL;

JACS AU

2024-10-14

Antigenic determinants driving serogroup-specific antibody response to Neisseria meningitidis C, W, and Y capsular polysaccharides: Insights for rational vaccine design

Pietri, GP; Bertuzzi, S; Karnicar, K; Unione, L; Lisnic, B; Malic, S; Miklic, K; Novak, M; Calloni, I; Santini, L; Usenik, A; Romano, MR; Adamo, R; Jonjic, S; Turk, D; Jimenez-Barbero, J; Rovis, ...

CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS

2024-10-01

The power lies in the glycans

Unione, L; Jiménez-Barbero, J;

ELIFE

2024-09-20

Unprecedented selectivity for homologous lectin targets: differential targeting of the viral receptors L-SIGN and DC-SIGN

Delaunay, C; Pollastri, S; Thépaut, M; Cavazzoli, G; Belvisi, L; Bouchikri, C; Labiod, N; Lasala, F; Gimeno, A; Franconetti, A; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ardá, A; Delgado, R; Bernardi, A; Fieschi, ...

CHEMICAL SCIENCE

2024-08-27

Influence of Selective Deoxyfluorination on the Molecular Structure of Type-2 N-Acetyllactosamine

Kurfirt, M; Stastna, LC; Dracinsky, M; Pohl, R; Cisarová, I; Sykora, J; Balouch, M; Baka, M; Hamala, V; Cañada, FJ; Ardá, A; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Karban, J;

JOURNAL OF ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

2024-08-23

Exploring galectin interactions with human milk oligosaccharides and blood group antigens identifies BGA6 as a functional galectin-4 ligand

Cagnoni, AJ; Massaro, M; Cutine, AM; Gimeno, A; Pérez-Sáez, JM; Cocco, MNM; Maller, SM; Di Lella, S; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ardá, A; Rabinovich, GA; Mariño, K;

JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY

2024-08-13

Insights into the recognition of hypermucoviscous Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical isolates by innate immune lectins of the Siglec and galectin families

Campanero-Rhodes, MA; Martí, S; Hernández-Ortiz, N; Cubero, M; Ereño-Orbea, J; Ardá, A; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ardanuy, C; Solís, D;

FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY

2024-08-01

Different roles of the heterodimer architecture of galectin-4 in selective recognition of oligosaccharides and lipopolysaccharides having ABH antigens

Quintana, JI; Massaro, M; Cagnoni, AJ; Nuñez-Franco, R; Delgado, S; Jiménez-Osés, G; Mariño, KV; Rabinovich, GA; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ardá, A;

JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY

2024-08-01

Nanotechnology-assisted intracellular delivery of antibody as a precision therapy approach for KRAS-driven tumors

López-Estévez, AM; Sanjurjo, L; Turrero, A; Arriaga, I; Abrescia, NGA; Poveda, A; Jimenez-Barbero, J; Vidal, A; Torres, D; Alonso, MJ;

JOURNAL OF CONTROLLED RELEASE

2024-07-15

Quantifying Siglec-sialylated ligand interactions: a versatile 19F-T2 CPMG filtered competitive NMR displacement assay

Atxabal, U; Fernández, A; Moure, MJ; Sobczak, K; Nycholat, C; Almeida-Marrero, V; Oyenarte, I; Paulson, JC; de la Escosura, A; Torres, T; Reichardt, NC; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ereño-Orbea, J;

CHEMICAL SCIENCE

2024-06-07

Solid-Phase-Supported Chemoenzymatic Synthesis and Analysis of Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan Glycopeptides

Lin, PH; Xu, YM; Bali, SK; Kim, J; Gimeno, A; Roberts, ET; James, D; Almeida, NMS; Loganathan, N; Fan, F; Wilson, AK; Amster, IJ; Moremen, KW; Liu, J; Jimenez-Barbero, J; Huang, XF;

ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION

2024-05-23

Disentangling Glycan-Protein Interactions: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) to the Rescue

Bertuzzi, S; Poveda, A; Ardá, A; Gimeno, A; Jiménez-Barbero, J;

JOVE-JOURNAL OF VISUALIZED EXPERIMENTS

2024-05-17

A Multidisciplinary Structural Approach to the Identification of the Haemophilus influenzae Type b Capsular Polysaccharide Protective Epitope

Nonne, F; Dello Iacono, L; Bertuzzi, S; Unione, L; Proietti, D; Norais, N; Margarit, I; Adamo, R; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Carboni, F; Romano, MR;

ACS CENTRAL SCIENCE

2024-02-22

Dissecting the Conformational Stability of a Glycan Hairpin

Yadav, N; Djalali, S; Poveda, A; Ricardo, MG; Seeberger, PH; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Delbianco, M;

JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY

2024-02-20

Unraveling Molecular Recognition of Glycan Ligands by Siglec-9 via NMR Spectroscopy and Molecular Dynamics Modeling

Atxabal, U; Nycholat, C; Pröpster, JM; Fernández, A; Oyenarte, I; Lenza, MP; Franconetti, A; Soares, CO; Coelho, H; Marcelo, F; Schubert, M; Paulson, JC; Jiménez-Barbero, J; Ereño-Orbea, J;

ACS CHEMICAL BIOLOGY

2024-02-16