Prof. Dr. Ana J. García-Sáez
Research areas
Cell Death & Biophysics, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Biochemistry & Advanced Microscopy
Fields of Interest
Membrane organization, apoptosis regulation, Bcl-2 proteins, membrane dynamics, biophysics, single molecule techniques
CV Synopsis
2013 October Professor (W3) at the Interfaculty Institute for Biochemistry (IFIB), Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
2010 to date Max Planck Research Group Leader and Deutsches Krebsforschungzentrum (DKFZ) Junior Group Leader. Bioquant, Heidelberg, Germany.
2005 - 2009 Post-doc at the BioTec, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
2000 - 2005 PhD at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Valencia, Spain.
Fellowships and awards
• European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant (project acronym: APOQUANT), 2012-2017.
• Max-Planck Gesellschaft Postdoctoral scholarship, Jan 2009- Dec 2009.
• Marie Curie Intra European fellowship. 6th Framework Programm, Marie Curie Actions. BIOTEC, TU Dresden (Germany). Jan 2007-Dec 2008.
• Short-term Fellowship. Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Biotechnologisches Zentrum, Technische Universität, Dresden (Germany). May-July 2005.
• Predoctoral Fellowship. Formación de Profesorado Universitario, Ministerio Español de Educación y Cultura. Faculty of Biology, University of Valencia. 1st April 2001- 31st March 2005
• Predoctoral Fellowship. Formació de Personal Investigador, Conselleria de Cultura i Educació de la Generalitat Valenciana. 1st March – 1st April 2001.
• Predoctoral Fellowship. Formación de Personal Investigador, Ministerio Español de Ciencia y Tecnología. 13th July 2001- 13th July 2001.
• Undergraduate Student Fellowship. Beca de Colaboración, Ministerio Español de Educacion y Cultura. Faculty of Biology, University of Valencia. Sept. 1999-June 2000
Publication List
A Single Herpesvirus Protein can mediate Vesicle Formation in the Nuclear Envelope. Lorenz M, Vollmer B, UnsayJD, Klupp BG, García-Sáez AJ, Mettenleiter TC, Antonin W.<span title="The Journal of biological chemistry">J Biol Chem</span>. 2015 Jan 20. pii: jbc.M114.627521. [Epub ahead of print]
Toxicity of an α-pore-forming toxin depends on the assembly mechanism on the target membrane as revealed by single-molecule imaging. Subburaj Y, Ros U, Hermann E, Tong R, Garcia-Saez AJ. J Biol Chem. 2014 Dec 18. pii: jbc.M114.600676. [Epub ahead of print]
Structural model of active Bax at the membrane. Bleicken S, Jeschke G, Stegmueller C, Salvador-Gallego R, Garcia-Saez AJ, Bordignon E (2014) Molecular Cell in press
Scanning fluorescence correlation spectroscopy on biomembranes. Hermann E, Ries J, García-Sáez AJ. Methods Mol Biol. 2015;1232:181-97. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-1752-5_15. PMID:25331137
Dynamin-Related Protein 1 (Drp1) Promotes Structural Intermediates of Membrane Division. Ugarte-Uribe B., Mueller HM., Otsuki M., Nickel W., Garcia-Saez AJ. J Biol Chem. 2014 Sept 18 [Epub ahead of print]; doi: 10.1074/jbc.M114.575779
Mitochondrial alterations in apoptosis. Cosentino K, García-Sáez AJ. Chem Phys Lipids. 2014 Jul;181:62-75. doi: 10.1016/j.chemphyslip.2014.04.001. Epub 2014 Apr 13. PMID: 24732580
Automated analysis of Giant Unilamellar Vesicles using Circular Hough Transformation. Hermann E., Bleicken S., Subburaj Y., García-Sáez AJ. Bioinformatics. 2014 Feb 18.; doi: <span title="10.1093/bioinformatics/btu102">10.1093/bioinformatics/btu102</span>
Membranes in motion: mitochondrial dynamics and their role in apoptosis. Ugarte-Uribe B, García-Sáez AJ. Biol Chem. 2013 Nov 2. doi:pii: /j/bchm.just-accepted/hsz-2013-0234/hsz-2013-0234.xml. 10.1515/hsz-2013-0234. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 24184992.
Proapoptotic Bax and Bak form stable protein-permeable pores of tunable size. Bleicken S, Landeta O, Landajuela A, Basañez G, García-Sáez AJ. J Biol Chem. 2013 Oct 7; doi: <span title="10.1074/jbc.M113.512087">10.1074/jbc.M113.512087 </span>
Membrane Dynamics: Fluorescence Spectroscopy. Subburaj Y, Salvador Gallego R. García-Sáez AJ. Encyclopedia of Analytical Chemistry. 2013; p 1-29
Cardiolipin effects on membrane structure and dynamics. Unsay J, Cosentino K, Subburaj Y, García-Sáez AJ. Langmuir. 2013 Aug 20; Article ASAP, DOI: 10.1021/la402669z
Scanning Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy in Model Membrane Systems. Unsay J, and García-Sáez, AJ. In J. Herrmann and D. Rapaport (Eds.) “Membrane Biogenesis: Methods and Protocols”, Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol. 1033, pp. 185-205 Humana Press, New-York.
Caspase-8 binding to cardiolipin in giant unilamellar vesicles provides a functional docking platform for Bid. Jalmar O, François-Moutal L, García-Sáez AJ, Perry M, Granjon T, Gonzalvez F, Gottlieb E, Ayala-Sanmartin J, Klösgen B, Schwille P, Petit PX. PLoS One. 2013;8(2):e55250. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0055250. Epub 2013 Feb 13. PubMed PMID: 23418437; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3572128.
Mechanistic Differences in the Membrane Activity of Bax and Bcl-xL Correlate with Their Opposing Roles in Apoptosis. Bleicken S, Wagner C, and García-Sáez AJ. Biophys J. 2013 Jan; 104(2):421-431
Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy to Study Membrane Organization and Interactions Zelman-Femiak M, Subburaj Y, García-Sáez AJ. in Mély Y, Duportail G (editors). Fluorescent Methods to Study Biological Membranes, Springer Series on Fluoresence
The secrets of the Bcl-2 family. García-Sáez AJ. Cell Death Differ. 2012 Nov.; 19: 1733-1740.
PI(4,5)P2 Dependent Oligomerization of Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF2) Triggers the Formation of a Lipidic Membrane Pore Implicated in Unconventional Secretion. Steringer JP, Bleicken S, Andreas H, Zacherl S, Laussmann M, Temmerman K, Contreras FX, Bharat TA, Lechner J, Muller HM, Briggs JA, García-Sáez AJ, Nickel W.<span title="The Journal of biological chemistry"> J Biol Chem</span>. 2012 Jun 23; 287(33): 27659-27669
Dynamic interaction of cBid with detergents, liposomes and mitochondria. Bleicken S, García-Sáez AJ, Conte E, Bordignon E.<span title="PloS one"> PLoS One</span>. 2012;7(4):e35910.
7th Tuscany Retreat on Cancer Research: genetic profiling, resistance mechanism and novel treatment concepts in cancer. Leprivier G, Rufini A, García-Sáez AJ, Borner C, Rotblat B.<span title="Cell death and differentiation"> Cell Death Differ</span>. 2012 Mar;19(3):546-8.
Quantification of protein-protein interactions within membranes by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Bleicken S, Otsuki M, Garcia-Saez AJ.<span title="Current protein & peptide science"> Curr Protein Pept Sci</span>. 2011 Dec;12(8):691-8. Review.
Oligomerization and pore formation by equinatoxin II inhibit endocytosis and lead to plasma membrane reorganization. García-Sáez AJ, Buschhorn SB, Keller H, Anderluh G, Simons K, Schwille P. J Biol Chem. 2011 Oct 28;286(43):37768-77.
Destabilization exerted by peptides derived from the membrane-proximal external region of HIV-1 gp41 in lipid vesicles supporting fluid phase coexistence. Apellaniz B, García-Sáez AJ, Nir S, Nieva JL. BBA Biomembranes 2011 July 7; 1808(7):1797-1805.
All-or-none vs. graded: single vesicle analysis evidences lipid composition effects on membrane permeabilization. Apellániz B, Nieva JL, Schwille P, García-Sáez AJ. Biophys J. 2010 Dec 1;99(11):3619-28.
Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) as a new tool for analysis of caspase-8/Bid-FL complex binding to cardiolipin and its functional activity. Jalmar O, García-Sáez AJ, Berland L, Gonzalvez F, Petit PX. Cell Diff and Dis. 2010 1, e103; doi:10.1038/cddis.2010.81
A comprehensive framework for fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Ries J, Petrásek Z, García-Sáez AJ, Schwille P. New J. Phys. 2010 Nov 12:113009
Pores formed by baxα5 relax to a smaller size and keep at equilibrium. Fuertes G, García-Sáez AJ, Esteban-Martín S, Giménez D, Sánchez-Muñoz OL, Schwille P, Salgado J.<span title="Biophysical journal"> Biophys J</span>. 2010 Nov 3;99(9):2917-25.
Permeabilization of the outer mitochondrial membrane by Bcl-2 proteins. García-Sáez AJ, Fuertes G, Suckale J, Salgado J. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2010;677:91-105. Review. PMID: 20687483
Yeast lipids can phase separate into micrometer-scale membrane domains. Klose C, Ejsing CS, Garcia-Saez AJ, Kaiser HJ, Sampaio JL, Surma MA, Shevchenko A, Schwille P, Simons K. J Biol Chem. 2010 Jul 20. [Epub ahead of print] PMID: 20647309
Confocal microscopy of giant vesicles supports the absence of HIV-1 neutralizing 2F5 antibody reactivity to plasma membrane phospholipids. Apellaniz B, García-Sáez AJ, Huarte N, Kunert R, Vorauer-Uhl K, Katinger H, Schwille P, Nieva JL. FEBS Lett. 2010 Apr 16;584(8):1591-6. Epub 2010 Mar 17. PMID: 20302863
Stability of lipid domains. García-Sáez AJ, Schwille P. FEBS Lett. 2010 May 3;584(9):1653-8. Epub 2009 Dec 27. Review. PMID: 20036662
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy for the study of membrane dynamics and organization in giant unilamellar vesicles. García-Sáez AJ, Carrer DC, Schwille P. Methods Mol Biol. 2010;606:493-508. PMID: 20013417
Membrane promotes tBID interaction with BCL(XL). García-Sáez AJ, Ries J, Orzáez M, Pérez-Payà E, Schwille P. Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2009 Nov;16(11):1178-85. Epub 2009 Oct 11. PMID: 19820711
Surface analysis of membrane dynamics. García-Sáez AJ, Schwille P. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2010 Apr;1798(4):766-76. Epub 2009 Sep 29. Review. PMID: 19796630
Detergent-activated BAX protein is a monomer. Ivashyna O, García-Sáez AJ, Ries J, Christenson ET, Schwille P, Schlesinger PH. J Biol Chem. 2009 Sep 4;284(36):23935-46. Epub 2009 Jun 29. PMID: 19564333
Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy for the study of membrane dynamics and protein/lipid interactions. García-Sáez AJ, Schwille P. Methods. 2008 Oct;46(2):116-22. Epub 2008 Jul 15. PMID: 18634881
Equinatoxin II permeabilizing activity depends on the presence of sphingomyelin and lipid phase coexistence. Schön P, García-Sáez AJ, Malovrh P, Bacia K, Anderluh G, Schwille P. Biophys J. 2008 Jul;95(2):691-8. Epub 2008 Apr 4.PMID: 18390598
Effect of line tension on the lateral organization of lipid membranes. García-Sáez AJ, Chiantia S, Schwille P. J Biol Chem. 2007 Nov 16;282(46):33537-44. Epub 2007 Sep 11. PMID: 17848582
Single molecule techniques for the study of membrane proteins. García-Sáez AJ, Schwille P. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. 2007 Aug;76(2):257-66. Epub 2007 May 12. Review. PMID: 17497147
Pore formation by a Bax-derived peptide: effect on the line tension of the membrane probed by AFM. García-Sáez AJ, Chiantia S, Salgado J, Schwille P. Biophys J. 2007 Jul 1;93(1):103-12. Epub 2007 Apr 6. PMID: 17416629
Peptides corresponding to helices 5 and 6 of Bax can independently form large lipid pores. García-Sáez AJ, Coraiola M, Serra MD, Mingarro I, Müller P, Salgado J. FEBS J. 2006 Mar;273(5):971-81. PMID: 16478471
Peptides derived from apoptotic Bax and Bid reproduce the poration activity of the parent full-length proteins. García-Sáez AJ, Coraiola M, Dalla Serra M, Mingarro I, Menestrina G, Salgado J. Biophys J. 2005 Jun;88(6):3976-90. Epub 2005 Mar 18. PMID: 15778450
Membrane-insertion fragments of Bcl-xL, Bax, and Bid. García-Sáez AJ, Mingarro I, Pérez-Payá E, Salgado J. Biochemistry. 2004 Aug 31;43(34):10930-43.PMID: 15323553
Peptides in apoptosis research. Salgado J, García-Sáez AJ, Malet G, Mingarro I, Pérez-Payá E. J Pept Sci. 2002 Oct;8(10):543-60. Review.PMID: 12450324