Gaspar PÉrez MartÍnez

Biography

At present, my group is focused on understanding the dialogue of beneficial gut bacteria with the host, in particular lactic acid bacteria (LAB), in other words, we are trying to disclose the mechanisms of action of probiotic bacteria. We aim to disclose the molecular mechanisms of anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activity of a variety of bacterial surface proteins strains of the Lactobacillus casei/rhamnosus group and the corresponding receptors in human epithelial cells and animal models. When these proteins were characterized we found they are cell wall bound proteinases (PrtP) or cell wall lysines (p40, p75) but also surprisingly, glycolytic enzymes that reach the external part of the bacteria through unknown processes. Through the collaboration with Dr. M. Carmen Collado, we also study the relationship of gut bacteria with the host from the broader perspective offered by population studies of the gut microbiota by new generation sequencing techniques and transcriptomics of the host. These studies are shedding light on the relationships of gut microbiota with disease and diet in farm rabbits and aquaculture fish (Sparus aurata), and in collaboration with important hospitals we could determine that preterm infants suffering sepsis change the profile of bacterial populations

Research Interest

HOST / BACTERIA INTERACTION