Mikel Garcia-Marcos, PhD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

We investigate signal transduction mechanisms with the ultimate goal of elucidating the molecular basis of human diseases and developing novel therapeutic approaches.

Our main interest is in heterotrimeric G proteins, which are molecular switches that relay extracellular signals. Heterotrimeric G proteins are primarily activated by G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) located at the plasma membrane. However, our lab focuses on a group of cytoplasmic factors that mimic the action of GPCRs by directly activating heterotrimeric G proteins. These non-receptor activators “rewire” signal transduction in different pathological settings, including cancer, fibrosis, insulin resistance and kidney failure, among many others.

Our current efforts are focused on:
(i) identifying the members of this group of non-receptor activators
(ii) defining their role in normal and pathological scenarios
(iii) characterizing the molecular mechanisms by which they are regulated
(iv) understanding the structural basis for their action on G proteins
(v) developing tools to specifically target them.

We are currently exploring this unconventional aspect of G protein signaling in the context of cancer, embryonic development and neurotransmission.Our multidisciplinary approach includes in vitro biochemistry to characterize protein complexes, cultured cells and model organisms (yeast, frog embryos, fish) for functional studies, and synthetic biology tools to manipulate and monitor signaling with exquisite spatiotemporal resolution..

Publications

  • Published 7/3/2026

    Bonef C, Bouhsine H, Huynh C, Chaigneau M, Dubois S, Garcia-Marcos M, Llorens-Cortes C, Servent D, Robin P, Nozach H, Alves I, Iturrioz X. The chemokine receptor-like fourth extracellular loop of the apelin receptor differentially regulates apelin and elabela binding and signalling. Br J Pharmacol. 2026 Jul 03. PMID: 42399569.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 2/3/2026

    Zhao J, Luebbers A, Savransky S, Lin TY, Cheng N, Wilcox A, Janicot R, Green E, Sharma A, Maziarz M, Varelas X, Irannejad R, Vilardaga JP, Garcia-Marcos M. Inhibitory probes for spatiotemporal analysis of Gas protein signaling. Nat Chem Biol. 2026 Feb 03. PMID: 41634441.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/1/2026

    Cebul ER, Marivin A, Wexler LR, Perrat PN, Bénard CY, Garcia-Marcos M, Heiman MG. Glial adherens junction proteins act with SAX-7/L1CAM to promote dendrite extension in C. elegans. Development. 2026 Jan 01; 153(1). PMID: 41312807.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 3/25/2025

    Luebbers A, Janicot R, Zhao J, Philibert CE, Garcia-Marcos M. A sensitive biosensor of endogenous Gai activity enables the accurate characterization of endogenous GPCR agonist responses. Sci Signal. 2025 Mar 25; 18(879):eadp6457. PMID: 40132053.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 1/21/2025

    Liebing AD, Rabe P, Krumbholz P, Zieschang C, Bischof F, Schulz A, Billig S, Birkemeyer C, Pillaiyar T, Garcia-Marcos M, Kraft R, Stäubert C. Succinate receptor 1 signaling mutually depends on subcellular localization and cellular metabolism. FEBS J. 2025 Apr; 292(8):2017-2050. PMID: 39838520.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 86 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research
    Boston University
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University

Websites

Education

  • University of the Basque Country, PhD
  • University of the Basque Country, BS

View all profiles