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 10/6/2026

    Serafini RA, Giotti B, Luebbers A, Pryce KD, Giosan IM, Tuffy MJ, Zimering J, Ramakrishan A, Lee D, Kintsurashvili E, Bertherat FL, Patne N, Fullard JF, Roussos P, Shen L, Garcia-Marcos M, Tsankov AM, Zachariou V. The Ga-interacting protein RGS4 in dorsal root ganglia maintains molecular and behavioral maladaptations in murine pain models. Sci Signal. 2026 Oct 06; 19(958):eaed7175. PMID: 42837443.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 9/24/2026

    Zhang H, Shivnaraine RV, Ren L, Thai PN, Janicot R, Zhu W, Huang R, Siepe DH, Tu C, Liu W, Maziarz M, Deutsch JC, Liu Y, Liu C, Shin DH, Kim H, Chandy M, Kalocsay M, Chiamvimonvat N, Garcia-Marcos M, Kobilka BK, Wu JC. Targeting an atypical G protein-coupled receptor signaling pathway for cardiac fibrosis therapy. Science. 2026 Sep 24; 393(6818):eaej5896. PMID: 42784676.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/22/2026

    Shettigar M, Moulière S, Isenegger L, DeVine AL, Gstalder C, Koduri V, Doench JG, Ksander B, Garcia-Marcos M, Kaelin WG, Haq R. Oncogenic Ga signaling requires AP-3-dependent recruitment to the endolysosomal compartment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026 Jul 28; 123(30):e2615774123. PMID: 42485388.

    Read at: PubMed

  • 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 Sep; 183(18):5641-5656. 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

View All 89 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
  • Graduate Medical Sciences Educator and Mentor (Primary Mentor of Graduate Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

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

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