Date: 09/2012-09/2014 BSc of Biochemistry student and MSc of Biochemistry Molecular Biology and Biomedicine
Name of the project: “Characterization of the antimicrobial activity of the eosinophil cationic protein and their N-terminal derived peptides”. Supervisors: Prof. Ester Boix Borràs (Associate Professor at Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés (Spain) and Dr. David Pulido Gómez (Research Associate at Associate Professor at Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés (Spain). Location: Antimicrobial Ribonucleases group, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department,
Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés (Spain).

Date: 10/2014 to present PhD thesis of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biomedicine “Regulation mechanisims of protein phosphatase Z 1 (Ppz1) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae”. Supervisors: Joaquín Ariño (Full Professor at Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès (Spain) Location:, Biotechnology and Biomedicine Institute (IBB) and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Autonomous University of Barcelona. MSc of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biomedicine
Publications
1) Pulido D, Garcia-Mayoral MF, Moussaoui M, Velázquez D, Torrent M, Bruix M, and Boix E (2016). Structural basis for endotoxin neutralization by the eosinophil cationic protein. FEBS J. 283(22): 4176–4191. doi: 10.1111/febs.13915.
2) Pulido D, Arranz-Trullén J, Prats-Ejarque G, Velázquez D, Torrent M, Moussaoui M, and Boix E (2016). Insights into the Antimicrobial Mechanism of Action of Human RNase6: Structural Determinants for Bacterial Cell Agglutination and Membrane Permeation. Int J Mol Sci. 17(4): 552. doi: 10.3390/ijms17040552
3) C. Santolaria C, Velázquez D, Strauss E, and Ariño J (2018). Mutations at the hydrophobic core affect Hal3 trimer stability, reducing its Ppz1 inhibitory capacity but not its PPCDC moonlighting function. Sci Rep. 8(1): 14701. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-32979-x.
4) Ariño J, Velázquez D, and Casamayor A (2019). Ser/Thr protein phosphatases in fungi:structure, regulation and function. Microb Cell. 6(5): 217–256. doi: 10.15698/mic2019.05.677.Publications in progress
1) Title: Toxicity of Ppz1 protein phosphatase involves multiple targets Diego Velázquez, Chunyi Zhang, Sergey Kovalchuk, María López-Malo, Carlos Calafí, Marcel Albacar, SantosOle Jenssen, Antonio Casamayor, Joaquín Ariño (Manuscript in preparation)
2)Title: Ppz1 overexpression & impact on translation UAB: Calafí, C.; Lopez-Malo, M.; Velázquez, D.; Zhang, C; Albacar, M., JA & Casamayor, A. USev: de la Cruz, J. (Manuscript in preparation)
3)Title:Understanding the phosphoregulation of Ppz1 by Hog1 MAPK Velázquez, D and Ariño, J (Manuscript in preparation)
4) Title: Unveiling the dynamism of the Ppz1 – Hal3 interaction in vivo: a FRET based approach Albacar, M; Velázquez D; Cavero, E; Casamayor, A; and Ariño, J. (work in progress)
4) Title: The N-terminal extension of Hal3 contributes to the regulation of Ppz1 function Santolaria, C; Velázquez, D; Ariño, J (work in progress)

Technical Laboratory Expertise
Molecular Biology: Protein expression and purification procedures; DNA cloning, extraction and purification; PCR amplification and mutagenesis; and qPCR.
Cell handling: Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cultures, antimicrobial and cytotoxic assay (MTT, MIC and MBC), Yeast cultures, time-course experiments, genetic modification of yeast
Chromatography: Fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC), Size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) and affinity chromatography, Affinity purification chromatography (GST, His).
Spectroscopy: Fluorescent spectroscopy, spectrophotometry, LC- MS/MS, MALDI-TOF.
Imaging: Fluorescence microscopy (FM), confocal laser microscopy (CLSM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Bio physics: Dynamic light scattering (DLS), liposome preparation and analysis.
Proteomic: Phospho-enrichment, gel slices manipulations, peptides analysis by LC MS-MS. MaxQuant, Perseus.