Ribosome Synthesis and Function

Jesús de la Cruz obtained the Degree in Biology in 1989 and the PhD in Biology in 1994 from the University of Seville. From 1995 to 1998, he carried out a post-doctoral stay at the University Medical Centre of Geneva, Switzerland, under the supervision of Prof P. Linder, and at the Prof D. Tollervey’s laboratory in the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. During these years, he specialised in the biochemical, genetic and molecular analysis of the processes of ribosome synthesis and protein translation in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. He returned to the laboratory of Prof A. Vioque (Institute of Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis, CSIC-University of Seville) to work on the characterisation of ribonucleoprotein complexes from microalgae with a Reintegration Contract for Doctors and Technologists. In 2001, he obtained a position of Associate Professor in the Dept of Genetics of the University of Seville, in 2005 one of the first three places of the National Qualification System to access the body of university professors and from 2006 to 2011, he has been Professor («Profesor Titular»). Since October 2011, he is a Full Professor («Catedrático de Universidad»).

J. de la Cruz teaches subjects related to Genetics and Human Genetics in the Degree of Biology and subjects related to Gene Expression and Cancer in the Masters of Molecular Genetics and Biotechnology and Biomedicine of the University of Seville.

He is also the Research Head of the group «Synthesis and Function of Ribosomes», located in the Institute of Biomedicine of Seville (IBiS). His research focuses on the functional study of the cytoplasmic ribosome assembly process and protein translation in eukaryotes, using S. cerevisiae and human cell lines as working models. This field of study has academic interest given the universal importance of the process of protein synthesis but also biomedical interest given the existence of human diseases known as ribosomopathies. Always as Principal Investigator, his group has received continued funding from the Spanish National System and the Andalusian Government since its formation in 2001. J. de la Cruz has directed 6 Doctoral Theses and has another 4 in progress. He is the author of more than 60 international publications, the vast majority located in the first quartile of the JCR impact factor ranking. These add more than 350 impact points, have globally received more than 3300 citations and generate an H-index of 34. J. de la Cruz has an international reputation as evidenced by the fact that two of his reviews published in Mol. Cell Biol. and in Trends Biochem. Sci. have received more than 300 and 400 citations, respectively, and the fact of having recently published in the prestigious journal Annu. Rev. Biochem. (>170 citations since the end of 2015). His group has presented about 100 communications to National and International Conferences and he has been invited to give seminars at different universities and research centres not only in Spain but also in Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, among others. Finally, he is a member of the European COST Proteostasis an ProteoCure Networks, a regular reviewer of renowned international journals and grant applications, and academic editor of the Microbial Cell journal.