Mónica Bettencourt-Dias

Book Chapters
Fellowships,
individual awards
& grants
We showed in flies and humans that SAK/PLK4, a kinase implicated in tumourigenesis, is
essential for centriole biogenesis. We also showed that flies can develop with few
centrioles. While centrosomes may be dispensable for many cell divisions, centrioles are
essential in their dual nature as basal bodies in the formation of cilia and flagella.
Implications for Biomedicine: This & simultaneous work from Nigg´s lab first pointed out
the primary function of SAK,/PLK4 a kinase known to be involved in cancer.
§� M Bettencourt-Dias, R Giet, R Sinka, A Mazumdar, WG Lock, F Balloux, PJ
Zafiropoulos, S Yamaguchi, S Winter, RW Carthew, M Cooper, D Jones, L
Frenz & DM Glover (2004) Genome-wide survey of protein kinases required
for cell cycle progression, Nature. 432, 980-7.
Selected as a MUST READ paper by Faculty of 1000 Biology:
http://www.facultyof1000.com/article/15616552/evaluation
We quantitatively screened by RNAi all Drosophila protein kinases for a cell cycle
function. Amongst a total of 80 positives we identified several novel enzymes and new
cell cycle functions for kinases involved in developmental processes, providing new
perspectives on cell proliferation. Implications for Biomedicine: Since then, many of those
kinases have been further studied and shown to be involved in cell cycle progression and
to be misregulated in cancer.
§� M Bettencourt-Dias, S Mittnacht & JP Brockes (2003) Heterogeneous
proliferative potential in regenerative adult newt cardiomyocytes, J Cell Sci.
116, 4001-9.
Salamanders are able to regenerate several parts of their body, such as limbs, tail and
heart. We discovered that a high proportion of the muscle cells in the adult newt heart are
able to proliferate, in contrast to their mammalian counterparts. Implications for
Biomedicine: We showed that the signaling pathway leading to cell cycle entry in newt
cardiomyocytes is conserved in mammals, presenting an interesting alternative to the
familiar perspective for mammalian regeneration based on stem cells.
• Rodrigues-Martins, Machado, Callaini, Bettencourt-Dias (2010)
Microscopy methods for the study of centriole biogenesis and function in
Drosophila. Methods Cell Biol.97:223-42.
•M Bettencourt-Dias & G. Goshima, (2009) RNAi in Drosophila S2 Cells As
A Tool For Studying Cell Cycle Progression. In Mitosis: Methods in
Molecular Biology series, Edited by A McAinsh. Humana Press. Methods
Mol Biol. 545:39-62.
• M Bettencourt-Dias, R Sinka, L Frenz and DM Glover (2004) RNAi in
Drosophila cell cultures. In Gene Silencing by RNA Interference:
Technology and Application, Ed. Sohail M. CRC Press. pp.147-165
§� 2011-2013-“Microtubule Regulation in Centriole Biogenesis
Mechanisms”, PTDC/BIA-BCM/112736/2009, FCT
§� 2011-2016- ERC Grant- Control of Centriole Structure and Number
§� 2010-2013 Harvard Medical School-FCT Programme (funded by the
Portuguese Agency for Funding Science and Technology-FCT)- I am the
coordinator of a collaborative grant with the laboratories of José Pereira-
Leal (Computational Genomics Laboratory @ IGC); Paula Chaves
(Pathology laboratory @ Lisbon Cancer Institute- IPO) ; David Pellman
(Danna Farber- Harvard Medical School) ; Max Loda (Pathology
Laboratory- Danna Farber- Harvard Medical School). Title - Role of
Centrosome and Ploidy Changes in Tumor progression (Barrett
Esophagus)-
§� 2010-2013 “Regulation of Cilia and Flagella Biogenesis”, PTDC/BIA-
BCM/105602/2008, FCT
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