Javier Rodriguez-Casariego, PhD - Research Assistant Professor, Institute of Environment and Director, CREST-CAChE Metabolomics Facility, Florida International University

Abstract

Reef-building corals inhabit environments that fluctuate rapidly in temperature, nutrients, and other stressors, yet many species display remarkable physiological plasticity. Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetic regulation plays a key role in enabling corals to adjust gene expression in response to environmental change. Combining chromatin proteomics, genome-wide DNA methylation profiling, and transcriptomic analyses we examined how environmental stress reshapes coral regulatory landscapes. Our results show that environmental perturbations such as nutrient limitation, thermal stress, seasonal variation, and changes in symbiotic algae communities are associated with dynamic shifts in histone modifications and DNA methylation patterns across the genome. These epigenetic changes are linked to stress-responsive gene expression programs and physiological acclimatization. In parallel, characterization of coral non-coding RNA repertoires reveals additional regulatory pathways likely involved in post-transcriptional control of stress responses. Together, these findings suggest that interacting epigenetic mechanisms regulate environmentally responsive gene networks, enabling rapid phenotypic plasticity without genetic change. Our work highlights corals as powerful systems for studying epigenetic regulation in ecological contexts and provides new insight into molecular processes that may influence coral resilience under accelerating environmental change.

About Javier A. Rodriguez-Casariego

Dr. Javier A. Rodriguez-Casariego investigates how environmental experience encodes cellular memory and shapes physiological and behavioral resilience in marine organisms. He is a Research Assistant Professor in the Institute of Environment at Florida International University, where he integrates epigenomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics to reveal regulatory mechanisms of neurophysiological and phenotypic plasticity, and long-term responses to environmental stimulus across different models including corals, mollusks, and fish. Dr. Rodriguez-Casariego earned his Ph.D. in Biology from Florida International University in 2021 under Dr. Eirin-Lopez, where he characterized epigenetic mechanisms underlying coral responses to diverse environmental stressors. He then completed an NSF-CREST postdoctoral fellowship with Dr. Mark Miller at the Institute of Neurobiology at the University of Puerto Rico and with Dr. Lynne Fieber at the National Aplysia Resource at the University of Miami, followed by an NIH Diversity Supplement to continue his postdoctoral research at the National Aplysia Resource under the supervision of Drs Michael Schmale and Danielle McDonald. Dr. Rodriguez-Casariego is committed to generating open, reproducible multi-omics workflows and collaborative data resources that connect molecular mechanisms to organismal phenotypes across taxa.

Sponsored by the Center for Physical Genomics and Engineering, the Cancer and Physical Sciences Program at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, and NIH Grants T32GM142604 and U54CA268084

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Bioengineered Hydrogels for Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

Hydrogels, highly hydrated cross-linked polymer networks, have emerged as powerful synthetic analogs of extracellular matrices for basic cell studies as well as promising biomaterials for regenerative medicine applications. A critical advantage of these synthetic matrices over natural networks is that bioactive functionalities, such as cell adhesive sequences and growth factors, can be incorporated in precise densities while the substrate mechanical properties are independently controlled. We have engineered poly(ethylene glycol) [PEG]-maleimide hydrogels for local delivery of therapeutic proteins and cells in several regenerative medicine applications. For example, synthetic hydrogels with optimal biochemical and biophysical properties have been engineered to direct human stem cell-derived intestinal organoid growth and differentiation, and these biomaterials serve as injectable delivery vehicles that promote organoid engraftment and repair of intestinal wounds. In another application, hydrogels presenting immunomodulatory proteins induce immune acceptance of allogeneic pancreatic islets and reverse hyperglycemia in models of type 1 diabetes. Finally, photopatterned hydrogel-based microfluidic platforms have been developed using human organoids to model lymphoid-gut interactions. These studies establish these biofunctional hydrogels as promising platforms for basic science studies and biomaterial carriers for cell delivery, engraftment and enhanced tissue repair.

Bio

Andrés J. García is the Executive Director of the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience and Regents’ Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Dr. García’s research program integrates innovative engineering, materials science, and cell biology concepts and technologies to create cell-instructive biomaterials for regenerative medicine and generate new knowledge in mechanobiology. This cross-disciplinary effort has resulted in innovative biomaterial platforms that elicit targeted cellular responses and tissue repair, human stem cell technologies, and mechanistic insights into the interplay of mechanics and cell biology. In addition, his research has generated intellectual property and licensing agreements with start-up and multi-national companies. He is a co-founder of 5 start-up companies. He has received several distinctions, including the Young Investigator Award, the Clemson Award for Basic Science, and the Founders Award from the Society for Biomaterials; the International Award from the European Society for Biomaterials; the Biomaterials Global Impact Award; and Georgia Tech’s Outstanding Interdisciplinary Activities Award and the Class of 1934 Distinguished Professor Award. He is an elected Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He served as President for the Society for Biomaterials in 2018-2019. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Medicine, and the National Academy of Inventors.

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