About
Fernando Rodrigues received a BSc in Biological Engineering from University of Minho, Portugal, in 1995. He received a MSc in Microbial Molecular Genetics in 1998, and a PhD in Biological Sciences in 2001, from the same University. His dissertation work involved the characterization of molecular bases associated with the resistance of the food spoilage yeast Zygosaccharomyces bailii to acidic environments, under the supervision of Dr. Manuela Côrte-Real and Dr. Cecília Leão. During his MSc and PhD, he was a visiting scientist in the Kluyver Laboratory for Biotechnology, Delft University of Technology, working with Dr. Jack Pronk and in the Institute of Molecular Plant Sciences, Clusius Laboratory, Leiden University, The Netherlands, working with Dr. Yde Steensma. He joined the faculty of School of Health Sciences, University of Minho, Portugal, in 2001, being currently an Associate Professor.
Fernando Rodrigues integrates the Infectious Diseases domain of Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), from the School of Health Sciences, at the University of Minho. His principal goal is to contribute for the elucidation of mechanisms underlying invasive fungal infections, namely 1) the pathogenicity of the infectious agent (particularly in Paracoccidioides spp), and 2) the contribution of host genetic variations within the fine-tuning immune mechanisms that account for an increased risk among the high-risk of immunosuppressed patients.
Arts RJ, Novakovic B, ter Horst R, Carvalho A, Bekkering S, Lachmandas E, Rodrigues F, Silvestre R, Cheng SC, Wang SY, Habibi E, Gonçalves LG, Mesquita I, Cunha C, van Laarhoven A, van de Veerdonk FL, Williams DL, van der Meer JW, Logie C, O'Neill LA, Dinarello CA, Riksen NP, van Crevel R, Clish C, Notebaart RA, Joosten LA, Stunnenberg HG, Xavier RJ, Netea MG. “Glutaminolysis and fumarate accumulation integrate immunometabolic and epigenetic programs in trained immunity”. Cell Metab. 24(6):807-19 (2016).
Chorny A, Casas-Recasens S, Sintes J, Shan M, Polentarutti N, García-Escudero R, Walland AC, Yeiser JR, Cassis L, Carrillo J, Puga I, Cunha C, Bastos H, Rodrigues F, Lacerda JF, Morais A, Dieguez-Gonzalez R, Heeger PS, Salvatori G, Carvalho A, Garcia-Sastre A, Blander JM, Mantovani A, Garlanda C, Cerutti A. “The soluble pattern recognition receptor PTX3 links humoral innate and adaptive immune responses by helping marginal zone B cells”. J Exp Med. 213(10):2167-85 (2016).
Cunha C, Di Ianni M, Bozza S, Giovannini G, Zagarella S, Zelante T, D'Angelo C, Pierini A, Pitzurra L, Falzetti F, Carotti A, Perruccio K, Latgé JP, Rodrigues F, Velardi A, Aversa F, Romani L, Carvalho A. Dectin-1 Y238X polymorphism associates with susceptibility to invasive aspergillosis in hematopoietic transplantation through impairment of both recipient- and donor-dependent mechanisms of antifungal immunity. Blood. 2010 Dec 9;116(24):5394-402. doi: 10.1182/blood-2010-04-279307. Epub 2010 Aug 31.
Osório, Nuno S., Fernando Rodrigues, Sebastien Gagneux, Jorge Pedrosa, Marta Pinto-Carbó, António G. Castro, Douglas Young, Iñaki Comas, and Margarida Saraiva. "Evidence for diversifying selection in a set of Mycobacterium tuberculosis genes in response to antibiotic and non-antibiotic related pressure." Molecular Biology and Evolution (2013) 30 (6): 1326-1336. doi: 10.1093/molbev/mst038
Mesquita A, Weinberger M, Silva A, Sampaio-Marques B, Almeida B, Leão C, Costa V, Rodrigues F, Burhans WC, Ludovico P. Caloric restriction or catalase inactivation extends yeast chronological lifespan by inducing H2O2 and superoxide dismutase activity. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Aug 24;107(34):15123-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1004432107. Epub 2010 Aug 9.