Debora Sobreira*
/in /by SOFIA
Email Address:
dsobreira@mednet.ucla.edu
Lab Website
Lab Website
Assistant Professor, Biological Chemistry and Human Genetics
Dr. Débora Sobreira’s research focuses on studying the impact of genetic differences on various aspects of living organisms. Using techniques from genetics, molecular biology, and developmental biology, she investigates how changes in our DNA can influence traits at different levels, from molecules to cells and whole organisms. A significant aspect of Dr. Sobreira’s work involves exploring the function of noncoding regions in our DNA, which play a crucial role in regulating gene activity. Her investigations have revealed that alterations in these regions can contribute to the development of diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Through the development of experimental methods, she identifies and examines these regulatory regions to better understand their impact on our health. In Dr. Débora Sobreira’s lab, graduate students have exciting opportunities to participate in projects focused on genetic variation and its effects on complex traits. Students will engage in hands-on experiments using stem cell cultures, with a particular emphasis on adipocytes, neurons, and cardiomyocytes. The lab employs advanced techniques such as 3D DNA conformation analysis, DNA accessibility studies, and gene expression analysis. Through these approaches, students can investigate how alterations in DNA influence organismal development and overall health.
A selected list of publications:
Extensive pleiotropism and allelic heterogeneity mediate metabolic effects of IRX3 and IRX5
DR Sobreira, AC Joslin, Q Zhang, I Williamson, GT Hansen, KM Farris, … Science 372 (6546), 1085-1091
A non-coding variant linked to metabolic obesity with normal weight affects actin remodelling in subcutaneous adipocytes
Nat Metab. 2023 May; 5(5):861-879. Glunk V, Laber S, Sinnott-Armstrong N, Sobreira DR, Strobel SM, Batista TM, Kubitz P, Moud BN, Ebert H, Huang Y, Brandl B, Garbo G, Honecker J, Stirling DR, Abdennur N, Calabuig-Navarro V, Skurk T, Ocvirk S, Stemmer K, Cimini BA, Carpenter AE, Dankel SN, Lindgren CM, Hauner H, Nobrega MA, Claussnitzer M. PMID: 37253881.
Genetics of sexually dimorphic adipose distribution in humans
Nat Genet. 2023 Mar; 55(3):461-470. Hansen GT, Sobreira DR, Weber ZT, Thornburg AG, Aneas I, Zhang L, Sakabe NJ, Joslin AC, Haddad GA, Strobel SM, Laber S, Sultana F, Sahebdel F, Khan K, Li YI, Claussnitzer M, Ye L, Battaglino RA, Nóbrega MA. PMID: 36797366; PMCID: PMC10375400.
Genome-wide association and multi-omics studies identify MGMT as a novel risk gene for Alzheimer’s disease among women
Alzheimers Dement. 2022 Jun 30. Chung J, Das A, Sun X, Sobreira DR, Leung YY, Igartua C, Mozaffari S, Chou YF, Thiagalingam S, Mez J, Zhang X, Jun GR, Stein TD, Kunkle BW, Martin ER, Pericak-Vance MA, Mayeux R, Haines JL, Schellenberg GD, Nobrega MA, Lunetta KL, Pinto JM, Wang LS, Ober C, Farrer LA. PMID: 35770850; PMCID: PMC9800643.
A functional genomics pipeline identifies pleiotropy and cross-tissue effects within obesity-associated GWAS loci
Nat Commun. 2021 Sep 06; 12(1):5253. Joslin AC, Sobreira DR, Hansen GT, Sakabe NJ, Aneas I, Montefiori LE, Farris KM, Gu J, Lehman DM, Ober C, He X, Nóbrega MA. PMID: 34489471; PMCID: PMC8421397.
Obesity-associated variants within FTO form long-range functional connections with IRX3
S Smemo, JJ Tena, KH Kim, ER Gamazon, NJ Sakabe, C Gómez-Marín, … Nature 507 (7492), 371-375
