Meritxell Nus
BHF Intermediate Research Fellow
Email: mn421@cam.ac.uk
Twitter: @Meri421_cam
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meritxell-nus-a334a945/
Biography : Dr Meritxell Nus focuses on the interaction adaptive immune response, diet and gut microbiota and its effect on atherosclerosis. She has worked extensively on the role of B cells in atherosclerosis. She was the first one to discover that Marginal Zone B cells protects from atherosclerosis, regulated by and by regulating atheroprotective T follicular helper cells. Her group is now trying to find ways to modulate B and T cells to decrease atherosclerosis burden.
She did her PhD on the interaction between functional food and oxidative stress in human atherosclerosis in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) for what she was awarded a few Prizes from the Spanish Royal Academy of Doctors and the National Academy of Pharmacy. Then intrigued by the molecular pathways that modulate cardiovascular diseases, she joined Dr de la Pompa’s lab in the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares (CNIC) where she generated the first mouse model of aortic calcific stenosis. Lastly, she moved to Cambridge with Prof. Mallat to study the molecular pathways that govern B and T cells driving atherosclerosis in response to diet and gut microbiota. For this aim she was successfully awarded a few BHF Project grants and a BHF Intermediate Research Fellowship.
Research Approach: I have discovered that the interaction of two specific immune cell players called Marginal Zone B cells and T follicular helper cells play a determinant role in atherosclerosis. In response to a high fat diet Marginal Zone B cells activate an homeostatic protective programme that it is translated into modulation of T follicular helper cell activation and differentiation. At the same time T follicular helper cells modulate the production of atheroprotective antibodies by Marginal Zone B cells. I am currently elucidating how diet and gut microbiota modulate this interaction Marginal Zone B-T follicular helper cells and how this impacts on atherosclerosis. I am particularly interested in identifying the metabolic pathways that drive T follicular helper cells function during atherosclerosis.
Current projects:
-BHF Intermediate Research Fellowship: Metabolic pathways to Tfh differentiation (FS/20/23/34784)
- BHF Project grant: Targeting the gut microbiota-adaptive immune response axis to modulate atherosclerosis (PG/22/10898)
-Two LeDucq mini grants as part of the “B cells in Cardiovascular Disease 20CVD03”.
Selected Publications
- Harrison J, Newland S, Jiang W, Zhao X, Clement M, Masters L, Corovic A, Zhang X, Drago F, Ma M, Kosma MO, Yasin F, Saady Y, Kothari H, Zhao T, Shi GP, McNamara C, Binder C, Sage AP, Tarkin J, Mallat Z, Nus M*. Marginal Zone B cells produce ‘natural’ IgM antibodies in a T-cell-dependent manner. Preprint 2022.
- Nus M*, Basatemur G, Galan M, Cros L, Zhao T, Lu Y, Masters L, Harrison J, Figg N, Tsiantoulas D, Geissman F, Binder C, Sage A, Mallat Z. Nr4a1deletion in Marginal Zone B cells exarcebates atherosclerosis in Mice. ATVB 2020, 40: 2598-2604.
- Nus M, Sage AP, Lu Y, Masters L, Lam BYH, Newland S, Tsiantoulas D, Raffort J, Finigan A, Kitt L, Figg N, Schirmbeck R, Kneilling M, Yeo GSH, Binder C, de la Pompa JL, Mallat Z. Marginal zone B cells control follicular helper T cell response to high cholesterol diet. Nat Med 2017; 23:601-610.
- Sage AP, Nus M, Bagchi Chakraborty J, Tsiantoulas D, Newland SA, Finigan AJ, Masters L, Binder CJ, Mallat Z. X-Box binding protein-1 dependent plasma cell responses limit the development of atherosclerosis. Circ Res 2017;121:270-81.
- Nus M, Martínez-Poveda B, Macgrogan D, Chevre R, D´Amato G, Sbroggio M, Rodriguez C, Martínez-Gonzalez J, Vicente A, Hidalgo A, de la Pompa JL. Endothelial Notch signaling is required for the NF-kB driven inflammatory response in atherosclerosis. Cardiovasc Res 2016.
Research collaborators/links
- Prof. Ziad Mallat
- Prof. Christoph Reinhardt
- Dr Jason Tarkin
- Dr Michelle Linterman
- Dr Helle Jorgensen
