Dr. Claudia Jasmin Rödel

Research Interests 

I am interested in the molecular mechanisms during development and morphogenesis. Currently I am studying the molecular and genetic aspects of the vascular disease cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM). Patients with CCM lesions suffer from neurological deficits such as headaches and hemorrhagic stroke. Molecular pathways involved in this disease have been described, however, the very onset or non-genetic triggers that cause CCM remain undetermined. The zebrafish embryo is an excellent vertebrate model to address questions on CCM lesion formation. A strong advantage of the zebrafish model is the availability of in vivo imaging techniques, because the embryo is completely transparent and can live for several days without a functional cardiovascular system. Hence, we can observe and study cellular and molecular processes that are dysfunctional under disease condition. 

Publications 

Paolini A, Fontana F, Pham VC, Rödel CJ, Abdelilah-Seyfried S.
Mechanosensitive Notch-Dll4 and Klf2-Wnt9 signaling pathways intersect in guiding valvulogenesis in zebrafish. Cell Rep. 2021 Oct 5;37(1):109782. doi:10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109782. PMID: 34610316; PMCID: PMC8511505. 

Rödel CJ, Abdelilah-Seyfried S. A zebrafish toolbox for biomechanical signaling in cardiovascular development and disease. Curr Opin Hematol. 2021 May1;28(3):198-207. doi: 10.1097/MOH.0000000000000648. PMID: 33714969. 

Abdelilah-Seyfried S, Rödel CJ. Blood Flow Matters in a Zebrafish Model of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations. Circ Res. 2020 Jan 3;126(1):e1-e2. doi:10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.119.316286. Epub 2020 Jan 2. PMID: 31895666.

Tang AT, Sullivan KR, Hong CC, Goddard LM, Mahadevan A, Ren A, Pardo H, Peiper A, Griffin E, Tanes C, Mattei LM, Yang J, Li L, Mericko-Ishizuka P, Shen L, Hobson N, Girard R, Lightle R, Moore T, Shenkar R, Polster SP, Roedel CJ, Li N, Zhu Q, Whitehead KJ, Zheng X, Akers A, Morrison L, Kim H, Bittinger K, Lengner CJ, Schwaninger M, Velcich A, Augenlicht L, Abdelilah-Seyfried S, Min W, Marchuk DA, Awad IA, Kahn ML. Distinct cellular roles for PDCD10 define a gut-brain axis in cerebral cavernous malformation. Sci Transl Med. 2019 Nov 27;11(520):eaaw3521. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aaw3521. PMID: 31776290; PMCID: PMC6937779.

Rödel CJ, Otten C, Donat S, Lourenço M, Fischer D, Kuropka B, Paolini A,Freund C, Abdelilah-Seyfried S. 
Blood Flow Suppresses Vascular Anomalies in a Zebrafish Model of Cerebral Cavernous Malformations. Circ Res. 2019 Oct 25;125(10):e43-e54. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.119.315076. Epub 2019 Sep 9. PMID:31495257.

Lisowska J, Rödel CJ, Manet S, Miroshnikova YA, Boyault C, Planus E, De Mets R, Lee HH, Destaing O, Mertani H, Boulday G, Tournier-Lasserve E, Balland M, Abdelilah-Seyfried S, Albiges-Rizo C, Faurobert E. 
The CCM1-CCM2 complex controls complementary functions of ROCK1 and ROCK2 that are required for endothelial integrity. J Cell Sci. 2018 Aug 13;131(15):jcs216093. doi:10.1242/jcs.216093. PMID: 30030370.

Rödel CJ, Gilles AF, Averof M. 
MicroRNAs act as cofactors in bicoid-mediated translational repression. Curr Biol. 2013 Aug 19;23(16):1579-84. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2013.06.041. Epub 2013 Aug 1. PMID: 23910663.

Education 

University of Potsdam, Germany  (2015-present)

Postdoctoral researcher, deputy experimental animal manager

Research focus: developmental biology of the cardiovascular system, Genetic tools and animal models for  cerebral cavernous malformation 

Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athen, Greece (2012-2015)

Postdoctoral researcher

Research focus: developmental biology of cardiac valves in zebrafish

University of Göttingen, Germany and Institute for Molecualr Biology and Biochemistry (IMBB), Heraklion, Greece (2006-2011)

Ph.D., "Evolution of caudal translational repression in higher insects." 2011 

University of Göttingen, Germany (2000-2006)

Diploma, "Isolierung von Entwicklungsgenen der indischen Stabheuschrecke Carausius morosus" , 2006