Prof. Sonia Rocha, Institute of Systems Molecular & Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool

Mechanisms controlling gene expression in reduced oxygen tensions (hypoxia)

Abstract: Reduced oxygen availability can act as a signalling cue in physiological processes such as development, but also in pathological conditions such as cancer or ischaemic disease. It also creates a barrier for many therapies, particularly radiotherapy. As such, understanding how cells and organisms respond to hypoxia is of great importance. The family of transcription factors called Hypoxia Inducible Factors (HIFs) coordinate a transcriptional programme required for survival and adaptation to hypoxia. However, oxygen is sensed by specific enzymes, dioxygenases, that transmit oxygen concentration information at all levels of the gene expression cascade. This suggests molecular oxygen is a potent signalling molecule in the cell and organisms. Our work using genomic approaches and analysing chromatin modifications and structure supports this hypothesis and reveals that hypoxia reprograms chromatin very rapidly to allow for cells to survive and adapt to oxygen changes. Furthermore, many of the dioxygenase substrates are yet to be uncovered, raising the possibility of changes across all levels of the gene expression pathway. We will present our latest findings where we investigate other transcription factors contribution to the cell’s response to reduced oxygen, as well as other post-transcriptional mechanisms altered in hypoxia.

Biography: 

Sonia Rocha is originally from the north of Portugal, where she obtained her undergraduate degree in biology from Porto University, Portugal. After a year out doing a collaborative research project between Porto University and Uppsala University in Sweden, she started her PhD at the ETH-Zurich, Switzerland, working in mechanisms of ionising radiation induced apoptosis. After completion, she then moved to the University of Dundee, Scotland to conduct postdoctoral research, working on the crosstalk of tumour suppressors with NF-kappaB transcription factor family. In November 2005, Sonia was appointed as Tenure Track Principal Investigator in the College of Life Sciences, University of Dundee, on a RCUK fellowship, starting her work on the field of hypoxia research. In 2010, was awarded Tenure and in 2011 she received a Cancer Research-UK Senior Research Fellowship. In 2012, she became deputy director of the Centre for Gene Regulation and Expression. In 2013, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and in 2014 was promoted to Reader and 2016 to full Professor. In 2017, she moved to the University of Liverpool, as Head the department of Biochemistry. In May 2020, she became Executive Dean for the Institute of Systems, Molecular & Integrative Biology at the University of Liverpool, until December 2024. She was part of the UoA5 Biological Sciences REF2021 panel, and now REF2029 UoA5 panel. In 2024, she received the Biochemical Society Sir Philip Randle Lecture prize 2025. She is actively involved in teaching undergraduate and post-graduate students, as well in public engagement events. She serves on the scientific committees of several funding bodies (UKRI and Welcome, Finland, Poland, Ireland, Norway, Belgium) and also acts as an academic advisor or editor for several journals. From January 2026, she is the honorary treasurer for the Biochemical Society.