LABORATORY OF LIPID BIOCHEMISTRY

Principal Investigator

  • Dr. Gerardo Martín Oresti

Research lines

The laboratory focuses on two research lines related to spermatogenesis in prepubertal mice.

The first research line aims to gain a deeper understanding of the tissue, cellular, and molecular dynamics underlying spermatogenesis in order to optimize this process in vitro. The second line seeks to determine the potential of in vitro spermatogenesis biotechnology as a model for studying the effects of endocrine disruptors on fertility. Testicular tissue explants from mice maintained in culture are capable of supporting a certain degree of spermatogenesis, a process that in vivo is regulated by hormones controlling the proliferation and differentiation of germ cells. The expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of specific lipids and fatty acids varies according to the stage of cellular differentiation. Based on this premise, the first research line proposes strategies to optimize sperm production in cultured explants by evaluating the functionality of Leydig and Sertoli cells, as well as supplementing cultured explants with specific hormones and lipids. The effects of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone, 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT), and 17β-estradiol on histology, cytology, lipid and fatty acid production, and the expression of genes involved in their biosynthesis during in vitro spermatogenesis are investigated.

The second research line investigates the potential of testicular explants as in vitro models for assessing the toxicity of endocrine disruptors during spermatogenic development, focusing on two xenoestrogens associated with infertility: nonylphenol and bisphenol A (BPA).

Researchers / Fellows

  • Dra. Jessica Mariela Lúquez

  • Dra. Florencia Santiago Valtierra

  • Dra. Catalina Blazquez

  • Bioquímico Oliverio Tajes
  • Farmacéutica Manuela Sánchez Chaves

Collaborators

  • Dr. Alejandro Peñalva (INIBIBB-UNS)
  • Dra. Sofía Vallés (INIBIBB-UNS)

Selected publications

  • Oresti GM*, Luquez JM and Belmonte SA * “Lipid Signature of Motile Human Sperm: Characterization of Sphingomyelin, Ceramide and Phospholipids with a Focus on Very Long Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid”. (* Corresponding Author). Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(19), 9301; doi: 10.3390/ijms26199301
  • Zegarra Borlando FEZ, Oresti GM, Pavia N, Beligni MV, Gonorazky G. “Knock Down of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Phytyl Ester Synthase α Triggers DGAT3 Overexpression and Triacylglycerol Accumulation Under Low-Light Conditions”.  Plants. 2025; 14(19):3044. doi: 10.3390/plants14193044
  • Bertuzzi ML, Luquez JM, Romina di Fonzo A, Oresti GM *, Carretero MI*. Lipid and fatty acid profile in neat and collagenase-treated llama sperm. (* Corresponding Author). Theriogenology. 2025 Jul 15;241:117411. doi: 10.1016/j.theriogenology.2025.117411
  • Santiago Valtierra FX, Urriola-Muñoz P, Godoy-Sepúlveda R, Moreno RD, Reyes JG, Vallés AS, Oresti GM. “Nonylphenol releases arachidonic acid in rat Sertoli cells via activation of PKA and PLA2”. Reproduction. 2024 Jun 13;168(1):e230292 doi: 10.1530/REP-23-0292
  • Santiago Valtierra FX, Aveldaño MI, Oresti GM. “Differentiation-linked changes in the biosynthesis and turnover of sphingomyelins in rat male germ cells: genes involved and effects of testosterone. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2023 Apr;299(4):103058. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.103058
Full list

Contact:

DR. GERARDO MARTÍN ORESTI

+ 54 291 4037195

 gmoresti@criba.edu.ar

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