Araceli Maria Valverde-Estepa, BS, MS, PhD
Visiting Research Assistant Professor
Periodontics
Contact
Building & Room:
461A
Address:
801 S. Paulina St., IL 60612
Email:
About
My research work focusses on the characterization of cellular and viral miRNA function in immune responses and host-pathogen interaction in Periodontal Disease (PD) using “in vivo” and “in vitro” PD models. Furthermore, we are interesting in dissecting the role of the host and viral miRNAs (herpesvirus) in regulating phagocytosis, innate immune responses, antigen processing and presentation as well as host-pathogen interaction. In line to this, we have found a differential profile of expression of miRNAs in human gingiva samples involved in immune responses. (NIH/NIDCR R21 “Characterizing the role of viral microRNAs in regulating macrophage plasticity”; NIH/NIDCR R01 “Human Herpesvirus Impact on Periodontal Inflammation”). On the other hand, in our Oral Mucosal Immunology laboratory, we have been studying the regulatory mechanisms long noncoding RNA (LncRNAs) by controlling the cell differentiation, its function in myeloid cells including macrophages, dendritic cells and Lymphoid cells such as, T and B-Cells (NIH/NIDCR R03 “Elucidating the novel regulatory role of long non-coding RNAs in myeloid inflammatory cell differentiation and function”). The role of these miRNAs and LncRNAs and its involving in PD, could stablish novel targets for diagnosis and immunomodulatory therapeutics in the treatment of PD (University of Illinois at Chicago “Evaluating the Anti-Inflammatory Effects of CD24Fc in Periodontal Disease”). Finally, it’s important to highlight my role as a Co-PI in the grant “Academy of Osseointegration Foundation Board “Surface Detoxification Assessment of Used Dental Implant Healing Abutments: A Pilot Study”. To determine the most precise method of decontamination of healing abutments (HA) and compare the detoxification efficacy by quantifying residual biomaterial and capacity to elicit an inflammatory response in-vitro has been crucial in clinical settings nowadays. In brief, as a research collaborator in the grants mentioned above, I have an extensive experience in molecular biology, immunology and microbiology related to periodontal disease and, my research has provided me with stronger background related to inflammation/wound healing/tissue repair/pathobiology of disease.
Selected Publications
Juhi R. Uttamani, Afsar R. Naqvi, Araceli Maria Valverde Estepa, Varun Kulkarni, Maria F. Brambila, Gloria Martínez, Gabriela Chapa, Sona Rivas-Tumanyan,Christine D. Wu, Wei Li, and Salvador Nares. Downregulation of miRNA-26 in Chronic Periodontitis Interferes with Innate Immune Responses and Cell Migration by Targeting Phospholipase C Beta 1 (PLCB1). Journal of Clinical Periodontology, 2022. Accepted for publication.
Afsar R Naqvi, Joel Schwartz, Daniela Atili Brandini,Samantha Schaller, Heba Hussein, Araceli Valverde, Raza Ali Naqvi, Deepak Shukla. Covid-19 and oral diseases: Assessing manifestations of a new pathogen in oral infections. Int. Rev. Immunol. 2021 Sep 16;1-15. doi: 10.1080/08830185.2021.1967949.
Araceli Valverde# Alexandra Seal , Salvador Nares , Deepak Shukla , Afsar Raza Naqvi #,*. Human herpesvirus-encoded MicroRNA in host-pathogen interaction. Adv. Biol. Regul. 2021 Sep 16; 82:100829. doi: 10.1016/j.jbior.2021.100829. ((#: Equal contribution).
Ahmad I#, Valverde A#, Siddiqui H, Schaller S, Raza Naqvi A. Viral MicroRNAs: Interfering the Interferon Signaling.Curr Pharm Des. 2020 Jan 9. doi: 10.2174/1381612826666200109181238. (#: Equal contribution).
Imran Ahmad†, Araceli Valverde, Fayek Ahmad and Afsar Raza Naqvi†,*. Long Noncoding RNA in Myeloid and Lymphoid Cell Differentiation, Polarization and Function. Cells 2020, 9, 269; doi:10.3390/cells9020269.
Araceli Valverde,#, Salvador Nares, Afsar Raza Naqvi*. Impaired cell migration and structural defects in myeloid cells overexpressing miR-30b and miR-142-3p. Biochim Biophys Acta Gene Regul Mech. 2020 Sep 24; 1863 (11):194628. ((#: Equal contribution).
Aniruddh Narvekar#, Araceli Valverde#, Salvador Nares, Afsar Raza Naqvi. Assessment of Detoxification Strategies for Dental Implant Healing Abutments. Clin Implant Dent Relat 2020;1–9. ((#: Equal contribution).
Imran Ahmad, Araceli Valverde, Raza A. Naqvi, Afsar Raza Naqvi1#,*. Long Noncoding RNAs RN7SK and GAS5 Regulate Macrophage Polarization and Innate Immune Responses. Front. Immunol. 11:604981.
López-Sánchez LM, Jurado-Gámez B, Feu-Collado N,Valverde A, Cañas A, Fernández-Rueda JL, Aranda E, Rodríguez-Ariza A. Exhaled breath condensate biomarkers for the early diagnosis of lung cancer using proteomics. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2017 Oct 1;313(4):L664-L676.
Valverde A, Peñarando J, Cañas A, López-Sánchez LM, Conde F, Guil-Luna S, Hernández V, Villar C, Morales-Estévez C, de la Haba-Rodríguez J, Aranda E, Rodríguez-Ariza A The addition of celecoxib improves the antitumor effect of cetuximab in colorectal cancer: role of EGFR-Ras-FOXM1-β-catenin signaling axis.. Oncotarget. 2017 Mar 28;8(13):21754-21769.
Notable Honors
2016, Award for the best paper in poster format at the Third Conference of young researchers. University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain, “Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibition enhaces the anti-tumor activity of the multitarget kinase inhibitor AEE788 in colorectal cancer cells”
2020, 2020 IADR Periodontal Research Group Past Presidents´ Travel Award”,, supported by Colgate-Palmolive, Inc., for the abstract titled: "MicroRNA and periodontal pathogen interaction in shaping innate immune response"
2020, UIC Postdoctoral Fellow Travel Award, for the abstract titled: "MicroRNA and periodontal pathogen interaction in shaping innate immune response"
2020, Travel award from Symposium in North Carolina (2019 North Carolina RNA Society Symposium)”, for the paper: “Impaired cell migration and structural defects in myeloid cells overexpressing miR-30b and miR-142-3p”
2020, Judge of the Poster session for Clinical & Research Day, 2021,, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2021.
2021, Merit Based Salary increased, University of Illinois at Chicago.
2022, Committee member of Clinical & Research Day, 2021,, College of Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2021.
2022, Chair the Session (Session 45) in International Dental Association and Research (AIDR), 2022., Periodontal Research: Pathogenesis III-Advances in Host-microbe Interplay.
2022, Oral talk in prestigious American Association Dental, Oral and Craniofacial Research, “Periopathogens Modulate Inflammation by Repressing miR-142-3p and Augmenting miR-155/NfkB axis” AAODCR, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
2022, Committee member of Committee member “Decoding MicroRNA Mysteries in Health and Disease” Annual Symposium., College of Dentistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2022.
Education
University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain Bachelor of Science 9/2005 Biosciences
University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain Master of Sciences 10/2010 Biosciences
University of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain Ph.D 07/2016 Awarded Molecular Oncology
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA Postdoctoral Research Associate 1/2018 Biosciences
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA Post-doctoral Associate 3/2019 Mucosal Immunology
University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA Visiting Research Assistant Professor 1/2022 Mucosal Immunology
Professional Memberships
2019-present American Association of Immunologists (AAI)
2019-present American Association of Dental Research (AADR)/International Association of Dental Research (IADR)
2018-present American Association of Cancer Research (AACR)