Javier Lopez-Rios is an Assistant Professor at Universidad Loyola Andalucía and a tenured scientist (Investigador Científico, CSIC) at the Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CABD-CSIC), where he leads research on the gene regulatory networks that shape vertebrate morphogenesis. His work focuses on how changes in the genome can contribute to both human congenital malformations and the evolutionary diversification of limbs. He has published in leading journals including Nature , Developmental Cell , Nature Methods , PNAS and Cell Reports . He has secured more than €1.4 million in competitive funding and currently directs the CABD Animal Facility and the Functional Genomics Service, overseeing the implementation of advanced single-cell technologies. Alongside his research and teaching, he serves on the Board of the Spanish Society for Developmental Biology (SEBD) and is actively involved in public outreach and technology transfer.
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Uncovering hidden enhancers through unbiased in vivo testing Mannion, Brandon J. , Tran, Stella , Plajzer-Frick, Ingrid , Novak, Catherine S. , Afzal, Veena , Akiyama, Jennifer A. , Sospedra-Arrufat, Ismael , Barton, Sarah , Beckman, Erik , Garvin, Tyler H. , Godfrey, Patrick , Godoy, Janeth , Hunter, Riana D. , Kato, Momoe , Kosicki, Michael , Kronshage, Anne N. , Lee, Elizabeth A. , Meky, Eman M. , Pham, Quan T. , von Maydell, Kianna , Zhu, Yiwen , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Dickel, Diane E. , Osterwalder, Marco , Visel, Axel , Pennacchio, Len A. 08/08/2025 Article |
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Range extender mediates long-distance enhancer activity Bower, Grace , Hollingsworth, Ethan W. , Jacinto, Sandra H. , Alcantara, Joshua A. , Clock, Benjamin , Cao, Kaitlyn , Liu, Mandy , Dziulko, Adam , Alcaina-Caro, Ana , Xu, Qianlan , Skowronska-Krawczyk, Dorota , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Dickel, Diane E. , Bardet, Anais F. , Pennacchio, Len A. , Visel, Axel , Kvon, Evgeny Z. 17/07/2025 Article |
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Epigenomic signatures of cis-regulatory elements in the developing mouse and pig forelimb Sospedra-Arrufat, Ismael , Martinez-Garcia, Pedro Manuel , Gil-Galvez, Alejandro , Alcaina-Caro, Ana , Tena, Juan J. , Nusspaumer, Gretel , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER 10/04/2025 Article |
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A gene desert required for regulatory control of pleiotropic Shox2 expression and embryonic survival. Abassah-Oppong, Samuel , Zoia, Matteo , Mannion, Brandon J , Rouco, Raquel , Tissières, Virginie , Spurrell, Cailyn H , Roland, Virginia , Darbellay, Fabrice , Itum, Anja , Gamart, Julie , Festa-Daroux, Tabitha A , Sullivan, Carly S , Kosicki, Michael , Rodríguez-Carballo, Eddie , Fukuda-Yuzawa, Yoko , Hunter, Riana D , Novak, Catherine S , Plajzer-Frick, Ingrid , Tran, Stella , Akiyama, Jennifer A , Dickel, Diane E , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Barozzi, Iros , Andrey, Guillaume , Visel, Axel , Pennacchio, Len A , Cobb, John , Osterwalder, Marco 10/10/2024 Article |
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Increased enhancer-promoter interactions during developmental enhancer activation in mammals Chen, Zhuoxin , Snetkova, Valentina , Bower, Grace , Jacinto, Sandra , Clock, Benjamin , Dizehchi, Atrin , Barozzi, Iros , Mannion, Brandon J. , Alcaina-Caro, Ana , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Dickel, Diane E. , Visel, Axel , Pennacchio, Len A. , Kvon, Evgeny Z. 01/04/2024 Article |
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The cellular landscape of the endochondral bone during the transition to extrauterine life Rueda, Alejandro Diaz , Salvador-Martinez, Irepan , Sospedra-Arrufat, Ismael , Alcaina-Caro, Ana , Fernandez-Minan, Ana , Burgos-Ruiz, Ana M. , Cases, Ildefonso , Mohedano, Alberto , Tena, Juan J. , Heyn, Holger , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Nusspaumer, Gretel 01/02/2024 Article |
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Pathogenic Aß production by heterozygous PSEN1 mutations is intrinsic to the mutant protein and not mediated by conformational hindrance of wild-type PSEN1 Kurth, Vanessa , Ogorek, Isabella , Muench, Carolina , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Ousson, Solenne , Lehmann, Sandra , Nieweg, Katja , Roebroek, Anton J. M. , Pietrzik, Claus U. , Beher, Dirk , Weggen, Sascha 01/08/2023 Article |
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Topologically associating domain boundaries are required for normal genome function Rajderkar, Sudha , Barozzi, Iros , Zhu, Yiwen , Hu, Rong , Zhang, Yanxiao , Li, Bin , Caro, Ana Alcaina , Fukuda-Yuzawa, Yoko , Kelman, Guy , Akeza, Adyam , Blow, Matthew J. , Pham, Quan , Harrington, Anne N. , Godoy, Janeth , Meky, Eman M. , von Maydell, Kianna , Hunter, Riana D. , Akiyama, Jennifer A. , Novak, Catherine S. , Plajzer-Frick, Ingrid , Afzal, Veena , Tran, Stella , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Talkowski, Michael E. , Lloyd, K. C. Kent , Ren, Bing , Dickel, Diane E. , Visel, Axel , Pennacchio, Len A. 20/04/2023 Article |
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The little skate genome and the evolutionary emergence of wing-like fins Marletaz, Ferdinand , de la Calle-Mustienes, Elisa , Acemel, Rafael D. , Paliou, Christina , Naranjo, Silvia , Martinez-Garcia, Pedro Manuel , Cases, Ildefonso , Sleight, Victoria A. , Hirschberger, Christine , Marcet-Houben, Marina , Navon, Dina , Andrescavage, Ali , Skvortsova, Ksenia , Duckett, Paul Edward , Gonzalez-Rajal, Alvaro , Bogdanovic, Ozren , Gibcus, Johan H. , Yang, Liyan , Gallardo-Fuentes, Lourdes , Sospedra, Ismael , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Darbellay, Fabrice , Visel, Axel , Dekker, Job , Shubin, Neil , Gabaldon, Toni , Nakamura, Tetsuya , Tena, Juan J. , Lupianez, Dario G. , Rokhsar, Daniel S. , Gomez-Skarmeta, Jose Luis 20/04/2023 Article |
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The <i>Shh/Gli3</i> gene regulatory network precedes the origin of paired fins and reveals the deep homology between distal fins and digits Letelier, Joaquin , Naranjo, Silvia , Sospedra-Arrufat, Ismael , Ramon Martinez-Morales, Juan , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Shubin, Neil , Luis Gomez-Skarmeta, Jose 16/11/2021 Article |
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Spatial regulation by multiple <i>Gremlin1</i> enhancers provides digit development with <i>cis</i>-regulatory robustness and evolutionary plasticity Malkmus, Jonas , Martins, Laurene Ramos , Jhanwar, Shalu , Kircher, Bonnie , Palacio, Victorio , Sheth, Rushikesh , Leal, Francisca , Duchesne, Amandine , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Peterson, Kevin A. , Reinhardt, Robert , Onimaru, Koh , Cohn, Martin J. , Zuniga, Aimee , Zeller, Rolf 21/09/2021 Article |
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Gene Regulatory and Expression Differences between Mouse and Pig Limb Buds Provide Insights into the Evolutionary Emergence of Artiodactyl Traits Tissieres, Virginie , Geier, Florian , Kessler, Barbara , Wolf, Eckhard , Zeller, Rolf , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER 07/04/2020 Article |
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Enhancer redundancy provides phenotypic robustness in mammalian development Osterwalder, Marco , Barozzi, Iros , Tissieres, Virginie , Fukuda-Yuzawa, Yoko , Mannion, Brandon J. , Afzal, Sarah Y. , Lee, Elizabeth A. , Zhu, Yiwen , Plajzer-Frick, Ingrid , Pickle, Catherine S. , Kato, Momoe , Garvin, Tyler H. , Pham, Quan T. , Harrington, Anne N. , Akiyama, Jennifer A. , Afzal, Veena , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Dickel, Diane E. , Visel, Axel , Pennacchio, Len A. 08/02/2018 Article |
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HAND2 Target Gene Regulatory Networks Control Atrioventricular Canal and Cardiac Valve Development Laurent, Frederic , Girdziusaite, Ausra , Gamart, Julie , Barozzi, Iros , Osterwalder, Marco , Akiyama, Jennifer A. , Lincoln, Joy , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Visel, Axel , Zuniga, Aimee , Zeller, Rolf 23/05/2017 Article |
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Progressive Loss of Function in a Limb Enhancer during Snake Evolution Kvon, Evgeny Z. , Kamneva, Olga K. , Melo, Uira S. , Barozzi, Iros , Osterwalder, Marco , Mannion, Brandon J. , Tissieres, Virginie , Pickle, Catherine S. , Plajzer-Frick, Ingrid , Lee, Elizabeth A. , Kato, Momoe , Garvin, Tyler H. , Akiyama, Jennifer A. , Afzal, Veena , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Rubin, Edward M. , Dickel, Diane E. , Pennacchio, Len A. , Visel, Axel 20/10/2016 Article |
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The many lives of SHH in limb development and evolution LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER 01/01/2016 Review |
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Hand2 Is an Essential Regulator for Two Notch-Dependent Functions within the Embryonic Endocardium VanDusen, Nathan J. , Casanovas, Jose , Vincentz, Joshua W. , Firulli, Beth A. , Osterwalder, Marco , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Zeller, Rolf , Zhou, Bin , Grego-Bessa, Joaquim , Luis De La Pompa, Jose , Shou, Weinian , Firulli, Anthony B. 24/12/2014 Article |
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HAND2 Targets Define a Network of Transcriptional Regulators that Compartmentalize the Early Limb Bud Mesenchyme Osterwalder, Marco , Speziale, Dario , Shoukry, Malak , Mohan, Rajiv , Ivanek, Robert , Kohler, Manuel , Beisel, Christian , Wen, Xiaohui , Scales, Suzie J. , Christoffels, Vincent M. , Visel, Axel , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Zeller, Rolf 10/11/2014 Article |
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Conserved <i>cis</i>-regulatory regions in a large genomic landscape control SHH and BMP-regulated <i>Gremlin1</i> expression in mouse limb buds Zuniga, Aimee , Laurent, Frederic , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Klasen, Christian , Matt, Nicolas , Zeller, Rolf 13/08/2012 Article |
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GLI3 Constrains Digit Number by Controlling Both Progenitor Proliferation and BMP-Dependent Exit to Chondrogenesis LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Speziale, Dario , Robay, Dimitri , Scotti, Martina , Osterwalder, Marco , Nusspaumer, Gretel , Galli, Antonella , Hollaender, Georg A. , Kmita, Marie , Zeller, Rolf 17/04/2012 Article |
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Dual RMCE for efficient re-engineering of mouse mutant alleles Osterwalder, Marco , Galli, Antonella , Rosen, Barry , Skarnes, William C. , Zeller, Rolf , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER 01/11/2010 Article |
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Human intronic enhancers control distinct sub-domains of <i>Gli3</i> expression during mouse CNS and limb development Abbasi, Amir A. , Paparidis, Zissis , Malik, Sajid , Bangs, Fiona , Schmidt, Ansgar , Koch, Sabine , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Grzeschik, Karl-Heinz 28/04/2010 Article |
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Recapitulation of endochondral bone formation using human adult mesenchymal stem cells as a paradigm for developmental engineering Scotti, Celeste , Tonnarelli, Beatrice , Papadimitropoulos, Adam , Scherberich, Arnaud , Schaeren, Stefan , Schauerte, Alexandra , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Zeller, Rolf , Barbero, Andrea , Martin, Ivan 20/04/2010 Article |
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Vertebrate limb bud development: moving towards integrative analysis of organogenesis Zeller, Rolf , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Zuniga, Aimee 01/12/2009 Review |
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The Netrin-related domain of Sfrp1 interacts with Wnt ligands and antagonizes their activity in the anterior neural plate LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Esteve, Pilar , Ruiz, Jose Maria , Bovolenta, Paola 20/08/2008 Article |
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Beyond Wnt inhibition: new functions of secreted Frizzled-related proteins in development and disease Bovolenta, Paola , Esteve, Pilar , Ruiz, Jose Maria , Cisneros, Elsa , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER 15/03/2008 Review |
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Ultraconserved non-coding sequence element controls a subset of spatiotemporal <i>GLI3</i> expression Paparidis, Zissis , Abbasi, Amir Ali , Malik, Sajid , Goode, Debbie K. , Callaway, Heather , Elgar, Greg , deGraaff, Esther , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Zeller, Rolf , Grzeschik, Karl-Heinz 01/08/2007 Article |
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Reduction of BMP4 activity by gremlin 1 enables ureteric bud outgrowth and GDNF/WNT11 feedback signalling during kidney branching morphogenesis Michos, Odyssé , Goncalves, Alexandre , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Tiecke, Eva , Naillat, Florence , Beier, Konstantin , Galli, Antonella , Vainio, Seppo , Zeller, Rolf 01/07/2007 Article |
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<i>SFRP1</i> is required for the proper establishment of the eye field in the medaka fish Esteve, P , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Bovolenta, P 01/07/2004 Article |
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Six3 and Six6 activity is modulated by members of the groucho family LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Tessmar, K , Loosli, F , Wittbrodt, J , Bovolenta, P 01/01/2003 Article |
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Genomic cloning and characterization of the human homeobox gene <i>SIX6</i> reveals a cluster of <i>SIX</i> genes in chromosome 14 and associates <i>SIX6</i> hemizygosity with bilateral anophthalmia and pituitary anomalies Gallardo, ME , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Fernaud-Espinosa, I , Granadino, B , Sanz, R , Ramos, C , Ayuso, C , Seller, MJ , Brunner, HG , Bovolenta, P , de Córdoba, SR 01/10/1999 Article |
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<i>Six9 (Optx2)</i>, a new member of the Six gene family of transcription factors, is expressed at early stages of vertebrate ocular and pituitary development LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Gallardo, ME , de Córdoba, SR , Bovolenta, P 01/05/1999 Article |
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Genomic cloning, structure, expression pattern, and chromosomal location of the human <i>SIX3</i> gene Granadino, B , Gallardo, ME , LÓPEZ-RÍOS MORENO, JAVIER, Sanz, R , Ramos, C , Ayuso, C , Bovolenta, P , de Córdoba, SR 01/01/1999 Article |