Metastasis and Circadian Rhythm
Group Leader:
Dr Zoi Diamantopoulou
Research in our laboratory, supported by a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship, is dedicated to exploring the timing of metastasis. We aim to determine when metastasis occurs in various cancers, elucidate the molecular mechanisms through which circadian rhythm regulates the generation and metastatic spread of CTCs and identify gene vulnerabilities that could serve as targets for the development of novel anti-metastatic chronotherapeutics.
Lab Reports
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Recent Publications
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Lab Members
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Recent Publications
2026
Pall GS, Melo C, Ortega-Campos SM, Diamantopoulou Z. Designing the Perfect Strike Against Cancer: Clocking In with the Circadian Rhythm. Annual Review of Cancer Biology. 2026;10:157-178
2025
Saini M, Castro-Giner F, Hotz A, Sznurkowska MK, Nüesch M, Cuenot FM, Budinjas S, Bilfeld G, Ildız ES, Strittmatter K, Krol I, Diamantopoulou Z, Paasinen-Sohns A, Waldmeier M, Cássio R, Kreutzer S, Kontarakis Z, Gvozdenovic A, Aceto N. StealTHY: An immunogen-free CRISPR platform to expose concealed metastasis regulators in immunocompetent models. Cell. 2025.
2023
Diamantopoulou Z, Gvozdenovic A, Aceto N. A new time dimension in the fight against metastasis. Trends Cell Biol. 2023.
Ginn L, Maltas J, Baker MJ, Chaturvedi A, Wilson L, Guilbert R, Amaral FMR, Priest L, Mole H, Blackhall F, Diamantopoulou Z, Somervaille TCP, Hurlstone A, Malliri A. A TIAM1-TRIM28 complex mediates epigenetic silencing of protocadherins to promote migration of lung cancer cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023;120(40):e2300489120.
2022
Scheidmann MC, Castro-Giner F, Strittmatter K, Krol I, Paasinen-Sohns A, Scherrer R, Donato C, Gkountela S, Szczerba BM, Diamantopoulou Z, Muenst S, Vlajnic T, Kunz L, Vetter M, Rochlitz C, Taylor V, Giachino C, Schroeder T, Platt RJ, Aceto N. An In Vivo CRISPR Screen Identifies Stepwise Genetic Dependencies of Metastatic Progression. Cancer Res. 2022;82:681-694.
Diamantopoulou Z, Castro-Giner F, Schwab FD, Foerster C, Saini M, Budinjas S, Strittmatter K, Krol I, Seifert B, Heinzelmann-Schwarz V, Kurzeder C, Rochlitz C, Vetter M, Weber WP, Aceto N. The metastatic spread of breast cancer accelerates during sleep. Nature. 2022;607:156-162.
2020
Diamantopoulou Z, Castro-Giner F, Aceto N. Circulating tumor cells: Ready for translation? J Exp Med. 2020;217.
2018
Woroniuk A, Porter A, White G, Newman DT, Diamantopoulou Z, Waring T, Rooney C, Strathdee D, Marston DJ, Hahn KM, Sansom OJ, Zech T, Malliri A. STEF/TIAM2-mediated Rac1 activity at the nuclear envelope regulates the perinuclear actin cap. Nature Communications. 2018;9:2124.
Chatzileontiadou DSM, Tsika AC, Diamantopoulou Z, Delbé J, Badet J, Courty J, Skamnaki VT, Parmenopoulou V, Komiotis D, Hayes JM, Spyroulias GA, Leonidas DD. Evidence for Novel Action at the Cell-Binding Site of Human Angiogenin Revealed by Heteronuclear NMR Spectroscopy, in silico and in vivo Studies. ChemMedChem. 2018;13:259-269.
2017
Diamantopoulou Z, White G, Fadlullah MZH, Dreger M, Pickering K, Maltas J, Ashton G, MacLeod R, Baillie GS, Kouskoff V, Lacaud G, Murray GI, Sansom OJ, Hurlstone AFL, Malliri A. TIAM1 Antagonizes TAZ/YAP Both in the Destruction Complex in the Cytoplasm and in the Nucleus to Inhibit Invasion of Intestinal Epithelial Cells. Cancer Cell. 2017;31:621-634.e626.
2015
Whalley HJ, Porter AP, Diamantopoulou Z, White GRM, Castañeda-Saucedo E, Malliri A. Cdk1 phosphorylates the Rac activator Tiam1 to activate centrosomal Pak and promote mitotic spindle formation. Nature Communications. 2015;6:7437.
Diamantopoulou Z, Gilles ME, Sader M, Cossutta M, Vallée B, Houppe C, Habert D, Brissault B, Leroy E, Maione F, Giraudo E, Destouches D, Penelle J, Courty J, Cascone I. Multivalent cationic pseudopeptide polyplexes as a tool for cancer therapy. Oncotarget. 2017;8:90108-90122.
2012
Pappa EV, Zompra AA, Diamantopoulou Z, Spyranti Z, Pairas G, Lamari FN, Katsoris P, Spyroulias GA, Cordopatis P. Structure-activity studies of lGnRH-III through rational amino acid substitution and NMR conformational studies. Biopolymers. 2012;98:525-534.
Diamantopoulou Z, Kitsou P, Menashi S, Courty J, Katsoris P. Loss of receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase β/ζ (RPTPβ/ζ) promotes prostate cancer metastasis. J Biol Chem. 2012;287:40339-40349.
2011
Pappa EV, Zompra AA, Spyranti Z, Diamantopoulou Z, Pairas G, Lamari FN, Katsoris P, Spyroulias GA, Cordopatis P. Enzymatic stability, solution structure, and antiproliferative effect on prostate cancer cells of leuprolide and new gonadotropin-releasing hormone peptide analogs. Biopolymers. 2011;96:260-272.
2010
Diamantopoulou Z, Bermek O, Polykratis A, Hamma-Kourbali Y, Delbé J, Courty J, Katsoris P. A Pleiotrophin C-terminus peptide induces anti-cancer effects through RPTPβ/ζ. Molecular Cancer. 2010;9:224.
2007
Bermek O, Diamantopoulou Z, Polykratis A, Dos Santos C, Hamma-Kourbali Y, Burlina F, Delbé J, Chassaing G, Fernig DG, Katsoris P, Courty J. A basic peptide derived from the HARP C-terminus inhibits anchorage-independent growth of DU145 prostate cancer cells. Exp Cell Res. 2007;313:4041-4050.
