Dr. Moura-Alves studied Biochemistry at Universidade da Beira Interior (Covilhã, Portugal), graduating in 2004. During his last year as a Biochemistry student, he undertook a research project at the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands). Soon after, he joined the Graduated Program in Areas of Basic and Applied Biology (GABBA) at the University of Porto (Portugal). In 2005, moved to Boston (USA) to start his PhD research project, joining the group of Prof. Dr. Bruce Walker (Partners AIDS Research Center/Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard Medical School). In 2007, returned to Portugal, joining the group of Dr. Luís Ferreira Moita (Instituto de Medicina Molecular- João Lobo Antunes, Lisboa, Portugal). After finishing his PhD in 2010, Dr. Moura Alves joined the group of Prof. Dr. Dr. Stefan Kaufmann at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology (Berlin, Germany), as a postdoctoral fellow. In March 2019, Dr. Moura Alves started his independent research group at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research/University of Oxford (Oxford, UK). As of February 2022, Dr. Moura Alves is an independent group leader and ERA Chair Holder (ImmunoHub) at the i3S (Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saude/ Universidade do Porto (Oporto, Portugal).
Over the last years Dr. Moura-Alves studied host-microbe interactions, uncovering Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRRs) and signalling pathways triggered upon different bacterial infections, as well as the bacterial counterparts that participate in such crosstalk. Dr. Moura-Alves made a seminal discovery that the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) mediates the recognition of different bacterial pigmented virulence factors, playing an important role in the regulation of immune responses to Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infections, unveiling its role as a PRR. Later, he demonstrated that the AHR is able to “spy” on bacterial communication systems and consequently regulate immune responses according to the infection status quo. In a more recent study, he showed that the AHR can act as a central actor in both host-defence and drug metabolism in Tuberculosis.
Selected Publications
Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Modulation by Tuberculosis Drugs Impairs Host Defense and Treatment Outcomes. Cell Host and Microbe27(2):238-248.e7, 2020. [Journal: Article] [CI: 25] [IF: 21]
DOI: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.12.005 SCOPUS: 85078995730
Moura-Alves P., Puyskens A., Stinn A., Klemm M., Guhlich-Bornhof U., Dorhoi A., Furkert J., Kreuchwig A., Protze J., Lozza L., Pei G., Saikali P., Perdomo C., Mollenkopf H.J., Hurwitz R., Kirschhoefer F., Brenner-Weiss G., Weiner J., Oschkinat H., Kolbe M., Krause G., Kaufmann S.H.E.
Host monitoring of quorum sensing during Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. Science366(6472):, 2019. [Journal: Article] [CI: 98] [IF: 41,8]
DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw1629 SCOPUS: 85077079979
Moura-Alves P., Faé K., Houthuys E., Dorhoi A., Kreuchwig A., Furkert J., Barison N., Diehl A., Munder A., Constant P., Skrahina T., Guhlich-Bornhof U., Klemm M., Koehler A.B., Bandermann S., Goosmann C., Mollenkopf H.J., Hurwitz R., Brinkmann V., Fillatreau S., Daffe M., Tümmler B., Kolbe M., Oschkinat H., Krause G., Kaufmann S.H.E.
AhR sensing of bacterial pigments regulates antibacterial defence. Nature512(7515):387-392, 2014. [Journal: Article] [CI: 289] [IF: 41,5]
DOI: 10.1038/nature13684 SCOPUS: 84907382483
Lozza L., Moura-Alves P., Domaszewska T., Lage Crespo C., Streata I., Kreuchwig A., Puyskens A., Bechtle M., Klemm M., Zedler U., Silviu Ungureanu B., Guhlich-Bornhof U., Koehler A.B., Stäber M., Mollenkopf H.J., Hurwitz R., Furkert J., Krause G., Weiner J., Jacinto A., Mihai I., Leite-de-Moraes M., Siebenhaar F., Maurer M., Kaufmann S.H.E.
The Henna pigment Lawsone activates the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor and impacts skin homeostasis. Scientific Reports9(1):, 2019. [Journal: Article] [CI: 18] [IF: 4]
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47350-x SCOPUS: 85069718136
Stinn A., Furkert J., Kaufmann S.H.E., Moura-Alves P., Kolbe M.
Novel method for quantifying ahr-ligand binding affinities using microscale thermophoresis. Biosensors11(3):, 2021. [Journal: Article] [CI: 8] [IF: 5,7]
DOI: 10.3390/bios11030060 SCOPUS: 85102676669
Ahsan F., Maertzdorf J., Guhlich-Bornhof U., Kaufmann S., Moura-Alves P.
IL-36/LXR axis modulates cholesterol metabolism and immune defense to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Scientific Reports8(1):, 2018. [Journal: Article] [CI: 35] [IF: 4]
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-19476-x SCOPUS: 85041098857
Ahsan F., Moura-Alves P., Guhlich-Bornhof U., Klemm M., Kaufmann S., Maertzdorf J.
Role of Interleukin 36γ in Host Defense Against Tuberculosis. Journal of Infectious Diseases214(3):464-474, 2016. [Journal: Article] [CI: 30] [IF: 6,3]
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiw152 SCOPUS: 84981225435
Mishra B.B., Moura-Alves P., Sonawane A., Hacohen N., Griffiths G., Moita L.F., Anes E.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis protein ESAT-6 is a potent activator of the NLRP3/ASC inflammasome. Cellular Microbiology12(8):1046-1063, 2010. [Journal: Article] [CI: 281] [IF: 5,6]
DOI: 10.1111/j.1462-5822.2010.01450.x SCOPUS: 77957133396
Moura-Alves P., Neves-Costa A., Raquel H., Pacheco T.R., D'Almeida B., Rodrigues R., Cadima-Couto I., Chora A., Oliveira M., Gama-Carvalho M., Hacohen N., Moita L.F.
An shRNA-based screen of splicing regulators identifies SFRS3 as a negative regulator of IL-1β secretion. PLoS ONE6(5):, 2011. [Journal: Article] [CI: 11] [IF: 4,1]
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0019829 SCOPUS: 79956068797
Kgatle M.M., Lawal I.O., Mashabela G., Boshomane T.M.G., Koatale P.C., Mahasha P.W., Ndlovu H., Vorster M., Rodrigues H.G., Zeevaart J.R., Gordon S., Moura-Alves P., Sathekge M.M.
COVID-19 Is a Multi-Organ Aggressor: Epigenetic and Clinical Marks. Frontiers in Immunology12:, 2021. [Journal: Review] [CI: 23] [IF: 8,8]
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.752380 SCOPUS: 85117787726