Maria da Graça Porto
Basic & Clinical Research on Iron Biology
Group leader
Graça Porto graduated in Medicine in 1979 at the University of Porto and specialized in Hematology/Transfusion Medicine at Santo António Hospital, Porto, where she holds a permanent clinical position, presently as Chief Consultant. Her clinical work was mostly devoted to the study of disorders of iron metabolism, running the Hospital Outpatient Clinic for Hemochromatosis. At the Abel Salazar Institute for Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS) she studied with Maria de Sousa the hematological and immunological aspects of Hereditary Hemochromatosis, earning her PhD at the University of Porto and joining the ICBAS faculty as invited full Professor. In 2003 she joined, as clinical researcher, the Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMC), Porto, and there created in 2011 a translational research group devoted to the study of iron biology and its implications in iron related disorders. The general objective of the group is focused on the reciprocal interactions between cells of the immune system and the regulation of systemic iron homeostasis, following her previous work where significant associations between immune cell defects and the severity of systemic iron overload were originally described both in animal models and in patients with Hereditary Hemochromatosis.
Selected Publications
Porto G., Brissot P., Swinkels D.W., Zoller H., Kamarainen O., Patton S., Alonso I., Morris M., Keeney S.
EMQN best practice guidelines for the molecular genetic diagnosis of hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). European Journal of Human Genetics24(4):479-495, 2016. [Journal: Review] [CI: 67] [IF: 4,3]
DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2015.128 SCOPUS: 84960397668
Duarte T.L., Caldas C., Santos A.G., Silva-Gomes S., Santos-Gonçalves A., Martins M.J., Porto G., Lopes J.M.
Genetic disruption of NRF2 promotes the development of necroinflammation and liver fibrosis in a mouse model of HFE-hereditary hemochromatosis. Redox Biology11:157-169, 2017. [Journal: Article] [CI: 36] [IF: 7,1]
DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2016.11.013 SCOPUS: 85002982394
Costa M., Cruz E., Barton J.C., Thorstensen K., Morais S., Da Silva B.M., Pinto J.P., Vieira C.P., Vieira J., Acton R.T., Porto G.
Effects of highly conserved major histocompatibility complex (MHC) extended haplotypes on iron and low CD8+ T lymphocyte phenotypes in HFE C282Y homozygous hemochromatosis patients from three geographically distant areas. PLoS ONE8(11):, 2013. [Journal: Article] [CI: 15] [IF: 3,5]
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079990 SCOPUS: 84891891855
Arezes J., Costa M., Vieira I., Dias V., Kong X.L., Fernandes R., Vos M., Carlsson A., Rikers Y., Porto G., Rangel M., Hider R.C., Pinto J.P.
Non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) uptake by T lymphocytes: Evidence for the selective acquisition of oligomeric ferric citrate species. PLoS ONE8(11):, 2013. [Journal: Article] [CI: 34] [IF: 3,5]
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079870 SCOPUS: 84891893020
França M., Martí-Bonmatí L., Silva S., Oliveira C., Alberich Bayarri Á., Vilas Boas F., Pessegueiro-Miranda H., Porto G.
Optimizing the management of hereditary haemochromatosis: the value of MRI R2* quantification to predict and monitor body iron stores. British Journal of Haematology183(3):491-493, 2018. [Journal: Letter] [CI: 10] [IF: 5,2]
DOI: 10.1111/bjh.14982 SCOPUS: 85032351854
Costa M., Cruz E., Oliveira S., Benes V., Ivacevic T., Silva M.J., Vieira I., Dias F., Fonseca S., Gonçalves M., Lima M., Ão C.L., Muckenthaler M.U., Pinto J., Porto G.
Lymphocyte gene expression signatures from patients and mouse models of hereditary hemochromatosis reveal a function of hfe as a negative regulator of cd8+ t-Lymphocyte activation and differentiation in vivo. PLoS ONE10(4):, 2015. [Journal: Article] [CI: 19] [IF: 3,1]
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124246 SCOPUS: 84928335492
Pinto J.P., Arezes J., Dias V., Oliveira S., Vieira I., Costa M., Vos M., Carlsson A., Rikers Y., Rangel M., Porto G.
Physiological implications of NTBI uptake by T lymphocytes. Frontiers in Pharmacology5 FEB:, 2014. [Journal: Article] [CI: 35] [IF: 3,8]
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2014.00024 SCOPUS: 84895529998
Drakesmith H., Porto G., de Sousa M.
Iron and the immune system. Iron Physiology and Pathophysiology in Humans:233-248, 2012. [Book: Book Chapter] [CI: 2]
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60327-485-2_12 SCOPUS: 85028717277
MacEdo M.F., Porto G., Costa M., Vieira C.P., Rocha B., Cruz E.
Low numbers of CD8 + T lymphocytes in hereditary haemochromatosis are explained by a decrease of the most mature CD8 + effector memory T cells. Clinical and Experimental Immunology159(3):363-371, 2010. [Journal: Article] [CI: 27] [IF: 3,1]
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2009.04066.x SCOPUS: 74549195700
Pinto J.P., Dias V., Zoller H., Porto G., Carmo H., Carvalho F., De Sousa M.
Hepcidin messenger RNA expression in human lymphocytes. Immunology130(2):217-230, 2010. [Journal: Article] [CI: 55] [IF: 3,3]
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2009.03226.x SCOPUS: 77952061000
EMQN best practice guidelines for the molecular genetic diagnosis of hereditary hemochromatosis (HH). European Journal of Human Genetics24(4):479-495, 2016. [Journal: Review] [CI: 67] [IF: 4,3]
DOI: 10.1038/ejhg.2015.128 SCOPUS: 84960397668
Duarte T.L., Caldas C., Santos A.G., Silva-Gomes S., Santos-Gonçalves A., Martins M.J., Porto G., Lopes J.M.
Genetic disruption of NRF2 promotes the development of necroinflammation and liver fibrosis in a mouse model of HFE-hereditary hemochromatosis. Redox Biology11:157-169, 2017. [Journal: Article] [CI: 36] [IF: 7,1]
DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2016.11.013 SCOPUS: 85002982394
Costa M., Cruz E., Barton J.C., Thorstensen K., Morais S., Da Silva B.M., Pinto J.P., Vieira C.P., Vieira J., Acton R.T., Porto G.
Effects of highly conserved major histocompatibility complex (MHC) extended haplotypes on iron and low CD8+ T lymphocyte phenotypes in HFE C282Y homozygous hemochromatosis patients from three geographically distant areas. PLoS ONE8(11):, 2013. [Journal: Article] [CI: 15] [IF: 3,5]
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079990 SCOPUS: 84891891855
Arezes J., Costa M., Vieira I., Dias V., Kong X.L., Fernandes R., Vos M., Carlsson A., Rikers Y., Porto G., Rangel M., Hider R.C., Pinto J.P.
Non-transferrin-bound iron (NTBI) uptake by T lymphocytes: Evidence for the selective acquisition of oligomeric ferric citrate species. PLoS ONE8(11):, 2013. [Journal: Article] [CI: 34] [IF: 3,5]
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079870 SCOPUS: 84891893020
França M., Martí-Bonmatí L., Silva S., Oliveira C., Alberich Bayarri Á., Vilas Boas F., Pessegueiro-Miranda H., Porto G.
Optimizing the management of hereditary haemochromatosis: the value of MRI R2* quantification to predict and monitor body iron stores. British Journal of Haematology183(3):491-493, 2018. [Journal: Letter] [CI: 10] [IF: 5,2]
DOI: 10.1111/bjh.14982 SCOPUS: 85032351854
Costa M., Cruz E., Oliveira S., Benes V., Ivacevic T., Silva M.J., Vieira I., Dias F., Fonseca S., Gonçalves M., Lima M., Ão C.L., Muckenthaler M.U., Pinto J., Porto G.
Lymphocyte gene expression signatures from patients and mouse models of hereditary hemochromatosis reveal a function of hfe as a negative regulator of cd8+ t-Lymphocyte activation and differentiation in vivo. PLoS ONE10(4):, 2015. [Journal: Article] [CI: 19] [IF: 3,1]
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0124246 SCOPUS: 84928335492
Pinto J.P., Arezes J., Dias V., Oliveira S., Vieira I., Costa M., Vos M., Carlsson A., Rikers Y., Rangel M., Porto G.
Physiological implications of NTBI uptake by T lymphocytes. Frontiers in Pharmacology5 FEB:, 2014. [Journal: Article] [CI: 35] [IF: 3,8]
DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2014.00024 SCOPUS: 84895529998
Drakesmith H., Porto G., de Sousa M.
Iron and the immune system. Iron Physiology and Pathophysiology in Humans:233-248, 2012. [Book: Book Chapter] [CI: 2]
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-60327-485-2_12 SCOPUS: 85028717277
MacEdo M.F., Porto G., Costa M., Vieira C.P., Rocha B., Cruz E.
Low numbers of CD8 + T lymphocytes in hereditary haemochromatosis are explained by a decrease of the most mature CD8 + effector memory T cells. Clinical and Experimental Immunology159(3):363-371, 2010. [Journal: Article] [CI: 27] [IF: 3,1]
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2009.04066.x SCOPUS: 74549195700
Pinto J.P., Dias V., Zoller H., Porto G., Carmo H., Carvalho F., De Sousa M.
Hepcidin messenger RNA expression in human lymphocytes. Immunology130(2):217-230, 2010. [Journal: Article] [CI: 55] [IF: 3,3]
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2567.2009.03226.x SCOPUS: 77952061000