Dr Adrian Lopez Catalina

Core Scientist: Livestock Hologenomics

Biography

Background

Mostly workin on quantitative genetics, epigenetics, and metagenomics, specifically applying a multi-omics approach and long-read sequencing to livestock hologenomics for sustainable animal production. I have actively contributed to EU and national-funded projects (RUMIGEN, METALGEN), with a strong experience in international collaboration and scientific dissemination.

Qualifications

PhD in Agro-environmental Technology for Sustainable Agriculture (2020–2025).  Polytechnic University of Madrid. Thesis: Unveiling the Impact of Maternal Intergenerational Effects on the Methylome of Newborn Holstein Calves using Long-Read Sequencing.

MSc Degree in Biostatistics (2020–2022). Complutense University of Madrid. Thesis: Determination of the association of the dairy cattle methylome with its feed efficiency using Bayesian regression techniques. 

Inter-University MSc in Animal Breeding and Genetics and Reproductive Biotechnology (2018–2020). Autonomous University of Barcelona and Universitat Politècnica de València. Thesis: Dairy Cattle Ruminal Resistome: Characterisation And Association With Productive Traits.

BSc in Biotechnology (2014–2018). Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain. Thesis: Genetic regulation and morphogenesis of Cloeon dipterum.

Research summary

  1. Adrián López-Catalina, Mohamed Ragab, Antonio Reverter, Oscar González-Recio. A Recursive Model Approach To Include Epigenetic Effects In Genetic Evaluations Using Simulated DNA Methylation Effects. Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1111/jbg.12925
  2. Adrián López-Catalina, Antonio Reverter, Pamela A. Alexandre, Loan T. Nguyen, Óscar González-Recio. Stress-induced epigenetic effects driven by maternal lactation in dairy cattle: a comethylation network approach. Epigenetics, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/15592294.2024.2381856
  3. Adrián López-Catalina, Valentin Costes, Ramón Peiró-Pastor, Hélène Kiefer, Oscar González-Recio. Oxford Nanopore Sequencing as an alternative to Reduced Representation Bisulphite Sequencing for the identification of CpGs of interest in livestock populations. Livestock Science 105377 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2023.105377
  4. Oscar González-Recio, Adrián López-Catalina, Ramón Peiró-Pastor. et al. Evaluating the potential of (epi)genotype-by-low pass nanopore sequencing in dairy cattle: a study on direct genomic value and methylation analysis. J Animal Sci Biotechnol 14, 98 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-023-00896-3 
  5. Adrián López-Catalina, Raquel Atxaerandio, Aser García-Rodríguez, Idoia Goiri, Mónica Gutierrez-Rivas, José Antonio Jiménez ‐ Montero & Oscar González-Recio.  Characterisation of the rumen resistome in Spanish dairy cattle. Animal microbiome 3, 63 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s42523-021-00125-0
  6. Isabel Almudi, Carlos A Martín-Blanco, Isabel M García-Fernandez, Adrián López-Catalina, Kristofer Davie, Stein Aerts, Fernando Casares. Establishment of the mayfly Cloeon dipterum as a new model system to investigate insect evolution. EvoDevo 10, 6 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13227-019-0120-y

Popular Science Articles

  1. Adrián López Catalina. Chip stands to revolutionize possibilities in animal breeding and production. 2024. Feedstuffs. 
  2. Adrián López Catalina. Going beyond genetics: why we should consider epigenetics in animal production. 2024. European Forum of Farm Animal Breeders.
  3. Adrián López Catalina. La Importancia De La Epigenética En La Producción Animal: Aumentando El Potencial Genético (The Importance of Epigenetics in Animal Production: Enhancing Genetic Potential). 2023. Tierras Vacuno, 2:32-35.

Current research interests

• Quantitative Genetics & Biostatistics: Genomic prediction models, Mixed models, Bayesian and Frequentist modelling, GWAS, Genomic selection, recursive models, multiomics models, simulation of production traits and methylation information. • Molecular Biology & Omics Technologies: DNA methylation analysis, Metagenomics and microbiome characterisation (e.g., rumen resistome), Oxford Nanopore long-read sequencing, Multi-omics integration, Structural variant analysis, Wet-lab protocols such as DNA extraction (phenol:chloroform, DNeasy PowerSoil, Monarch® HMW DNA Extraction Kit for Cells & Blood, Covaris g-TUBE for Genomic DNA Shearing), quantification (Nanodrop and Qubit), sequencing (Ligation sequencing gDNA (SQK-LSK109 and SQK-LSK110, barcoding kits like EXP-PBC001, Flow Cell Wash Kits EXP-WSH004, Flowcells R9.4.1 and R10.4.1) • Bioinformatics & Data Management: High-performance computing systems, Data management protocols, Bioinformatic workflow development, SOP development and maintenance, Programming (R, Python, Fortran90, Bash scripting), Base-calling and methylation-calling software (Guppy, Dorado, NanoPolish, F5C, modbam2bed), metagenomics (SqueezeMeta)

Participant

  1. A. López-Catalina, M. Gutiérrez-Rivas, Ó. González-Recio. 2025. 40th International Society for Animal Genetics Conference. Daejeon, Republic of Korea. “Epigenetic Biomarkers Associated to Fetal Development during Maternal Lactation Using the RUMIGEN Methylation Array.”
  2. A. López-Catalina, M. Gutiérrez-Rivas, Ó. González-Recio. 2025. 76th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science. Innsbruck, Austria. “Longitudinal Analysis of DNA Methylation in Dairy Calves.”
  3. A. López-Catalina, M. Gutiérrez-Rivas, Ó. González-Recio. 2025. 76th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science. Innsbruck, Austria. “Applying the RUMIGEN Methylation Array to Identify Epigenetic Markers Associated to Fetal Development during Maternal Lactation in Cattle.”
  4. A. López-Catalina, A. Reverter, Ó. González-Recio. “HACIA LAS EVALUACIONES POST-GENÓMICAS: USO DE INFORMACIÓN EPIGENÉTICA EN PROGRAMAS DE MEJORA”. XXI Jornadas Sobre Producción Animal 2025. Zaragoza, Spain.
  5. V. Costes, A. López-Catalina, A. Raja Ravi Shankar, A. Chaulot-Talmon, G. Costa-Monteiro-Moreira, Z. Cai, G. Sahana, M. Boussaha, S. Fritz, E. M. Ibeagha-Awemu, N. Bissonnette, J. Powell, P. Navarro, S. M. Clarke, A. J. Caulton, G. Foucras, D. Rico, R. Lefebvre, K. Takeda, E. Kobayashi, C. Le Danvic, L. Schibler, H. Jammes, O. González-Recio, C. Patry, H. Kiefer. International Plant & Animal Genome Conference (PAG 32). 2025. San Diego, California, USA. “The RUMIGEN EpiChip: A Versatile, Medium Density DNA Methylation Beadchip for Large Population Studies in Cattle.”
  6. A. López-Catalina, A. Reverter, O. González-Recio. 75th Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science. 2024. Florence, Italy. “Genetic evaluations in dairy cattle incorporating an epigenetic source of information.“
  7. I. Cascone, A. López-Catalina, S. Albarella, F. Ciotola, G. Cosenza, A. Salzano, V. Peretti, Ó. González-Recio. 25th International Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Genomics. Naples, Italy. “Methylation Study in the Mediterranean Italian River Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis): Preliminary Results”
  8. Ó. González-Recio, A. López-Catalina, M. Gutiérrez-Rivas. 2024. 25th International Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Genomics. Naples, Italy. “Capturing Additional Genetic and Epigenetic Variance by Third Generation Sequencing.”
  9. I. Cascone, A. López-Catalina, Ó. González-Recio, M. Pugliano, E. D’Anza, S. Albarella, F. Ciotola, V. Peretti. 2024. 25th International Colloquium on Animal Cytogenetics and Genomics. Naples, Italy. “An Overview of DNA Methylation in Mytilus Galloprovincialis through Nanopore Technology.”
  10. A. López-Catalina, A. Reverter, P.A. Alexandre, L.T. Nguyen, O. González-Recio. 2024. International Plant & Animal Genome Conference (PAG 31). San Diego, California, USA. "Going Beyond Genetics: Studying the Dairy Cattle Epigenetic Landscape"
  11. V. Costes, A. López-Catalina, Ó. Gonzalez-Recio, M. Ben Sassi, D.E. Rico, G. Foucras, C. Le Danvic, C. Hozé, M. Boussaha, D. Boichard, H. Jammes, H. Kiefer. 2023. JOINT INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON ANIMAL SCIENCE 2023. Lyon, France. “A capture-based approach for DNA methylation analysis in cattle”.
  12. A. López-Catalina, A. Reverter-Gomez, L.R. Porto-Neto, P.A. Alexandre, L.T. Nguyen, O. González-Recio. 2023. XX JORNADAS SOBRE PRODUCCIÓN ANIMAL. Zaragoza, Spain. "Ordeñando el epigenoma del vacuno lechero: una red de co-metilación para la detección de biomarcadores asociados a estrés metabólico en terneras."
  13. Ó. González-Recio, A. López-Catalina, R. Peiró-Pastor, A. Nieto-Valle, M. Castro, A. Fernández. 2023. XIX Jornadas Sobre Producción Animal. Zaragoza, Spain.  (Epi)genotipado por secuenciación a baja profundidad usando lecturas largas de nanopore bajo un enfoque de selección genómica y epigenómica.”
  14. A. López-Catalina, A. Reverter, P.A. Alexandre, L.T. Nguyen, O. González-Recio. 2023. London Calling. London, England. "Milking the dairy cattle epigenome: a co-methylation network to detect epigenetic biomarkers associated with metabolic stress in dairy calves." (Poster)
  15. A. López-Catalina, A. Bach, M. Gutiérrez-Rivas, O. González-Recio. 2022. XX Reunión Nacional de Mejora Genética Animal, Zaragoza. "Análisis de las marcas de metilación en el genoma del vacuno lechero."
  16. A. López-Catalina, A. Reverter, P.A. Alexandre, L.T. Nguyen, Ó González-Recio. 2023. Livestock Epigenomics Workshops, The University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh, Scotland. “Trans-generation epigenetic effects driven by maternal phenotypes in dairy cattle: a co-methylation network approach”.
  17. A. López-Catalina, A. Bach, M. Gutiérrez-Rivas, R. Ramón Peiró-Pastor, Ó. González-Recio. 2022. World Congress On Genetics Applied to Livestock Production. Rotterdam, The Netherlands. ”An approach to study the association between the blood cell methylome with feed efficiency traits."
  18. A. López-Catalina, R. Atxaerandio, A. García-Rodríguez, I. Goiri, M. Gutiérrez-Rivas, J. Rey, J.A. Jiménez, O. González-Recio. 2022. 31 World Buiatrics Congress. Madrid, Spain. "Exploring Dairy Cattle Ruminal Microbiota as a reservoir of Antimicrobial Resistance Genes for the One-Health Initiative."
  19. A. López-Catalina, A. Bach, M. Gutiérrez-Rivas, O. González-Recio. 2021. 72nd Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science. Davos, Switzerland. "Bisulfite vs nanopore long-reads to sequence the dairy cattle epigenome."
  20. A. López-Catalina, R. Atzaerandio, A. García-Rodríguez, I. Goiri, J. Rey, J.A. Jiménez, Ó. González-Recio. 2021. 71st Annual Meeting of the European Federation of Animal Science. Porto, Portugal. “Dairy cattle ruminal resistome: characterisation and association with productive traits”
  21. Ó. González-Recio, A. López-Catalina, M. Gutierrez-Rivas, A. Nieto, A. Fernández, R. Peiró-Pastor, A. Bach. 2021. XIX Jornadas Sobre Producción Animal. Zaragoza, Spain. “La secuenciación por nanoporos permite conocer el epigenoma en vacuno lechero.”
  22. A. López-Catalina. 2020. 1st IberION virtual kick off meeting, supported by Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Online. “Discovering the rumen resistome in dairy cattle using nanopore long reads.”
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