R. CLAUDIO AGUILAR

My laboratory is focused in the study of protein trafficking and membrane transport in relation to the processes of cell polarity establishment (a feature that is key for animal development and crucial for physiological functions such as synaptic transmission and immune response) and carcinogenic transformation. In order to pursue our research goals we routinely use genetic, biochemistry and cell biology techniques with yeast and mammalian cells. We study protein-protein interactions at molecular level by using bioinformatics, biochemical and genetic tools (like the two-hybrid system) and we investigate the physiological relevance of these interactions by using functional assays, microscopy (of live and fixed cells) and genetic approaches.

Education

Ph.D., University of Buenos Aires, 1996

Awards

• American Society for Cell Biology: Annual Meeting, Travel Award, 2010
• American Society for Cell Biology: Annual Meeting, Travel Award, 2009
• American Society for Cell Biology: Annual Meeting, Travel Award, 2007
• American Society for Cell Biology-Minority Affair Committee: Best Research presentation Award, December, 2007
• Carl Storm Fellowship, Gordon Research Conference, June 24-30, 2006
• American Society for Cell Biology: Annual Meeting, Travel Award, 2006
• European Science Foundation - Research conference on membrane dynamics in endocytosis, Travel Award, 2005
• American Society for Cell Biology, Travel Award, 2004
• American Society for Cell Biology, Travel Award, 2002

Other Activities

Professional Organizations:

• American Society for Cell Biology, 2001-present
• American Society for Cancer Research, 2009-present

Invited Lectures:

• University of Nebraska, Medical Center (Omaha, NE): The endocytic protein Epsin regulates the Cdc42 signal transduction pathway through binding Cdc42 GTPase activating proteins. 2005.
• NHLBI National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD): The endocytic protein Epsin regulates the Cdc42 signal transduction pathway through binding Cdc42 GTPase activating proteins. 2005.
• ESF-EMBO Membrane dynamic in Endocytosis Workshop (Saint Feliu, Spain) The endocytic protein Epsin regulates the Cdc42 signal transduction pathway through binding Cdc42 GTPase Activating Proteins. September 2005.
• "New directions in endocytosis research: Roles of endocytic proteins in cell polarity and cytokinesis regulation," Annual Basic Science Colloquium: Cell Polarity in Morphogenesis and Cancer Conference, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, March 24, 2006.
• Chicago Cytoskeleton Meeting: "Non classical functions of  the endocytic protein epsin in signaling regulation." October 20, 2006.
• Robert H. Lurie.  Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University - Cell Polarity in Morphogenesis and Cancer. "Unsuspected roles of the endocytic protein Epsin in cell polarity regulation." 2006.
• Gordon Research Conferences: (Lysosome-Endocytosis), Proctor Academy, New Hampshire, June 25, 2008.
• Frontiers in Biological Membranes Symposia, Membrane Center Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, October 17, 2008.
• 48th Annual Midwest Regional Developmental Biology Meeting, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, May 29-31, 2009.
• 49th Annual Meeting American Society for Cell Biology, San Diego, CA. Lecture: OCRL1 Defieciency Leads to Cell Migration Defects in Lowe Syndrome Patient Cells. December 5-9, 2009.
• 4th Membranes Biology of Cancer International Symposium. Center for Basic and Applied Studies of Biological Membranes, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, May 6-8, 2010.
• Department of Human Genetics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, May 24, 2010.
• Bio-Conference Live on Cancer Research, June 3, 2010.
• Lowe Syndrome Symposium, London, England, December 3, 2010.
• Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana, February 18, 2011.

Conferences:

• Gordon Conference on Endocytosis, Andover, New Hampshire, June 24-30, 2006. "Unsuspected roles of the endocytic protein epsin in cell polarity regulation." (co-authored by C. Aguilar and Brian Coon)
• 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, San Diego, California. Poster presentations: "Role of the endocytic protein epsin in Cdc42 regulation" (co-authored by C. Aguilar and Brian Coon) and "EHD1 regulates LDL internalization and cholesterol homeostasis" (co-authored by C. Aguilar, Brian Coon, Dr. Steve Caplan, UNMC), December 9-13, 2006.
• EMBO Federation of Europe Biochemical Sciences workshop on Endocytic Systems, Villars-sur-ollon, Switzerland, September 18-23, 2007. Poster presentations: "Novel role of the endocytic adaptor Epsin-2 in cytokinesis regulation" by Debarati Mukherjee, Brian G. Coon, and R. Claudio Aguilar from Purdue University; Silvia A. Longhi, J. Michael McCaffery, and Beverly Wendland from Johns Hopkins University and Lilia A. Retegui from the Departemento de Química Biológica, Universidad de Buenos Aires.
• 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology, Washington, DC, December 1-5, 2007.