Source: Interfolio F180
Sergio Catz, PhD
Research Focus
Intracellular vesicular transport is essential for nearly all aspects of cellular physiology and plays a central role in the regulation of cellular homeostasis, cell division and immunity. The processes regulated by vesicular transport studied in my laboratory include autophagy, exocytosis, cytokine secretion, phagocytosis, nucleic acid sensing, neutrophil extracellular trap formation and lysosomal function. Molecular mechanisms studied in my laboratory are associated with human diseases including inflammation in the setting of coronary artery disease, lysosomal storage disorders and autoimmunity.
Most vesicular transport processes are regulated by Rab proteins, monomeric GTPases of the Ras superfamily, that act as membrane organizers. My laboratory utilizes super-resolution microscopy approaches and functional assays for the study of Rab GTPases and effector molecules and their role in trafficking mechanisms. In our studies, we utilize animal models and cellular systems with the common objective of elucidating cellular mechanisms important for physiology and disease. In addition, we have developed unique quantitative systems biology methods for the analysis of organelle dynamics and positioned ourselves as one of the few laboratories studying the processes that control vesicular trafficking mechanisms preceding exocytosis, phagocytosis, endosomal maturation and autophagolysosomal formation in innate immune cells.
We have developed and implemented high-throughput screening assays and identified small-molecule inhibitors and activators of vesicular trafficking. We discovered specific compounds that are being utilized to interrogate mechanistic questions and explore their activity in pre-clinical models of coronary artery disease, lysosomal disorders, viral encephalitis and autoinflammatory syndrome. Our research elucidates molecular mechanisms regulating vesicular transport and has the potential to lead to effective, novel therapeutical strategies for the treatment of human disease.
Education
Ph.D., University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1997B.S., University of Buenos Aries, Argentina, 1991
Professional Experience
1998-2002 Postdoctoral Associate, Scripps Research2002-2004 Research Associate Sr, Scripps Research
2004-2010 Assistant Professor, Scripps Research
2010-2017 Associate Professor, Molecular & Experimental Medicine, Scripps Research
2017-2017 Associate Professor, Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research
2017-2023 Professor, Molecular Medicine, Scripps Research
2023-present Professor, Molecular & Cellular Biology, Scripps Research
Awards & Professional Activities
2026 Chair elected, “Neutrophil Biennial International Symposium”
2024 Editor, Journal of Leukocyte Biology
2023 Chair elected, Gordon Research Conference-Phagocytes 2023
2023 Chair (ad hoc) NIH, CSF1 study section
2023 NIH, CSF1 study section permanent member
2021 Vice Chair elected, Gordon Research Conference-Phagocytes 2021
2021 Co-Chair, Search committee for managing Editor, Journal of Leukocyte Biology
2019-2024 Council Society for Leukocyte Biology
2019 - 2025 NIH, MBPP study section, permanent member, NIH
2016 Editorial Review Board, Cystinosis Research Foundation
2014 Editorial board member, Journal of Biological Chemistry
2011 International Scientific Advisory Board of the biennial symposium “Neutrophil in Immunity"
2010 Committee member - Molecular and Cellular Biology Affinity Group Seminar Series, The Scripps Research Institute
2000 Postdoctoral fellowship in Neutrophil Function held at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA, The American Heart Association
1998 Postdoctoral Fellowship in Neutrophil Function held at The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA, Ministerio de Education de la Nación, Argentina
1994 Pre-doctoral Fellowship in Biological Chemistry held at the Department of Biological Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, The University of Buenos Aires
1992 Pre-doctoral Fellowship in Biochemistry held at The Laboratory of Oxygen Metabolism, School of Medicine, The University of Buenos Aires
1991 Student Fellowship in Biochemistry held at The Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, The University of Buenos Aires
1995 Prize Boeringher Ingelheim for the best work presented in poster at the XIX. Jornadas Anuales de Progresos en Alergia, Asma e Inmunología, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Selected Publications
Yu, Juan; Meneses-Salas, Elsa; Johnson, Jennifer L.; Manenti, Susanna; Kbaich, Mouad Ai A.; Chen, Danni; Askari, Kasra; He, Jing; Shukla, Aparna; Shaji, Binchu; Gonzalez-Quintial, Rosana; Croker, Ben A.; Zhang, Jinzhong; Hoffman, Hal; Kiosses, William B.; Hedrick, Catherine; Pestonjamasp, Kersi; Wineinger, Nathan; Baccala, Roberto; Catz, Sergio D. Defective endomembrane dynamics in Rab27a deficiency impairs nucleic acid sensing and cytokine secretion in immune cells. Cell Reports 2024, 43, 114598.
Catz, Sergio D. Divergent mechanisms of inflammasome activation in neutrophil early response and inflammation. Nature Immunology 2023, 24, 1970-1971.
Johnson, Jennifer A.; Meneses-Salas, Elsa; Ramadass, Mahalakshmi; Monfregola, Jlenia; Rahman, Farhana; Gontijo, Raquel C.; Kiosses, William B.; Pestonjamasp, Kersi; Allen, Dale J.; Zhang, Jinzhong; Osborne, Douglas; Zhu, Yanfang P.; Wineinger, Nathan E.; Askari, Kasra; Chen, Danni; Yu, Juan; Henderson, Scott C.; Hedrick, Catherine C.; Ursini, Matilde V.; Grinstein, Sergio; Billadeau, Daniel D.; Catz, Sergio D. Differential dysregulation of granule subsets in WASH-deficient neutrophil leukocytes resulting in inflammation. Nature Communications 2022.
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Johnson, Jennifer L.; Ramadass, Mahalakshmi; Rahman, Farhana; Meneses-salas, Elsa; Zgajnar, Nadia R.; Gontijo, Raquel C.; Zhang, Jinzhong; Kiosses, William B.; Zhu, Yanfang P.; Hedrick, Catherine C.; Perego, Marta; Gunton, Jenny E.; Pestonjamasp, Kersi; Napolitano, Gennaro; Catz, Sergio D. The atypical small GTPase GEM/Kir is a negative regulator of the NADPH oxidase and NETs production through macroautophagy. Journal of Leukocyte Biology 2021, 110, 629-649.
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Zhang, Jinzhong; Rahman, Farhana; Pestonjamasp, Kersi; Johnson, Jennifer L.; He, Jing; Cherqui, Stephanie; Catz, Sergio D. DYNC1LI2 regulates localization of the chaperone-mediated autophagy receptor LAMP2A and improves cellular homeostasis in cystinosis. Autophagy 2021, 18, 1108-1126.
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Zeng, Furong; Chen, Zhizhao; Chen, Rao; Shufesky, William J.; Bandyopadhyay, Mohna; Camirand, Geoffrey; Oberbarnscheidt, Martin H.; Sullivan, Mara L.; Baty, Catherine J.; Yang, Mu-qing; Calderon, Michel; Stolz, Donna B.; Erdos, Geza; Pelanda, Roberta; Brennan, Todd V.; Catz, Sergio D.; Watkins, Simon C.; Larregina, Adriana T.; Morelli, Adrian E. Graft-derived extracellular vesicles transported across subcapsular sinus macrophages elicit B cell alloimmunity after transplantation.. Science Translational Medicine 2021, 13, eabb0122.
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Catz, Sergio D.; McLeish, K. R. Therapeutic targeting of neutrophil exocytosis. Journal of Leukocyte Biology 2020, 107, 393-408.
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Karmakar, M.; Minns, M.; Greenberg, E. N.; Diaz-Aponte, J.; Pestonjamasp, K.; Johnson, J. L.; Rathkey, J. K.; Abbott, D. W.; Wang, K.; Shao, F.; Catz, Sergio D.; Dubyak, G. R.; Pearlman, E. N-GSDMD trafficking to neutrophil organelles facilitates IL-1 beta release independently of plasma membrane pores and pyroptosis. Nature Communications 2020, 11, 2212.
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