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CV NAME
Alvaro Fernando Acosta-Serrano
PERSONAL DATA Nationality: Venezuelan (UK permanent resident)
Date of birth: 30/10/66 Marital status: Single (living with
partner); one daughter
CURRENT POSITION
Wellcome Trust Research Fellow (independent investigator)
Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, University of Glasgow,
Scotland, UK
OFFICE ADDRESS
Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology, Glasgow Biomedical
Research Centre, University of Glasgow, 120 University Place,
Glasgow G12 8TA, Scotland, UK. Tel: 44-141-3305946; Fax:
44-141-330-5422 Emails:[email protected] /
[email protected]
EDUCATION
2000 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore,
U.S.A. Post-doctoral fellow with Prof. Paul T. Englund.
1996 Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil D.Sc. in
Molecular Parasitology with Prof. Sergio Schenkman.
1990 "Andrés Bello" Catholic University, Venezuela BE. Major:
Biological Sciences.
AWARDS
2003-2007 Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship (GB£
490,000). 2000-2003 Wellcome Trust International Travelling
Research Fellowship (GB£ 120,000). 1996-1997 CONICIT (National
Research Council of Venezuela) Postdoctoral fellowship (US$
30,000). 1991-1996 CONICIT Graduate studies fellowship (US$
~100,000). 1994 WHO/TDR/World Bank Fellowship Training Grant in
Tropical Diseases (US$
~10,000). 1991 United Nations University Biotechnology
fellowship. (US$ ~5,000). 1989 Venezuelan Institute for Scientific
Investigations (IVIC) undergraduate research
fellowship.
RESEARCH INTEREST Biosynthesis, structure and function of
parasite surface glycoconjugates. General Glycobiology.
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE 2000-2003 University of Dundee, Scotland,
UK.
Wellcome Trust Int'l Travelling Fellow with Prof. Michael A.
Ferguson, FRS. 1996-2000 Johns Hopkins University School of
Medicine, Baltimore, U.S.A.
Post-doctoral fellow with Prof. Paul T. Englund. 1992-1996
Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil.
Graduate student with Prof. Sergio Schenkman.
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1994 University of Dundee, Scotland, UK. WHO visiting student
with Prof. Michael A. Ferguson, FRS.
1989-1991 Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.
Research Assistant with Prof. José Luis Avila.
1988-89 IVIC, Caracas, Venezuela. Undergraduate student with Dr.
Fabian Michelangeli
REFERENCES
Prof. Paul T. Englund. Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine, 725 N. Wolfe St., Baltimore,
MD 21205, USA. Tel: +1-410-9553790. E-mail: [email protected] Prof.
Michael A.J. Ferguson, FRS. Division of Biological Chemistry and
Molecular Microbiology, Wellcome Trust Biocentre, University of
Dundee, Dundee DD1 5HE, Scotland, UK. Tel: +44-1382-344219. E-mail:
[email protected] Prof. James D. Bangs. Department of
Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Wisconsin, 1300
University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706-1532, U.S.A. E-mail:
[email protected]
CURRENT COLLABORATORS Prof. Taroh Kinoshita, Osaka University,
Japan. Subject: investigations on the role of trans-sialidases and
sialic acids in the trypanosome-tsetse fly interaction. Prof.
Michael AJ Ferguson, FRS, Dundee University, Scotland. Subject:
structural characterisation of novel T. brucei surface
glycoconjugates; functional characterisation of trypanosome GPI
mutants. Prof. Peter Butikofer, Bern University, Switzerland.
Subject: structural analysis of major GPI surface glycoconjugates
from T. congolense insect forms. Dr. Keith Matthews, Edinburgh
University, Scotland. Subject: biochemical and functional
characterisation of T. brucei ESAG9 proteins.
PAST COLLABORATORS Prof. George AM Cross, FRS. Rockefeller
University, USA. Subject: biochemical characterisation of
trypanosome mutants obtained by transposition mutagenesis. Prof.
Isabel Roditi, Bern University, Switzerland. Subject: expression,
structural characterisation and processing of the major surface
proteins expressed by T. brucei tsetse fly forms. Dr. James Morris,
Clemson University, USA. Subject: isolation and biochemical
characterisation of trypanosome glycosylation mutants obtained by a
trypanosome RNAi library. Dr. Mark Field, Cambridge University, UK.
Subject: biochemical characterisation of T. brucei mutants
defective in the endocytic pathway.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2005 Invited Lecturer in the course "Glycobiology of Parasites".
Department of Cell Biology, Faculty of Science, Universidad de los
Andes, Merida, Venezuela.
2002 Tutor in the Cellular and Molecular Biology course for
undergraduate students at University of Dundee, Scotland.
1998 Invited Lecturer in the course "Biology of Parasitism".
Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore,
USA.
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1998 Tutor in the course "Molecules and Cells (Biochemistry of
Metabolism section)". Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine,
Baltimore, USA..
SUPERVISED STUDENTS AND POSTDOCS
2007- Barbara Marchetti. Post-doctoral Research Assistant. 2007-
Igor Cestari. Visiting student from Instituto Osvaldo Cruz, Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. 2004-2007 Sylvia Lee. PhD student, Glasgow
University (supervisor). 2006- Yuk-Chien Liu. PhD student, Glasgow
University (supervisor).. 2006 Priscila Pena. Visiting student from
"Los Andes" University, Venezuela. 2001-2003 Jim McRae. PhD
student, Dundee University (co-supervisor) 1999 Alfred Ntambi.
Undergraduate student, Johns Hopkins University
(co-supervisor).
OTHERS: Ad hoc reviewer for EMBO Journal, Eukaryotic Cell,
European Journal of Biochemistry, Experimental Parasitology,
Glycobiology, Infection and Immunity, Microbes and Infection,
Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, Molecular and Cellular
Biology, Parasitology, and Trends in Parasitology. Ad hoc reviewer
for The Wellcome Trust. Co-editor of the book 'Trypanosomes — after
the genome.' (Barry JD, Mottram J, McCulloch R and Acosta-Serrano
A. eds.). Horizon Press. (2007).
PUBLICATION RECORD (listed as Acosta or Acosta-Serrano) Research
papers: 1. Avila, J. L., Rojas, M. and Acosta, A. (1991).
‘Glycoinositol Phospholipids from American Leishmania and
Trypanosoma spp.: Partial Characterization of the Glycan Cores and
the Humoral Immune Response to Them’. J. Clin. Microbiol. 29: 2305
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2. Ruiz, MC., Abad, MJ., Gonzalez, B., Acosta, A. and
Michelangeli, F. (1993). ‘Comparison of the Control of Acid and
Pepsinogen Secretion by Oxyntopeptic Cell of Amphibian’. Acta
Cient. Venezolana 44: 89-94.
3. Ruiz, MC., Acosta, A., Abad, MJ. and Michelangeli, F. (1993).
‘Nonparallel Secretion of Pepsinogen and Acid by Gastric
Oxyntopeptic Cell of the Toad (Bufo marinus)’. Am. J. Physiol. 265:
G934-G941.
4. Acosta, A., Schenkman, RP. and Schenkman, S. (1994). ‘Sialic
Acid acceptors of Different Stages of Trypanosoma cruzi are
mucin-like glycoproteins linked to the parasite by GPI anchors’.
Brazilian J. Med. Biol. Res. 27: 439-442.
5. Amino, R., Acosta Serrano, A., Morita, OM., P. Chioccola, VL.
and Schenkman, S. (1995). ‘A Sialidase Activity in the Midgut of
the Insect Triatoma infestans is Responsible for the Low Levels of
Sialic Acid Present in Trypanosoma cruzi Growing in the Insect
Vector’. Glycobiology 5 (6): 625-631.
6. Acosta Serrano, A., Schenkman, S., Yoshida, N., Mehlert, A.,
Richardson, MJ. and Ferguson, MAJ. (1995). ‘The Lipid Structure of
the Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Anchored Mucin-like Sialic Acid
Acceptors of Trypanosoma cruzi changes during parasite
differentiation from Epimastigotes to Infective Metacyclic
Trypomastigote Forms’. J. Biol. Chem. 270: 27244-27253.
7. Yoshida, N., Dorta, M., Ferreira, A., Oshiro, ME., Mortara,
R., Acosta-Serrano, A. and Favoreto Jr., S. (1997). ‘Removal of
Sialic Acid from Mucin-like surface molecules of
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Trypanosoma cruzi Metacyclic Trypomastigotes Enhances
Parasite-Host Cell Interaction’. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 84:
57-67
8. Hwa, K-Y., Acosta-Serrano, A., Khoo, K-H., Pearson, TW. and
Englund. PT. (1999). ‘Protein Glycosylation Mutants of Procyclic
Trypanosoma brucei: Defects in the Asparagine-Glycosylation
Pathway’. Glycobiology 9: 181-190.
9. Acosta-Serrano, A., Cole, RN., Mehlert, A., Lee, MG-S.,
Ferguson, MAJ. and Englund, PT. (1999). ‘The Procyclin Repertoire
of Trypanosoma brucei: Identification and Structural
Characterization of the Glu-Pro-Rich Polypeptides’. J. Biol. Chem.
274: 29763-29771.
10. Pereira-Chioccola, VL., Acosta-Serrano, A., de Almeida I.,
Souto-Padron, T., Rodrigues, MM., Ferguson, MAJ., Travassos, LR and
Schenkman, S. (2000). ‘Mucin-Like Molecules Form a Sialylated Coat
that Protects Trypanosoma cruzi Trypomastigotes Against Complement
Independent Killing Induced by Human Anti-α-Galactosyl Antibodies’.
J. Cell. Sci. 113: 1299-1307.
11. Morita, YS., Acosta-Serrano, A., Buxbaum LA. and Englund PT.
(2000). ‘Glycosyl Phosphatidylinositol Myristoylation in African
Trypanosomes: New Intermediates in the Pathway for Fatty Acid
Remodeling’. J. Biol. Chem. 275: 14147--14154.
12. Acosta-Serrano, A., Cole, RN. and Englund, PT. (2000).
‘Killing of Trypanosoma brucei by Concanavalin A: The Structural
Basis of Resistance in Glycosylation Mutants’. J. Mol. Biol. 304:
633-644.
13. Leal, S., Acosta-Serrano, A., Morita, YS., Englund, PT.,
Böhme, U., and Cross GAM. (2001). ‘Virulence of Trypanosoma brucei
427 is not affected by the absence of glycosylphosphatidylinositol
phospholipase C’. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 114: 245-247.
14. Acosta-Serrano, A., Vassella, E., Liniger, M., Kunz, RC.,
Brun, R., Roditi, I., and Englund, PT. (2001). ‘The Surface Coat of
Procyclic Trypanosoma brucei: Programmed Expression and Proteolytic
Cleavage in the Tsetse Fly’. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 98:
1513-1518.
15. Vassella, E., Acosta-Serrano, A., Studer E., Lee S.-H.,
Englund, PT., and Roditi, I. (2001). ‘Multiple procyclin isoforms
are differentially expressed during the development of insect forms
of Trypanosoma brucei’. J. Mol. Biol. 312: 597-607.
16. Bütikofer, P., Jelk, J., Malherbe, T., Vassella, E.,
Acosta-Serrano, A., Kunz Renggli, C., Brun R., and Roditi. I.
(2003) ‘Phosphorylation of GPEET procyclin is not necessary for
survival of Trypanosoma brucei procyclic forms in culture and in
the tsetse fly’. Mol. Biochem. Parasitol 126: 287-291
17. Liniger, M. Acosta-Serrano, A. Van Den Abbeele, J. Kunz
Renggli, C., Brun,R., Englund, P.T., and Roditi, I. (2003).
‘Cleavage of trypanosome surface glycoproteins by alkaline
trypsin-like enzyme(s) in the midgut of Glossina morsitans’. Int.
J. Parasitol. 33: 1319-1328
18. Acosta-Serrano, A., O’Rear, J., Quellhorst, G., Lee, SH.,
Hwa, KY, Krag, SS., and Englund, PT. (2004). ‘A Trypanosoma brucei
Glycosylation Mutant: Defects in the N-linked Oligosaccharide
Biosynthetic Pathway’. Eukaryotic Cell 3: 255-263.
19. Nagamune, K., Acosta-Serrano, A., Uemura, H., Brun, R.,
Maeda, Y., Ferguson, MAJ., and Kinoshita, T. (2004). 'Surface
sialic acids taken from the host allow trypanosome to survive in
tsetse fly vectors'. J. Exp. Med 199: 1445-1450.
20. Leal, S., Acosta-Serrano, A., Morris, J, and Cross, GAM.
(2004) 'Insertional mutagenesis of Trypanosoma. brucei identifies
glycosylation mutants resistant to concanavalin A killing'. J.
Biol. Chem. 279: 28979-28988.
21. MacRae, JI., Acosta-Serrano, A., Morrice, N., and Ferguson,
MAJ. (2005). 'Structural Characterization of NETNES, a higly
glycosylated glycoconjugate in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes' J.
Biol. Chem. 280: 12201-12211.
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22. Roper, RJ., MacRae, JI., Guther, L., Prescott, AR.,
Hallyburton, I., Acosta-Serrano, A. and Ferguson, MAJ. (2005). ‘The
suppression of galactose metabolism in procyclic form Trypanosoma
brucei causes cessation of cell growth and alters procyclin
glycoprotein structure and copy numbers’ J. Biol. Chem. 280:
19728-19736.
23. Hall, BS., Arun P., Goulding D., Acosta-Serrano, A., and
Field, MC. (2005). 'Trypanosoma brucei: TbRAB4 regulates membrane
recycling and expression of surface proteins in procyclic forms'.
Exp. Parasitol. 111: 160-171.
24. Utz S., Roditi I., Kunz Renggli, C., Almeida, IC.,
Acosta-Serrano, A.,and Butikofer P. (2006). 'Trypanosoma congolense
procyclin: a novel heavily glycosylated, repetitive surface protein
expressed by procyclic forms'. Eukaryotic Cell 5:1430-1440.
25. Guther, MLS., Lee, SY., Tetley, L., Acosta-Serrano, A., and
Ferguson, MAJ. (2006). 'GPI-anchored proteins and free GPI
glycolipids of procyclic form Trypanosoma brucei are non-essential
for growth, are required for colonisation of the tsetse fly and are
not the only components of the surface coat'. Mol. Biol. Cell
17:5265-5274.
Review articles: 1. Briones, MRS., Egima, MC., Acosta, A. and
Schenkman, S. (1994). ‘Trans-sialidase and Sialic Acid Acceptors
from Insect to Mammalian Stages of Trypanosoma cruzi’. Exp.
Parasitol. 79: 211-214. 2. Gazzinelli, RT., Camargo, MM., Almeida,
IC., Morita, YS., Giraldo, M., Acosta-Serrano, A., Hieny, S.,
Englund, PT., Ferguson, MAJ., Travassos, LR and Sher, A. (1997).
‘Identification and Characterization of Protozoan Products That
Trigger the Synthesis of IL-12 by Inflammatory Macrophages’. Chem.
Immunol. 68: 136-152.
3. Acosta-Serrano A., de Almeida I., Freitas Jr., LH., Yoshida
N. and Schenkman, S. (2001). ‘The Mucin-like Glycoprotein
Super-Family of Trypanosoma cruzi: Structure and Biological Roles’.
Mol. Biochem. Parasitol. 114: 143-150.
Book chapters: 1. Morita, YS., Acosta-Serrano, A., and Englund
PT. (2000). ‘The Biosynthesis of GPI Anchors’. In: Oligosaccharides
in Chemistry and Biology – A Comprehensive Handbook (eds: Ernst, P.
Sinaÿ, and G. Hart). Wiley-VCH, Weinheim, Germany, pg. 417-433.
2. Morris, JC., Morris MT., Lee SY., Toole, WP., Seifert, CM and
Acosta-Serrano, A.. (2007). 'Reverse and forward genetics as
practical approaches for post-genome studies'. in 'Trypanosomes —
after the genome.' (Barry, JD., Mottram, J., McCulloch R., and
Acosta-Serrano, A., eds.). Horizon Press, UK, pg. 49-70.
3. Acosta-Serrano, A., Hutchinson, C., Nakayasu ES., Almeida,
IC. and Carrington, M. (2007). 'Comparison and evolution of the
surface architecture of trypanosomatid parasites'. in 'Trypanosomes
— after the genome.' (Barry, JD., Mottram, J., McCulloch R., and
Acosta-Serrano, A., eds.). Horizon Press, UK, pg. 319-337.
In preparation: - Acosta-Serrano, A., Nagamune, K., MacRae, J.,
Richardson, J., Kinoshita, T. and Ferguson, MAJ. ‘Structural
characterization of a new family of N-Acetyl-lactosamine-rich
glycoinositolphospholipids of procyclic form Trypanosoma
brucei'.
- Acosta-Serrano, A., Nagamune, Kinoshita, T. and Ferguson, MAJ.
‘Structural characterization of sialylated
glycoinositolphospholipids from Trypanosoma brucei GPI10 null
cells'.
- Liu, Y.-C. and Acosta-Serrano, A. 'Evidence for the presence
of two parallel pathways of GPI synthesis in Trypanosoma brucei
insect forms.'
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- Lee SY., Guther, MLS., Barry, JD., Ferguson, MAJ, and
Acosta-Serrano, A. 'Mariner transposition generates procyclic form
Trypanosoma brucei mutants defective in the first step of
glycosylphosphatidylinositol synthesis and unable to survive in
tsetse fly vectors'.
- Liu, Y.-C., Hermoso, T., Mottram, J, and Acosta-Serrano, A.
'Complete absence of the glycosylphosphatidylinositol biosynthetic
pathway in the human parasite, Trichomonas vaginalis.'
- Seifert, CM., Grubbs A., Morris MT., Acosta-Serrano, A., and
Morris, JC. 'A Trypanosoma brucei AMP-dependent kinase links
nutrient sensing and surface molecule expression'.
CONGRESS COMMUNICATIONS
Over forty published communications in both Molecular
Parasitology and Glycobiology international meetings.
SELECTED ORAL PRESENTATIONS AND INVITED SEMINARS (since
2001)
2007 Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at
El Paso 2007 24th Swiss Trypanosomatid Meeting, Leysin, Switzerland
(opening conference). 2006 Instituto de Biologia Molecular do
Parana, Curitiba, Brazil. 2006 School of Biological Sciences,
University of Edinburgh, UK. 2006 XXXIII International Congress on
Chagas' Disease. Caxambú, Brazil. 2006 School of Pharmacy, Univ. of
São Paulo at Riberão Preto, Brazil. 2006 Department of Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology, IBLS, Glasgow University. 2004 Fundação
Osvaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 2004 Institute of Biomedical
Sciences, University of São Paulo, Brazil. 2004 Sialobiology 2004,
Saint Andrews, Scotland. 2003 Molecular Parasitology Meeting XIV,
Woods Hole, MA. U.S.A.. 2002 The Wellcome Centre for Molecular
Parasitology, Glasgow, Scotland. 2001 Department of Biophysics, Max
Planck Institute, Gottingen, Germany. 2001 Department of
Microbiology, Marburg-Philips University, Marburg, Germany. 2001
XXVIII International Congress on Chagas' Disease. Caxambú, Brazil.
2001 Wellcome Trust, 2001 International Fellow’s Meeting, London,
UK. 2001 Molecular Parasitology Meeting XI, Woods Hole, MA.
U.S.A.
February 28, 20061. Briones, MRS., Egima, MC., Acosta, A. and
Schenkman, S. (