Dr. Gerard Apodaca

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division

Dr. Apodaca, Professor of Medicine and Cell Biology, received his BA in Biology from Rollins College (Winter Park, FL), and his PhD in Experimental Pathology from the University of California, San Francisco, working under the mentorship of Dr. James McKerrow. As a Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Dr. Keith Mostov (also at UCSF), he got trained in Cell Biology, and working in collaboration with a fellow Postdoctoral fellow (Dr. James Casanova) he identified the first basolateral sorting signal in the PIGR. This was followed by the discovery of a new endosomal compartment in kidney epithelial cells called the apical recycling endosome. He subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine where he continued to explore facets of membrane traffic in polarized kidney epithelial cells until he encountered the urothelium, a tissue that set his research on a new course, some 25 years ago. Prior to this entry into the field, the urothelium was treated as a simple barrier, with functions limited to preventing urine from escaping the bladder during its storage. The research in his laboratory has led to several advancements in our understanding of urothelial biology including: developed the first highly differentiated culture model of the urothelium; revealed new insights into umbrella cell surface area changes, including elucidating mechanisms that regulate stretch-regulated exocytosis; discovery of a non-clathrin-dependent mechanism for endocytosis in umbrella cells; identification of the components of the umbrella cell apical junctional complex and discovery of the mechanisms that promote expansion and contraction of this structure during the bladder filling and voiding cycle; defined mechanisms and pathways for urothelial mechanotransduction and their impact on voiding behavior; and understanding the impact of spinal cord injury on urothelial barrier function and regeneration. His research has been continuously supported by NIH grants including a MERIT award. He has served on numerous NIH study sections, both as an ad hoc or permanent member, and he has served in several editorial positions including a previous six-year stint as Associate Editor of AJP-Renal Physiology, where he handled most urology focused manuscripts. He has a long track record of training undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows and has previously directed graduate programs as well summer undergraduate research programs. Dr.

Dr. Marcelo Carattino

University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Department of Medicine, Renal-Electrolyte Division

Dr. Carattino, Associate Professor of Medicine and Cell biology, completed his degree in Biochemistry and a PhD in physiology at the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina. He conducted his Post-Doctoral training in the laboratory of Dr. Thomas R. Kleyman at the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied the regulation of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) by mechanical forces and biological cues. His studies revealed that ENaC activity requires proteolytic cleavage, and that this regulatory mechanism plays an important role in sodium handling in normal and disease states. As an independent investigator, he has conducted a series of structure-function studies aimed to understand the mechanisms of gating and permeation of the acid-sensing ion channels and to identify potential targets in these proteins that can be used to develop inhibitors. His research program has extended to the field of urology where he has conducted groundbreaking work aimed to understand the role of the umbrella cell tight junctions during the micturition cycle and in disease states, bladder sensory signaling, and urothelial mechanotransduction.