2005-present Ph.D. in Entomology, University of Georgia , Athens, Georgia

2005 B.S. Biology, Major in Microbiology and Parasitology
University of Panama, Panama

Insulin signaling is a very important physiological process that
regulates many aspects of metazoan physiology. It is
responsible for regulating important metabolic functions, such as
carbohydrate metabolism. Insulin also regulates aspects of the immune
systems of both vertebrates and invertebrates. In insects, specifically,
insulin is responsible for regulating longevity, life span, immunity,
cell proliferation and cell size among many other functions. On the other
hand, adipokinetic hormones from insects are considered to be the
invertebrate's version of glucagon, the nemesis of insulin. Overall,
I'm interested in the link between insulin and other insect neurohormones and the role they play in modulating the immune response in mosquitoes.

Neuropeptides in insects act as neuro-modulators and as regulatory
hormones. This duality allows these molecules to connect the nervous,
endocrine and immune system into a single entity. Insect hemocytes
are an important group of cells responsible for cell-based immunity in
insects and other invertebrates. This important group of cells is in
has been shown to play an active role in of phagocytosis, melanization, encapsulation, signaling and wound healing. Suffice it to say that they are the “armed forces” of the immune system.

Mosquitoes are an important group of insects that are responsible for
the transmission of many different disease-causing pathogens like
malaria, dengue, yellow fever, west Nile virus, just to name a few.
Aedes aegypti is an important vector species, responsible for
transmitting dengue and yellow fever in certain parts of the world.

The potential involvement of neurohormones (insulin) in affecting
hemocyte physiology is something that I am currently trying to
address. My other interests include functional genomics in
disease-vector mosquitoes as well as some aspects of insect-pathogen
interactions, specifically anti-Plasmodium immunity in mosquitoes.

Castillo, J.C., A.E. Robertson, and M.R. Strand. 2006. Characterization of hemocytes from the mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti. Insect Biochem. & Mol. Biol. In press.

Ramos, C.W, J.C. Castillo, B. Bernal and R.F. Lee. 2006. Molecular characterization of Citrus Tristeza Virus (CTV) isolates from Panama and Peru. In: Proceedings of the 18 th Conference of the International Organization of Citrus Virologist (IOCV). Riverside , Ca. in press