Rodolfo Urbano, PhD

Research Interests: The Urbano Lab studies host-microbe interactions that involve the actin cytoskeleton. Immune signals such as IFN-g activate host cells to fight infection by stimulating expression of cellular defenses that include actin-binding proteins (ABPs). Our lab aims to characterize the functions of these ABPs in the context of the immune response to learn how actin-based immunity impacts microbial pathogenesis and pathogen clearance. One area of active research involves the role of ABPs in microbial actin-based motility and cell-to-cell dissemination (Listeria, Shigella, Burkholderia, etc.).