OMB No. 0925-0001 and 0925-0002 (Rev.

09/17 Approved Through 03/31/2020)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for the Senior/key personnel and other significant contributors.
Follow this format for each person. DO NOT EXCEED FIVE PAGES.

NAME: Castillo González, Claudia

eRA COMMONS USER NAME (credential, e.g., agency login): CASTILLOGONZALEZ

POSITION TITLE: Postdoctoral Researcher

EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing,
include postdoctoral training and residency training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)
Start Completion
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION DEGREE Date Date FIELD OF STUDY
MM/YYYY MM/YYYY
University of the Andes, Bogota, Colombia BS* 01/2001 08/2005 Microbiology,
Minor in Chemistry
University of the Andes, Bogota, Colombia MSc 09/2005 03/2007 Microbiology
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX PHD 09/2010 05/2017 Biochemistry
Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Postdoc 11/2017 Present Biochemistry
* In Colombia, undergraduate programs are five years long.

A. Personal Statement

My long-term research goal is to develop a comprehensive understanding of the genetic, epigenetic and
biochemical mechanisms that regulate the response to stress. I am particularly interested in the regulation the
response to genotoxic stress throughout development, and specifically during embryogenesis.
My broad training in molecular genetics and biochemistry allows me to adapt my experience in the study of
function and mechanism of small RNAs, epigenetics, and plant-virus interactions to other physiological
processes such as development, and response to biotic and abiotic stresses. As an undergraduate, I was able
to conduct research with Dr. Jenny Dussán Garzón in the biorremediation of oil spills that were also rich in
heavy metals. My work was essential for the recovery of contaminated farmland and aquifers. I am particularly
interested in the response to genotoxic stress during embryogenesis and in the regulation of non-cell
autonomous signals, such as mobile small RNAs. During my graduate career I focused on the epigenetic
regulation of plant-virus interactions and described the mechanism of transcriptional activation and silencing
suppression of a viral protein, as an inhibitor of the epigenetic pathway through direct interaction with a histone
methyltransferase. I also actively participated in the highly collaborative project for the functional
characterization of the plant microprocessor. We discovered the bi-directional slicing function of DCL1; the SE-
dependent dual function of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeler CHR2 in miRNA homeostasis; and the function
of SE as a coordinator of transcriptional and post-transcriptional gene silencing at transposable elements (TE).
I now plan to expand my understanding of the stress response by exploring how genotoxic stress impacts
embryogenesis in plants. My postdoctoral research goal is to elucidate the molecular basis for how two non-
conventional telomere-associated genes (POT1b and TER2) modulate the response to genotoxic stress. To
augment expertise in protein biochemistry, I will learn fundamentals of RNA biochemistry, including
methodology to assess RNA-protein interactions in vitro and in vivo. I will also gain experience in comparative
genomics, bioinformatics and RNA data analysis, quantitative mass spectrometry and CyroEM.
I aspire to obtain a position as an independent researcher.
B. Positions and Honors
Positions and Employment
2002,08 – 2005,05 Undergraduate Research Fellow, Center for Microbiological Research (CIMIC), University
of the Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. Advisors: Dr. Jenny Dussán Garzón and María Caridad
Cepero MSc.
2005,09 – 2007,01 Graduate Teaching/Research, University of the Andes, Bogotá, Colombia. Advisor: Dr.
Jenny Dussán Garzón
2006,01 – 2008,12 Instructor (High school-level Mathematics, Cell Biology, and Chemistry), Insituto Alberto
Merani, Bogotá, Colombia. Principal: Dr. Julián De Zubiría Samper
2009,01 – 2009,12 Author (High school-level textbook for Chemistry, and middle school-level textbook for
Biology), Insituto Alberto Merani, Bogotá, Colombia. Editor: Gerardo Andrade
2009,01 – 2009,11 Research Assistant, DNA Repair Lab, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. Advisor:
Dr. Carlos Menck
2011,09 – 2017,05 Graduate Teaching/Research Assistant, Texas A&M University, Institute of Plant Genomics
and Biotechnology. Advisor: Dr. Xiuren Zhang
2017,11 – Present Postdoctoral Research Associate, Texas A&M University, Department of Biochemistry &
Biophysics. Advisor: Dr. Dorothy E. Shippen
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
2013 – 2014 Vice-President, Biochemistry Graduate Student Association (BGA), Texas A&M
University
2014 – 2015 President, Biochemistry Graduate Student Association (BGA), Texas A&M University
2014 – Present Member, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2016 – Present Member, American Society of Plant Biologists
2017 – Present Member, American Association for the advancement of Science
2017 – Present Department Representative, Postdoctoral Association, Texas A&M University
Honors
2005,05 – 2006,12 Scholarship, College of Sciences, University of the Andes.
2009.01 – 2009,11 Research Training Scholarship, São Paulo Research foundation (FAPESP).
2015 Vice Chancellor’s Award in Excellence for Graduate Student Research, Texas A&M
University.
2016 Toni Ann Mistretta Award, in recognition to a graduate student for his or her role in the
enhancement of graduate student life. Biochemistry Graduate Student Association (BGA),
Texas A&M University.
2016 Outstanding Research Publication, Institute of Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Texas
A&M University.
2016 Outstanding Graduate Student, Institute of Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Texas A&M
University.
2016 Outstanding Citizen, Institute of Plant Genomics and Biotechnology, Texas A&M Universit
Teaching and Mentorship
2003,01 – 2006,05 Teaching Assistant, various introductory-level biology lectures, University of the Andes.
2005,09 – 2006,12 Instructor, Cellular and molecular biology of prokaryotes Laboratory, Univeristy of the Andes.
2006,01 – 2009,12 Instructor, Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry for middle and high school, Insituto Alberto
Merani, Bogota, Colombia
2011,09 – 2012,05 Teaching Assistant, Comprehensive Biochemistry I, BICH 410, Texas A&M University
2015,09 – 2016,05 Teaching Assistant, Principles of Genetics, GENE 302, Texas A&M University
2016,09 – 2017,05 Teaching Assistant, Comprehensive Genetics Laboratory, GENE 312, Texas A&M University

C. Contributions to Science
1. Early Career: Under the guidance of Dr. Jenny Dussán Garzón, my early contributions to science
focused on the characterization of the bacterial populations endemic to Colombia able to remediate the
contamination with petroleum. This work was particularly important and rewarding because of the major
effects of the social juncture at the time, which was characterized by the frequent explosions of the
oleoducts by guerillas, resulting in massive oil spills with devastating consequences for the environment
and human health. Of special concern was the concomitant release of phenols and heavy metals (lead,
chrome, arsenic and mercury) to aquifers and farmlands, due to the dire consequences that those bring
to human health. Together with three other colleagues, we founded the heavy metals team in the
laboratory. I focused in the identification of bacterial strains that could be used in a bioremediation
strategy to remove the highly toxic mercuric mercury (Hg2+). I established the selection methods for
mercuric mercury (Hg2+)-tolerant strains, followed by identification by 16S rDNA sequencing, and
biochemical assays to determine the Hg2+ remediation capacity of the selected strains. I was able to
detect the differential expression of membrane-bound proteins upon exposure to Hg2+ in the two most
 resistant. I identified a pool of bacteria able to use oil as carbon source and to metabolize the highly
toxic Hg2+ into the water-insoluble elemental mercury, Hg. Our work was fundamental for the
recuperation of farmland and watersheds. Our work and intellectual property belongs to British
Petroleum (BP). After my master’s degree, I joined Dr. Carlos Menck research group at the DNA Repair
Lab in the University of São Paulo, SP, Brazil, to work on the identification of genes involved in the
repair of UV-C induced DNA damage in the model microorganism, Caulobacter crescentus.
a. Castillo-González, C. Characterization of the molecular mechanism of resistance to mercuric
mercury in bacterial strains native from Colombia (Caracterización molecular de la resistencia a
mercurio mercúrico de bacterias nativas colombianas). UniAndes. 2007, MSc. Thesis.
b. Castillo-González, C. Resistance to mercuric mercury: microorganisms and molecular
mechanisms (Resistencia a la contaminación por mercurio: microorganismos y mecanismos
moleculares asociados). UniAndes. 2005, Undergraduate Monograph.
2. Graduate Career: My work as a graduate student, under the guidance of Dr. Xiuren Zhang, focused on
unveiling the mechanism(s) by which the geminiviral protein TrAP enables pathogenesis. TrAP has
been known for three main functions: 1. Directing the expression of viral genes in the host plant; 2.
Suppressing the basal defenses of the plant; and 3. Suppressing gene silencing. The mechanism(s) by
which a single protein is able to exert such a wide range of functions in a complex organism was
unknown and posed a great question to study. Previously, it was found that C2, a close relative of
TrAP, affected the production of the methyl donor S-adenosyl methionine, hampering the TGS
pathway. The favored model was that TrAP acted in a similar fashion; however, this model was
inconsistent with the subcellular localization of TrAP, and was insufficient to explain the phenotypic
differences observed between TrAP transgenic plants and mutants in the methyl cycle. Through a
proteomics approach, I found the histone methyltransferase (HMTase) KRYPTONITE (KYP), which
deposits the H3K9me2 mark to maintain transcriptional gene silencing (TGS), as an important TrAP-
interacting protein. I showed that TrAP directly interacted with KYP and inhibited its function, leading to
host and pathogen gene expression. Furthermore, I found that KYP is essential as a defense
mechanism against geminiviruses, as its overexpression showed that KYP can bind to the
minichromosome, modify it to render it silent, and prevent disease development. These findings were
the first evidence of virus interference with enzymatic effectors of the TGS pathway, and they opened
doors to biotechnological applications in the development of virus resistant crops. Notably, the
mechanisms of gene regulation are highly conserved, and it seems that KYP in plants functions in a
similar fashion as the human protein SUV39H1, which is involved in the latency of HIV, and other
viruses, as well as in the silencing of endogenous genes. I also actively participated in the highly
collaborative project for the functional characterization of the plant microprocessor, DCL1-HYL1-SE.
We combined enzymology of DCL1, proteomics of SE and HYL1, transcriptomics, and epigenomics
approaches to study miRNA biogenesis and homeostasis. From this endeavor we discovered the bi-
directional slicing function of DCL1; the SE-dependent dual function of the SWI/SNF chromatin
remodeler CHR2 in miRNA homeostasis; and the function of SE as a coordinator of TGS and PTGS at
transposable elements. That said, I gained important training in the of study both transcriptional and
post-transcriptional gene silencing, as well as in proteomics, and biochemical binding and enzymatic
assays.
a. Castillo-González C., Liu X, Huang CJ, Zhao CJ, Ma Z, Hu T, Sun F, Zhou J, Wang XJ, Zhou
X, Zhang X. Geminivirus-encoded TrAP suppressor inhibits the histone methyltransferase
SUVH4/KYP to counter host defense. eLife 2015 Oct. doi: 10.7554/eLife.06671
Featured Article: See comment by D. A Ré and P.A. Manavella, eLife 2015;4:e11509
Highlighted Article: See comment by D. Waldron, Nature Reviews Genetics 10.1038/nrg4043
b. Wang, Z., Ma, Z.*, Castillo-González, C.*, Sun, D., Li, Y., Yu, B., Li, P.,
and Zhang,X., SWI2/SNF2 ATPase CHR2 remodels pri-miRNAs via SE to impede miRNA
production. Nature 2018. 10.1038/s41586-018-0135-x
* Equal contribution
c. Ma Z., Castillo-González, C., Wang, Z., Sun, D., Hu, X., Shen, X., Potok, M.E., and Zhang,
X. Arabidopsis SERRATE coordinates histone methyltransferases ATXR5/6 and RNA
processing factor RDR6 to regulate transposon expression. Developmental Cell 2018. Jun 18;
45(6): 769-784.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.devcel.2018.05.023.
d. Zhu H, Zhou Y, Castillo-González C., Lu A, Ge C, Zhao YT, Duan L, Li Z, Axtell MJ, Wang XJ,
Zhang X. Bidirectional processing of pri-miRNAs with branched terminal loops by Arabidopsis
 Dicer-like1. Nature Structure & Molecular Biology 2013 Sep 20(9):1106-15. doi:
10.1038/nsmb.2646. Epub 2013 Aug 11. PMID: 23934148
e. Li S*, Castillo-González C.*, Yu B, Zhang X. The functions of small RNAs in development and
in stress responses. The Plant Journal 2017 May; 90(4):654-670. doi: 10.1111/tpj.13444.
* Equal contribution
3. Postdoctoral Career: Following my graduate work, I joined the laboratory of Dr. Dorothy E. Shippen at
Texas A&M University to deepen my understanding of the chromatin mechanisms that ensure genome
stability. I investigate the function of the telomere related protein POT1b in A. thaliana. Protection of
Telomeres 1(POT1) is a fundamental component of the telomere shelterin complex in mammals, which
prevents the targeting of chromosome ends by the DNA repair pathway, and modulates telomerase
activity. In plants these functions are partially fulfilled by POT1a. On the other hand, POT1b seems to
have a negligible effect on telomere biology and instead has neo-functionalized to mediate the plant
response to genotoxic stresses. I am currently working on the identification and characterization of its
macromolecular complexes upon multiple environmental stimuli. Concurrently, I also collaborate on the
structural characterization of the core plant telomerase by cryoEM, in further collaboration with Dr.
Junjie Zhang at the Center for Phage Technology, Texas A&M. I provided my expertise in biochemistry
to purify the core telomerase and clone the associated RNAs, while my teammate provided his
technical knowhow on assaying telomerase activity.
a. Kobayashi, C., Castillo-González, C., Canal, E., Surotseva, Y., Nelson, Andrew D.E., Shippen,
D.E. Birth and death of a Protection of Telomeres 1 (POT1) protein in Arabidopsis thaliana.
Plant Cell Reports, Submitted.
b. Castillo-González C., Barbero, B., Xie, X., Liu, D., Aklilu, B., Shippen, D.E. Protectoin of
Telomeres Protein 1b plays a non-canonical role in the response to genotoxic stress. In
preparation.

Complete List of Published Work can be found following the link below:
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JH3fIlQAAAAJ&hl=en

D. Additional Information: Research Support and/or Scholastic Performance

YEAR COURSE TITLE GRADE

UNIVERSITY OF THE ANDES
2001 Biology of Organisms (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2001 Differential Calculus 4.0
2001 Cellular Biology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2001 General Chemistry (Lecture and Laboratory) 3.5
2001 General Bacteriology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2001 Organic Chemistry (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2002 Calculus 2 4.0
2002 Parasitology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2002 Biology of Fungi (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2002 Chemical Analysis (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2002 Genetics (Lecture and Laboratory) 5.0
2002 Biophysics 1 (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2002 Introduction to Computer Programming 5.0
2002 Molecular Biology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2002 General Biochemistry (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2002 Chemistry of Food (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2003 Ecology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2003 Evolution (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2003 Invertebrates (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2003 Biophysics 2 (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2003 Physical Chemistry (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
 YEAR COURSE TITLE GRADE
2003 Advanced Organic Chemistry (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2003 Advanced Calculus 3.5
2003 Immunology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2003 Food Microbiology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2003 Phytopathology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2004 Eukaryote Molecular Genetics 4.5
2004 Virology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2004 Medical Microbiology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2004 Environmental Microbiology (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2004 Organic Structural Analysis 4.5
2004 Statistics 3.5
2004 Plant Biotechnology 4.5
2004 Advanced Evolutionary Genetics 4.0
2004 Tools of Genome Exploration 4.5
2004 Biostatistics (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
2004 Cellular and Molecular Biology of Prokaryotes (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.5
2005 Molecular Diversity of Bacteria 4.0
2005 Microbial Molecular Ecology 3.5
2005 Advanced Methods on Analytical Chemistry (Lecture and Laboratory) 4.0
GPA 4.12

UNIVERSITY OF THE ANDES

2005 Advanced Molecular Microbiology 5.0
2005 Advanced Environmental Microbiology 5.0
2006 Master’s Degree Graduation Project A
GPA 5.0

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

2010 General Biochemistry A
2010 Critical Analysis of Biochemistry Literature A
2010 Methods of Biochemical Analysis B
2011 Biochemical Genetics A
2011 Enzymes, Proteins and Nucleic Acids (Biophysics) B
2011 Advanced Composition (Scientific Writing) A
2011-2016 Journal Club: Plant Biochemistry & Genomics A
2011 Epigenetic Mechanisms A
2012 RNA Biology A
2012 Physiology of Plants A
2012-2014 Journal Club: Nucleic Acid-Protein Interactions A
2015 Building Scientific Relationships A
GPA 3.825

The grading system a University of the Andes is as indicated below, passing with a score of 3.0 or higher*.
5.0 Exceptional 3.0 Acceptable
4.5 Very Good 2.5 Deficient / Fail
4.0 Good 2.0 Bad
3.5 Fair 1.5 Minimum

* I finished the undergraduate program with the second highest GPA (out of 32) my class.