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Carlos Caulin, Ph.D.

Present Title & Affiliation

Primary Appointment

Assistant Professor, Department of Head and Neck Surgery - Research, Division of Surgery, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment

Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Research Interests

Head and neck cancer results from the accumulation of genetic alterations, which may lead to the disruption of signaling pathways that control cellular functions, including proliferation, cell death and differentiation. Research in our laboratory focuses on dissecting the role of genetic alterations involved in head and neck cancers using mouse models in which these mutations are induced exclusively in the oral epithelium.  Specific areas of research include:

  1. Study the role of p53 gain of function mutations during oral cancer development. Tumor development and mechanisms that lead to tumor progression are analyzed in mice that develop oral tumors that express an endogenous p53R172H mutation compared to tumors in which the p53 gene is deleted (loss of function).
  2. Generation of mice in which EGFR overexpression can be induced in the head and neck epithelium. These mice are used to analyze the impact of EGFR overexpression during head and neck cancer development and to test cooperation with other genetic alterations.
  3. Study the role of inactivating the INK4a/ARF locus during head and neck cancer formation and progression, and analyze cooperation between INK4a/ARF inactivation, p53 mutations and EGFR overexpression.
  4. Identification and characterization of cell populations with different tumorigenic potential in mouse squamous cell carcinomas.
  5. Analysis of the expression and genomic profiles generated from mouse oral tumors in order to identify genetic alterations and molecular pathways involved in head and neck cancer development.
  6. Using mouse models for head and neck cancer as preclinical models for testing therapeutic agents.

Office Address

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Blvd.
Unit Number: 123
Houston, TX 77030
Room Number: T5.3895
Phone: (713) 794-5603
Fax: (713) 745-2234

Education & Training

Degree-Granting Education

1994 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (U.A.M.), Madrid, Spain, PHD, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
1989 Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (U.A.M.), Madrid, Spain, BS, Biological Sciences

Postgraduate Training

4/2000-6/2002 Postdoctoral Associate, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, Dr. Dennis R. Roop
1/1995-3/2000 Postdoctoral Fellow, Burnham Institute, La Jolla, CA, Dr. Robert G. Oshima

Honors and Awards

2002-2005 Research Career Development Award, The Dermatology Foundation

Professional Memberships

American Association for Cancer Research
Member, 2005-present

Selected Publications

Peer-Reviewed Original Research Articles
1. Caulin C, Nguyen T, Lang GA, Goepfert TM, Brinkley BR, Cai WW, Lozano G, Roop DR. An inducible mouse model for skin cancer reveals distinct roles for gain- and loss-of-function p53 mutations. J Clin Invest 117(7):1893-901, 7/2007. PMCID: PMC1904325.
2. Chen J, Cheng X, Merched-Savage M, Caulin C, Roop DR, Koch PJ. An unexpected role for keratin 10 end domains in susceptibility to skin cancer. J Cell Sci 119:5067-5076, 2006.
3. Caulin C, Nguyen T, Longley M.A., Zhou Z., Wang X-J., Roop D.R. Inducible activation of oncogenic K-ras results in tumor formation in the oral cavity. Cancer Research 64:5054-5058, 2004.
4. Caulin C, Ware CF, Magin TM, Oshima RG. Keratin-dependent, epithelial resistance to tumor necrosis factor-induced apoptosis. J Cell Biol 149(1):17-22, 2000.
5. Caulin C, Salvesen G, Oshima RG. Caspase cleavage of keratin 18 and reorganization of intermediate filaments during epithelial cell apoptosis. J Cell Biol 138:1379-1394, 1997.

Last updated: 9/9/2009