James "Rocky" Contos: CV
CONTACT: EDUCATION 9/93 - 9/99 Ph.D. Neuroscience (advisor: Dr. Jerold Chun) 9/89 - 12/92 B.S. Biochemistry (emphasis Plant Science) EMPLOYMENT 9/08- Director: SierraRios (San Diego, CA) [www.sierrarios.org]
9/99-7/02 Research Associate: Dept. of Pharmacology, UCSD (La Jolla, CA) 9/93-06/95 Guide: Outback Adventures, UCSD (La Jolla, CA). AWARDS/FELLOWSHIPS 4/04-3/07 NIDCD Postdoctoral Fellowship (NRSA; F32) RESEARCH EXPERIENCE 2/03-6/08 Postdoctoral Research: Neuroscience/Molecular Genetics 9/99-7/02 Postdoctoral Research: Neuroscience/Molecular Genetics 1/95-9/99 Thesis Research: Neuroscience/Molecular Genetics 5/92 - 8/93 Research assistant: Plant Molecular Biology 10/90 - 8/93 Research assistant: Plant Biochemistry 1/91-3/91 Internship: Organic Synthesis TEACHING EXPERIENCE 1/05 - 3/05 Co-Instructor: Controversies in Biology (Biol485A: Univ. Washington) 6/04 8/04 Future Faculty Fellows Program (HHMI, Univ. Washington) 7/04 8/04 Supervised summer FHCRC student: Camille Inducil 1/02 - 5/02 Preparing Professional Faculty Series (UCSD) 1/01 - 5/01 Supervised 199 student: Matthew McCreight 8/98 - 8/99 Supervised 199 student: John Brannen 4/97 - 6/97 Teaching assistant: Regulation of Gene Activity (UCSD: BIMM 112) 9/96 - 12/96 Teaching assistant: Structural Biochemistry (UCSD: BIBC 100) 8/96 - 9/96 Teaching assistant: Cellular Neurobiology (UCSD: BIPN 140) 4/96 - 6/96 Teaching assistant: Cell Biology (UCSD: BICD 110) 1/96 - 4/96 Teaching assistant: General Chemistry Lab (UCSD: CHEM 6BL) 3/93 - 6/93 Teaching assistant: Biochemistry Lab (UC Davis: BCP 101L) 4/92 - 6/93 Exam grader: General Biochemistry (UC Davis: BCP 101A, 101B) Contos, Rocky (2012) Blind Adventurer Erik Weihenmayer Kayaks Biggest River in Mexico. American Whitewater (Jul-Aug 2012): 20-25. Contos, Rocky (2012) Testing the Usu. Canoe and Kayak (July 2012): 58-, 74. Contos, Rocky (2012) Río Mulatos-Aros: the Best Raft Support River in Mexico. American Whitewater (May-Jun 2012): 30-32. Contos, Rocky (2012) Access Denied. Guatemalan villagers threaten, detain members of thwarted Rio Copón expedition. Canoe & Kayak (March 2012): posted online. Contos, Rocky (2011) Río Piaxtla: A First Descent through the Deepest Canyon in North America. American Whitewater (Jul-Aug 2011): 45-47. Contos, Rocky (2010) A first descent on Río Huevachi. American Whitewater (Jul-Aug 2010): 26-29. Contos, Rocky (2010) Mexico, Paddling, and Drugs: Is it safe to travel? American Whitewater (Jul-Aug 2010): 28-29 Contos, Rocky (2010) Mexican Whitewater: Norte [A Guide to the Rivers of the Copper Canyon Region]. 334 pages. Published by SierraRios, July 2010. Contos, Rocky (2010) First Descent of Río Chínipas, a To-be Class IV Mexican Classic. American Whitewater (Jan-Feb 2010): 40-43. Contos, Rocky (2008) Barranca Sinforosa, a Grand Canyon in Mexico. American Whitewater (May-Jun 2008): 48-53. Contos, Rocky (2007) The Eddy of No Return. First Descent of Río Ameca, Jalisco. American Whitewater (May-Jun 2007): 54-57. Contos, Rocky (2006) Exploring Mexicos Copper Canyon. American Whitewater (Jul-Aug 2006): 20-23. Contos, Rocky (2006) Ineluctable Defiles on Río Sirupa. American Whitewater (Mar-Apr 2006): 12-17. PUBLICATIONS (SCIENCE) 22. Ye X, Hama K, Contos JJ, Anliker B, Skinner MK, Suzuki H, Amano T, Kennedy G, Arai H, Aoki J, and J Chun (2005) LPA3-mediated lysophosphatidic acid signaling in implantation and embryo spacing. Nature 435: 104-108. 21. Inoue M, Fujita R, Contos JJ, Chun J, and H Ueda (2004) Involvement of RhoA-mediated lysophosphatidic acid signaling in neuropathic pain. Nature Medicine 10: 712-718. 20. Kingsbury M, Rehen SK, Contos JJ, and J Chun (2003) Enhanced cerebral cortical growth and folding by non-proliferative effects of lysophosphatidic acid. Nature Neurosci 6: 1292-1299. 19. Kaushal D, Contos JJ, Treuner K, Yang AH, Kingsbury MA, Rehen SK, McConnell MJ, Okabe M, Barlow C, and J Chun (2003) Alteration of gene expression by chromosome loss in the postnatal mouse brain. J Neurosci 23: 5599-5606. 18. Contos JJA, Ye X, Sah V, and J Chun (2002) Tandem genomic arrangement of a G protein (Gna15) and G protein-coupled receptor (s1p4/lpC1/Edg6) gene. FEBS Lett 531: 99-102 17. McGiffert C, Contos JJA, Friedman B, and J Chun (2002) Embryonic brain expression analysis of lysophospholipid receptor genes suggests roles for s1p1 in neurogenesis and s1p1-3 in angiogenesis. FEBS Lett 531: 103-108. 16. Contos JJA, Ishii I, Fukushima N, Kingsbury MA, Ye X, Kawamura S, Heller-Brown J, and J Chun (2002) Characterization of lpa2 (Edg4) and lpa1/lpa2 (Edg2/Edg4) lysophosphatidic acid receptor knockout mice: signaling deficits without obvious phenotypic abnormality attributable to lpa2. Mol Cell Biol 22: 6921-6929. 15. Ishii I, Ye X, Friedman B, Kawamura S, Contos JJA, Kingsbury MA, Yang AH, Zhang G, Heller-Brown J, and J Chun (2002) Marked perinatal lethality and cellular signaling deficits in mice null for the two sphingosine 1-phosphate receptors, S1P2/LPB2/EDG-5 and S1P3/LPB3/EDG-3. J Biol Chem 277: 25152-25159. 14. Fukushima N, Weiner JA, Kaushal D, Contos JJA, Rehen SK, Kingsbury MA, Kim KY, and J Chun (2002) Lysophosphatidic acid influences the morphology and motility of young, postmitotic cortical neurons. Mol Cell Neurosci, 20: 271-282. 13. Ishii I, Friedman B, Ye X, Kawamura S, McGiffert C, Contos JJA, Kingsbury M, Zhang G, Brown JH, and J Chun (2001) Sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling defects with no obvious phenotypic abnormality in mice lacking the receptor, LPB3/EDG3. J Biol Chem 276: 33697-33704. 12. Contos JJA, and J Chun (2001) The lpA3/Edg7 lysophosphatidic acid receptor gene: genomic structure, chromosomal localization, and expression pattern. Gene 267: 243-253 11. Weiner JA, Fukushima N, Contos JJA, Scherer SS, and J Chun (2001) Regulation of Schwann cell morphology and adhesion by receptor-mediated lysophosphatidic acid signaling. J Neurosci 21: 7069-7078. 10. Moller T, Contos JJA, Musante DB, Chun J, and BR Ransom (2001) Expression and function of lysophosphatidic acid receptors in cultured rat microglial cells. J Biol Chem 276: 25946-25952. 9. Fukushima N, Ishii I, Contos JJA, Weiner JA, and J Chun (2001) Lysophospholipid receptors. Ann Rev Pharm Toxic 41:507-534. 8. Contos JJA, Ishii I, and J Chun (2000) Lysohosphatidic acid receptors. Mol Pharm. 58:1188-1196. 7. Contos JJA, Fukushima N, Weiner JA, Kaushal D, and J Chun (2000) Requirement for the lpA1 lysophosphatidic acid receptor gene in normal suckling behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 97:13384-13389. 6. Ishii I, Contos JJA, Fukushima N, and J Chun (2000) Functional comparison of the lysophosphatidic acid receptors, LPA1/VZG-1/EDG2, LPA2/EDG4, and LPA3/EDG7 in neuronal cell lines using a retrovirus expression system. Mol Pharm. 58: 895-902. 5. Contos JJA, and J Chun (2000) Genomic characterization of a second lysophosphatidic acid receptor gene, lpA2/Edg4, and identification of a frameshift mutation in a previously characterized cDNA. Genomics 64: 155-169. 4. Contos JJA*, Zhang GF* (co-first authors), Weiner JA, Fukushima N, and J Chun (1999) Comparative analysis of three murine G-protein coupled receptors activated by sphingosine-1-phosphate. Gene 227: 89-99. 3. Chun J, Contos JJA, and D Munroe (1999) A growing family of receptor genes for lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and other lyso-phospholipids (LPs). Cell Biochem Biophys: 30: 213-242. 2. Contos JJA and J Chun (1998) Complete cDNA sequence, genomic structure, and chromosomal localization of the LPA receptor gene, lpA1/vzg-1/Gpcr26. Genomics 51: 364-378. 1. Stotz HU, Contos JJA, Powell ALT, Bennett AB, and JM Labavitch (1994) Structure and expression of an inhibitor of fungal polygalacturonases from tomato. Plant Molecular Biology 25: 607-617. A few articles have been written about me: Send an e-mail to me (rocky-at-sierrarios.org) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||