Oscar Aguilar Alfaro, PhD
Assistant Professor
Microbiology and Immunology
School of Medicine

My lab investigates the roles that NK cell receptors play in recognizing pathogenic cells, including cancers and viral infection. In addition, we also are interested in understanding the mechanisms that lead to NK cells developing "adaptive" features, traits that can be harnessed to maximize NK cell effectiveness for immunotherapies.

• PVRL2 Suppresses Antitumor Immunity through PVRIG- and TIGIT-independent Pathways.
  Cancer immunology research 2024 Yang J, Wang L, Byrnes JR, Kirkemo LL, Driks H, Belair CD, Aguilar OA, Lanier LL, Wells JA, Fong L, Blelloch R
• ITAM-based receptors in natural killer cells.
  Immunological reviews 2024 Aguilar OA, Fong LK, Lanier LL
• MICB Genomic Variant Is Associated with NKG2D-mediated Acute Lung Injury and Death.
  American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine 2024 Aguilar OA, Qualls AE, Gonzalez-Hinojosa MDR, Obeidalla S, Kerchberger VE, Tsao T, Singer JP, Looney MR, Raymond W, Hays SR, Golden JA, Kukreja J, Shaver CM, Ware LB, Christie J, Diamond JM, Lanier LL…
• CCR5 drives NK cell-associated airway damage in pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion injury.
  JCI insight 2023 Santos J, Wang P, Shemesh A, Liu F, Tsao T, Aguilar OA, Cleary SJ, Singer JP, Gao Y, Hays SR, Golden JA, Leard L, Kleinhenz ME, Kolaitis NA, Shah R, Venado A, Kukreja J, Weigt SS, Belperio JA, Lanier …
• Alveolar macrophage metabolic programming via a C-type lectin receptor protects against lipo-toxicity and cell death.
  Nature communications 2022 Scur M, Mahmoud AB, Dey S, Abdalbarri F, Stylianides I, Medina-Luna D, Gamage GS, Woblistin A, Wilson ANM, Zein HS, Stueck A, Wight A, Aguilar OA, Di Cara F, Parsons BD, Rahim MMA, Carlyle JR, …
• Influence of Self-MHC Class I Recognition on the Dynamics of NK Cell Responses to Cytomegalovirus Infection.
  Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2022 Potempa M, Aguilar OA, Gonzalez-Hinojosa MDR, Tenvooren I, Marquez DM, Spitzer MH, Lanier LL
• The CD3ζ adaptor structure determines functional differences between human and mouse CD16 Fc receptor signaling.
  The Journal of experimental medicine 2022 Aguilar OA, Fong LK, Ishiyama K, DeGrado WF, Lanier LL
• Mass cytometry reveals single-cell kinetics of cytotoxic lymphocyte evolution in CMV-infected renal transplant patients.
  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2022 Ishiyama K, Arakawa-Hoyt J, Aguilar OA, Damm I, Towfighi P, Sigdel T, Tamaki S, Babdor J, Spitzer MH, Reed EF, Sarwal MM, Lanier LL, CMV Systems Immunobiology Group
• Natural killer cells activated through NKG2D mediate lung ischemia-reperfusion injury.
  The Journal of clinical investigation 2021 Calabrese DR, Aminian E, Mallavia B, Liu F, Cleary SJ, Aguilar OA, Wang P, Singer JP, Hays SR, Golden JA, Kukreja J, Dugger D, Nakamura M, Lanier LL, Looney MR, Greenland JR
• Mouse Cytomegalovirus m153 Protein Stabilizes Expression of the Inhibitory NKR-P1B Ligand Clr-b.
  Journal of virology 2019 Aguilar OA, Sampaio IS, Rahim MMA, Samaniego JD, Tilahun ME, Krishnamoorthy M, Popovic B, Babic M, Krmpotic A, Treanor B, Margulies DH, Allan DSJ, Makrigiannis AP, Jonjic S, Carlyle JR
• KLF12 Regulates Mouse NK Cell Proliferation.
  Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2019 Lam VC, Folkersen L, Aguilar OA, Lanier LL
• Mouse cytomegalovirus-experienced ILC1s acquire a memory response dependent on the viral glycoprotein m12.
  Nature immunology 2019 Weizman OE, Song E, Adams NM, Hildreth AD, Riggan L, Krishna C, Aguilar OA, Leslie CS, Carlyle JR, Sun JC, O'Sullivan TE
• NKR-P1B expression in gut-associated innate lymphoid cells is required for the control of gastrointestinal tract infections.
  Cellular & molecular immunology 2018 Abou-Samra E, Hickey Z, Aguilar OA, Scur M, Mahmoud AB, Pyatibrat S, Tu MM, Francispillai J, Mortha A, Carlyle JR, Rahim MMA, Makrigiannis AP
• The Inhibitory NKR-P1B:Clr-b Recognition Axis Facilitates Detection of Oncogenic Transformation and Cancer Immunosurveillance.
  Cancer research 2018 Tanaka M, Fine JH, Kirkham CL, Aguilar OA, Belcheva A, Martin A, Ketela T, Moffat J, Allan DSJ, Carlyle JR
• Transcriptome analysis reveals similarities between human blood CD3- CD56bright cells and mouse CD127+ innate lymphoid cells.
  Scientific reports 2017 Allan DSJ, Cerdeira AS, Ranjan A, Kirkham CL, Aguilar OA, Tanaka M, Childs RW, Dunbar CE, Strominger JL, Kopcow HD, Carlyle JR
• Freeze-responsive regulation of MEF2 proteins and downstream gene networks in muscles of the wood frog, Rana sylvatica.
  Journal of thermal biology 2017 Aguilar OA, Hadj-Moussa H, Storey KB
• Interferon-Dependent Induction of Clr-b during Mouse Cytomegalovirus Infection Protects Bystander Cells from Natural Killer Cells via NKR-P1B-Mediated Inhibition.
  Journal of innate immunity 2017 Kirkham CL, Aguilar OA, Yu T, Tanaka M, Mesci A, Chu KL, Fine JH, Mossman KL, Bremner R, Allan DSJ, Carlyle JR
• Transcriptional activation of muscle atrophy promotes cardiac muscle remodeling during mammalian hibernation.
  PeerJ 2016 Zhang Y, Aguilar OA, Storey KB
• Expansion and Protection by a Virus-Specific NK Cell Subset Lacking Expression of the Inhibitory NKR-P1B Receptor during Murine Cytomegalovirus Infection.
  Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2016 Rahim MM, Wight A, Mahmoud AB, Aguilar OA, Lee SH, Vidal SM, Carlyle JR, Makrigiannis AP
• Regulation of SMAD transcription factors during freezing in the freeze tolerant wood frog, Rana sylvatica.
  Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part B, Biochemistry & molecular biology 2016 Aguilar OA, Hadj-Moussa H, Storey KB
• Modulation of Clr Ligand Expression and NKR-P1 Receptor Function during Murine Cytomegalovirus Infection.
  Journal of innate immunity 2015 Aguilar OA, Mesci A, Ma J, Chen P, Kirkham CL, Hundrieser J, Voigt S, Allan DS, Carlyle JR
• Genetic investigation of MHC-independent missing-self recognition by mouse NK cells using an in vivo bone marrow transplantation model.
  Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2015 Chen P, Aguilar OA, Rahim MM, Allan DS, Fine JH, Kirkham CL, Ma J, Tanaka M, Tu MM, Wight A, Kartsogiannis V, Gillespie MT, Makrigiannis AP, Carlyle JR
• An in vitro model of innate lymphoid cell function and differentiation.
  Mucosal immunology 2014 Allan DS, Kirkham CL, Aguilar OA, Qu LC, Chen P, Fine JH, Serra P, Awong G, Gommerman JL, Zúñiga-Pflücker JC, Carlyle JR
• A truncated human NKG2D splice isoform negatively regulates NKG2D-mediated function.
  Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2014 Karimi MA, Aguilar O, Zou B, Bachmann MH, Carlyle JR, Baldwin CL, Kambayashi T
• Poxvirus infection-associated downregulation of C-type lectin-related-b prevents NK cell inhibition by NK receptor protein-1B.
  Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950) 2012 Williams KJ, Wilson E, Davidson CL, Aguilar OA, Fu L, Carlyle JR, Burshtyn DN
• Analysis of the mouse 129-strain Nkrp1-Clr gene cluster reveals conservation of genomic organization and functional receptor-ligand interactions despite significant allelic polymorphism.
  Immunogenetics 2011 Chen P, Bélanger S, Aguilar OA, Zhang Q, St-Laurent A, Rahim MM, Makrigiannis AP, Carlyle JR