Research Biographies
DR JULIA DORIN
Medical and Developmental Genetics
Programme Leader
Contact Details
| E-mail address: | |
| Telephone: | +44 (0)131 332 2471 (extension 3305) |
| Fax: | +44 (0)131 467 8456 |
| Address: | MRC Human Genetics Unit MRC IGMM, University of Edinburgh Western General Hospital, Crewe Road, Edinburgh EH4 2XU |
| Research Programme: | Host Defence Peptides: Their Role in Immunity and Inflammatory Disease |
Research Areas
Diseases of the airway are now killing more people in the U.K. than coronary heart disease. Airway disease is exacerbated by the rise of respiratory pathogens with a multi antibiotic resistant phenotype- so called “super bugs”. My research interests are centred around inflammatory respiratory disease with particular emphasis on cystic fibrosis (CF). In CF individuals, chronic bacterial infection, inflammation and lung damage is the reason why this disease results in death in young adulthood. Super bugs complicate the phenotype and reduce life expectancy.
My main area of interest is to investigate the in vivo function of the ß-defensin gene family of Host-Defence peptides, their role in innate immunity and inflammatory disease and their potential as therapeutics.
Recent Publications
- Semple F, Dorin JR: beta-Defensins: multifunctional modulators of infection, inflammation and more?. J Innate Immun 4:337-348, 2012.
PubMed Abstract - Douvaras P, Webb S, Whitaker DA, Dora N, Hill RE, Dorin JR, West JD: Rare corneal clones in mice suggest an age-related decrease of stem cell activity and support the limbal epithelial stem cell hypothesis
Stem Cell Res 8:109-119, 2012.
PubMed Abstract - Semple F, MacPherson H, Webb S, Cox SL, Mallin LJ, Tyrrell C, Grimes GR, Semple CA, Nix MA, Millhauser GL, Dorin JR: Human beta-defensin 3 affects the activity of pro-inflammatory pathways associated with MyD88 and TRIF
Eur J Immunol 41:3291-3300, 2011.
PubMed Abstract - Macmillan D, De CM, Reynolds NL, Santos LF, Barran PE, Dorin JR: Synthesis of cyclic peptides through an intramolecular amide bond rearrangement. Chembiochem 12:2133-2136, 2011.
PubMed Abstract - De Cecco, M.; Seo, E.S.; Clarke, D.J.; McCullough, B.J.; Taylor, K.; MacMillan, D.; Dorin, J.R.; Campopiano, D.J. and Barran, P.E. Conformational preferences of linear beta-defensins are revealed by ion mobility-mass spectrometry. J Phys.Chem.B 114(6):2312-2318, 2010 PubMed Abstract
- McCullough, B.J.; Kalapothakis, J.M.; Chin, W.; Taylor, K.; Clarke, D.J.; Eastwood, H.; Campopiano, D.; MacMillan, D.; Dorin, J. and Barran, P.E. Binding a heparin derived disaccharide to defensin inspired peptides: insights to antimicrobial inhibition from gas-phase measurements. Phys.Chem.Chem.Phys. 12(14):3589-3596, 2010 PubMed Abstract
- Tyrrell, C.; De Cecco, M.; Reynolds, N.L.; Kilanowski, F.; Campopiano, D.; Barran, P.; MacMillan, D. and Dorin, J.R. Isoleucine/leucine(2) is essential for chemoattractant activity of beta-defensin
Key publications - Macpherson, H.; Keir, P.; Webb, S.; Samuel, K.; Boyle, S.; Bickmore, W.; Forrester, L. and Dorin, J. Bone marrow-derived SP cells can contribute to the respiratory tract of mice in vivo. J Cell Sci 118( 11):2441-2450, 2005
PubMed Abstract - Campopiano, D.J.; Clarke, D.J.; Polfer, N.C.; Barran, P.E.; Langley, R.J.; Govan, J.R.; Maxwell, A. and Dorin, J.R. Structure-activity relationships in defensin dimers. A novel link between beta -defensin tertiary structure and antimicrobial activity. J Biol Chem 279(47):48671-48679, 2004
PubMed Abstract - Morrison, G.M.; Semple, C.A.M.; Kilanowski, F.M.; Hill, R.E. and Dorin, J.R. Signal sequence conservation and mature peptide divergence with subgroups of the murine beta-defensin gene family. Molecular Biology of Evolution 20(3):460-470, 2003
PubMed Abstract - Dickinson, P.; Smith, S.N.; Webb, S.; Kilanowski, F.M.; Campbell, I.J.; Taylor, M.S.; Porteous, D.J.; Willemsen, R.; de Jonge, H.R.; Farley, R.; Alton, E.W. and Dorin, J.R. The severe G480C cystic fibrosis mutation, when replicated in the mouse, demonstrates mistrafficking, normal survival and organ-specific bioelectrics. Hum Mol Genet 11(3):243-251, 2002
PubMed Abstract - Morrison, G.; Kilanowski, F.; Davidson, D. and Dorin, J. Characterization of the mouse beta defensin 1, Defb1, mutant mouse model. Infect Immun 70(6):3053-3060, 2002
PubMed Abstract