Professor Eva E Qwarnstrom

Professor of Cell Biology

Address
Department of Cardiovascular Science
University of Sheffield
Medical School
Beech Hill Road
Sheffield
S10 2RX
Tel: +44 (0)114 271 3181
Tel Secretary: Chrissie Gash +44 (0)114 271 2587
Fax: +44 (0)114 271 1863
Email: e.qwarnstrom@sheffield.ac.uk
Secretary Email: y.steel@sheffield.ac.uk

Biography:

I graduated from the University of Lund Sweden in 1984 after spending three years as a Fogarty Fellow in Biological Structure, at the National Institute of Health, Bethesda, USA. This was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Department of Pathology at the University of Washington in Seattle, where I was appointed Associate Professor in 1993. In 1996 I was granted an Affiliated Associate Professorship in Pathology at the University of Washington, as I joined the University of Sheffield, where I took up a chair in Cell Biology in 2001.

Research Interests:

My research focuses on regulation of inflammatory responses, specifically on events related to receptor function and cell signalling. The programme includes analysis of activities induced by soluble mediators such as growth-factors and cytokines, and by biomechanical events, regulated through matrix structure and the cytoskeleton. Current studies focus on TIR mediated responses, primarily the analysis of Toll-like and IL-1 receptor function and signal transduction. Recent findings include identification of a novel TIR regulating receptor (TILRR), which controls immune and inflammatory signal transduction through the IL-1 type I signalling receptor. Work on signal transduction is centred on analysis of molecular mechanism controlling the NF-κβ pathway, with particular emphasis on signalling crosstalk, and the use of real time analysis of regulatory events. Collaborative projects include the use of single cell analysis and GFP-based methods as the basis for computational modelling of complex regulatory networks.

Teaching interests:

I teach on the MSc course in Molecular Medicine, the Cardiovascular Pathway, on interdisciplinary approaches, and using computational modelling to investigate inflammatory receptor function and signal transduction.

Professional Activities:

• Arthritis Research UK - Fellowships Implementation Committee.

Current Projects:

• Defining TILRR regulation of distinct IL-1RI responses using systems biology.
  (BBSRC £686,795, 2012-2015).
• Establishing the role of TILRR, a novel IL-1RI co-receptor, in development of atherosclerosis –using a knockout model.
  (BHF £157,746, 2012-2014).
• Modelling of Inflammatory responses.
  (White Rose Collaboratory Network £200,00, 2010-2013).

Key Publications:

1. Zhang X, Montago-Pino G, Shephard F, Kiss-Toth E and Qwarnstrom EE. Distinct regulation of AKT-controlled anti-apoptosis through IL-1RI co-receptor association, J. Biol. Chem. 287: 12348-12352, 2012. Cover of Journal issue April 6th, 2012.


2. Holcombe M, Adra S, Bicak M, Chin S, Coakley S, Graham AI, Green J, Greenough C, Jackson D, Kiran M, MacNeil S, Maleki-DizajiA, McMinn P, Pogson M, Poole R, Qwarnstrom EE, Ratnieks F, Rolfe MD, Smallwood R, Sun T and Worth D. Modelling biological systems using an agent-based approach. Integr. Biol. 4: 53-64, 2012.


3. Hudson, RC, Grey, C. Kiss-Toth, E., Chico, T.J A, and Qwarnstrom, EE. Bioinformatics analysis of the FREM1 gene – Evolutionary development of the IL-1RI co-receptor, TILRR. Biology 1(3), 484-494, 2012; doi:10.3390/biology1030484


4. Zhang X, Shephard F, Kim HB, Palmer IR, McHarg S, Fowler GJ, O'Neill LA, Kiss-Toth E, Qwarnstrom EE. TILRR, a novel IL-1RI co-receptor, potentiates MyD88 recruitment to control Ras-dependent amplification of NF-κβ. J Biol Chem. 2010 Mar 5;285(10):7222-32.


5. Kim HB, Evans I, Smallwood R, Holcombe M, Qwarnstrom EE. NIK and IKKβ interdependence in NF-κβ signalling--flux analysis of regulation through metabolites. Biosystems. 2010 Feb;99(2):140-9.


6. Pogson M, Holcombe M, Smallwood R, Qwarnstrom E. Introducing spatial information into predictive NF-κβ modelling--an agent-based approach. PLoS One. 2008 Jun 4;3(6):e2367.


7. Pogson M, Smallwood R, Qwarnstrom E, Holcombe M. Formal agent-based modelling of intracellular chemical interactions. Biosystems. 2006 Jul;85(1):37-45.


8. Ganguli A, Persson L, Palmer IR, Evans I, Yang L, Smallwood R, Black R, Qwarnstrom EE. Distinct NF-κβ regulation by shear stress through Ras-dependent IκBα oscillations: real-time analysis of flow-mediated activation in live cells. Circ Res. 2005 Apr 1;96(6):626-34.


9. Yang L, Ross K, Qwarnstrom EE. RelA control of IκBα phosphorylation: a positive feedback loop for high affinity NF-κβ complexes. J Biol Chem. 2003 Aug 15;278(33):30881-8.


10. Valles S, Caunt CJ, Walker MH, Qwarnstrom EE. PDGF enhancement of IL-1 receptor levels in smooth muscle cells involves induction of an attachment-regulated, heparan sulfate binding site (IL-1RIII). Lab Invest. 2002 Jul;82(7):855-62.


11. Yang L, Chen H, Qwarnstrom E. Degradation of IkappaBalpha is limited by a postphosphorylation/ubiquitination event. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2001 Jul 20;285(3):603-8.

Search PubMed: