Kristy Shipman B. BioMed Sci. Honours (Newcastle)
Contact Details
 |
PhD
Student
Endocrine
Unit
Postal Address.
|
.........61 (0) 249 855636
|
Current Research
I finished my B. Biomed. Sci. Honours
research project in 2001 with Prof Rick Nicholson's
group where I studied a novel transcription factor that binds to the CRE in
the CRH promoter. I continued this research as my PhD project.
Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) is a neuropeptide involved in the
HPA axis and stress response. It is also expressed in peripheral
sites including the placenta. There is a progressive increase in
placental CRH production throughout pregnancy with a peak corresponding
to labour. Studies suggest that there is a relationship between CRH
concentrations and the length of gestation. This is particularly
significant in predicting pre term birth. Therefore, elucidation
of the molecular mechanisms controlling CRH gene expression is important.
Using methods such as site-directed mutagenesis and transfection of primary
cultures of placental syncytiotrophoblast cells, key regulatory DNA sequences
controlling placental CRH gene expression have been identified. The
nuclear proteins that interact with these key regulatory sequences have
been identified using electrophoresis mobility shift assay (EMSA) and yeast
one-hybrid technologies.
These data show that the CRH promoter contains a cAMP regulatory element
(CRE) which forms DNA-protein complexes with placental nuclear proteins
in vitro. To identify placental nuclear proteins which bind the CRE
we used a yeast one-hybrid system with the CRE as the target. Screening
of a placental cDNA library yeilded a cDNA clone, the sequence of which
is not homologous with any known transcription factor, but the predicted
protein sequence includes a leucine-zipper motif compatible with known
transcription factors with DNA binding properties. The capacity for this
putative new transcription factor to specifically bind the CRE was confirmed
by EMSA. This protein has been named CREAP: cAMP regulatory element
associated protein.
To identify the murine homologue of this new transcription factor, the
human CREAP cDNA sequence was used to conduct a FASTA search of the NR-EST
Mouse database; a non-redundant database containing only murine expressed
sequence tagged sequences that is a subdivision of GenBank. A murine sequence
was found with 90.8% identity over 750bp. Primers were designed from
this sequence and used to conduct RT-PCR of a mouse total RNA panel containing
pooled RNA from mouse whole brain, heart, liver, lung, spleen and testis.
A 247bp cDNA was amplified from all tissues and was also amplified from
a mouse pituitary cell line. From this, a whole brain mouse cDNA
library was screened to allow isolation and characterisation of the mouse
homologue of the human CREAP transcription factor. This murine CREAP clone
will allow genetic experiments to be performed in mice, which will lead
to identification of the physiologically important roles for CREAP.
International
Award: Women
in Endocrinology Abstract Award
The Endocrine Society, 86th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, USA. http://www.women-in-endo.org/History/TravelAward/travel_awards2004.html
Publications
Shipman KL, Robinson PJ, King BR, Smith R, Nicholson RC. (2006) "Identification of a Family of DNA-Binding Proteins with Homology to RNA Splicing Factors." Biochemistry & Cell Biology, 84: 9-19.
Shipman KL, Nicholson RC (2006). "Identification of a Multifunctional Nuclear Protein Family." 3rd Australian Health and Medical Research Congress, Melbourne, Australia.
Nicholson RC, Shipman KL, Smith R, (2006). "Nuclear Localization of the Multifunctional Protein CREAP." The Endocrine Society, 88th Annual Meeting, Boston, USA.
Shipman KL, Smith R, Nicholson RC (2005). "The Multifunctional Protein
CREAP is a Nuclear Protein." The Endocrine Society of Australia, Annual
Scientific Meeting, Perth, Australia. Endocrine Journal 52 (Suppl.), pp.120,
(2005).
Shipman KL, Stewart J, Robinson PJ, Smith R, Nicholson
RC (2004). "Identification of a DNA binding Protein Family with similarity
to RNA splicing factors". The Endocrine Society of Australia, Annual Scientific
Meeting, Sydney, Australia.
Shipman KL, King BR, Robinson PJ, Smith R, Nicholson RC. (2004). "The Multifunctional
Protein CREAP Inhibits CRH Promoter Activity".
The Endocrine Society, 86th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, USA.
Shipman KL, Robinson PJ, King BR, Smith R, Nicholson RC (2003). "The CREAPS:
A FamilyOf CRE Binding Proteins".
The Endocrine Society of Australia, Annual Scientific Meeting, Melbourne, Australia.
Shipman KL, King BR, Robinson PJ, Smith R, Nicholson RC (2003). "Identification
of a Novel Transcription Factor Family that Binds to the cAMP Regulatory Element".
The Endocrine Society, 85th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, USA.
Shipman KL, King BR, Smith R, Nicholson RC (2002). "Analysis of Transcription Factors Regulating Placental CRH through the CRE". The Endocrine Society of Australia, Annual Scientific Meeting, Adelaide, Australia.
Kristy L. Shipman, Bruce R. King, Roger Smith, Richard
C. Nicholson. (2001). A Novel Ttranscription Factor Binds to the CRE in the
CRH promoter.
Endocrine Society of Australia, National Meeting. Gold Coast, QLD, Australia.
Meet the other Research Students
.......61 (0) 249 214394
