Dr Tansy Hammarton

Senior Lecturer (Parasitology)

telephone: 01413306766
email: Tansy.Hammarton@glasgow.ac.uk

RB625 Level B6, Iii - Sgdb, University Place, Glasgow G12 8TA

Biography

‌Tansy Hammarton received a BA(Hons) in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, UK in 1995, specialising in microbial and parasitic disease and virology. While there, she carried out two summer projects and her final year research project on male-killing bacteria in ladybirds, working in the laboratory of Mike Majerus under the supervision of Greg Hurst. She then went on to complete a PhD in Microbiology in 1998 at the University of Manchester, investigating the export of polysaccharide capsule in E. coli K5, under the supervision of Ian Roberts. Late in 1998, she took up a post-doc position in Jeremy Mottram’s lab at the Wellcome Centre for Molecular Parasitology at the University of Glasgow, researching the cell cycle in the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei. She was then awarded junior fellowships from the Medical Research Council and Research Councils UK in 2005 to allow her to become independent and set up her own lab researching cell division in T. brucei. At the end of these fellowships in 2010, she became a Lecturer at the University of Glasgow, and obtained a New Investigator Research Grant from the MRC. She was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2012 and her current research interests include the signalling pathways that regulate cytokinesis in T. brucei as well as the roles of trypanosome cytoskeleton proteins in cell division.

Tansy also has a strong interest in Public Engagement, which stems from the outreach work she was required to do as part of her RCUK fellowship. She has been a STEM Ambassador since 2005 and over the years, has developed a broad programme of infection biology-related activities for school pupils aged 2-18 yrs and their teachers, and has also taken part in a variety of events to bring science to the general public. She also trains undergraduate and postgraduate students in Science Communication and Public Engagement alongside their academic studies. In 2018, her extensive work in Public Engagement and her significant role in championing it inclusion in the undergraduate curriculum was recognised with the award of the Peter Wildy Prize from the Microbiology Society https://microbiologysociety.org/grants/prize-lectures/peter-wildy-prize-lecture.html.

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Research interests

Cell division in African trypanosomes

African trypanosomes (Trypanosoma brucei spp.) are protozoan parasites, spread by the tsetse fly, which cause the Neglected Tropical Diseases, sleeping sickness (humans) and Nagana (livestock) in sub-Saharan Africa. Sleeping sickness caused by T. b. gambiense has been targeted for elimination by the World Health Organisation and although diagnosed cases are currently <2000/year, the recent discovery of trypanosomes in the skin and fat suggests a large latent reservoir exists. Nagana significantly affects prosperity, causing ~$4.5 billion losses in agricultural production. No vaccines exist and better drugs, with fewer side effects and easier modes of administration, are required for long-term elimination. Trypanosome cell division, especially its final stage (cytokinesis) is very divergent from mammalian cell division (1-3) , suggesting that a better understanding of the protein kinase (PK) signalling pathways regulating it would reveal novel drug targets. Furthermore, trypanosomes display remarkable cell biology and are useful model organisms for comparative studies with higher eukaryotes; understanding the regulatory networks involved would shed light on the evolution of eukaryotic cell division.‌

‌‌ Cytokinesis montage

We are interested in how T. brucei replicates and divides, since the parasite needs to be actively dividing in the mammalian host to establish infection and evade the immune response. Cell cycle regulation in T. brucei is subject to different regulatory checkpoints compared to mammalian cells (1,2) and while mammalian cells use a contractile actomyosin ring to divide, in T. brucei, a cleavage furrow ingresses unidirectionally along the long axis of the cell (3). Thus, differences in how cell division is controlled at a molecular level could be exploited to develop better drugs. We are investigating the signalling pathways that regulate cell division, with a view to identifying the component enzymes and investigating their roles in cell division, and have previously validated a number of cell division protein kinases as drug targets (4-6). More recently, we performed an RNA interference screen of the trypanosome kinome, and linked a number of protein kinases to cell cycle roles in bloodstream form T. brucei for the first time (7). Current work in the lab is focussed on confirming the roles of these protein kinases and determining how cytokinesis regulators are linked in signalling pathways.

We are also interested in how the trypanosome microtubule cytoskeleton, which remains assembled throughout the cell cycle, is split during cytokinesis, and the roles cytoskeleton-associated proteins play in cell division. We identified a family of microtubule severing enzymes that are required sequentially to remodel the cytoskeleton during cytokinesis in the mammalian bloodstream stage of the parasite (8) and have demonstrated the importance of the cytoskeleton-associated protein, AIR9, previously only studied in plants, for maintaining nucleus positioning in procyclic (insect form) parasites and for accurate cleavage furrow placement in bloodstream T. brucei (9). More recently, we showed that the giant FAZ10 protein, which localises to the intermembrane staples in the flagellar attachment zone, is important for the correct timing and positioning of the cleavage furrow (10).

Reference List

1. Hammarton, T. C., Clark, J., Douglas, F., Boshart, M., and Mottram, J. C. (2003) Stage-specific differences in cell cycle control in Trypanosoma brucei revealed by RNA interference of a mitotic cyclin. Journal of Biological Chemistry 278, 22877-22886

2. Hammarton, T. C. (2007) Cell cycle regulation in Trypanosoma brucei. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology. 153, 1-8

3. Hammarton, T. C., Monnerat, S., and Mottram, J. C. (2007) Cytokinesis in trypanosomatids. Current Opinion in Microbiology 10, 520-527

4. Hammarton, T. C., Kramer, S., Tetley, L., Boshart, M., and Mottram, J. C. (2007) Trypanosoma brucei Polo-like kinase is essential for basal body duplication, kDNA segregation and cytokinesis. Molecular Microbiology 65, 1229-1248

5. Ma, J., Benz, C., Grimaldi, R., Stockdale, C., Wyatt, P., Frearson, J., and Hammarton, T. C. (2010) Nuclear DBF-2-related kinases are essential regulators of cytokinesis in bloodstream stage Trypanosoma brucei. Journal of Biological Chemistry 285, 15356-15368

6. Monnerat, S., Almeida Costa, C. I., Forkert, A. C., Benz, C., Hamilton, A., Tetley, L., Burchmore, R., Novo, C., Mottram, J. C., and Hammarton, T. C. (2013) Identification and functional characterisation of CRK12:CYC9, a novel cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-cyclin complex in Trypanosoma brucei. PLoS One 8, e67327

7. Jones, N. G., Thomas, E. B., Brown, E., Dickens, N. J., Hammarton, T. C., and Mottram, J. C. (2014) Regulators of Trypanosoma brucei cell cycle progression and differentiation identified using a kinome-wide RNAi screen. PLoS Pathogens 10, e1003886

8. Benz, C., Clucas, C., Mottram, J. C., and Hammarton, T. C. (2012) Cytokinesis in bloodstream stage Trypanosoma brucei requires a family of katanins and spastin. PLoS One 7, e30367

9. May, S. F., Peacock, L., Almeida Costa, C. I., Gibson, W. C., Tetley, L., Robinson, D. R., and Hammarton, T. C. (2012) The Trypanosoma brucei AIR9-like protein is cytoskeleton-associated and is required for nucleus positioning and accurate cleavage furrow placement. Molecular Microbiology 84, 77-92

10. Moreira, B. P., Fonseca, C. K., Hammarton, T. C., and Baqui, M. M. (2017) Giant FAZ10 is required for flagellum attachment zone stabilization and furrow positioning in Trypanosoma brucei. Journal of Cell Science 130, 1179-1193

@Hammarton_lab

Publications

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Number of items: 30.

2021

Farthing, A. G. et al. (2021) Sepsis: when a simple infection becomes deadly. Frontiers for Young Minds, 9, 639681. (doi: 10.3389/frym.2021.639681)

2020

Howell, J., Hammarton, T. C. , Altmann, Y. and Jimenez, M. (2020) High-speed particle detection and tracking in microfluidic devices using event-based sensing. Lab on a Chip, 20(16), pp. 3024-3035. (doi: 10.1039/D0LC00556H) (PMID:32700715)

2019

Hammarton, T. C. (2019) Who needs a contractile actomyosin ring? The plethora of alternative ways to divide a protozoan parasite. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 9, 397. (doi: 10.3389/fcimb.2019.00397) (PMID:31824870) (PMCID:PMC6881465)

2017

Hammarton, T. C. (2017) The remarkable Dr Robertson. Parasitology, 144(12), pp. 1590-1601. (doi: 10.1017/S0031182016002080) (PMID:27876111)

Moreira, B. P. , Da Fonseca, C. K. , Hammarton, T. C. and Baqui, M. M.A. (2017) Giant FAZ10 is required for flagellum attachment zone stabilization and furrow positioning in Trypanosoma brucei. Journal of Cell Science, 130(6), pp. 1179-1193. (doi: 10.1242/jcs.194308) (PMID:28193733) (PMCID:PMC5358337)

2014

Benz, C., Thomas, E. and Hammarton, T.C. (2014) Trypanosomatid cell division kinases. In: Doerig, C., Späth, G. and Wiese, M. (eds.) Protein Phosphorylation in Parasites: Novel Targets for Antiparasitic intervention. Series: Drug discovery in infectious diseases (5). Wiley Blackwell: Weinheim, pp. 79-98. ISBN 9783527332359 (doi: 10.1002/9783527675401.ch04)

Jones, N. G., Thomas, E. B., Brown, E., Dickens, N. J. , Hammarton, T. C. and Mottram, J. C. (2014) Regulators of Trypanosoma brucei cell cycle progression and differentiation identified using a kinome-wide RNAi screen. PLoS Pathogens, 10(1), e1003886. (doi: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1003886)

Porcel, B. M. et al. (2014) The streamlined genome of Phytomonas spp. Relative to human pathogenic kinetoplastids reveals a parasite tailored for plants. PLoS Genetics, 10(2), e1004007. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1004007)

2013

Monnerat, S., Almeida Costa, C.I., Forkert, A.C., Benz, C., Hamilton, A., Tetley, L., Burchmore, R. , Novo, C., Mottram, J.C. and Hammarton, T.C. (2013) Identification and functional characterisation of CRK12:CYC9, a novel cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK)-cyclin complex in Trypanosoma brucei. PLoS ONE, 8(6), e67327. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067327) (PMID:23805309) (PMCID:PMC3689728)

2012

May, S. F., Peacock, L., Almeida Costa, C. I. C., Gibson, W. C., Tetley, L., Robinson, D. R. and Hammarton, T. C. (2012) The Trypanosoma brucei AIR9-like protein is cytoskeleton-associated and is required for nucleus positioning and accurate cleavage furrow placement. Molecular Microbiology, 84(1), pp. 77-92. (doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2012.08008.x)

Benz, C., Clucas, C. , Mottram, J.C. and Hammarton, T.C. (2012) Cytokinesis in bloodstream stage Trypanosoma brucei requires a family of katanins and spastin. PLoS ONE, 7(1), e30367. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0030367) (PMID:22279588) (PMCID:PMC3261199)

2010

Ma, J., Benz, C., Grimaldi, R., Stockdale, C., Wyatt, P., Frearson, J. and Hammarton, T. C. (2010) Nuclear DBF-2-related kinases are essential regulators of cytokinesis in bloodstream stage Trypanosoma brucei. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 285(20), pp. 15356-15368. (doi: 10.1074/jbc.M109.074591)

2009

Forsythe, G. R., McCulloch, R. and Hammarton, T. C. (2009) Hydroxyurea-induced synchronisation of bloodstream stage Trypanosoma brucei. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 164(2), pp. 131-136. (doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2008.12.008)

Monnerat, S., Clucas, C. , Brown, E., Mottram, J. C. and Hammarton, T. C. (2009) Searching for novel cell cycle regulators in Trypanosoma brucei with an RNA interference screen. BMC Research Notes, 2(46), (doi: 10.1186/1756-0500-2-46)

2007

Hammarton, T. C., Monnerat, S. and Mottram, J. C. (2007) Cytokinesis in trypanosomatids. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 10(6), pp. 520-527. (doi: 10.1016/j.mib.2007.10.005)

Hammarton, T. C. , Kramer, S., Tetley, L., Boshart, M. and Mottram, J. C. (2007) Trypanosoma brucei Polo-like kinase is essential for basal body duplication, kDNA segregation and cytokinesis. Molecular Microbiology, 65(5), pp. 1229-1248. (doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2007.05866.x)

Hammarton, T. C. (2007) Cell cycle regulation in Trypanosoma brucei. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 153(1), pp. 1-8. (doi: 10.1016/j.molbiopara.2007.01.017)

Hammarton, T.C. , Wickstead, B. and McKean, P.G. (2007) Cell structure, cell division and cell cycle. In: Barry, D. (ed.) Trypanosomes: After the Genome. Horizon Bioscience: Wymondham. ISBN 9781904933274

2005

Hammarton, T.C. , Lillico, S.G., Welburn, S.C. and Mottram, J.C. (2005) Trypanosoma brucei MOB1 is required for accurate and efficient cytokinesis but not for exit from mitosis. Molecular Microbiology, 56(1), pp. 104-116. (doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2958.2005.04542.x)

Mottram, J. C. , Naula, C. , Hammarton, T. and Parsons, M. (2005) Protein kinases of trypanosomatids as drug targets. Cellular and Molecular Biology Letters, 10(S2), pp. 69-70.

2004

Hammarton, T. , Engstler, M. and Mottram, J. (2004) The Trypanosoma brucei cyclin, CYC2, is required for cell cycle progression through G(1) phase and for maintenance of procyclic form cell morphology. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 279, pp. 24757-24764. (doi: 10.1074/jbc.M401276200)

2003

Hammarton, T.C. , Mottram, J.C. and Doerig, C. (2003) The cell cycle of parasitic protozoa: potential for chemotherapeutic exploitation. In: Progress in Cell Cycle Research. Nova Science Publishers Inc., pp. 91-101.

Hammarton, T. , Clark, J., Douglas, F., Boshart, M. and Mottram, J. (2003) Stage-specific differences in cell cycle control in Trypanosoma brucei revealed by RNA interference of a mitotic cyclin. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 278, pp. 22877-22886. (doi: 10.1074/jbc.M300813200)

2001

Phoenixa, D.A., Brandenburg, K., Harris, F., Seydel, U., Hammarton, T. and Roberts, I.S. (2001) An investigation into the membrane-interactive potential of the Escherichia coli KpsE C-Terminus. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 285(4), pp. 976-980. (doi: 10.1006/bbrc.2001.5266)

Arrecubieta, C., Hammarton, T.C. , Barrett, B., Chareonsudjai, S., Hodson, N., Rainey, D. and Roberts, I.S. (2001) The transport of group 2 capsular polysaccharides across the peripiasmic space in Escherichia coli: roles for the KpsE and KpsD proteins. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 276(6), pp. 4245-4250. (doi: 10.1074/jbc.M008183200)

2000

Hammarton, T. C. , Ford, J. R. and Mottram, J. C. (2000) Trypanosoma brucei CYC1 does not have characteristics of a mitotic cyclin. Molecular and Biochemical Parasitology, 111(1), pp. 229-34. (doi: 10.1016/S0166-6851(00)00308-X)

Hammarton, T.C. , Ford, J.R. and Mottram, J.C. (2000) Analysis of Trypanosoma brucei cyclins and cyclin-dependent kinases. Biochemical Society Transactions, 28(5), A480.

1997

Hurst, G. D.D., Hammarton, T. C. , Bandi, C., Majereus, T. M.O., Bertsrabs, D. and Majereus, M. E.N. (1997) The diversity of inherited parasites of insects: the male-killing agent of the ladybird beetle Coleomegilla maculata is a member of the Flavobacteria. Genetical Research, 70(01), pp. 1-6.

1996

Simpson, D.A., Hammarton, T.C. and Roberts, I.S. (1996) Transcriptional organization and regulation of expression of region 1 of the Escherichia coli K5 capsule gene cluster. Journal of Bacteriology, 178(22), pp. 6466-6474.

Hurst, G.D., Hammarton, T.C. , Obrycki, J.J., Majerus, T.M., Walker, L.E., Bertrand, D. and Majerus, M.E. (1996) Male-killing bacterium in a fifth ladybird beetle, Coleomegilla maculata (Coleoptera:Coccinellidae). Heredity, 77, pp. 177-185. (doi: 10.1038/hdy.1996.122)

This list was generated on Fri Apr 19 07:39:15 2024 BST.

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