Programming the Notch response: optogenetic strategies to manipulate pathway activity
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Department Name: Physiology Development and Neuroscience
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Sarah Bray (Primary Supervisor) | |
| Jonathan Townson (Student) |
Publications
Townson JM
(2023)
OptIC-Notch reveals mechanism that regulates receptor interactions with CSL.
in Development (Cambridge, England)
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB/M011194/1 | 30/09/2015 | 31/03/2024 | |||
| 1944853 | Studentship | BB/M011194/1 | 30/09/2017 | 31/12/2021 | Jonathan Townson |
| NE/W503204/1 | 31/03/2021 | 30/03/2022 | |||
| 1944853 | Studentship | NE/W503204/1 | 30/09/2017 | 31/12/2021 | Jonathan Townson |
| Title | Podcast with the Naked Scientists |
| Description | I wrote and spoke about using flies as a model organism for "The Naked Scientists" podcast at a "Communicating your Science" workshop with the Genetics Society. |
| Type Of Art | Creative Writing |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Impact | It is available to this day! And trained me in Science communication. |
| URL | https://www.thenakedscientists.com/podcasts/short/genetics-society-2018-frenetic-genetic |
| Title | BLITz optogenetics in Drosophila |
| Description | An aim for the grant is to create an optogenetic construct for Notch signalling activation. One potential method is to use BLITz which has been previously used in cells and mice. I have successfully used this in Drosophila. It was found to require some adaptations for use in Notch signalling in order to counter mislocalisation of transcription factors and this has been overcome. |
| Type Of Material | Model of mechanisms or symptoms - non-mammalian in vivo |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | It raised further questions for us on the binding of Notch intracellular domain to it's transcription co-factors. This led to us talking over new ideas with Rhett Kovall and designing new experiments. |
| Description | Rhett Kovall |
| Organisation | University of Cincinnati |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We have a Notch optogenetic construct we were looking to improve by obscuring a binding site for a transcription co-factor |
| Collaborator Contribution | Rhett had the knowledge to tell us which residues to obscure and further we worked on designing an experiment to expose the sites in separate constructs. |
| Impact | New constructs have been made and are still being tested |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | BAME school outreach progamme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Clare college Cambridge invited students from target areas in London (e.g. Tower Hamlets) who are part of the BAME community to come to the college for an open day and to hear more about studying at the University of Cambridge. As part of this I have delivered mock supervisions to the students on plant gene editing and cancer immunotherapy (for medics). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | No slides talk to postgraduate community |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I gave a talk on my research, spending a lot of time on using flies as a model organism. The talk was done without slides to a postgraduate community of mixed backgrounds across the Sciences and Arts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Norfolk council schools higher aspirations scheme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Over one hundred year 12 students in Norfolk are participating in a higher aspiration scheme being run by the council and Gonville and Caius college Cambridge. I provide a one hour session every month for six months introducing them to further study/ideas in the field of Biology that they do not learn in school, the idea being to replicate the supervision type learning environment they would get if they successfully applied to the University of Cambridge and encourage them to do so. The title of my supervision series is "Molecule of life: how researchers are studying and using DNA". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| Description | School visit (Warwick) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Year five students from across Warwickshire identified as being high achieving congregated in a single school and were introduced to new topics by Cambridge University researchers, one of which was me. I introduced them to DNA as being the "recipe of life" based on the BBSRC engagement activity |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://bbsrc.ukri.org/engagement/schools/keystage3/discovering-dna/ |