Dr Will Hughes
Senior Research Officer; Group Leader, Diabetes and Obesity Research Program; Director, Pieter Huveneers Molecular Imaging Facility, Garvan Institute of Medical Research; Conjoint Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, The University of New South Wales
Email: w.hughes 'at' garvan.org.au
Research Group: Hughes
Will is a cell biologist - despite formal training in microbiology, molecular biology and genetics and the guidance of a pharmacologist father who advised “any career but science”. Will’s research explores the spatial and temporal dynamics of cellular signal transduction. How, where and when molecules, particularly phospholipids, participate in cell function is his particular interest - one kindled in the laboratory of Prof. Peter Parker at Cancer Research UK’s London Research Institute. Will moved to the Garvan Institute in 2002 to continue his work on phospholipids and associated signalling proteins with Trevor Biden. He now heads his own group (and the Institute’s Microscope Facility) currently focused on determining how phospholipids can regulate vesicle trafficking events.
Education
1996 PhD University of Leicester, UK
1992 MSc University of Leicester, UK
1990 BSc (Hons) University of Bristol, UK
Awards
2002 Howard Florey Centenary Fellowship
2002 Royal Society Travelling Fellowship
1998 ICRF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
1996 GlaxoWellcome Postdoctoral Research Fellowship
Publications
Falasca M, Hughes WE, Dominguez V, Sala G, Fostira F, Fang MQ, Cazzolli R, Shepherd PR, James DE, Maffucci, T. (2007) The role of phosphoinositide 3-kinase C2 alpha in insulin signaling. J Biol Chem IN PRESSCazzolli R, Huang P, Teng S, Hughes WE. (2007) Measuring phospholipase D activity in insulin secreting pancreatic (-cells and insulin responsive muscle cells and adipocytes. Methods in Molecular Biology IN PRESS
Cazzolli R, Shemon AN, Fang MQ, Hughes WE. (2006) Phospholipid signalling through phospholipase D and phosphatidic acid. IUBMB Life 58: 458-461
Hughes WE, Elgundi Z, Huang P, Frohman MA, Biden TJ. (2004) Phospholipase D1 regulates secretagogue-stimulated insulin release in pancreatic (-cells. J Biol Chem 279: 27534-27541
Lynch DK, Winata SC, Lyons RJ, Hughes WE, Lehrbach GM, Wasinger V, Cortals G, Cordwell S, Daly RJ. (2003) A Cortactin/CD2-associated protein complex provides a novel link between epidermal growth factor receptor endocytosis and actin and the cytoskeleton. J Biol Chem 278: 21805-21813
Hughes WE, Larijani B, Parker PJ. (2002) Detecting protein-phospholipid interactions: EGF-induced activation of PLD1b in situ. J Biol Chem 277: 22974-22979
Hughes WE, Parker PJ. (2001) The endosomal localisation of phospholipase D1a and 1b is defined by the carboxy-terminus of the protein, and is independent of activity. Biochem J 356: 727-736
Hughes W.E (2001) The Sac phosphatase domain. Curr Biol 11: R249-R249
Ng T, Parsons M, Hughes WE, Monypenny J, Zicha D, Gatreau A, Arpin M, Gschmeissner S, Verveer PJ, Bastiaens PIH, Parker PJ. (2001) Ezrin is a downstream effector of trafficking PKC/integrin complexes involved in the control of cell mobility. EMBO J 20: 2723-2741
Hughes WE, Woscholski R, Cooke FT, Patrick RS, Dove SK, McDonald NQ, Parker PJ. (2000). SAC1 encodes a regulated lipid phosphoinositide phosphatase, defects in which can be suppressed by the homologous Inp52p and Inp53p phosphatases. J Biol Chem 275: 801-808
Areas of Interest
Signal transduction, cell biology, endocytosis, exocytosis, vesicle trafficking, phospholipids, diabetes, cancerNews
Research agreement to reveal secret lives of cells
MEDIA RELEASE:
06 Aug 2008
Garvan and CSIRO have signed a three-year collaboration agreement to investigate important cellular processes, including those impaired by diseases such as diabetes. They will be using a new computer vision system they developed jointly to watch intricate cellular processes in real time.
Glimpse the future of medical research at Garvan Open Day
MEDIA RELEASE:
18 Jul 2008
Garvan will open its doors on Sunday 17th August from 10am to 1pm for Open Day, giving the public the opportunity to meet and talk with leading scientists and learn about the future of science and medicine from some of the sharpest minds in Australia.
