Dr Alison Gartland, BSc (Hons), PhD
Senior Lecturer in Bone Biology
Academic Unit of Bone Biology
Department of Human Metabolism
University of Sheffield Medical School
Beech Hill Road
Sheffield
S10 2RX
Office: DU30
Tel: (+44) 0114 271 2043
Fax: (+44) 0114 271 2475
Email: a.gartland@sheffield.ac.uk
Secretary - Jennifer Newhouse: (+44) 0114 271 2286
Email: j.newhouse@sheffield.ac.uk
Biography
I studied Biomedical technology at Sheffield Hallam University and following a period in Industry studied for my PhD at The University of Liverpool in Prof Jim Gallagher´s lab on the "Expression and functional significance of the P2X7 receptor in skeletal tissue." I then moved to Montpellier, France where I was a Post-Doctoral Researcher at IGMM, CNRS in Bob Hipskind´s lab. Following this I was a Senior Post-Doctoral Researcher in Department of Cell Biology at University of Massachusetts Medical School USA in the late Prof Sandy Marks Jnr´s lab.I joined the University of Sheffield in 2006 as a lecturer in Bone Biology.
Research Interests
My research interests are in P2 receptor signalling in musculoskeletal disease and cancer. The role of P2 purinoreceptor ligands (ATP and other nucleotides) as extracellular messengers is well established and there is now conclusive evidence, from my previous work and that of others, that extracellular nucleotides have a highly influential role in the bone microenvironment.In addition to their roles in bone, nucleotides have been shown to play a role in cancer and synergise with growth factors to stimulate c-fos gene expression, cell proliferation and neoplastic progression.
Teaching Interests
I lecture on the undergraduate Medical Course, the MSc inMolecular Medicine course and I am lead for the B.Med.Sci. Ethics module. I also run the Doctoral Development Programme module"Effective Presentation and Seminar Participation" MED605.
Professional Activities
I am an elected member of the Bone Research Society committee, founder and Secretary of the UK Purine Club, and member of the European Calcified Tissue Society, the International Bone and Mineral Society and the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Current Projects
• Investigating the role of purinergic signalling in bone formation and homeostasis.
• The mechanisms of ATP release from osteoblasts.
• Association of polymorphisms in the P2X7 receptor with osteoporosis and arthritis-induced joint destruction and bone loss.
• The effect of metal ions on bone cell activity in vitro.
• Signalling pathways synergistically activated by P2 and growth factor receptors in osteosarcoma and breast cancer cells.
• The role of P2X receptors in osteoclastogenesis and function
Key Publications
1: Gartland A, Skarratt KK, Hocking LJ, Parsons C, Stokes L, Jørgensen NR, Fraser WD, Reid DM, Gallagher JA, Wiley JS. Polymorphisms in the P2X7 receptor gene are associated with low lumbar spine bone mineral density and accelerated bone loss in post-menopausal women. Eur J Hum Genet. 2012 May;20(5):559-64. doi: 10.1038/ejhg.2011.245. Epub 2012 Jan 11. PubMed PMID: 22234152; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3330223.
2: Rumney RM, Sunters A, Reilly GC, Gartland A. Application of multiple forms of mechanical loading to human osteoblasts reveals increased ATP release in response to fluid flow in 3D cultures and differential regulation of immediate early genes. J Biomech. 2012 Feb 2;45(3):549-54. Epub 2011 Dec 15. PubMed PMID: 22176713; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3268859.
3: Wang N, Robaye B, Agrawal A, Skerry TM, Boeynaems JM, Gartland A. Reduced bone turnover in mice lacking the P2Y(13) receptor of ADP. Mol Endocrinol. 2012 Jan;26(1):142-52. Epub 2011 Nov 22. PubMed PMID: 22108801.
4: Andrews RE, Shah KM, Wilkinson JM, Gartland A. Effects of cobalt and chromium ions at clinically equivalent concentrations after metal-on-metal hip replacement on human osteoblasts and osteoclasts: implications for skeletal health. Bone. 2011 Oct;49(4):717-23. Epub 2011 Jun 13. PubMed PMID: 21689801.
5: Barker HE, Chang J, Cox TR, Lang G, Bird D, Nicolau M, Evans HR, Gartland A, Erler JT. LOXL2-mediated matrix remodeling in metastasis and mammary gland involution. Cancer Res. 2011 Mar 1;71(5):1561-72. Epub 2011 Jan 13. PubMed PMID: 21233336.