Laboratory for Genetic Epidemiology


http://www.genepi.org.au

Winthrop Professor Jenefer Blackwell

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Jenefer Blackwell, BSc First Class Honors Zoology (1969), PhD Population Genetics (1974), UWA, F Med Sci (2000), Hon. DSc, U. Khartoum (2009), ScD, U. Cambridge (2010), has a major interest in the genetic epidemiology of infectious disease.  She transitioned from postdoc to Reader at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (1975-1991) and was recruited to Glaxo Chair Molecular Parasitology University of Cambridge (1991).  In Cambridge, she raised funds to build, and was Founding Director of, the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR).  Appointment to Cambridge also coincided with her role in promoting parasite genome projects.  She chaired the WHO Leishmania Genome Consortium (1992-2003), promoting funding for genomic sequencing of L. major (Science, 2005), and establishing functional genomics including microarray expression profiling and screens for novel Leishmania vaccines.  She has >200 publications; her contribution to tropical medicine recognized by the Chris Wright Medal (1994), the Leverhulme Medal (2000), and election as a Fellow UK Acad Med Sci (Fed Med Sci, 2000). <!--[if !supportAnnotations]-->

 

In 2007 Professor Blackwell returned to Western Australia to establish the Genetics and Health Laboratory (GHL) at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.  She remains an Affiliated PI at CIMR, and is a PI on the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC2) to undertake genome-wide studies of visceral leishmaniasis from Brazil, India and Sudan.  She has research initiatives all over the globe including Brazil, pan-Europe, Hong Kong, India, Sudan, USA and Vietnam.  At TICHR her specific goal has been to build capacity for the application of genetics as a research tool to underpin epidemiological studies.  New projects initiated by the GHL since arriving in Perth include: (i) family-based studies of ear infections and metabolic disease in a WA Aboriginal community; (ii) genetics at the interface between type 2 diabetes and infectious diseases in Thailand; and (iii) genome-wide association studies of otitis media in WA children.  Professor Blackwell is a Winthrop Professor at the University of Western Australia, and has recently been appointed as Interim Director for the Centre for Genetic Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

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Publications CI J Blackwell (2005-2010)

 

IF = impact factor based on 2008 listings (5-year IF shown in brackets)

 

Scholarly books

 

None

 

Scholarly book chapters

 

  1. *Blackwell, J.M., McMahon-Pratt, D., Wilson, M.E. (2008) Impact of the Leishmania Genome on Vaccine Development. In: Myler, P.J. and Fasel, N. (editors) Leishmania: After the Genome. Nolfolk, UK: Caister Academic Press; 2008. p. 281-95.  ISBN 978-1-904455-28-8.

     

Refereed journal articles

 

 

  1. Mahdi, M., Ibrahim, M.E., Elamin, E.M., Melville, S.E., Musa, A.M., Blackwell, J.M., Mukhtar, M.M. and Elhassan, A.M. (2005) Sudanese mucosal leishmaniasis: Isolation of a parasite within the Leishmania donovani complex that differs genotypically from L. donovani causing classical visceral leishmaniasis.  Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 5, 29-39.  IF=2.792 (N/A)

     

  2. White, J.K., Mastroeni, P., Popoff, J-F., and Blackwell, J.M. (2005) Slc11a1-mediated resistance to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Leishmania donovani infections does not require functional inducible nitric oxide synthase activity or phagocyte oxidase activity.  Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 77, 311-320.  IF=4.605 (4.689)

     

  3. Awomoyi, A.A., Charurat, M., Marchant, A., E.N. Miller, Blackwell, J.M., McAdam, K.P.W.J. and Newport, M.J. (2005) Polymorphism in IL1B-ILIB-511 association with tuberculosis and decreased lipopolysaccharide-induced IL-1 beta in IFN-gamma primed ex-vivo whole blood assay.  Journal of Endotoxin Research, 11, 281-286.  IF=2.272 (2.949)

     

  4. Jamieson, S.E., White, J.K.,  Pask, R., Smith, A.N., Brayne, C., Evans, J.G., Xuereb, J., Cairns, N.J., Rubinsztein, D.C. and Blackwell, J.M. (2005) Candidate gene association study of solute carrier family 11a members 1 (SLC11A1) and 2 (SLC11A2) genes in Alzheimer's disease.  Neuroscience Letters, 374, 124-125.  IF=2.200 (2.189)

     

  5. Dubaniewicz, A., Jamieson, S.E., Fakiola, M., Dubaniewicz, N., Miller, E.N. and Blackwell, J.M. (2005) Association between SLC11A1 (formerly NRAMP1) and the risk of sarcoidosis in Poland.  European Journal of Human Genetics, 13, 829-834.  IF=3.925 (3.551)

     

  6. *Stober, C.B. Lange, U., Roberts, M.T.M., Alcami, A. and Blackwell, J.M. (2005) IL-10 from regulatory T cells determines vaccine efficacy in murine Leishmania major infection.  Journal of Immunology, 175, 2517-2524.  IF=6.000 (6.165)

     

  7. *Roberts, M.T.M., Stober, C.B., McKenzie, A.N. and Blackwell, J.M. (2005) IL-4 and IL-10 collude in vaccine failure for novel exacerbatory antigens in murine Leishmania major infection.  Infection and Immunity, 73, 7620-7628.  IF=3.987 (3.944)

     

  8. *Ivens, A.C, Peacock, C.S., Worthey, E.A., Murphy, L., Aggarwal, G., Berriman, M., Sisk, E., Hertzfowler, C., Quail, M.A., Harris, D., Rajandream, M-A., Davies, R.M., Aert, R., Andersson, B., Anupama, A., Attipoe, P., Bason, N., Bauser, C., Beck, A., Beverley, S.M., Bianchettin, G., Borzym, K., Bothe, G., Bruschi, C.V., Collins, M., Cadag, E., Ciarloni, L., Clayton, C., Coulson, R.M.R., Cronin, A., Cruz, A.C., r De Gaudenzi, J., Dobson, D.E., Duesterhoeft, A., Fazelina, G., Fosker, N., Frasch, A.C., Fraser, A., Fuchs, M., Gabel, C., Goble, C., Goffeau, A., Hilbert, H., Horn, D., Huang, Y., Klages, S., Knights, A., Kube, M., Larke, N., Litvin, L., Lord, A., Louie, T., Marra, M., Masuy, D., Matthews, K., Michaeli, S., Mottram, J.C., Mueller-Auer, S., Munden, H., Nelson, S., Nilsson, D., Norbertczak, H., Oliver, K., O'Neill, S., Pentony, M., Pohl, T.M., Price, C., Purnelle, B., Rabbinowitsch, E., Reinhardt, R., Rieger, M., Rinta, J., Robben, J., Robertson, L., Ruiz, J., Rutter, S., Saunders, D., Schaefer, M., Schein, J., Schwartz, D.C., Seeger, K., Seyler, A., Sharp, S., Shin, H., Sivam, D., Squares, R., Squares, S., Tosato, V., Tram, A-N., Vogt, C., Volckaert, G., Wambutt, R., Warren, T., Wedler, H.,  Woodward, J., Zhou, S., Zimmermann, W., Smith, D.F., Blackwell, J.M., Stuart, K.D., Barrell, B. and Myler, P.J. (2005)  The genome of the kinetoplastid parasite, Leishmania major. Science, 309, 436-442.  IF=28.103 (30.268)

     

  9. *Stober, C.B. Lange, U., Roberts, M.T.M., Gilmartin, B., Francis, R., Almeida, R., Peacock, C.S., McCann, S. and Blackwell, J.M. (2006) From genome to vaccines for leishmaniasis: Screening 100 novel vaccine candidates against murine Leishmania major infection.  Vaccine, 24, 2602-2616.  IF=3.298 (3.189)

     

  10. Wheeler, E., Miller, E.N., Peacock, C.S., Donaldson, I.J., Shaw, M.-A., Jamieson, S.E., Blackwell, J.M. and Cordell, H.J. (2006) Genome-wide scan for loci influencing quantitative immune response traits in the Belem Family Study: comparison of methods and summary of results.  Annals of Human Genetics, 70, 78-97.  IF=2.195 (2.594)

     

  11. Castellucci, L., Guimaraes, L., Lessa, M., Lessa, H., Ribeiro, S., Reale, J., Oliveira, J., Henezes, E., Hagalliaes, A., Noronha, E., Wilson, M.E., Duggal, P., Beatty, T., Jeronimo, S., Jamieson, S.E., Blackwell, J.M., de Jesus, A. and Carvalho, E. (2006) Interleukin 6 -174 G/C promoter polymorphism influences susceptibility to mucosal but not localized cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil.  Journal of Infectious Diseases, 194, 519-527.  IF=5.682 (5.735)

     

  12. Jamieson, S.E., Miller, E.N., Peacock, C.S., Fakiola, M., Jeronimo, S., Wilson, M.E., Bales, A., Shaw, M-A., Silveira, F., Shaw, J.J. and Blackwell, J.M. (2007) Genome-wide scan for visceral leishmaniasis susceptibility genes in Brazilians.  Genes and Immunity, 8, 84-90.  indicates equal contributions.  IF=4.690 (4.846)

     

  13. Salih, M.A., Ibrahim, M.E., Blackwell, J.M., Miller, E.N., Khalil, E.A.G., ElHassan, A.M., Musa, A.M. and Mohamed, H.S. (2007) IFNG and IFNGR1 gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis in Sudan.  Genes and Immunity, 8, 75-78.  IF=4.690 (4.846)

     

  14. *Stober, C.B. Lange, U., Roberts, M.T.M., Alcami, A. and Blackwell, J.M. (2007) Heterologous prime-boosting with DNA and modified vaccinia virus Anakara expressing tryparedoxin peroxidase promotes long-term memory against Leishmania major in susceptible BALB/c mice.  Infection and Immunity, 75, 852-860.  IF=3.987 (3.944)

     

  15. Miller, E.N., Fadl, M., Mohamed, H.S., El Zein, A., Jamieson, S.E., Cordell, H.J., Peacock, C.S., Fakiola, M., Raju, M., Khalil, E.A., Elhassan, A., Musa, A.M., Ibrahim, M.E. and Blackwell, J.M. (2007) Y chromosome lineages tag village-specific genes on chromosomes 1p22 and 6q27 that control visceral leishmaniasis in The Sudan.  PLoS Genetics, 3 (5): 679-688.  indicates equal contributions.  IF=8.883 (9.206)

     

  16. Bayele, H.K., Peyssonnaux, C., Giatromanolaki, A., Arrais-Silva, W.A., Collins, H., Giorgio, S., Koukourakis, M., Nizet, V., Blackwell, J.M., Johnson, R.S. and Srai, S.K.S. (2007) HIF-1 regulates heritable variation in SLC11A1 expression phenotypes relevant to innate immunity and inflammation.  Blood, 110, 3039-3048.  IF=10.432 (9.691)

     

  17. Johnson, C.M.,  Traherne, J.A, Jamieson, S.E., Tremelling, M. Parkes, M., Blackwell, J.M. and Trowsdale, J. (2007) Analysis of the BTNL2 truncating splice site mutation in tuberculosis, leprosy and Crohn’s disease.  Tissue Antigens, 69, 236-241. IF=2.076 (2.133)

     

  18. Stober, C.B., Brode, S., White, J.K., Popoff, J-F., Blackwell, J.M. (2007) Slc11a1 (formerly Nramp1) is expressed in dendritic cells and influences MHC class II expression and antigen presenting cell function.  Infection and Immunity, 75, 5059-5067.  IF=3.987 (3.944)

     

  19. Jeronimo, S.M.B., Holst, A.K.B., Jamieson, S.E., Francis, R., Martins, D.R.A., Ettinger, N.A., Nascimento, E.Y., Miller, E.N., Murray, J.C., Duggal, P., Beaty, T., Blackwell, J.M. and Wilson, M.E. (2007) Genes at human chromosome 5q31.1 regulate delayed type hypersensitivity responses associated with Leishmania chagasi infection.  Genes and Immunity, 8, 539-551.   indicates equal contributions.  IF=4.006 (3.815)

     

  20. Jeronimo, S.M.B., Duggal, P., Ettinger, N.A, Nascimento, E.Y., Monteiro, G.R., Cabral, A.P., Pontes, N.N., Lacerdo, H.G., Queiroz, P.V., Gomes, C.E.M., Pearson, R.D., Blackwell, J.M., Beaty, T. and Wilson, M.E. (2007) Genetic predisposition to self-curing infection with the protozoan Leishmania chagasi: a genomewide scan.  Journal of Infectious Diseases, 196, 1261-1269.  IF=5.682 (5.735)

     

  21. Techau, M.E., Valdez-Taubas, J., Popoff, J-F., Francis, R., Seaman, M. and Blackwell, J.M. (2007) Evolution of differences in transport function in Slc11a family members.  Journal of Biological Chemistry, 282, 35646-35656.  indicates equal contributions.  IF=5.520 (5.575)

     

  22. Jamieson, S.E., de Roubaix, L-A., Cortina-Borja, M., Tan, H.K., Mui, E., Mack, D., Cordell, H.J., Kirisits, M.J., Miller, E.N., Peacock, C.S., Hargrave, A.C., Coyne, J.J., Boyer, K., Bessieres, M-H, Buffolano, W., Ferret, N.,  Franck, J., Kieffer, F., Meier, P., Nowakowska, D.E., Paul, M., Peyron, F., Stray-Pedersen, B., Thulliez, P., Wallon, M., Petersen, E., McLeod, R., Gilbert, R.E. and Blackwell , J.M. (2008) Genetic and epigenetic factors at COL2A1 and ABCA4 influence clinical outcome in congenital toxoplasmosis.  PLoS ONE, 3(6), e2285. IF = N/A

     

  23. Jiang, H-R., Gilchrist, D.S., Popoff, J-F., Jamieson, S.E., Truscott, M., White, J.K. and Blackwell, J.M. (2009) Influence of Slc11a1 (formerly Nramp1) on DSS-induced colitis in mice.  Journal of Leukocyte Biology, Epub 30 Dec 2008.  indicates equal contributions.  IF=4.605 (4.689)

     

  24. *Carson, C., Antoniou, M., Ruiz-Argüello, M.B., Alcami, A., Christodoulou, V., Messaritakis, I., Blackwell, J.M. and Courtenay, O. (2009) A prime/boost DNA/Modified vaccinia virus Ankara vaccine expressing recombinant Leishmania DNA encoding TRYP is safe and immunogenic in outbred dogs, the reservoir of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis.  Vaccine, 27, 1080=1086. IF=3.298 (3.189)

     

  25. Ettinger, N.A., Duggal, P., Braz R.F.S., Nascimento, E.T., Beaty, T., Jeronimo, S.M.B., Pearson, R.D., Blackwell, J.M., Moreno, L., Lidral, A.C. and Wilson M.E. (2009) Genetic admixture in northeast Brazilians exposed to infection with the protozoan parasite Leishmania chagasi.  Annals of Human Genetics, 73, 304-313. IF=2.195 (2.594)

     

  26. Farouk, S., Salih, M.A., Musa, A.M., Blackwell, J.M., Miller, E.N., Khalil, E.A.G., ElHassan, A.M., Ibrahim, M.E. and Mohamed, H.S. (2009) Interleukin-10 gene polymorphisms and development of post Kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) in a selected Sudanese population.  Public Health Genomics, Epub Dec 09. IF=N/A

     

  27. *Carson, C., Antoniou, M., Christodoulou, V., Messaritakis, I., Quinnell, R.J., Blackwell, J.M. and Courtenay, O. (2009) Serological tests to measure the incidence of natural Leishmania infection and vaccine efficacy in dogs immunized with DNA/MVA prime/boost LACK and TRYP vaccines. Veterinary Parasitology, 162, 207-213. IF=2.039 (2.129)

     

  28. Queiroz, J.W., Dias, G.D., Nobre, M.L., De Sousa Dias, M.C., Araújo, S.F., Barbosa, J.D., Trindade Neto, P., Blackwell, J.M. and Jeronimo, S.M.B. (2010) Geographic Information Systems and Applied Spatial Statistics are efficient tools to study Hansen’s Disease (leprosy) and to determine areas of greater risk of disease.  American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 82, 306-314.  IF=2.45 (2.715)

     

  29. Peixoto-Rangel, A.L., Miller, E.N., Castellucci, L., Jamieson, S.E., Peixe, R.G. , de Souza Elias, L., Correa-Oliveira, R., Bahia-Oliveira, L.M.G. and  Blackwell, J.M. (2009) Candidate gene analysis of ocular toxoplasmosis in Brazil: evidence for a role for toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 104, 1187-1190.   indicates equal contributions.  IF=1.450 (1.652)

     

  30. Castellucci, L., Jamieson, S.E., Miller, E.N., Menezes, E., Oliveira, J., Magalhães, A., Guimaraes, L., Lessa, M., Ribeiro, S., Reale, J., de Jesus, A., Carvalho, E. and Blackwell, J.M., (2010) CXCR1 and SLC11A1 polymorphisms affect susceptibility to cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil: a case-control and family-based study.  BMC Medical Genetics, 11, 10 (20 January 2010).  IF=2.762 (N/A)

     

  31. Ramasawmy, R., Menezes, E., Magalhães, A., Oliveira, J., Castellucci, L., Almeida, R., Rosa, M.E.A., Guimaraes, L.H., Lessa, M., Noronha, E., Wilson, M.E., Jamieson, S.E., Kalil, J., Blackwell, J.M., Carvalho, E.M., and de Jesus, A. (2010) The -2518 A/G promoter polymorphism in the gene (CCL2/ MCP1) encoding monocyte chemotactic protein 1 influences susceptibility to mucosal but not localized cutaneous leishmaniasis in Brazil.  Infection, Genetics and Evolution, 10, 607-613. IF=2.792 (N/A)

     

  32. Jamieson, S.E., Peixoto-Rangel, A.L., Hargrave, A.C., de Roubaix, L.A., Mui, E.J., Boulter, N.R., Miller, E.N., Fuller, S.J., Wiley, J.S., Castellucci, L., Boyer, K., Guerra Peixe, R., Kirisits, M.J., de Souza Elias, L., Coyne, J.J., Correa-Oliveira, R., Sautter, M., Smith, N.C., Lees, M.P., Swisher, C.N., Heydemann, P., Noble, A.G., Patel, D., Bardo, D., Burrowes, D., McLone, D., Roizen, N., Withers, S., Bahia-Oliveira, L.M.G.*, McLeod, R.* and Blackwell, J.M.*  (2010) Evidence for association between purinergic receptor P2X7 (P2RX7) and congenital toxoplasmosis. Genes and Immunity, in press.  indicates equal first authorship; * indicates equal contributions. IF=4.006 (3.815) 

     

  33. Lees, M.P., Fuller, S.J., McLeod, R., Boulter, N.R., Miller, C.M., Zakrzewski, A.M., Mui, E.J., Witola, W.H., Coyne, J.J., Hargrave, A.C., Jamieson, S.E., Blackwell, J.M., Wiley, J.S. and Smith, N.C. (2010) P2X7 receptor-mediated killing of an intracellular parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, by human and murine macrophages.  Journal of Immunology, May 19. [Epub ahead of print]. IF = 6.068; TC = N/A.

     

  34. Fakiola, M., Mishra, A., Rai, M., Singh, S.P., O’Leary, R., Ball, S., Francis, R.W., Miller, E.N., Sundar, S.* and Blackwell, J.M.* (2010) Genome wide linkage study for visceral leishmaniasis in India.  European Journal of Human Genetics, submitted. indicates equal first authorship; *indicates equal contributions. IF = 4.088; TC = N/A.

     

  35. Rye, M.S., Wiertsema, S.P., Scaman, E.S.H., Oommen, J., Sun, W., Coates, H., Vijayasekaran, S., Francis, R.W., Ang, W., Pennell, C., Burgner, D., Richmond, P., Brown, S., Blackwell, J.M. and Jamieson, S.E. (2010) FBXO11, a member of the TGFβ pathway, is associated with severe forms of otitis media in Western Australian children. Genes and Immunity, submitted.  IF = 4.088; TC = N/A.

     

Refereed conference papers

 

  1. *Kaye, P.M. and Blackwell, J.M. (2008) Postgenomic research on leishmaniasis in 2007: a critical self appraisal. Trends in Parasitology, 24, 401-405. (Meeting report)  IF=4.690 (4.846)

     

Invited Review articles

 

  1. Blackwell, J.M., Mohamed, H.S. and Ibrahim, M.E. (2004) Genetics and visceral leishmaniasis in The Sudan: Seeking a link.  Trends in Parasitology, 20, 268-74.  IF = 4.690 (4.846)

     

  2. *Desjeux, P., Boelart, M., Sundar, S., Croft, S., Stuart, K., Tibayrenc, M., McMahon-Pratt, D., Maroli, M., Reed, S., Dessein, A., Blackwell, J., Alvar, J., Davies, C., Saravia, N., Menne, B., Elhassan, A.M. – TDR Reference Group on Leishmaniasis. (2004) Leishmaniasis. Nature Reviews in Microbiology, 2, 692-693.  IF=14.310 (16.894)

     

  3. Burgner, D., Jamieson S.E. and Blackwell, J.M. (2006) Genetic susceptibility to infectious diseases: big is beautiful and big will be even better? Lancet Infectious Diseases, 6, 653-663.  IF=13.165 (12.831)

     

  4. Blackwell, J.M., Fakiola, M., Ibrahim, M.E., Jamieson, S.E., Jeronimo, S.B., Miller, E.N., Mishra, A., Mohamed, H.S., Peacock, C.S., Raju, M., Sundar, S. and Wilson, M.E. (2009) Genetics of visceral leishmaniasis: of mice and men.  Parasite Immunology, 31, 254-266.  IF=2.523 (2.416)

     

  5. Jamieson, S.E., Cordell, H.J., Petersen, E., McLeod, R., Gilbert, R.E. and Blackwell , J.M. (2009) Host genetic and epigenetic factors in toxoplasmosis.  Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 104, 162-169.  IF=1.450 (1.652)

     

  6. Blackwell, J.M., Jamieson, S.E. and Burgner, D. (2009) HLA and infectious disease. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 22, 370-385.  IF=16.409 (17.283)

     

Consortium Publications

 

  1. UK IBD Genetics Consortium, Barrett J.C., Lee J.C., Lees C.W., Prescott N.J., Anderson C.A., Phillips A., Wesley E., Parnell K., Zhang H., Drummond H., Nimmo E.R., Massey D., Blaszczyk K., Elliott T., Cotterill L., Dallal H., Lobo A.J., Mowat C., Sanderson J.D., Jewell D.P., Newman, W.G., Edwards, C., Ahmad, T., Mansfield, J.C., Satsangi, J., Parkes, M., Mathew, C.G., Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium 2, Donnelly, P., Peltonen, L., Blackwell, J.M., Bramon, E., Brown, M.A., Casas, J.P., Corvin, A., Craddock, N., Deloukas, P., Duncanson, A., Jankowski, J., Markus, H.S., Mathew, C.G., McCarthy, M.I., Palmer, C.N., Plomin, R., Rautanen, A., Sawcer, S.J., Samani, N., Trembath, R.C., Viswanathan, A.C., Wood, N., Spencer, C.C., Barrett, J.C., Bellenguez, C., Davison, D., Freeman, C., Strange, A., Donnelly, P., Langford, C., Hunt, S.E., Edkins, S., Gwilliam, R., Blackburn, H., Bumpstead, S.J., Dronov, S., Gillman, M., Gray, E., Hammond, N., Jayakumar, A., McCann, O.T., Liddle, J., Perez, M.L., Potter, S.C., Ravindrarajah, R., Ricketts, M., Waller, M., Weston, P., Widaa, S., Whittaker, P., Deloukas, P., Peltonen, L., Mathew, C.G., Blackwell, J.M., Brown, M.A., Corvin, A., McCarthy, M.I., Spencer, C.C., Attwood, A.P., Stephens, J., Sambrook, J., Ouwehand, W.H., McArdle, W.L., Ring, S.M., Strachan, D.P. (2009) Genome-wide association study of ulcerative colitis identifies three new susceptibility loci, including the HNF4A region. Nature Genetics 41, 1330-1334. IF=30.259 (26.446)

     

Publications CI J Blackwell (10 Selected Career-best Publications)

 

IF = impact factors for 2008 (5-year IF shown in brackets); TC = times cited as at February 2010)

 
Blackwell, J., Freeman, J. and Bradley, D.  (1980).  Influence of H-2 complex on acquired resistance to Leishmania donovani infection in mice.  Nature, 283, 72-74.  IF = 31.434 (31.210); TC = 169.

 

This paper was the first to show a major effect of the major histocompatibility complex on a complex eukaryotic infectious disease.  This finding has recently been dramatically replicated in our unpublished genome-wide association study of visceral leishmaniasis in India.

 

Blackwell, J.M., Ezekowitz, R.A.B., Roberts, M.B., Channon, J.Y., Sim, R.B. and Gordon, S. (1985)  Macrophage complement and lectin-like receptors bind Leishmania in the absence of serum.  Journal of Experimental Medicine, 162, 324-331.  IF = 15.463 (15.504); TC = 244.

 

This paper was the first to demonstrate a role of complement and lectin-like receptors in the uptake of leishmania parasites into macrophages, and has been the forerunner to an important field of research internationally.

 

Roach, T.I.A., Barton, C.H. Chatterjee, D. and Blackwell, J.M. (1993)  Macrophage activation: lipoarabinomannan (LAM) from avirulent and virulent strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis differentially induces the early genes c-fos, KC, JE and TNF.  Journal of Immunology, 150, 1886-1896.  IF = 6.000 (6.165); TC = 170.

 

This paper was the first to demonstrate that the cell walls of mycobacteria play a major role in determining virulence.

 

Barton, C.H., Roach, T.I.A., White, J.K. and Blackwell, J.M. (1994)  N-terminus of macrophage-expressed Nramp encodes a putative SH3 binding domain.  Journal of Experimental Medicine, 179, 1683-1687.   IF = 15.463 (15.504); TC = 91.

 

This paper demonstrated that the published sequence for the positionally cloned gene gene controlling Salmonella, Mycobacterium, and Leishmania infections in mice contained a proline-serine rich N-terminal sequence that was missing in the published sequence.  This part of the molecule is conserved in humans and is involved in regulating protein function.

 

Cabrera, M., Shaw, M-A., Sharples, C., Williams, H., Castes, M., Convit, J. and Blackwell, J.M. (1995).  Polymorphism in TNF genes associated with mucocutaneous leishmaniasis.  Journal of Experimental Medicine, 182, 1259-1264.  IF = 15.463 (15.504); TC = 305.

 

This paper was the first to demonstrate that polymorphism in the TNF gene promoter was associated with high risk for developing mucosal forms of leishmaniasis.  Later research went on to demonstrate that therapeutic intervention with the inhibitor of TNF, pentoxifylline, is efficacious in treating this form of the disease in humans, and is now routinely used in clinical practice.

 

Searle, S., Bright, N.A., Roach, T.I.A., Atkinson, P.G.P., Barton, C.H., Meloen, R.H. and Blackwell, J.M. (1998) Localisation of Nramp1 in macrophages: modulation with activation and infection.  Journal of Cell Science, 111, 2855-2866.  IF = 6.247 (6.847); TC = 95.

 

          

 

This paper led the way in demonstrating that the Slc11a1 (formerly Nramp1) protein localizes to late endosomes and lysosomes of macrophages, and surrounds the parasitophorous vesicle of infected macrophages.

 

Searle, S. and Blackwell, J.M. (1999)  Evidence for a functional repeat polymorphism in the promoter of human NRAMP1 that correlates with infectious versus autoimmune disease susceptibility.  Journal of Medical Genetics, 36, 295-299.  IF = 5.713 (4.928); TC = 122.

 

       

 

This paper was the first to demonstrate that a repeat in the 5’ promoter region of SLC11A1 (formerly NRAMP1) is functional in regulating gene expression.  This remains the only functional polymorphism that has been identified in SLC11A1, a gene that has now been shown to be association with multiple infectious and autoimmune diseases.

 

Goswami, T., Bhattacharjee, A., Babal, P., Searle, S., Moore, E., Li, M. and Blackwell, J.M. (2001) Natural resistance associated macrophage protein 1 is an H+/bivalent cation antiporter.  Biochemical Journal, 354, 511-519.  IF = 4.371 (4.251); TC = 97.

 

          

 

This paper demonstrated that Slc11a1 is a divalent cation/proton antiporter that transports cations against the proton gradient.  This has remained controversial but our subsequent study in a yeast model system (Techau et al., JBC, 2007, 282, 35646-35656) concurs with these findings and we are sticking by our original observation! 

 

Stober, C.B. Lange, U., Roberts, M.T.M., Alcami, A. and Blackwell, J.M. (2005) IL-10 from regulatory T cells determines vaccine efficacy in murine Leishmania major infection.  Journal of Immunology, 175, 2517-2524.  IF = 6.000 (6.165); TC = 46.

 

        

 

This paper is extremely important in relation to the current application.  It demonstrated the efficacy of the TRYP DNA/MVA vaccine against leishmaniasis in the mouse model, and was the first to demonstrate that IL-10 from regulatory T cells were the primary reason why the LACK DNA/MVA prime/boost vaccine was not protective.  This is the first demonstration of a role for regulatory T cells in determining response to vaccination.  We went on to demonstrate that the TRYP DNA/MVA prime/boost vaccine stimulates long term T cell memory and protection (Stober et al., 2007, Infect. Immun. 75, 852-860), a finding that is central to the vaccine protocol for the field trials proposed in this grant.

 

Miller, E.N., Fadl, M., Mohamed, H.S., El Zein, A., Jamieson, S.E., Cordell, H.J., Peacock, C.S., Fakiola, M., Raju, M., Khalil, E.A., Elhassan, A., Musa, A.M., Ibrahim, M.E. and Blackwell, J.M. (2007) Y chromosome lineages tag village-specific genes on chromosomes 1p22 and 6q27 that control visceral leishmaniasis in The Sudan.  PLoS Genetics, 3 (5): 679-688.  indicates equal contributions.  IF = 8.883 (9.206); TC = 11.

 

     

 

This is one of our more recent papers that begins to demonstrate the complexity of genetic regulation of leishmania infection in human populations, and in particular highlighted the effect of population substructure, marital practices and founder effect in determining disease susceptibility in adjacent villages in south-eastern Sudan.