Research Groups > Physiological Genomics and Medicine
The research of the group has combined the use of classical genetics with genome technologies for gene discovery and understanding of gene function in common human disorders including the metabolic syndrome, systemic lupus and autoimmune glomerulonephritis.
The combined use of linkage analysis and microarray-based expression profiling led us to identify Cd36 as an insulin resistance gene in rats and humans and to define the genetic control points for thousands of genes across the genome in a rodent model of the metabolic syndrome. More recently, genetic studies of autoimmune glomerulonephritis showed that a new type of genomic sequence variation, gene copy number variation, is a cause of autoimmune glomerulonephritis in rats, in the common human disease systemic lupus erythematosus, and in other human systemic autoimmune disorders. These studies illustrate ways in which use of genome technologies can give insights into the molecular basis of common diseases, and how these insights have potential for translation to advancing the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of these disorders.
Figure 1. Microarray-based identification of Cd36 as an abberantly-expressed gene in SHR. The hybridisation signal for SHR is drastically reduced compared to the Brown Norway (BN) and SHR.4 (congenic) control strains. (Aitman et al. (1999). Nature Genetics 21, 76–83.)(click on image to enlarge).
Figure 1. Microarray-based identification of Cd36 as an abberantly-expressed gene in SHR. The hybridisation signal for SHR is drastically reduced compared to the Brown Norway (BN) and SHR.4 (congenic) control strains. (Aitman et al. (1999). Nature Genetics 21, 76–83.)(click on image to enlarge).
Group head
Tim Aitman (Professor)
Telephone 34253/38336
Email
Group members
Martyna Adamowicz-Brice (Dr)
Santosh Atanur (Mr)
Jacques Behmoaras (Dr)
Telephone 34319
Email
Shririam Bhosle (Mr)
Zelpha D'Souza (Miss)
Telephone 38336
Richard Hull (Dr)
Telephone 38336
Email
Michelle Johnson (Dr)
Telephone 34319/31770
Email
Dalia Kasperaviciute
Sarah Langley (Ms)
Klio Maratou (Dr)
Telephone 32405
Email
Anna Marrone (Dr)
Telephone 34319
Email
Rajdeep Mehon (Mr)
Michael Mueller (Dr)
Penny Norsworthy (Mrs)
Telephone 34319/31770
Email
Korinne Northwood (Ms)
Research Assistant
Telephone 38336
Telephone 38336
Silvia Pitzoi (Dr)
Nick Silver (Dr)
Prashant Srivastrava (Dr)
Ellen Thomas (Dr)
Telephone 34319
Email
Visiting worker
Zhou Zhang (Mr)
Admin contact
Helen Figueira (Ms)
Telephone 38336
Email
Contact details
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8383 8336
Facsimile: +44 (0) 20 8383 8577
Facsimile: +44 (0) 20 8383 8577
Selected publications
Behmoaras, J., Bhangal, G., Smith, J., McDonald, K., Mutch, B., Lai, P. C., Domin, J., Game, L., Salama, A., Foxwell, B. M., Pusey, C. D., Cook, H. T. & Aitman, T. J. (2008). Jund is a determinant of macrophage activation and is associated with glomerulonephritis susceptibility. Nature Genetics 40, 553-559. Abstract | Full text
Petretto, E., Sarwar, R., Grieve, I., Lu, H., Kumaran, M. K., Muckett, P. J., Mangion, J., Schroen, B., Benson, M., Punjabi, P. P., Prasad, S. K., Pennell, D. J., Kiesewetter, C., Tasheva, E. S., Corpuz, L. M., Webb, M. D., Conrad, G. W., Kurtz, T. W., Kren, V., Fischer, J., Hubner, N., Pinto, Y. M., Pravenec, M., Aitman, T. J. & Cook, S. A. (2008). Integrated genomic approaches implicate osteoglycin (Ogn) in the regulation of left ventricular mass. Nature Genetics 40, 546-542. Abstract | Full text
Petretto, E., Liu, E. T. & Aitman, T. J. (2007). A gene harvest revealing the archeology and complexity of human disease. Nature Genetics 39, 1299-1301. Abstract
Aitman, T. J., Dong, R., Vyse, T. J., Norsworthy, P. J., Johnson, M. D., Smith, J., Mangion, J., Roberton-Lowe, C., Marshall, A. J., Petretto, E., Hodges, M. D., Bhangal, G., Patel, S. G., Sheehan-Rooney, K., Duda, M., Cook, P. R., Evans, D. J., Domin, J., Flint, J., Boyle, J. J., Pusey, C. D. & Cook, T. (2006). Copy number polymorphism in Fcgr3 predisposes to glomerulonephritis in rats and humans. Nature 439, 851-855. Abstract
Hubner, N., Wallace, C. A., Zimdahl, H., Petretto, E., Schulz, H., Maciver, F., Mueller, M., Hummel, O., Monti, J., Zidek, V., Musilova, A., Kren, V., Causton, H., Game, L., Born, G., Schmidt, S., Müller, A., Cook, S. A., Kurtz, T. W., Whittaker, J., Pravenec, M. & Aitman, T. J. (2005). Integrated transcriptional profiling and linkage analysis for identification of genes underlying disease. Nature Genetics 37, 243-253. Abstract
Petretto, E., Sarwar, R., Grieve, I., Lu, H., Kumaran, M. K., Muckett, P. J., Mangion, J., Schroen, B., Benson, M., Punjabi, P. P., Prasad, S. K., Pennell, D. J., Kiesewetter, C., Tasheva, E. S., Corpuz, L. M., Webb, M. D., Conrad, G. W., Kurtz, T. W., Kren, V., Fischer, J., Hubner, N., Pinto, Y. M., Pravenec, M., Aitman, T. J. & Cook, S. A. (2008). Integrated genomic approaches implicate osteoglycin (Ogn) in the regulation of left ventricular mass. Nature Genetics 40, 546-542. Abstract | Full text
Petretto, E., Liu, E. T. & Aitman, T. J. (2007). A gene harvest revealing the archeology and complexity of human disease. Nature Genetics 39, 1299-1301. Abstract
Aitman, T. J., Dong, R., Vyse, T. J., Norsworthy, P. J., Johnson, M. D., Smith, J., Mangion, J., Roberton-Lowe, C., Marshall, A. J., Petretto, E., Hodges, M. D., Bhangal, G., Patel, S. G., Sheehan-Rooney, K., Duda, M., Cook, P. R., Evans, D. J., Domin, J., Flint, J., Boyle, J. J., Pusey, C. D. & Cook, T. (2006). Copy number polymorphism in Fcgr3 predisposes to glomerulonephritis in rats and humans. Nature 439, 851-855. Abstract
Hubner, N., Wallace, C. A., Zimdahl, H., Petretto, E., Schulz, H., Maciver, F., Mueller, M., Hummel, O., Monti, J., Zidek, V., Musilova, A., Kren, V., Causton, H., Game, L., Born, G., Schmidt, S., Müller, A., Cook, S. A., Kurtz, T. W., Whittaker, J., Pravenec, M. & Aitman, T. J. (2005). Integrated transcriptional profiling and linkage analysis for identification of genes underlying disease. Nature Genetics 37, 243-253. Abstract
