Academic Services

Dr Jennifer Waby

My research interests focus on a family of transcription factors known as the Sp family. The founder member of this family, Sp1, is a ubiquitously expressed transcription factor whose expression is reported to be upregulated in a number of cancers. Sp1 regulates expression of genes involved in cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, and lipid neogenesis, all important pathways in cancer development and embryogenesis. The importance of Sp1 in embryogenesis is highlighted by the observation that Sp1 knockdown is embryonic lethal in mice. I am specifically interested in how Sp1-mediated gene regulation is controlled in development and how this correlates with Sp1 regulation in tumour progression. My previous work has revealed that Sp1 acetylation attenuates Sp1 binding at the Bak and P21 promoters, which alters transcriptional activation. The Sp1 acetylation site is highly conserved within the Sp family and my current research aims to investigate the effects of acetylation on the binding activities of other Sp-family members and their potential roles in cancer.

Brief CV

• Postdoctoral Research Associate (2006-2010), Human Nutrition Unit, University of Sheffield. Employed by Dr. Bernard Corfe, working on BBSRC and FSA funded projects.
• Ph.D. Neuroscience (2002-2006), University of Sheffield.
• B.Sc. (Hons) Neuroscience (1999-2002), University of Sheffield

Selected Publications

Waby JS, Chirakkal H, Yu CW, Griffiths GJ, Benson RSP, Bingle CD, Corfe BM. Sp1 acetylation results in loss of DNA binding at promoters associated with cell cycle arrest and cell death in a colon cell line. Molecular Cancer: In press. 

Yu CW, Waby JS, Chirakkal H, Staton CA and Corfe BM (2010). Butyrate suppresses expression of neuropilin I in colorectal cell lines through inhibition of Sp1 transactivation. Molecular Cancer: In press.

Waby JS, Bingle BD & Corfe BM (2008) Post-Translational Control of Sp-Family Transcription Factors. Current Genomics 5: 301-311.

Chirakkal H, Leech SH, Brookes KE, Prais AL, Waby JS, Corfe BM. (2006) Upregulation of BAK by butyrate in the colon is associated with increased Sp3 binding. Oncogene 25: 7192-200.

Ackerley S, Grierson AJ, Banner S, Perkinton MS, Brownlees J, Byers HL, Ward M, Thornhill P, Hussain K, Waby JS, Anderton BH, Cooper JD, Dingwall C, Leigh PN, Shaw CE, Miller CC (2004). p38alpha stress-activated protein kinase phosphorylates neurofilaments and is associated with neurofilament pathology in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Mol Cell Neurosci 26 (2): 354-64.

Teaching

Administrative duties

Timetable officer