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Dr Edith Elliott
Dr Edith Elliott
Name : Edith Elliott (PhD, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg))
Department : Biochemistry (Pietermaritzburg campus)
Dr Elliott joined the Department of Biochemistry (Pietermaritzburg campus) as a lecturer in 1990, with a 5 year general Diploma in Medical Technology (Clinical Pathology), a 3 year specialist Diploma in Medical Microbiology (University of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe), 15 years experience in Medical Technology, and a Master’s degree (Biochemistry, University of Natal). Her doctoral studies, completed in 1994, established cryoultramicrotomy, immunogold labeling, and confocal immunofluorescence microscopy skills in the country and focused on the effect of the val-12 c-Ha-ras mutation on the trafficking of the lysosomal enzyme cathepsin B, thought to be a major protease involved in the invasion and malignancy of breast cancer at the time.
Research interests
1. The role of cathepsins and matrix metalloproteinase enzymes in signal transduction, invasion and cancer, and the effect of ras mutations on protease trafficking.
2. Mechanisms of pathogen evasion of killing in phagosome.
3. Lysosome-endosome-phagosome enzyme trafficking and autophagy in cancer and infection.
4. Immunological, protease- and signal transduction inhibitors (synthetic or traditional medicine) in therapeutic approaches to cancer and infection.
Collaborators and model systems:
· MCF-10A and c-Ha-ras transfected non-invasive and invasive breast epithelial cell lines (Bonnie Sloane, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI) for confocal and electron microscopy immunolabelling studies on the effects of c-Ha ras on protease trafficking and invasion.
· MMPs and TIMPS expression systems and antigens provided for testing vaccine strategies and for antibody production (Drs Ito and Nagasi, Imperial College, UK and Prof Harald Tschesche, University of Bielefeld).
· Novel heterocyclic and hydroxamate MMP inhibitors (Prof Harald Tschesche, University of Bielefeld) for real time PCR CAM invasion model system testing.
· Macrophage-mycobacterial interactions, using M. smegmatic and M. avium model systems for confocal, EM and RNAi and gene expression studies (Dr Grifiths, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany).
· Saccharomyces cerevisciae ERAD and autophagic pathway mutants (provided by Dr Ardythe MacCracken, University of Nevada, Reno Nevada) for electron microscopy and confocal studies for unraveling the ERAD and autophagic pathways.
Selected references
Price, B., Dennison, C., Tschesche, H. and Elliott, E. (2000) Neutrophil tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) is found in novel granules that do not fuse with the phagosome. J. Biol. Chem. 275, 28308-281315.
Pillay, C.S., Elliott, E., Dennison, C. (2002) Endolysosomal proteolysis and its regulation. Biochem. J. 363, 417-429.
Gillespie, A.S., Elliott, E. (2005) Comparative advantages of imidazole–sodium dodecyl sulfate–zinc reverse staining in polyacrylamide gels. Analytical Biochemistry 345 (1) (2005) 158-160.
Jackson, J.G., Elliott, E. (2007) Cationization of DNP-modified ovalbumin: effect on antibody responses in chickens and rabbits. J. Immunol. Methods (provisionally accepted pending rereview).
Chunthurpursat, E., Elliott, E. and Dennison, C. (2007) Effect of ionic strength on the kinetics of selected proteases. (BBA submitted).
Gutierrez, M.G., Mishra, B.B., Jordao, M.L., Elliott, E., Anes, E and Griffiths, G (2007) NF-κB activation controls late endosome/lysosome fusion-mediated killing of mycobacteria by macrophages. (Immunity, submitted).
E-mail: elliott@ukzn.ac.za, Telephone: +27 (0)33 260 5455, Postal address: Biochemistry, Pietermaritzburg campus, UKZN, P.Bag X01, Scottsville, Natal, South Africa.