Cleal, Jane - University of Southampton

个人简介

Dr Cleal received her BSc in Molecular Cell Biology in 2001 before undertaking a PhD with Professor Hanson and Dr Green in the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) division, The University of Southampton with the majority of the work at the Royal Veterinary College, London. She played a pivotal role in developing an ovine model which showed for the first time that fetal nutritional status determines adult cardiovascular function in sheep, and influences the response to postnatal nutrient restriction (Cleal et al., 2007 PNAS). This publication was awarded the University Research prize 2007. Following the completion of her PhD Dr Cleal remained in Southampton, supported by a School of Medicine Career Track Fellowship. Her studies in humans have made significant progress in understanding how amino acids get out of the human placenta and into the fetal circulation. Dr Cleal was appointed to her current post as a lecturer in epigenetics in 2010.

研究领域

Developmental origins of health and disease (With Dr Lucy Green, Dr Kirsten Poore and Professor Mark Hanson) Fetal growth restriction is associated with increased risk of perinatal mortality and chronic diseases in later life, including osteoporosis, obesity, cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Dr Cleal is following up from her PhD findings by investigating the effects of pre- and post-natal nutrient restriction on adult cardiovascular function using an ovine model. The placenta is a vital component in the process of nutrient supply from the maternal circulation into the fetal circulation, and is therefore implicated in the association between fetal undernutrition and cardiovascular disease in adult life. Regulation of placental amino acid transport (With Dr Rohan Lewis and Professor Mark Hanson) To understand why placental amino acid transfer is insufficient in growth restricted pregnancies it is important to understand the mechanisms of placental amino acid transfer in normal pregnancy. Dr Cleal and Dr Lewis have previously identified three novel amino acid transporters (TAT1, LAT3 and LAT4) in human placenta which control the flux of amino acids to the fetus and subsequent fetal growth (Cleal et al., 2011 J Physiol). The maternal environmental factors controlling the expression of these transporters are currently being investigated. This involves cytotrophoblast cell culture, promoter analysis and the use of specific antibodies for these proteins. Placentas from the unique, well-characterised Southampton cohort studies are used to relate the regulation of these transporters to the maternal environment and factors indicative of lifelong health. Maternal vitamin D levels and placental amino acid transport (With Dr Nicolas Harvey and Dr Karen Lillycrop) Specifically, low maternal vitamin D levels are associated with reduced fetal growth and poor postnatal health. Studies in Southampton have indicated that vitamin D insufficiency is common in women of childbearing age and that maternal vitamin D concentrations correlate with neonatal bone mass. All maternal nutrients must however be transported by the placenta in order to reach the fetus and influence fetal growth. Whether vitamin D controls placental amino acid transporters is currently being investigated. This involves trophoblast cell culture, epigenetic analysis and placental tissues from well-characterised pregnancies.

近期论文

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Relation of FTO gene variations to fetal growth trajectories: findings from the Southampton Women's survey - Barton, S.J., Mosquera, M., Cleal, J.K., Fuller, A.S., Crozier, S.R., Cooper, C., Inskip, H.M., Holloway, J.W., Lewis, R.M. and Godfrey, K.M. Published:2015Publication:PlacentaVolume:38Page Range:100-106doi:10.1016/j.placenta.2015.12.015 Maternal factors are associated with the expression of placental genes involved in amino acid metabolism and transport - Day, P.E., Ntani, G., Crozier, S.R., Mahon, P.A., Inskip, H.M., Cooper, C., Harvey, N.C., Godfrey, K.M., Hanson, M.A., Lewis, R.M. and Cleal, J.K. Published:2015Publication:PLoS ONEVolume:10, (12)Page Range:1-17doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0143653PMID:26657885 Glutamate cycling may drive organic anion transport on the basal membrane of human placental syncytiotrophoblast - Lofthouse, E., Brooks, S., Cleal, J., Hanson, M., Poore, K., O'Kelly, Ita and Lewis, R. Published:2015Publication:The Journal of PhysiologyVolume:593, (20)Page Range:4549-4559doi:10.1113/JP270743PMID:26277985 Placental amino acid transport may be regulated by maternal vitamin D and vitamin D-binding protein: results from the Southampton Women’s Survey - Cleal, J.K., Day, P.E.L., Simner, C.L., Barton, Sheila J., Mahon, Pamela A., Inskip, H.M., Godfrey, K.M., Hanson, M.A., Cooper, C., Lewis, Rohan M. and Harvey, Nicholas C. Published:2015Publication:British Journal Of Nutritiondoi:10.1017/S0007114515001178