Newcastle University

Qualifications

BSc Dunelm - Botany
PhD Dunelm - Plant Genetics

Research Interests

Principle Investigator on a Wellcome Trust funded project grant entitled Mechanisms which regulate sperm-triggered calcium oscillations and the metaphase-anaphase transition of meiosis I in ascidian oocytes.

Principle Invesigator on a collaborative application submitted to the BBSRC Proteomics and Cell Function Initiative entitled Identification and functional analysis of meiosis-specific chromatin binding proteins from chordates. The collaboration is between the Cell and Developmental Physiology Group at Newcastle and the Proteomics facility at Durham run by Professor Toni Slabas.

As well as my own work in ascidian oocytes, I am continuing the collaborations developed by Dr McDougall with Dr Keith Jones here in Newcastle, and with Drs Mary Herbert and Hayden Homer at the International Centre For Life in Newcastle. Both of these collaborations enable me to test in mouse oocytes observations I have made in the ascidian.

• Homer HA, McDougall A, Levasseur M, Yallop K, Murdoch AP, Herbert M. Mad2 prevents aneuploidy and premature proteolysis of cyclin B and securin during meiosis I in mouse oocytes. Genes and Development 2005, 19(2), 202-207.
• Herbert M, Levasseur M, Homer H, Yallop K, Murdoch A, McDougall A. Homologue disjunction in mouse oocytes requires proteolysis of securin and cyclin B1. Nature Cell Biology 2003, 5(11), 1023-1025.
• Carroll M, Levasseur M, Wood C, Whitaker M, Jones KT, McDougall A. Exploring the mechanism of action of the sperm-triggered calcium-wave pacemaker in ascidian zygotes. Journal of Cell Science 2003,116 24 4997-5004.
• Levasseur M, McDougall A. Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphophate (IP₃) Responsiveness Is Regulated in a Meiotic Cell Cycle Dependent Manner Implications for Fertilisation Induced Calcium Signalling. Cell Cycle 2003,2 6 610-613.
• Levasseur M, Carroll M, Jones KJ, McDougall A. A novel mechanism controls the Ca2+ oscillations triggered by activation of ascidian eggs and has an absolute requirement for Cdk1 activity. Journal of Cell Science 2007, 120(10), 1763-1771.
• Reis A, Chang HY, Levasseur M, Jones KT. APC^cdh1 activity in mouse oocytes prevents entry into the first meiotic division. Nature Cell Biology 2006,8 5 539-540.
• Madgwick S, Hansen DV, Levasseur M, Jackson PK, Jones KT. Mouse Emi2 is required to enter meiosis II by reestablishing cyclin B1 during interkinesis. Journal of Cell Biology 2006, 174(6), 791-801.
• Reis A, Levasseur M, Chang H-Y, Elliott DJ, Jones KT. The CRY box: A second APC^cdh1-dependent degron in mammalian cdc20. EMBO Reports 2006,7 10 1040-1045.
• Madgwick S, Levasseur M, Jones KT. Calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, and not protein kinase C, is sufficient for triggering cell-cycle resumption in mammalian eggs. Journal of Cell Science 2005, 118(17), 3849-3859.
• Homer HA, McDougall A, Levasseur M, Murdoch AP, Herbert M. Mad2 is required for inhibiting securin and cyclin B degradation following spindle depolymerisation in meiosis I mouse oocytes. Reproduction 2005,130 6 829-843.
• Homer HA, McDougall A, Levasseur M, Herbert M. Restaging the spindle assembly checkpoint in female mammalian meiosis I. Cell Cycle 2005. ,4 5 650-653.
• Homer HA, McDougall A, Levasseur M, Murdoch AP, Herbert M. RNA interference in meiosis I human oocytes: Towards an understanding of human aneuploidy. Molecular Human Reproduction 2005, 11(6), 397-404.
• Hyslop LA, Nixon VL, Levasseur M, Chapman F, Chiba K, McDougall A, Venables JP, Elliott DJ, Jones KT. Ca²⁺-promoted cyclin B1 degradation in mouse oocytes requires the establishment of a metaphase arrest. Developmental Biology 2004,269 1 206-219.
• Chang HY, Levasseur M, Jones KT. Degradation of APC^cdc20 and APC^cdh1 substrates during the second meiotic division in mouse eggs. Journal of Cell Science 2004,117 26 6289-6296.
• Madgwick S, Nixon VL, Chang HY, Herbert M, Levasseur M, Jones KT. Maintenance of sister chromatid attachment in mouse eggs through maturation-promoting factor activity. Developmental Biology 2004, 275(1), 68-81.
• Middleton PG, Norden J, Levett DL, Levasseur M, Miller S, Irving JAE, Wood A, Reid MM, Taylor PRA, Proctor SJ. Population-based study of the pattern of molecular markers of minimal residual disease in childhood and adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia: An assessment of the practical difficulty of representative sampling for trial purposes. Medical and Pediatric Oncology 2000, 34(2), 106-110.
• McDougall A. and Levasseur M. Sperm triggered calcium oscillations during meiosis in ascidian oocytes first pause then stop: correlations with cell cycle kinase activity. Development 1998, 125, 4451-4459.
• Levasseur, M., Middleton, P. G., Angus, B., Proctor, S. J., Norden, J., Howard, M. R. c-MYC gene abnormalities in high grade and centroblastic-centrocytic Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Leukemia and Lymphoma 1995, 18(1 & 2), 131-136.
• Kumarendran MK, Matthews CJ, Levasseur M, Prentice A, Thomas EJ, Redfern CPF. Oestrogen and progesterone do not regulate the expression of retinoic acid receptors and retinoid 'X' receptors in human endometrial stromal cells in vitro. Human Reproduction 1994, 9(2), 229-234.
• Levasseur M, Maung ZT, Jackson GH, Kernahan J, Proctor SJ, Middleton PG. Relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia 14 years after presentation: use of molecular techniques to confirm true re-emergence. British Journal of Haematology 1994, 87(2), 437-438.
• Gatehouse JA, Bown D, Gilroy J, Levasseur M, Castleton J, Ellis TH. Two genes encoding 'minor' legumin polypeptides in pea (Pisum sativum L.). Characterization and complete sequence of the LegJ gene. Biochemical Journal 1988, 250, 15-24.
• Bown D, Levasseur M, Croy RR, Boulter D, Gatehouse JA. Sequence of a pseudogene in the legumin gene family of pea (Pisum sativum L.). Nucleic Acids Research 1985, 13, 4527-4538.
• Dumollard R, Levasseur M, Hebras C, Huitorel P, Carroll M, Chambon JP, McDougall A. Mos limits the number of meiotic divisions in urochordate eggs. Development 2011, 138(5), 885-895.
• Nabti I, Reis A, Levasseur M, Stemmann O, Jones KT. Securin and not CDK1/cyclin B1 regulates sister chromatid disjunction during meiosis II in mouse eggs. Developmental Biology 2008, 321(2), 379-386.
• Nixon VL, Levasseur M, McDougall A, Jones KT. Ca2+ oscillations promote APC/C-dependent cyclin B1 degradation during metaphase arrest and completion of meiosis in fertilizing mouse eggs. Current Biology 2002, 12(9), 746-750.
• McDougall A, Levasseur M, O'Sullivan AJ, Jones KT. Cell cycle-dependent repetitive Ca2+ waves induced by a cytosolic sperm extract in mature ascidian eggs mimic those observed at fertilization. Journal of Cell Science 2000, 113(19), 3453-3462.
• Levasseur M, McDougall A. Sperm-induced calcium oscillations at fertilisation in ascidians are controlled by cyclin B1-dependent kinase activity. Development 2000, 127(3), 631-641.