Newcastle University

Alison Tyson-Capper (nee Pollard)

Roles and Responsibilities

• Group Leader and Prinical Investigator
• ICM Postgraduate Coordinator* 

* PhD OPPORTUNITIES – Our Institute is always open to informal enquiries and will consider applications from prospective PhD students. If you have any queries about the research programmes (or potential PhD supervisors) within the Institute of Cellular Medicine (ICM), please feel free to contact me for further information. Email address: alison.tyson-capper@ncl.ac.uk

Committee Member

• ICM Executive Committee
• ICM Postgraduate Committee (Chair)
• ICM Management Committee
• Faculty PGR Committee
• ICM Athena Swan SAT

• PhD, MRes and UG student supervisor
• PhD external and internal examiner
• PhD, MD and MPhil progress assessor
• ICM seminar co-ordinator
• MRes and UG student personal tutor
• MBBS student annual appraiser (stage 1 and 2)

• QUALIFICATIONS:
  1994 BSc (Hons) Molecular Biology, School of Life Sciences, University of Liverpool
  1999 PhD Molecular Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Liverpool

Previous Positions

01/07/05-31/07/10 Lecturer
1/2/02-30/6/05 Senior Research Associate, University of Newcastle,
(Wellcome Trust funded, Level three, 1/2/02- 31/1/04; University of Newcastle funded, 2/2/05-30/6/05)
1/11/98-28/1/02 Research Associate, University of Newcastle (Action Research funded)

 Research Interests:

I have worked extensively on alternative pre-mRNA splicing and the role of splicing factors (RNA-binding proteins) primarily using the human myometrium (uterine smooth muscle) as a model system.

We are interested in defining the muscle-specific splicing signature of genes temporally and spatially regulated within the human myometrium and define what impact they have on the functionality of the pregnant and non-pregnant myometrium.

We are also studying cancer-associated alternative splicing events in the context of breast cancer biology and receptor status. Our work aims to help define how alternative splicing events change in different cancer subtypes and what impact these changes may potentially have on disease progression, cell survival and drug resistance.

We are also interested in studying cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with activation of TLR signalling pathways; this research theme includes several active projects in human reproductive medicine and TLR responses to metal ions.

Current Research Themes:

• Muscle-specific splicing in the human pregnant myometrium
• Molecular signatures of biomarkers and receptors in breast cancer
• TLR signalling pathways/mechanisms in human tissues

PhD Supervision

11 Postgraduate students have graduated from my supervision since 2006 (3 PhD students and 8 MRes students). I am happy to consider applications from self-funded students.

Current students:

• Helen Lawrence MRes/PhD (1st supervisor)
• Andrew Best PhD (co-supervisor)
• Elaine Hong MRes/PhD (1st supervisor)
• Marina Danienko (co-supervisor)

Reviewer for grants:

MRC, Wellcome Trust, Action Medical Research, BBSRC, Wellbeing for Women, Breast Cancer Campaign.

Reviewer for manuscripts:

Molecular Human Reproduction, Reproductive Sciences, Molecular Endocrinology PlosONE, FEBS letters,

Main techniques:

mini-gene construction; transient and stable transfections; reporter assays; gene silencing techniques (RNAi and morpholinos); nuclear splicing assays; DNA and RNA mobility shift assays; protein: RNA-binding assays; immunoprecipitation; PCR (conventional and Real-time, Q-PCR arrays); TLR signalling assays.

Funding:

Action Medical Research, Wellcome Trust, RVI Breast Cancer Appeal, Dr William Harker Foundation, The JGW Patterson Foundation, William Luccock and Ernest Jeffcock Foundation,,Charles & Elsie Sykes Charitable Trust, Breast Cancer Campaign,,Wellbeing for Women (WOW),Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust, NIHR BRC.

Undergraduate Teaching

• PSC2015 Reproductive and Developmental Physiology (stage 2)-Module Leader
• PSC3012 Integrated Physiology (stage 3)
• Personal Tutor
• Assessor (oral presentations and dissertations)
• (oral presentations and dissertations)

Postgraduate Teaching  

• ICM Postgraduate Coordinator
• PhD and MRes supervisor  
• PhD examiner and assessor
• MRes assessor (oral presentations and dissertations)

• Gautrey HL, Tyson-Capper AJ. Regulation of Mcl-1 by SRSF1 and SRSF5 in cancer cells. PLoS One 2012, 7(12), e51497.
• Tyson-Capper AJ, Lawrence H, Holland JP, Deehan DJ, Kirby JA. Metal-on-metal hips: cobalt can induce an endotoxin-like response. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2013, 72(3), 460-461.
• Hong EA, Gautrey HL, Elliott DJ, Tyson-Capper AJ. SAFB1 and SAFB2 mediated transcriptional repression: relevance in cancer. Biochemical Society Transactions 2012, 40(4), 826-830.
• Alfakir A, Dawe N, Eyre R, Tyson-Capper A, Britton K, Robson SC, Meeson AP. The temporal and spatial expression patterns of ABCG2 in the developing human heart. International Journal of Cardiology 2012, 156(2), 133-138.
• Cork DMW, Lennard TWJ, Tyson-Capper AJ. Progesterone receptor (PR) variants exist in breast cancer cells characterised as PR negative. Tumor Biology 2012, 33(6), 2329-2340.
• Sethna F, Tyson-Capper AJ, Shiells EA, Robson SC. The expression of glucocorticoid receptor in human myometrium in pregnancy and labour. J Steroids Hormon Sci 2011, 2.
• Hong EEA, Elliot DJ, Tyson-Capper AJ. Effect of Oestrogen on RNA-Binding Splicing Regulators in Breast Cancer Cells. In: Reproductive Sciences: 57th Annual Meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. 2010, Orlando, Florida: Sage Publications, Inc.
• Tyson-Capper AJ, Zhang Q, Robson SC. Anti-Inflammatory Action of Progesterone on TLR-4 and COX-2 Activation Is Not Mediated by Nuclear Progesterone Receptors. In: Reproductive Sciences: 57th Annual Meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. 2010, Orlando, Florida: Sage Publications Inc.
• Kirby JA, Shiells EA, Robson SC, Tyson-Capper AJ. Characterisation of HMGB1 in the Human Myometrium during Pregnancy. In: 57th Annual Meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation. 2010, Orlando, Florida: Sage Publications.
• Tyson-Capper AJ, Shiells EA, Robson SC. Interplay between polypyrimidine tract binding protein-associated splicing factor and human myometrial progesterone receptors. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology 2009, 43(1), 29-41.
• Cork DMW, Lennard TWJ, Tyson-Capper AJ. Alternative splicing and the progresterone receptor in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research 2008, 10(3), 207.
• Harper KA, Tyson-Capper AJ. Complexity of COX-2 gene regulation. Biochemical Society Transactions 2008, 36(3), 543-545.
• Tyson-Capper AJ. Alternative splicing: An important mechanism for myometrial gene regulation that can be manipulated to target specific genes associated with preterm labour. In: BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth: Proceedings of the First and Second European Workshops on Preterm Labour of the Special Non-Invasive Advances in Fetal and Neonatal Evaluation (SAFE) Network of Excellence. 2007, Tarragona, Spain: BioMed Central Ltd.
• Tyson-Capper AJ, Europe-Finner GN. Novel targeting of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) pre-mRNA using antisense morpholino oligonucleotides directed to the 3′ acceptor and 5′ donor splice sites of exon 4: Suppression of COX-2 activity in human amnion-derived WISH and myometrial cells. Molecular Pharmacology 2006, 69(3), 796-804.
• Tyson-Capper AJ, Cork DMW, Wesley E, Shiells EA, Loughney AD. Characterization of cellular retinoid-binding proteins in human myometrium during pregnancy. Molecular Human Reproduction 2006, 12(11), 695-701.
• Tyson-Capper AJ, Bailey J, Krainer AR, Robson SC, Europe-Finner GN. The switch in alternative splicing of cyclic AMP-response element modulator protein CREMτ2α (activator) to CREMα (repressor) in human myometrial cells is mediated by SRp40. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2005, 280(41), 34521-34529.
• Bailey J, Tyson-Capper AJ, Gilmore K, Robson SC, Europe-Finner GN. Identification of human myometrial target genes of the cAMP pathway: The role of cAMP-response element binding (CREB) and modulator (CREMα and CREMτ2α) proteins. Journal of Molecular Endocrinology 2005, 34(1), 1-17.
• Phillips RJ, Tyson-Capper AJ, Bailey J, Robson SC, Europe-Finner GN. Regulation of expression of the chorionic gonadotropin/luteinizing hormone receptor gene in the human myometrium: Involvement of specificity protein-1 (Sp1), Sp3,Sp4, Sp-like proteins, and histone deacetylases. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2005, 90(6), 3479-3490.
• Pollard AJ, Krainer AR, Robson SC, Europe-Finner GN. Alternative splicing of the adenylyl cyclase stimulatory G-protein Gαs is regulated by SF2/ASF and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNPA1) and involves the use of an unusual TG 3′-splice site. Journal of Biological Chemistry 2002, 277(18), 15241-15251.
• Bailey J, Phillips RJ, Pollard AJ, Gilmore K, Robson SC, Europe-Finner GN. Characterization and functional analysis of cAMP response element modulator protein and activating transcription factor 2 (ATF2) isoforms in the human myometrium during pregnancy and labor: Identification of a novel ATF2 species with potent transactivation properties. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2002, 87(4), 1717-1728.
• Pollard AJ, Sparey C, Robson SC, Krainer AR, Europe-Finner GN. Spatio-temporal expression of the Trans-acting splicing factors SF2/ASF and heterogeneous ribonuclear proteins A1/A1B in the myometrium of the pregnant human uterus: A molecular mechanism for regulating regional protein isoform expression in Vivo. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2000, 85(5), 1928-1936.