Newcastle University

Roles and Responsibilities

Qualifications

BA Biology, Harvard (1962)
PhD Biophysics, University College London (1966)

Previous Positions

Scientific Staff, Medical Research Council Laboratory for Molecular Biology (1969-1974)

Memberships

Society for Neuroscience (US)
British Neuroscience Association
Physiological Society
Association of British Neurologists
British Society for Cell Biology

Research Interests

Structure, function, molecular organisation,development and pathology of the neuromuscular junction.
Motor nerve terminal and Schwann cell plasticity.
Ion channel localisation in the postsynaptic membrane.
Electrophysiology, light- and electron-microscopy, immunocytochemistry, in situ hybridisation.

Current Work

Investigation of long-term effects of repeated exposure to botulinum toxin

Future Research

How does botulinum toxin trigger nerve sprouting?
How does the neuromuscular junction recover from botulinum toxin?

Mechanisms of nuclear localisation in muscle cells

Funding

Wellcome Trust Project grant (value £229,416)

Royal Society Joint Project Grant (value £10,500) with Basel, Switzerland

Royal Society Joint Project Grant (value £12,000) with Kazan, Russian Federation

• Beeson D, Higuchi O, Palace J, Cossins J, Spearman H, Maxwell S, Newsom-Davis J, Burke G, Fawcett P, Motomura M, Muller JS, Lochmuller H, Slater C, Vincent A, Yamanashi Y. Dok-7 mutations underlie a neuromuscular junction synaptopathy. Science 2006, 313(5795), 1975-1978.
• Slater CR, Fawcett PRW, Walls TJ, Lyons PR, Bailey SJ, Beeson D, Young C, Gardner-Medwin D. Pre- and post-synaptic abnormalities associated with impaired neuromuscular transmission in a group of patients with 'limb-girdle myasthenia'. Brain 2006, 129(8), 2061-2076.
• Stocksley MA, Awad SS, Young C, Lightowlers RN, Brenner H-R, Slater CR. Accumulation of NaV1 mRNAs at differentiating postsynaptic sites in rat soleus muscles. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 2005, 28(4), 694-702.
• Beeson D, Webster R, Ealing J, Croxen R, Brownlow S, Brydson M, Newsom-Davis J, Slater C, Hatton C, Shelley C, Colquhoun D, Vincent A. Structural abnormalities of the AChR caused by mutations underlying congenital myasthenic syndromes. In: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences: 10th International Conference on Myasthenia Gravis and Related Disorders. 2003, Key Biscayne, Florida, USA: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Inc.
• Slater CR. Structural determinants of the reliability of synaptic transmission at the vertebrate neuromuscular junction. Journal of Neurocytology 2003. ,32 5-8 505-522.
• Bailey SJ, Stocksley MA, Buckel A, Young C, Slater CR. Voltage-gated sodium channels and ankyrinG occupy a different postsynaptic domain from acetylcholine receptors from an early stage of neuromuscular junction maturation in rats. Journal of Neuroscience 2003, 23(6), 2102-2111.
• Slater C. Double agents and breakdown of integrity at the neuromuscular junction in Miller-Fisher syndrome. Brain 2001, 124(5), 847-848.
• Croxen R, Young C, Slater C, Haslam S, Brydson M, Vincent A, Beeson D. End-plate γ- and ε-subunit mRNA levels in AChR deficiency syndrome due to ε-subunit null mutations. Brain 2001, 124(7), 1362-1372.
• Wood SJ, Slater CR. Safety factor at the neuromuscular junction. Progress in Neurobiology 2001, 64(4), 393-429.
• Awad SS, Lightowlers RN, Young C, Chrzanowska-Lightowlers ZMA, Lomo T, Slater CR. Sodium channel mRNAs at the neuromuscular junction: Distinct patterns of accumulation and effects of muscle activity. Journal of Neuroscience 2001,21 21 8456-8463.
• Croxen R, Young C, Slater CR, Haslam S, Brydson M, Vincent A, Beeson D. Steady-state levels of α - and e-subunit mRNA unaffected by γ-subunit null mutations in AChR deficiency syndrome. Brain 2001, 124(7), 1362-1372.
• Walsh FS, Hobbs C, Wells DJ, Slater CR, Fazeli S. Ectopic expression of NCAM in skeletal muscle of transgenic mice results in terminal sprouting at the neuromuscular junction and altered structure but not function. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 2000, 15(3), 244-261.
• Awad SS, Stocksley MA, Young C, Lightowlers RN, Slater CR. Expression of muscle sodium channel alpha subunit mRNAs at developing regenerating rat neuromuscular junctions [abstract]. European Journal of Neuroscience 2000, 12(supplement), 278-278.
• B. Reid, C. R. Slater and G. S. Bewick. Synaptic vesicle dynamics in rat fast and slow motor nerve terminals. Journal of Neuroscience 1999, 19, 2511-2521.
• S. J. Wood, K. Shewry, C. Young and C. R. Slater. An early stage in sodium channel clustering at developing rat neuromuscular junctions. Neuroreport 1998, 9, 1991-1995.
• Young C, Lindsay S, Vater R, Slater CR. An improved method for the simultaneous demonstration of mRNA and esterase activity at the human neuromuscular junction. Histochemical Journal 1998,30 1 7-11.
• S. J. Wood and C. R. Slater. beta-spectrin is colocalized with both voltage-gated sodium channels and ankyrin(G) at the adult rat neuromuscular junction. Journal of Cell Biology 1998, 140, 675-684.
• S. J. Wood and C. R. Slater. Quantal content at neuromuscular junctions that lack postsynaptic folds. Journal of Physiology-London 1998, 511P, 142P-142P.
• R. Vater, C. Young, L. V. B. Anderson, S. Lindsay, D. J. Blake, K. E. Davies, R. Zuellig and C. R. Slater. Utrophin mRNA expression in muscle is not restricted to the neuromuscular junction. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience 1998, 10, 229-242.
• N. C. Day, S. J. Wood, P. G. Ince, S. G. Volsen, W. Smith, C. R. Slater and P. J. Shaw. Differential localization of voltage-dependent calcium channel alpha(1) subunits at the human and rat neuromuscular junction. Journal of Neuroscience 1997, 17, 6226-6235.
• A. E. Deconinck, A. C. Potter, J. M. Tinsley, S. J. Wood, R. Vater, C. Young, L. Metzinger, A. Vincent, C. R. Slater and K. E. Davies. Postsynaptic abnormalities at the neuromuscular junctions of utrophin-deficient mice. Journal of Cell Biology 1997, 136, 883-894.
• S. J. Wood and C. R. Slater. The contribution of postsynaptic folds to the safety factor for neuromuscular transmission in rat fast- and slow-twitch muscles. Journal of Physiology-London 1997, 500, 165-176.
• C. R. Slater, C. Young, S. J. Wood, G. S. Bewick, L. V. B. Anderson, P. Baxter, P. R. W. Fawcett, M. Roberts, L. Jacobson, J. Kuks, A. Vincent and J. NewsomDavis. Utrophin abundance is reduced at neuromuscular junctions of patients with both inherited and acquired acetylcholine receptor deficiencies. Brain 1997, 120, 1513-1531.
• R. Vater, C. Young, S. J. Lindsay, L. V. B. Anderson and C. R. Slater. Distribution of utrophin mRNA in rat skeletal muscle. Journal of General Physiology 1996, 108, 80-80.
• C. R. Slater. Neurobiology - Agrin signals at the junction. Nature 1996, 381, 478-479.
• S. J. Wood, C. Young and C. R. Slater. Sodium channel concentration is related to postsynaptic folding at the neuromuscular junction. Journal of General Physiology 1996, 108, 51-51.
• G. S. Bewick, C. Young and C. R. Slater. Spatial relationships of utrophin, dystrophin, beta- dystroglycan and beta-spectrin to acetylcholine receptor clusters during postnatal maturation of the rat neuromuscular junction. Journal of Neurocytology 1996, 25, 367-379.