Our research is directed at the molecular basis of ageing, cardiovascular disease and cancer. In particular we are engaged in research to discover (1) the regulation of renin gene expression at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level, (2) how splicing factors control alternative splicing of pre-mRNA, and (3) genome-wide alterations in gene expression during ageing of human cells and the effect of resveratrol on these. The Lab also has a long-standing interest in PCR of human papillomavirus in cervical screening.
Professor Morris and his Lab are currently working on:
• The impact of a strong far-upstream enhancer on the renin gene expression at the cellular and whole-body level in mice that the Lab engineered to remove the enhancer. Physiological studies of these mice have now been carried out by A/Prof Geoff Head's Lab at the Baker Heart Research Institute in Melbourne.
• The identification and mechanism of action of proteins that bind to the 3'-UTR of human renin mRNA to control stability. (This work involves a collaboration with Prof Peter Leedman's Lab at the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research.)
• Characterization of several proteins that the Lab has found control alternative splicing of pre-mRNA. Most work has involved ZNF265, RBM4 (Lark) and XE7. The research on these involves their immunolocalization in subnuclear compartments by confocal microscopy, splicing assays and other techniques. (Dr Joel Mackay's Lab in the School of Molecular and Microbial Biosciences is extending the ZNF265 studies with important new findings.)
• Changes in gene expression in human cells as they age and in response to agents that increase lifespan of other species. This involves microarray technology (in collaboration with Dr Ruby Lin and Prof Ian Dawes team at the Ramaciotti Centre for Gene Function Analysis, School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales ).
Brian Morris is Professor of Molecular Medical Sciences in the School of Medical Sciences and Bosch Institute of the Faculty of Medicine at The University of Sydney. He graduated with first class Honours in Science at The University of Adelaide, South Australia in 1972, completed his PhD in the Departments of Medicine at Monash and Melbourne Universities in 1975 when he was awarded a CJ Martin Fellowship by the NHMRC to further his studies in the USA, first at The University of Missouri, Columbia for a year and then at The University of California, San Francisco for two years. During his second year at the latter he was an Advanced Fellow of the American Heart Association. He returned to Australia to take up a Lectureship in the (then) Department of Physiology at The University of Sydney in 1978 and set up the first recombinant DNA laboratory on campus. In 1988 he was promoted to Reader and in 1998 to Professor. Distinctions include the award of the Edgeworth David Medal for Science in 1985 and in 1993 a DSc for his contributions to molecular studies of hypertension. Brian Morris won the 2006 Faculty of Medicine Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Research Supervision. He is a Fellow of the American Heart Association (Council for High Blood Pressure Research) and Member of the Executive Committee of the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia (as Treasurer). He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the two premier journals in hypertension, namely 'Hypertension' and 'Journal of Hypertension'. He has over 250 publications, mostly in international peer-reviewed journals. Over 50% of these are in the top 5% of journals. His research has also led to the earliest priority date for use of PCR in human papillomavirus detection for cervical screening (US, European and Australian patents awarded, and is currently being commercialized by Polartechnics Ltd, an ASX company that purchased the patent portfolio and that he is a consultant for).
As well, Brian Morris is interested in the application of medical research findings to lifestyle and dietary modifications for prevention of disease. This includes optimal 'healthy' diet, exercise, avoidance of drugs (alcohol, tobacco, etc) and the promotion of male circumcision (www.circinfo.net). He instigated several very successful national symposia on life extension in 2002 and 2003 and this theme has been extended by others leading to the International Conference on Healthy Ageing and Longevity (ICHAL) in 2004, 2005, 2006, and beyond, involving the top names in the field internationally. He is closely associated with the organization and promotion of these conferences.
Publications:
Brian Morris has 257 publications. In the past 15 years his papers, mostly as first or corresponding author, have appeared in Nature Genetics, Journal of Cell Biology, Human Molecular Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Journal of Biological Chemistry, Diabetes Care, British Medical Journal, Human Mutation, BioEssays, Hypertension, Journal of Hypertension, Journal of Molecular Medicine, Journal of Physiology, Experimental Cell Research, and other high ranking journals. One of his book chapters appeared in the prestigious Handbook of Physiology published by the American Physiological Society in 2000. His publications have been cited 4,826 times to the end 2006, including 194 times in 2006, 254 times in 2005, 221 times in 2004, and 299 times in 2003. Nine of his papers have each received in the range of 100-500 citations. He has given over 400 conference presentations, including over 100 international/overseas and 20 paid invited. Grant funding (as 1st chief investigator): over A$6 million (over 60 grants).
Brian Morris
Edgeworth David Medal 1985 - Royal Society of New South Wales .
The Faculty of Medicine Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Research Supervision 2006.
'Scroll of Honour' Australia Day Award 2007 - Waverley Council.
David Adams
Young Investigator Award 1997, 1998, 1999 – High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia .
Young Investigator Award 1999 – Australian Society for Medical Research.
Pfizer Award 2001 - Lorne Genome Conference.
CJ Martin Fellowship 2001 (for 2002-2005) – NHMRC.
Bercovici Medal 2001 - Institute for Biomedical Research (now ‘Bosch Institute')
International Young Achiever 2002 (1 of 20)
Young Tall Poppy Award 2004 –Australian Institute of Political Science.
Ruby Lin
Peter Doherty Fellowship 2003 (for 2004-08) - NHMRC.
Helena Mangs
John Young Prize 2005 – Institute for Biomedical Research (now ‘Bosch Institute').
Promega Award 2007 - Lorne Genome Conference.
NHMRC Australian Biomedical Fellowship (Formerly 'Peter Doherty Fellowship') 2007 (for 2008-2012) - NHMRC
Andrea Markus
Rebecca L Cooper Medal 2006 - Rebecca L Cooper Foundation.
Craig Plambeck
University Medal 2002
Louise van der Weyden
CJ Martin Fellowship 2002 (for 2003-06)
2007: 13; 2006: 6; 2005: 10; 2004: 6; 2003: 14; 2002: 4; 2001: 10; 2000: 5; 1999: 9; 1998: 4; 1997: 7
Morris BJ. How xenohormetic compounds confer health benefits. In: Le Bourg E, Rattan SIS (eds). Mild Stress: Applying Hormesis in Aging Research and Interventions. Springer, Netherlands. 2008: pp 115-138 [download]
Morris BJ. Why circumcision is a biomedical imperative for the 21st century. BioEssays 2007: 29: 1147-58 [download]
Morris BJ, Rose BR. Cervical screening in the 21st century: The case for human papillomavirus testing of self-collected specimens. (Review) Clin Chem Lab Med 2007: 45: 577-591 [download]
Mangs AH, Morris BJ. The human pseudoautosomal region (PAR): origin, function and future. Current Genomics 2007; 8: 129-136
Morris BJ. Climate not cultivars in the NO-ing of red wines. J Hypertens 2007; 25: 501-503
Morris BJ. Cervical human papillomavirus screening by PCR: Advantages of targeting the E6/E7 region. Clin Chem Lab Med 2005: 43: 1171-1177
Morris BJ. Renin: from 'pro' to promoter. BioEssays 2003: 25: 520-527
Markus MA, Goy C, Adams DJ, Lovicu FJ, Morris BJ. Renin enhancer is crucial for full response in renin expression to an in vivo stimulus. Hypertension 2007: 50: 933-38
Adams DJ, Head GA, Markus MA, Lovicu FJ, van der Weyden L, Köentgen F, Arends MJ, Thiru S, Mayorov DN, Morris BJ. Renin enhancer is critical for regulation of renin gene expression and cardiovascular function. J Biol Chem 2006; 281: 31753-31761
Mangs H, Speirs HJL, Goy C, Adams DJ, Markus MA, Morris BJ. XE7: A novel splicing factor that interacts with ASF/SF2 and ZNF265. Nucleic Acids Res 2006; 34: 4976-4986
Markus MA, Heinrich B, Raitskin O, Adams DJ, Mangs H, Goy C, Ladomery M, Sperling R, Stamm S, Morris BJ. WT1 interacts with the splicing protein RBM4 and regulates its ability to modulate alternative splicing in vivo. Exp Cell Res 2006; 312: 3379-3388
Morris BJ. A forkhead in the road to longevity: the molecular basis of lifespan becomes clearer. [Invited Review] J Hypertens. 2005: 23: 1285-1309 [320 refs] (This article was the most downloaded for the journal of publication in 2005, apart from two ‘Guidelines' articles, one of which received the highest number of downloads for the entire medical literature.)
Adams DJ, van der Weyden L, Gergely FV, Arends M, Martin L, Ng BL, Tannahill D, Kanaar R, Markus MA, Morris BJ, Bradley A. Targeted disruption of BRCTx, a novel centrosomal RAD18-interacting protein. Mol Cell Biol 2005; 25: 779-788
Adams DJ, Beveridge DJ, van der Weyden L, Mangs H, Leedman PJ, Morris BJ. HADHB, HuR and CP1 bind to the distal 3'-untranslated region of human renin mRNA and differentially modulate renin expression. J Biol Chem 2003; 278: 44894-44903
Plambeck CA , Kwan AHY, Adams DJ, Westman BJ, van der Weyden L, Medcalf RL, Morris BJ, Mackay JP. The zinc finger domain from human splicing factor ZNF265 forms a novel fold. J Biol Chem 2003; 278: 22805-22811
Adams DJ, van der Weyden L, Mayeda A, Stamm S, Morris BJ*, Rasko JEJ. ZNF265 - A novel spliceosomal protein able to induce alternative splicing. J Cell Biol 2001; 154: 25-32 (*author for correspondence)
Glenn CL, Wang WYS, Benjafield AV, Morris BJ. Linkage and association of tumor necrosis factor receptor 2 locus with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and plasma shed receptor. Hum Mol Genet 2000; 9: 1943-1949
Lin RCY, Wang WYS, Morris BJ. High penetrance, overweight, and glucocorticoid receptor variant: case-control study. Brit Med J 1999; 319: 1337-1338
Benjafield AV, Jeyasingam CL, Nyholt DR , Griffiths LR, Morris BJ. G-protein beta3 subunit gene (GNB3) variant in causation of essential hypertension. Hypertension 1998; 32: 1094-1097
Ying L-H, Morris BJ, Sigmund CD. Transactivation of the human renin promoter by the cyclic AMP/protein kinase A pathway is mediated by both cAMP-responsive element binding protein-1 (CREB)-dependent and CREB-independent mechanisms in Calu-6 cells. J Biol Chem 1997; 272: 2412-2420
Professor Brian J Morris Department of Physiology The University of Sydney NSW 2006 AUSTRALIA