Professor Peter Dunkley - Selected Publications

Carnegie, P.R., Dunkley, P.R., Kemp, B.E. and Murray, A.W., Phosphorylation of selected serine and threonine residues in myelin basic protein by endogenous and exogenous protein kinases, Nature 249:147-150, 1974.

Dunkley, P.R., Heath, J.W., Harrison, S.M., Jarvie, P.E., Glenfield, P.J. and Rostas J.A.P., A rapid Percoll gradient procedure for isolation of synaptosomes directly from an S1 fraction:  Homogeneity and morphology of subcellular fractions, Brain Research 441:59-71, 1998.

This paper reported on a new method that has been adopted throughout the world and is now the standard used by most scientists in the field.

Dunkley, P.R., Jarvie, P.E., Heath, J.W., Kidd, G.J. and Rostas, J.A.P. A rapid method for isolation of synaptosomes on percoll gradients, Brain Research 372:115-129, 1996.

This paper was an initial presentation of the method established later in 1998, in a second publication.

Robinson, P.J. and Dunkley, P.R. Depolarisation dependent protein phosphorylation in rat cortical synaptosomes;  factors determining the magnitude of the response, Journal of Neurochemistry 41:909-918, 1983.

This publication presented a pioneer study to analyse the individual phosphorylation sites on tyrosine hydroxylase. After 23 years, this publication is still being cited, with six citations since the year 2000.

Esteem Factors

  • Prof. Dunkley received the Hunter Medical Research Institute award for research excellence in 2002.
  • Prof. Dunkley has presented his research at 12 overseas conferences over the last 10 years with 6 being invited platform presentations. His most recent invitations are to the Japanese Society for Neurochemistry where he was one of only 3 invited overseas plenary speakers and to the Brazilian Biochemistry Society.
  • Prof. Dunkley has been the neuroscience representative on the ARC biological sciences panel for 3 years and on an NHMRC RGIC on four occasions, including being the deputy chair of the Cellular Neuroscience Panel in 1999 and deputy chair of the Molecular Neuroscience Panel in 2006.
  • Prof. Dunkley was the Treasurer (1997-2001) and then President (2002-2003) of the International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN).  He still serves as a member of the ISN finance committee. In addition he is a member of the Asian Pacific Society for Neurochemistry (APSN) restructuring committee and a member of the APSN program committee for the meeting in Singapore in July, 2006.
  • Prof. Dunkley has published over 100 refereed articles with life time citations of over 2100. Professor Dunkley has had continuous support from the NHMRC for 28 years for research in which he was the primary chief investigator. He has also been involved in many other collaborative NHMRC grants and has had grants from the ARC and other funding agencies. His total income for research since 2000 is $3.75 million.