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Professor Keith T. Jones

Human Physiology
School of Biomedical Sciences
6th Floor, Medical Sciences Building
University of Newcastle
Callaghan, NSW, 2308
Phone: TBA
Fax: TBA
Email: Keith.Jones@newcastle.edu.au

Research Interests

We want to understand how mammalian oocytes undergo meiosis, the process by which they reduce their chromosome number. At fertilization the correct diploid number of chromosomes is restored. Unfortunately for us as a species, oocytes appear particularly error prone in undergoing their meiotic divisions, such that they often lose or gain extra chromosomes, i.e. they become aneuploid. Most aneuploid conceptuses are not viable, making aneuploidy the leading cause of early embryo loss in humans. One notable exception in terms of viability is trisomy 21 or Down's Syndrome. The 'double whammy' is that the incidence of various aneuploidies, including trisomy 21, rise dramatically with maternal age and couples in first world countries such as Australia are delaying having families until their mid to late 30s (~35% of all clinical pregnancies are trisomic in a 42+ year old woman, but in contrast are at ~5% in a woman ten years younger). This makes understanding more fully the process of meiosis an important health issue for Australian women. It is hoped that having a greater knowledge of how oocytes divide will eventually feed into a clinical setting so that newer and better methods for prevention, screening and possible treatment of human aneuploidies can be realised.

Professional Affiliations and Activities

Editorial Board Member of the journal Developmental Biology (2008-)

Editorial Board Member of the journal Reproduction (2001-)

Board of Reviewing Editors for the journal Biology of Reproduction (2004-)

Society for Reproduction and Fertility (UK) Council Member and Treasurer (2002-2005)

Society Membership: British Society for Cell Biology, Physiological Society, Society for Reproduction and Fertility, Society for Reproductive Biology.

Professional History

2005 - 2008

 Professor in Reproductive Physiology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

2005

 Reader in Reproductive Physiology, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

2002-2005

 Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

1998-2002

 Lecturer, Department of Physiological Sciences, University of    Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK

1997-1998

 Senior Research Fellow, Department of Anatomy & Developmental   Biology, University College, London.

1994-1997

 Scientist Grade 1, MRC Experimental Embryology & Teratology Unit, St. George's Hospital Medical School, London.
 

Selected Recent Publications

Reis A, Madgwick S, Chang HY, Nabti I, Levasseur M & Jones KT (2007) Prometaphase APCcdh1 activity prevents non-disjunction in mammalian oocytes. Nature Cell Biology, 9: 1192-8.

Reis A, Chang HY, Levasseur M & Jones KT (2006) APCcdh1 activity in mouse oocytes prevents entry into the first meiotic division. Nature Cell Biology 8:539-40.

Gorr IH, Reis A, Boos D, Wuhr M, Madgwick S, Jones KT & Stemmann O (2006) Essential CDK1-inhibitory role for separase during meiosis I in vertebrate oocytes. Nature Cell Biology 8:1035-7

Madgwick S, Hansen DV, Levasseur M, Jackson PK & Jones KT (2006) Mouse Emi2 is required to enter meiosis II by reestablishing cyclin B1 during interkinesis Journal of Cell Biology.174:791-801

Reis A, Levasseur M, Chang HY, Elliott DJ & Jones KT (2006) The CRY box: a second APCcdh1 -dependent degron in mammalian cdc20. EMBO Reports 7:1040-5.

 

Links to Further Information

Newcastle University Reproductive Science Priority Centre

University of Newcastle, UK, Current Web Page