BSc (Hons) (1988; Imperial College, London) PhD (1992; University of Cambridge)
Personal Chair
- About
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- Email Address
- j.pettitt@abdn.ac.uk
- Telephone Number
- +44 (0)1224 437516
- Office Address
School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Room 4:38, Institute of Medical Sciences- School/Department
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
Biography
Jonathan Pettitt graduated from Imperial College with an upper second class degree in Biochemistry. He then carried out postgraduate research within the Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, investigating the structure and expression of collagen genes in the parasitic nematode Ascaris suum. Whilst at Cambridge he was seduced by the many charms of the non-parasitic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, and upon completing his PhD he went to Bill Wood’s lab at the University of Colorado, Boulder as an HFSPO long term postdoctoral fellow to study C. elegans development. In 1994, he obtained a two year EMBO fellowship to continue this work in the laboratory of Ronald Plasterk at the Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, and learn the reverse genetics techniques pioneered there. He moved to the University of Aberdeen in 1996 where he became group leader and Lecturer in genetics within the newly built Institute of Medical Sciences.
- Research
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Research Overview
Professor Jonathan Pettitt studies the mechanistic basis of specific RNA processing events using the nematode C. elegans as a model organism (aberdeenwormlab.org/). The main focus of the lab is understanding spliced leader trans-splicing, with the long-term goal of developing drugs that target this essential nematode-specific process. Such drugs are needed to treat the myriad parasitic nematodes that threaten both human and animal health, and impact global food security. Parallel work seeks to understand cap-adjacent RNA methylation, a modification that is found in most human messenger RNAs but whose functional significance remains unknown.
Research Areas
Biomedical Sciences
Research Specialisms
- Genetics
Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
Funding and Grants
BBSRC (2020 - 2023). Understanding the mechanism of a nematode molecular Achilles' heel.
- Publications
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Page 2 of 4 Results 11 to 20 of 39
A high-throughput screen for the identification of compounds that inhibit nematode gene expression by targeting spliced leader trans-splicing
International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance, vol. 10, pp. 28-37Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpddr.2019.04.001
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12209/1/A_high_throughput_screen_for_the_identification_of_compounds_that_inhibit_nematode_gene_expression_by_targeting_spliced_leader_trans_splicing.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
An in vivo genetic screen for genes involved in spliced leader trans-splicing indicates a crucial role for continuous de novo spliced leader RNP assembly
Nucleic Acids Research, vol. 45, no. 14, pp. 8474-8483Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/nar/gkx500
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/8751/3/An_in_vivo_genetic_screen_for_genes_involved_in_spliced_leader_trans_splicing_indicates_a_crucial_role_for_continuous_de_novo_spliced_leader_RNP_assembly.pdf
- [ONLINE] https://abdn.elsevierpure.com/en/publications/5c833370-19ee-4f43-a89f-287b19833814
Genetic home testing: why it’s not such a great guide to your ancestry or disease risk
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesSci-fi still influences how society thinks about genes – it’s time we caught up
The ConversationContributions to Specialist Publications: ArticlesOperons Are a Conserved Feature of Nematode Genomes
Genetics, vol. 197, no. 4, pp. 1201-1211Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] http://www.genetics.org/content/197/4/1201.full
- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1534/genetics.114.162875
β-Catenin: A Key Player in Both Cell Adhesion and Wnt Signaling
Wnt Signaling in Development and Disease: Molecular Mechanisms and Biological Functions. Hoppler, S., Moon, R. T. (eds.). Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 217-224, 8 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118444122.ch16
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
Specific conserved C-terminal amino acids of Caenorhabditis elegans HMP-1/α-catenin modulate F-actin binding independently of vinculin
The Journal of Biological Chemistry, vol. 288, no. 8, pp. 5694-5706Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M112.438093
Cadherins and their partners in the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans
The Molecular biology of Cadherins. van Roy, F. (ed.). Elsevier Science, pp. 239-262, 24 pagesChapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings: Chapters- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-394311-8.00011-X
A genome-wide functional screen shows MAGI-1 is an L1CAM-dependent stabilizer of apical junctions in C. elegans
Current Biology, vol. 22, no. 20, pp. 1891–1899Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.08.024
SL2-like spliced leader RNAs in the basal nematode Prionchulus punctatus: new insight into the evolution of nematode SL2 RNAs
RNA , vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 1500-1507Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1261/rna.2155010