Hayley Sharpe
We are interested in understanding how the cells that make up our tissues and organs communicate. Our cells are decorated with proteins, or receptors, that can sense alterations in their local environment and promote signalling pathways leading to changes in behaviour such as growth, movement or attachment. We focus on receptors that communicate to the cell interior through an enzyme known as a protein phosphatase. These receptor tyrosine phosphatases can change the function of other proteins by catalysing the removal of phosphate groups. The principles of how these receptors contribute to signalling remain poorly understood.The receptor tyrosine phosphatases are linked to diverse areas of biology from immune cell signalling to blood vessel development to cell-cell adhesion, with some implicated in disease processes such as spinal cord injury, wound healing and cancer. Importantly, protein tyrosine phosphatases are targets of reactive oxygen species, which serve as critical signalling molecules that can be dysregulated in ageing and disease. To understand the normal and pathological functions of phosphatases we use biochemistry, proteomics, primary and cancer cell lines, as well as mouse models.
We are currently advertising for a PhD Studentship entitled 'Exploring the role of the Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor-Type F (PTPRF) in focal adhesion dynamics' - more details are available at: www.babraham.ac.uk/vacancies-training/phd-programme/phd-opportunities
Latest Publications
Vismodegib resistant mutations are not selected in multifocal relapses of locally advanced basal cell carcinoma after vismodegib discontinuation. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology : JEADV, , 1468-3083, , 2019 PMID: 31187903 |
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The homophilic receptor PTPRK selectively dephosphorylates multiple junctional regulators to promote cell-cell adhesion. eLife, 8, 2050-084X, , 2019 PMID: 30924770 |
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Grking the Smoothened signal. Science signaling, 11, 1937-9145, , 2018 PMID: 29438011 |