Ian Wood

Dr Ian Wood

BSc, Imperial; PhD 1992, University College, London.
Senior Lecturer
Institute of Membrane and Systems Biology

Background: Postdoctoral work at Scripps Research Institute and University College, London. Joined the School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Leeds in October, 1999.

Office: Garstang G6.41c
Phone: +44(0) 113 34 37922
Email: i.c.wood@leeds.ac.uk 

Centre membership:

• Neuroscience Research at Leeds (NeuR@L)
• The Multidisciplinary Cardiovascular Research Centre (MCRC)

Research Interests

Uncovering the molecular mechanisms that control the gene expression in human disease

We are interested in identifying the molecular mechanisms that are important in regulating gene transcription in human disease. Our work uses many molecular biological techniques, in vitro and in vivo model systems as well as clinical samples to provide a complete understanding of disease mechanisms.

Current Projects

Cardiovascular disease: Smooth muscle cells within blood vessels are important for controlling blood flow and pressure. In response to damage these cells proliferate to produce new smooth muscle cells which are important for vascular repair, but excessive proliferation is a major factor in cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, in-stent restenosis and a contributing factor to cardiovascular disease associated with diabetes. We have recently identified that the transcription factor REST plays an important role in normal blood vessels by repressing genes important for smooth muscle cell proliferation, including a specific potassium channel (IKCa) that is important for vascular smooth muscle proliferation. We are currently interested in the other molecular mechanisms that are responsible for increasing IKCa expression levels in disease as well as identifying the contributions of environmental factors in promoting changes in gene expression.

Neuronal disease: Correct functioning of the nervous system requires that neurones are able to communicate with each other effectively. Neurones transmit signals via propagation of action potentials, the regulation of which is of utmost importance. One ion channel important in determining the excitability of neurones is the M-channel which is composed of subunits of the KCNQ potassium channel gene family. Mutations in KCNQ genes have been linked to heart disease, epilepsy, deafness and most recently pain. Despite their obvious importance, very little is known about how expression of these potassium channel genes is regulated. We are interested in determining how expression of these genes is regulated in normal physiology and in neuronal disorders such as epilepsy and chronic pain.

Cancer: The transcription factor REST is associated with neuronal and non-neuronal cancers. REST is normally expressed at very low levels in neurones though increased REST expression is associated with a type of childhood brain cancer – medulloblastoma. In non-neuronal cells REST is normally expressed at quite high levels and reduced REST expression has recently been associated with colon cancer and may also be important in other cancers such as breast cancer. We are currently investigating a potential role for REST in bladder cancer and determining the cell specific effects of altered REST expression to understand the mechanisms by which REST can act as a tumour suppressor or an oncogene.

Our work is supported by the British Heart Foundation, Yorkshire Cancer Research and the Wellcome Trust.

Studentship information

Undergraduate project topics:

• Projects in all of the above areas are available. Enthusiastic and committed students are encouraged to make specific enquiries.

Postgraduate studentship areas:

• Applications are welcome from enthusiastic, committed students and postdocs to work on any of the above projects

See also:

• Faculty Graduate School
• Project details at FindaPhD.com

Publications

Bowater RP; Wood IC; Luisi BF From beads on a string to the pearls of regulation: The structure and dynamics of chromatin Biochemical Society Transactions 40 331-334, 2012

Riches K; Warburton P; O'regan DJ; Ball SG; Turner NA; Wood IC; Porter KE Aberrant regulation of RhoA and cytoskeletal derangement in saphenous vein smooth muscle cells derived from patients with Type 2 Diabetes: a potential role for microRNAs?, 2012

Wood IC Uncovering combinatorial interactions in chromatin EPIGENOMICS 3 371-379, 2011
DOI:10.2217/EPI.11.20

Cheong A; Li J; Sukumar P; Kumar B; Zeng F; Riches K; Munsch C; Wood IC; Porter KE; Beech DJ Potent suppression of vascular smooth muscle cell migration and human neointimal hyperplasia by K(V)1.3 channel blockers CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH 89 282-289, 2011
DOI:10.1093/cvr/cvq305

Rose K; Ooi L; Dalle C; Robertson B; Wood IC; Gamper N Transcriptional repression of the M channel subunit Kv7.2 in chronic nerve injury PAIN 152 742-754, 2011
DOI:10.1016/j.pain.2010.12.028

Stead LF; Wood IC; Westhead DR KvSNP: accurately predicting the effect of genetic variants in voltage-gated potassium channels BIOINFORMATICS 27 2181-2186, 2011
DOI:10.1093/bioinformatics/btr365

Ounzain S; Bingham AJ; Wood IC; Chong NW Identification of histone modification and associated histone deacetylase sensitivity in conserved cis-regulatory domains of the abra gene, 2010

Mucha M; Ooi L; Linley JE; Mordaka P; Dalle C; Robertson B; Gamper N; Wood IC Transcriptional Control of KCNQ Channel Genes and the Regulation of Neuronal Excitability JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE 30 13235-13245, 2010
DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1981-10.2010

Stead LF; Wood IC; Westhead DR KvDB; Mining and Mapping Sequence Variants in Voltage-Gated Potassium Channels HUMAN MUTATION 31 908-917, 2010
DOI:10.1002/humu.21295

Wood IC; Gray NK; Jones L Gene Expression in Neuronal Disease BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS 37 1261-1262, 2009
DOI:10.1042/BST0371261

Johnson R; Samuel J; Ng CKL; Jauch R; Stanton LW; Wood IC Evolution of the Vertebrate Gene Regulatory Network Controlled by the Transcriptional Repressor REST MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION 26 1491-1507, 2009
DOI:10.1093/molbev/msp058

Ooi L; Wood IC Regulation of gene expression in the nervous system BIOCHEMICAL JOURNAL 414 327-341, 2008
DOI:10.1042/BJ20080963

Ooi L; Wood IC Identifying transcriptional regulatory regions using reporter genes and DNA-protein interactions by chromatin immunoprecipitation, 2008

Ooi L; Wood IC Chromatin switching and transcriptional regulation in disease BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS 36 599-602, 2008
DOI:10.1042/BST0360599

Bingham AJ; Ooi L; Wood IC Multiple chromatin modifying complexes are required for REST to regulate cardiac specific gene expression Molecular and Cellular Biology 1138-1140, 2007

Ooi L; Bingham AJ; Wood IC Investigating chromatin regulation by the repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST) and its effect in cardiac hypertrophy, 2007

Wood IC; Dalle C; Mucha M; Robertson B Regulation of potassium channel genes important in epilepsy., 2007

Bingham AJ; Ooi L; Kozera L; White E; Wood IC The repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor regulates heart-specific gene expression using multiple chromatin-modifying complexes MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY 27 4082-4092, 2007
DOI:10.1128/MCB.00269-07

Ooi L; Wood IC Chromatin crosstalk in development and disease: lessons from REST NATURE REVIEWS GENETICS 8 544-554, 2007
DOI:10.1038/nrg2100

Turner NA; Aley PK; Hall KT; Warburton P; Galloway S; Midgley L; O'Regan DJ; Wood IC; Ball SG; Porter KE Simvastatin inhibits TNF alpha-induced invasion of human cardiac myofibroblasts via both MMP-9-dependent and -independent mechanisms JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY 43 168-176, 2007
DOI:10.1016/j.yjmcc.2007.05.006

Fountain SJ; Cheong A; Li J; Dondas NY; Zeng F; Wood IC; Beech DJ Kv1.5 potassium channel gene regulation by Sp1 transcription factor and oxidative stress American Journal of Physiology - Heart and Circulatory Physiology 293 H2719-H2725, 2007

Fountain SJ; Cheong A; Li J; Dondas NY; Zeng F; Wood IC; Beech DJ K(V)1.5 potassium channel gene regulation by Sp1 transcription factor and oxidative stress AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-HEART AND CIRCULATORY PHYSIOLOGY 293 H2719-H2725, 2007
DOI:10.1152/ajpheart.00637.2007

Cheong A; Wood IC; Beech DJ Less REST, more vascular disease? CELL CYCLE 5 129-131, 2006
DOI:10.4161/cc.5.2.2310

Cheong A; Sukumar P; Li J; Wood IC; Beech D Transcriptional regulation of potassium channel gene by REST in vascular smooth muscle cells, 2006

Bingham AJ; Ooi L; Wood IC Multiple chromatin modifications important for gene expression changes in cardiac hypertrophy BIOCHEMICAL SOCIETY TRANSACTIONS 34 1138-1140, 2006

Bruce AW; Krejci A; Ooi L; Deuchars J; Wood IC; Dolezal V; Buckley NJ The transcriptional repressor REST is a critical regulator of the neurosecretory phenotype JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY 98 1828-1840, 2006
DOI:10.1111/j.1471-4159.2006.04010.x

Johnson R; Gamblin RJ; Ooi L; Bruce AW; Donaldson IJ; Westhead DR; Wood IC; Jackson RM; Buckley NJ Identification of the REST regulon reveals extensive transposable element-mediated binding site duplication NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH 34 3862-3877, 2006
DOI:10.1093/nar/gkl525

Ooi L; Belyaev ND; Miyake K; Wood IC; Buckley NJ BRG1 chromatin remodeling activity is required for efficient chromatin binding by repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST) and facilitates REST-mediated repression JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 281 38974-38980, 2006
DOI:10.1074/jbc.M605370200

Cheong A; Bingham AJ; Li J; Kumar B; Sukumar P; Munsch C; Buckley NJ; Neylon CB; Porter KE; Beech DJ; Wood IC Downregulated REST transcription factor is a switch enabling critical potassium channel expression and cell proliferation MOLECULAR CELL 20 45-52, 2005
DOI:10.1016/j.molcel.2005.08.030

Cheong A; Bingham A; Wood IC; Beech DJ Repressor Element-1 silencing transcription factor (REST) regulates K(v)1.3 potassium channel expression in mouse aorta, 2005

Belyaev ND; Wood IC; Bruce AW; Street M; Trinh JB; Buckley NJ Distinct RE-1 silencing transcription factor-containing complexes interact with different target genes JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 279 556-561, 2004
DOI:10.1074/jbc.M310353200

Bruce AW; Donaldson IJ; Wood IC; Yerbury SA; Sadowski MI; Chapman M; Gottgens B; Buckley NJ Genome-wide analysis of repressor element 1 silencing transcription factor/neuron-restrictive silencing factor (REST/NRSF) target genes PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 101 10458-10463, 2004
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0401827101

Pais I; Hormuzdi SG; Monyer H; Traub RD; Wood IC; Buhl EH; Whittington MA; LeBeau FEN Sharp wave-like activity in the hippocampus in vitro in mice lacking the gap junction protein connexin 36 JOURNAL OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY 89 2046-2054, 2003
DOI:10.1152/jn.0549.2002

Wood IC; Belyaev ND; Bruce AW; Jones C; Mistry M; Roopra A; Buckley NJ Interaction of the repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST) with target genes JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 334 863-874, 2003
DOI:10.1016/j.jmb.2003.10.017

Pais I; Monyer H; Traub RD; Wood IC; Whittington MA; Buhl EH; Le Beau FEN Sharp-wave burst discharges in the hippocampus in vitro in mice lacking the gap junction protein connexin 36. Journal of Neurophysiology 89 2046-2054, 2003

Wood IC Regulation of gene expression by the anticonvulsant VPA suggests potential new uses Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 23 pp.10-, 2002
DOI:10.1016/S0165-6147(00)01934-9

Selyanko AA; Delmas P; Hadley JK; Tatulian L; Wood IC; Mistry M; London B; Brown DA Dominant-negative subunits reveal potassium channel families that contribute to M-like potassium currents JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE 22 -, 2002

Wood IC Transcription factors move with the glow Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 22 pp.166-, 2001
DOI:10.1016/S0165-6147(00)01653-9

Wood IC The real fat controller? A glucose-responsive transcription factor Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 22 pp.499-, 2001
DOI:10.1016/S0165-6147(00)01857-5

Wood IC How can anti-diabetics suppress tumours? Trends in Pharmacological Sciences 22 pp.399-, 2001
DOI:10.1016/S0165-6147(00)01790-9

Roopra A; Sharling L; Wood IC; Briggs T; Bachfischer U; Paquette AJ; Buckley NJ Transcriptional repression by neuron-restrictive silencer factor is mediated via the SIN3-histone deacetylase complex MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOLOGY 20 2147-2157, 2000
DOI:10.1128/MCB.20.6.2147-2157.2000

Selyanko AA; Hadley JK; Wood IC; Abogadie FC; Jentsch TJ; Brown DA Inhibition of KCNQ1-4 potassium channels expressed in mammalian cells via M(1) muscarinic acetylcholine receptors JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-LONDON 522 349-355, 2000
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7793.2000.t01-2-00349.x

Tatulian L; Selyanko AA; Wood I; Abogadie FC; Buckley NJ; Delmas P; Brown DA Dominant negative KCNQ4 blocks M-current in sympathetic neurones EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE 12 453-453, 2000

Hadley JK; Noda M; Selyanko AA; Wood IC; Abogadie FC; Brown DA Differential tetraethylammonium sensitivity of KCNQ1-4 potassium channels BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY 129 413-415, 2000
DOI:10.1038/sj.bjp.0703086

Buckley NJ; Bachfischer U; Canut M; Mistry M; Pepitoni S; Roopra A; Sharling L; Wood IC Repression and activation of muscarinic receptor genes, 1999
DOI:10.1016/S0024-3205(98)00593-1

Selyanko AA; Hadley JK; Wood IC; Abogadie FC; Delmas P; Buckley NJ; London B; Brown DA Two types of K(+) channel subunit, Erg1 and KCNQ2/3, contribute to the M-like current in a mammalian neuronal cell JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE 19 7742-7756, 1999

Wood IC; Garriga M; Palmer CL; Pepitoni S; Buckley NJ Neuronal expression of the rat M1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor gene is regulated by elements in the first exon. Biochem J 340 ( Pt 2) 475-483, 1999

Pepitoni S; Wood IC; Buckley NJ Structure of the m1 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor gene and its promoter Journal of Biological Chemistry 272 17112-17117, 1997

Wood IC; Roopra A; Buckley NJ Neural specific expression of the m4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor gene is mediated by a RE1/NRSE-type silencing element JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 271 14221-14225, 1996

Wood IC; Roopra A; Harrington C; Buckley NJ Structure of the m4 cholinergic muscarinic receptor gene and its promoter JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY 270 30933-30940, 1995

Goomer RS; Holst BD; Wood IC; Jones FS; Edelman GM Regulation in vitro of an L-CAM enhancer by homeobox genes HoxD9 and HNF- 1 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 91 7985-7989, 1994

Holst BD; Goomer RS; Wood IC; Edelman GM; Jones FS Binding and activation of the promoter for the neural cell adhesion molecule by Pax-8 Journal of Biological Chemistry 269 22245-22252, 1994

Mauro VP; Wood IC; Krushel L; Crossin KL; Edelman GM Cell adhesion alters gene transcription in chicken embryo brain cells and mouse embryonal carcinoma cells Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 91 2868-2872, 1994