Prof Karen Blyth - In Vivo Cancer Biology
Introduction
In vivo models are an important tool to recapitulate human cancer and interrogate aspects of the disease within a biological context. Validating in vitro discoveries in physiologically relevant models in this way will expedite novel therapeutic approaches for patient benefit. The group has expertise in modelling different cancer types but has a specific interest in breast cancer, and how metabolic pathways and certain signalling nodes such as the RUNX/CBFβ transcriptional complex and pro-survival factor MCL-1, contribute to tumour progression and metastasis.
The RUNX genes are essential regulators in mammalian development, most notably for bone and blood cell lineages. Like many genes important for normal development, the RUNX genes are linked to human cancer, but interestingly have been found to both promote and suppress tumour formation, a paradox we are exploring. We have shown that high expression of RUNX1 and RUNX2 in breast cancer correlates with specific subtypes of the disease and with poorer patient prognosis. We are now investigating the functionality of these genes in epithelial cancers and have shown that RUNX2 has a role in mammary stem/progenitor cells.
EmailOther funding:
Lab Report
Key Publications
Campbell KJ, Mason SM, Winder ML, Willemsen RBE, Cloix C, Lawson H, Rooney N, Dhayade S, Sims AH, Blyth K, Tait SWG. Breast cancer dependence on MCL-1 is due to its canonical anti-apoptotic function. Cell Death Differ. 2021. 28; 2589–600
Rooney N, Mason SM, McDonald L, Däbritz JHM, Campbell KJ, Hedley A, Howard S, Athineos D, Nixon C, Clark W, Leach JDG, Sansom OJ, Edwards J, Cameron ER, Blyth K RUNX1 is a driver of renal cell carcinoma correlating with clinical outcome Cancer Res. 2020;
Blyth K, Carter P, Morrissey B, Chelala C, Jones L, Holen I and Speirs V. SEARCHBreast: a new resource to locate and share surplus archival material from breast cancer animal models to help address the 3Rs. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2016; 56:447-52
Ferrari N, Riggio AI, Mason S, McDonald L, King A, Higgins T, Rosewell I, Neil JC, Smalley MJ, Sansom OJ, Morris J, Cameron ER, Blyth K. Runx2 contributes to the regenerative potential of the mammary epithelium. Scientific Reports. 2015; 5:15658
Ferrari N, Mohammed ZMA, Nixon C, Mason SM, Mallon E, McMillan DC, Morris JS, Cameron ER, Blyth K. Expression of RUNX1 correlates with poor patient prognosis in triple negative breast cancer. PLOS One. 2014 9:e100759
McDonald L, Ferrari N, Terry A, Bell M, Mohammed ZM, Orange C, Jenkins A, Muller WJ, Gusterson BA, Neil JC, Edwards J, Morris JS, Cameron ER, Blyth K. RUNX2 correlates with subtype-specific breast cancer in a human tissue microarray and ectopic expression of Runx2 perturbs differentiation in the mouse mammary gland. Dis Model Mech. 2014 7:525-34
Blyth K, Vaillant F, Hanlon L, Mackay N, Bell M, Jenkins A, Neil JC, Cameron ER. Runx2 and MYC collaborate in lymphoma development by suppressing apoptotic and growth arrest pathways in vivo. Cancer Res. 2006; 66:2195-201
Blyth K, Cameron ER, Neil JC. The RUNX genes: gain or loss of function in cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2005; 5:376-87
Biography
Education and qualifications
1997: PhD, University of Glasgow, Supervisors Ewan Cameron & Moyra Campbell
1991: BSc, Biochemistry (Honours), University of Glasgow
Appointments
2019-present: Professor, School of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow
2009-present: Head of Transgenic Models, Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute, Glasgow
1997-2008: Postdoctoral Fellow, Molecular Oncology Lab, University of Glasgow
1991-1996: Research Assistant, University of Glasgow
Recent Publications
2024
Ackermann T, Shokry E, Deshmukh R, Anand J, Galbraith LCA, Mitchell L, Rodriguez-Blanco G, Villar VH, Sterken BA, Nixon C, Zanivan S, Blyth K, Sumpton D, Tardito S. Breast cancer secretes anti-ferroptotic MUFAs and depends on selenoprotein synthesis for metastasis. EMBO Mol Med. 2024.
Cheung EC, Strathdee D, Stevenson D, Coomes J, Blyth K, Vousden KH. Regulation of ROS signaling by TIGAR induces cancer-modulating responses in the tumor microenvironment. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024;121(50):e2416076121.
Fercoq F, Cairns GS, Donatis MD, Mackey JBG, Floerchinger A, McFarlane A, Raffo-Iraolagoitia XL, Whyte D, Arnott LWG, Nixon C, Wiesheu R, Kilbey A, Brown L, Al-Khalidi S, Norman JC, Roberts EW, Blyth K, Coffelt SB, Carlin LM. Integrin inactivation slows down neutrophils congesting the pre-metastatic lung in a model of breast cancer. bioRxiv. 2024:2024.2003.2019.585724.
Gounis M, Campos AV, Shokry E, Mitchell L, Dornier E, Rooney N, Dhayade S, Pardo L, Moore M, Novo D, Mowat J, Jamieson C, Kay E, Zanivan S, Nixon C, Macpherson I, Tardito S, Sumpton D, Blyth K, Norman JC, Clarke CJ. Metabolic adaptations of micrometastases alter EV production to generate invasive microenvironments. bioRxiv. 2024:2024.2005.2012.593552.
Mahmood M, Liu EM, Shergold AL, Tolla E, Tait-Mulder J, Huerta-Uribe A, Shokry E, Young AL, Lilla S, Kim M, Park T, Boscenco S, Manchon JL, Rodríguez-Antona C, Walters RC, Springett RJ, Blaza JN, Mitchell L, Blyth K, Zanivan S, Sumpton D, Roberts EW, Reznik E, Gammage PA. Mitochondrial DNA mutations drive aerobic glycolysis to enhance checkpoint blockade response in melanoma. Nat Cancer. 2024.
Mardilovich K, Naylor G, Julian L, Phinichkusolchit N, Keeshan K, Blyth K, Olson MF. Caspase-resistant ROCK1 expression prolongs survival of Eµ-Myc B cell lymphoma mice. Dis Model Mech. 2024.
Santi A, Kay EJ, Neilson LJ, McGarry L, Lilla S, Mullin M, Paul NR, Fercoq F, Koulouras G, Rodriguez Blanco G, Athineos D, Mason S, Hughes M, Thomson G, Kieffer Y, Nixon C, Blyth K, Mechta-Grigoriou F, Carlin LM, Zanivan S. Cancer-associated fibroblasts produce matrix-bound vesicles that influence endothelial cell function. Sci Signal. 2024;17(827):eade0580.
Strathearn LS, Spender LC, Schoenherr C, Mason S, Edwards R, Blyth K, Inman GJ. C1orf106 (INAVA) Is a SMAD3-Dependent TGF-β Target Gene That Promotes Clonogenicity and Correlates with Poor Prognosis in Breast Cancer. Cells. 2024;13(18).
Whyte D, Voorde JV, Sumpton D, Dhayade S, Dornier E, Moore M, Novo D, Peters J, Wiesheu R, Mackey JBG, McFarlane AJ, Fercoq F, Fisher S, Caballero CD, Gilroy K, Redmond KL, Mitchell LE, Anderson E, Thomson G, Dzierozynski LN, Saab JJA, Lewis CA, Muir A, Halbrook CJ, Strathdee D, Jackstadt R, Nixon C, Dunne P, Steele CW, Carlin LM, Macpherson IR, Roberts EW, Coffelt SB, Blyth K, Sansom OJ, Norman JC, Clarke CJ. Uridine Phosphorylase-1 supports metastasis of mammary cancer by altering immune and extracellular matrix landscapes of the lung. bioRxiv. 2024:2024.2007.2002.601676.
Wiesheu R, Edwards SC, Hedley A, Hall H, Tosolini M, Fares da Silva MGF, Sumaria N, Castenmiller SM, Wardak L, Optaczy Y, Lynn A, Hill DG, Hayes AJ, Hay J, Kilbey A, Shaw R, Whyte D, Walsh PJ, Michie AM, Graham GJ, Manoharan A, Halsey C, Blyth K, Wolkers MC, Miller C, Pennington DJ, Jones GW, Fournie JJ, Bekiaris V, Coffelt SB. IL-27 maintains cytotoxic Ly6C(+) γδ T cells that arise from immature precursors. Embo j. 2024.
Sansom O, Wells S, Kent D, Wood A, Pitceathly RDS, Isles A, Liu K, Twigg S, Blyth K, Chesler L. Better translation via collaboration: The MRC National Mouse Genetics Network. Cell Genom. 2024 Feb 14;4(2):100483.
2023
Ackermann T, Shokry E, Deshmukh R, Anand J, Galbraith LCA, Mitchell L, Rodriguez-Blanco G, Villar VH, Sterken BA, Nixon C, Zanivan S, Blyth K, Sumpton D, Tardito S. Paracrine secretion of MUFAs prevents ferroptosis in triple-negative breast cancer and reveals selenocysteine synthesis dependency for lung metastasis. bioRxiv. 2023;Volume:2023.2006.2013.544588.
Bailey P, Ridgway RA, Cammareri P, Treanor-Taylor M, Bailey UM, Schoenherr C, Bone M, Schreyer D, Purdie K, Thomson J, Rickaby W, Jackstadt R, Campbell AD, Dimonitsas E, Stratigos AJ, Arron ST, Wang J, Blyth K, Proby CM, Harwood CA, Sansom OJ, Leigh IM, Inman GJ. Driver gene combinations dictate cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma disease continuum progression. Nat Commun. 2023;14:5211.
Dzien P, Mackintosh A, Malviya G, Johnson E, Soloviev D, Brown G, Uribe AH, Nixon C, Lyons SK, Maddocks O, Blyth K, Lewis DY. Positron emission tomography imaging of the sodium iodide symporter senses real-time energy stress in vivo. Cancer Metab. 2023;11(1):14.
Edwards SC, Hedley A, Hoevenaar WHM, Wiesheu R, Glauner T, Kilbey A, Shaw R, Boufea K, Batada N, Hatano S, Yoshikai Y, Blyth K, Miller C, Kirschner K, Coffelt SB. PD-1 and TIM-3 differentially regulate subsets of mouse IL-17A-producing γδ T cells. J Exp Med. 2023;220: e20211431
Martin TP, MacDonald EA, Bradley A, Watson H, Saxena P, Rog-Zielinska EA, Raheem A, Fisher S, Elbassioni AAM, Almuzaini O, Booth C, Campbell M, Riddell A, Herzyk P, Blyth K, Nixon C, Zentilin L, Berry C, Braun T, Giacca M, McBride MW, Nicklin SA, Cameron ER, Loughrey CM. RNA interference or small molecule inhibition of Runx1 in the border zone prevents cardiac contractile dysfunction following myocardial infarction. Cardiovasc Res. 2023;10.1093/cvr/cvad107.
Papalazarou V, Newman AC, Huerta-Uribe A, Legrave NM, Falcone M, Zhang T, McGarry L, Athineos D, Shanks E, Blyth K, Vousden KH, Maddocks ODK. Phenotypic profiling of solute carriers characterizes serine transport in cancer. Nat Metab. 2023.
Román-Fernández A, Mansour MA, Kugeratski FG, Anand J, Sandilands E, Galbraith L, Rakovic K, Freckmann EC, Cumming EM, Park J, Nikolatou K, Lilla S, Shaw R, Strachan D, Mason S, Patel R, McGarry L, Katoch A, Campbell KJ, Nixon C, Miller CJ, Leung HY, Le Quesne J, Norman JC, Zanivan S, Blyth K, Bryant DM. Spatial regulation of the glycocalyx component podocalyxin is a switch for prometastatic function. Sci Adv. 2023;9:eabq1858.
Sandilands E, Freckmann EC, Cumming EM, Román-Fernández A, McGarry L, Anand J, Galbraith L, Mason S, Patel R, Nixon C, Cartwright J, Leung HY, Blyth K, Bryant DM. The small GTPase ARF3 controls invasion modality and metastasis by regulating N-cadherin levels. Journal of Cell Biology. 2023;222:e202206115
Santi A, Kay EJ, Neilson LJ, McGarry L, Lilla S, Mullin M, Paul NR, Fercoq F, Koulouras G, Blanco GR, Athineos D, Mason S, Hughes M, Kieffer Y, Nixon C, Blyth K, Mechta-Grigoriou F, Carlin LM, Zanivan S. Cancer-associated fibroblasts produce matrix-bound vesicles that influence endothelial cell function. bioRxiv. 2023;Volume:2023.2001.2013.523951.
Suzuki T, Kilbey A, Casa Rodriguez N, Lawlor A, Georgakopoulou A, Hayman H, Yin Swe KL, Nordin A, Cantù C, Vantourout P, Ridgway RA, Byrne RM, Chen L, Verzi MP, Gay DM, Gil Vazquez E, Belnoue-Davis HL, Gilroy K, Kostner AH, Kersten C, Thuwajit C, Andersen DK, Wiesheu R, Jandke A, Blyth K, Roseweir AK, Leedham SJ, Dunne PD, Edwards J, Hayday A, Sansom OJ, Coffelt SB. β-catenin drives butyrophilin-like molecule loss and γδ T-cell exclusion in colon cancer. Cancer Immunology Research. 2023;11: 1137–1155.
Villar VH, Allega MF, Deshmukh R, Ackermann T, Nakasone MA, Vande Voorde J, Drake TM, Oetjen J, Bloom A, Nixon C, Müller M, May S, Tan EH, Vereecke L, Jans M, Blancke G, Murphy DJ, Huang DT, Lewis DY, Bird TG, Sansom OJ, Blyth K, Sumpton D, Tardito S. Hepatic glutamine synthetase controls N5-methylglutamine in homeostasis and cancer. Nature Chemical Biology. 2023;19:292-300.
Wiesheu R, Edwards SC, Hedley A, Tosolini M, Silva MGFFd, Sumaria N, Optaczy Y, Hill DG, Hayes AJ, Hay J, Kilbey A, Michie AM, Graham GJ, Manoharan A, Halsey C, Jones GW, Blyth K, Fournie J-J, Pennington DJ, Bekiaris V, Coffelt SB. IL-27 maintains cytotoxic Ly6C+ γδ T cells that arise from immature precursors. bioRxiv. 2023:2023.2010.2026.564114.
Khan AS, Campbell KJ, Cameron ER, Blyth K. The RUNX/CBFβ Complex in Breast Cancer: A Conundrum of Context. Cells. 2023;12:641
2022
Blomme A, Peter C, Mui E, Rodriguez Blanco G, An N, Mason LM, Jamieson LE, McGregor GH, Lilla S, Ntala C, Patel R, Thiry M, Kung SHY, Leclercq M, Ford CA, Rushworth LK, McGarry DJ, Mason S, Repiscak P, Nixon C, Salji MJ, Markert E, MacKay GM, Kamphorst JJ, Graham D, Faulds K, Fazli L, Gleave ME, Avezov E, Edwards J, Yin H, Sumpton D, Blyth K, Close P, Murphy DJ, Zanivan S, Leung HY. THEM6-mediated reprogramming of lipid metabolism supports treatment resistance in prostate cancer. EMBO Molecular Medicine. 2022;14:e14764
Falcone M, Uribe AH, Papalazarou V, Newman AC, Athineos D, Stevenson K, Sauvé CG, Gao Y, Kim JK, Del Latto M, Kierstead M, Wu C, Smith JJ, Romesser PB, Chalmers AJ, Blyth K, Maddocks ODK. Sensitisation of cancer cells to radiotherapy by serine and glycine starvation. Br J Cancer. 2022;127:1773-1786.
Humpton TJ, Hall H, Kiourtis C, Nixon C, Clark W, Hedley A, Shaw R, Bird TG, Blyth K, Vousden KH. p53-mediated redox control promotes liver regeneration and maintains liver function in response to CCl(4). Cell Death Differ. 2022;29:514-526.
Humpton TJ, Hock AK, Kiourtis C, De Donatis M, Fercoq F, Nixon C, Bryson S, Strathdee D, Carlin LM, Bird TG, Blyth K, Vousden KH. A noninvasive iRFP713 p53 reporter reveals dynamic p53 activity in response to irradiation and liver regeneration in vivo. Sci Signal. 2022;15:eabd9099.
Jaber-Hijazi F, Swaminathan K, Gilroy K, Wenzel AT, Lagnado A, Kirschner K, Robertson N, Reid C, Fullarton N, Pawlikowski J, Blyth K, Mesirov JP, Rai TS, Passos JF, Machesky LM, Adams PD. Inactivation of histone chaperone HIRA unmasks a link between normal embryonic development of melanoblasts and maintenance of adult melanocyte stem cells. bioRxiv; 10.1101/2022.04.22.4891662022:2022.2004.2022.489166.
Kay EJ, Paterson K, Riero-Domingo C, Sumpton D, Däbritz JHM, Tardito S, Boldrini C, Hernandez-Fernaud JR, Athineos D, Dhayade S, Stepanova E, Gjerga E, Neilson LJ, Lilla S, Hedley A, Koulouras G, McGregor G, Jamieson C, Johson RM, Park M, Kirschner K, Miller C, Kamphorst JJ, Loayza-Puch F, Saez-Rodriguez J, Mazzone M, Blyth K, Zagoni M, Zanivan S. Cancer-associated fibroblasts require proline synthesis by PYCR1 for the deposition of pro-tumorigenic extracellular matrix. Nature Metabolism. 2022;4(6):693-710.
Koessinger AL, Cloix C, Koessinger D, Heiland DH, Bock FJ, Strathdee K, Kinch K, Martínez-Escardó L, Paul NR, Nixon C, Malviya G, Jackson MR, Campbell KJ, Stevenson K, Davis S, Elmasry Y, Ahmed A, O’Prey J, Ichim G, Schnell O, Stewart W, Blyth K, Ryan KM, Chalmers AJ, Norman JC, Tait SWG. Increased apoptotic sensitivity of glioblastoma enables therapeutic targeting by BH3-mimetics. Cell Death & Differentiation. 2022;29:2089–2104
Spiliopoulou P, Spear S, Mirza H, Garner I, McGarry L, Grundland Freile F, Cheng Z, Ennis DP, Iyer NR, McNamara S, Natoli M, Mason SM, Blyth K, Adams PD, Roxburgh P, Fuchter MJ, Brown R, McNeish IA. Dual G9A/EZH2 inhibition stimulates anti-tumour immune response in ovarian high grade serous carcinoma. Mol Cancer Ther. 2022;21:522–534
Suzuki T, Kilbey A, Ridgway RA, Hayman H, Byrne R, Casa Rodriguez N, Georgakopoulou A, Chen L, Verzi M, Gay DM, Vzquez EG, Belnoue-Davis HL, Gilroy K, Kostner AH, Kersten C, Thuwajit C, Andersen D, Wiesheu R, Jandke A, Roberts N, Blyth K, Roseweir A, Leedham SJ, Dunne PD, Edwards J, Hayday A, Sansom OJ, Coffelt SB. β-catenin obstructs γδ T cell immunosurveillance in colon cancer through loss of BTNL expression. bioRxiv. 2022;Volume:2022.2006.2010.495115.
2021
Bock FJ, Sedov E, Koren E, Koessinger AL, Cloix C, Zerbst D, Athineos D, Anand J, Campbell KJ, Blyth K, Fuchs Y, Tait SWG. Apoptotic stress-induced FGF signalling promotes non-cell autonomous resistance to cell death. Nat Commun. 2021 Nov 12;12(1):6572.
Borrello M, Rita Emma M, Listi A, Rubis M, Coslet S, Augello G, Cusimano A, Cabibi D, Porcasi R, Giannitrapani L, Soresi M, Pantuso G, Blyth K, Montalto G, Pin C, Cervello M, Iovanna J. NUPR1 protects liver from lipotoxic injury by improving the endoplasmic reticulum stress response. Faseb j. 2021;35(3):e21395.
Campbell KJ, Mason SM, Winder ML, Willemsen RBE, Cloix C, Lawson H, Rooney N, Dhayade S, Sims AH, Blyth K, Tait SWG. Breast cancer dependence on MCL-1 is due to its canonical anti-apoptotic function. Cell Death Differ. 2021. 28; 2589–600
Dayal JHS, Mason SM, Salas-Alanis JC, McGrath JA, Taylor RG, Mellerio JE, Blyth K, South AP, Inman GJ. Heterogeneous addiction to transforming growth factor-beta signalling in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa-associated cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Br J Dermatol. 2021;184:697-708.
Edwards SC, Hedley A, Hoevenaar WHM, Glauner T, Wiesheu R, Kilbey A, Shaw R, Boufea K, Batada N, Blyth K, Miller C, Kirschner K, Coffelt SB. Single-cell analysis uncovers differential regulation of lung γδ T cell subsets by the co-inhibitory molecules, PD-1 and TIM-3. bioRxiv. 2021.
Floerchinger A, Murphy KJ, Latham SL, Warren SC, McCulloch AT, Lee YK, Stoehr J, Mélénec P, Guaman CS, Metcalf XL, Lee V, Zaratzian A, Da Silva A, Tayao M, Rolo S, Phimmachanh M, Sultani G, McDonald L, Mason SM, Ferrari N, Ooms LM, Johnsson AE, Spence HJ, Olson MF, Machesky LM, Sansom OJ, Morton JP, Mitchell CA, Samuel MS, Croucher DR, Welch HCE, Blyth K, Caldon CE, Herrmann D, Anderson KI, Timpson P, Nobis M. Optimizing metastatic-cascade-dependent Rac1 targeting in breast cancer: Guidance using optical window intravital FRET imaging. Cell Rep. 2021;36(11):109689.
Humpton TJ, Nomura K, Weber J, Magnussen HM, Hock AK, Nixon C, Dhayade S, Stevenson D, Huang DT, Strathdee D, Blyth K, Vousden KH. Differential requirements for MDM2 E3 activity during embryogenesis and in adult mice. Genes & development. 2021;35(1-2):117-132.
Johnson SA, Ormsby MJ, Wessel HM, Hulme HE, Bravo-Blas A, McIntosh A, Mason S, Coffelt SB, Tait SWG, Mowat AM, Milling SWF, Blyth K, Wall DM. Monocytes mediate Salmonella Typhimurium-induced tumour growth inhibition in a mouse melanoma model. Eur J Immunol. 2021:51:3228-3238
Latif AL, Newcombe A, Li S, Gilroy K, Robertson NA, Lei X, Stewart HJS, Cole J, Terradas MT, Rishi L, McGarry L, McKeeve C, Reid C, Clark W, Campos J, Kirschner K, Davis A, Lopez J, Sakamaki JI, Morton JP, et al. BRD4-mediated repression of p53 is a target for combination therapy in AML. Nat Commun. 2021;12:241.
McGarry DJ, Armstrong G, Castino G, Mason S, Clark W, Shaw R, McGarry L, Blyth K, Olson MF. MICAL1 regulates actin cytoskeleton organization, directional cell migration and the growth of human breast cancer cells as orthotopic xenograft tumours. Cancer Lett. 2021;519:226-236.
Nacke M, Sandilands E, Nikolatou K, Román-Fernández Á, Mason S, Patel R, Lilla S, Yelland T, Galbraith LCA, Freckmann EC, McGarry L, Morton JP, Shanks E, Leung HY, Markert E, Ismail S, Zanivan S, Blyth K, Bryant DM. An ARF GTPase module promoting invasion and metastasis through regulating phosphoinositide metabolism. Nat Commun. 2021;12:1623.
Newman AC, Falcone M, Huerta Uribe A, Zhang T, Athineos D, Pietzke M, Vazquez A, Blyth K, Maddocks ODK. Immune-regulated IDO1-dependent tryptophan metabolism is source of one-carbon units for pancreatic cancer and stellate cells. Mol Cell. 2021; 81:2290-2302
Rudzka DA, Mason S, Neilson M, McGarry L, Kalna G, Hedley A, Blyth K, Olson MF. Selection of established tumour cells through narrow diameter micropores enriches for elevated Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK MAPK signalling and enhanced tumour growth. Small GTPases. 2021;12(4):294-310.
Tajan M, Hennequart M, Cheung EC, Zani F, Hock AK, Legrave N, Maddocks ODK, Ridgway RA, Athineos D, Suárez-Bonnet A, Ludwig RL, Novellasdemunt L, Angelis N, Li VSW, Vlachogiannis G, Valeri N, Mainolfi N, Suri V, Friedman A, Manfredi M, et al. Serine synthesis pathway inhibition cooperates with dietary serine and glycine limitation for cancer therapy. Nat Commun. 2021;12:366.
2020
Blagih J, Zani F, Chakravarty P, Hennequart M, Pilley S, Hobor S, Hock AK, Walton JB, Morton JP, Gronroos E, Mason S, Yang M, McNeish I, Swanton C, Blyth K, Vousden KH. Cancer-Specific Loss of p53 Leads to a Modulation of Myeloid and T Cell Responses. Cell reports. 2020;30:481-496.e6.
Campbell KJ, Blyth K Somatic base editing to model oncogenic drivers in breast cancer Lab Anim. 2020; 49: 115–116
Caraffini V, Geiger O, Rosenberger A, Hatzl S, Perfler B, Berg JL, Lim C, Strobl H, Kashofer K, Schauer S, Beham-Schmid C, Hoefler G, Geissler K, Quehenberger F, Kolch W, Athineos D, Blyth K, Wolfler A, Sill H, Zebisch A. Loss of RAF kinase inhibitor protein is involved in myelomonocytic differentiation and aggravates RAS-driven myeloid leukemogenesis. Haematologica. 2020;
Cheung EC, DeNicola GM, Nixon C, Blyth K, Labuschagne CF, Tuveson DA, Vousden KH. Dynamic ROS Control by TIGAR Regulates the Initiation and Progression of Pancreatic Cancer. Cancer cell. 2020; 37: 168-182
Dhayade S, Pietzke M, Wiesheu R, Tait-Mulder J, Athineos D, Sumpton D, Coffelt S, Blyth K, Vazquez A. Impact of Formate Supplementation on Body Weight and Plasma Amino Acids. Nutrients. 2020; 12(8):2181.
Lie ALM, Mevel R, Patel R, Blyth K, Baena E, Kouskoff V, Lacaud G. RUNX1 Dosage in Development and Cancer. Mol Cells. 2020; 43: 126-128
Loveridge CJ, Slater S, Campbell KJ, Nam NA, Knight J, Ahmad I, Hedley A, Lilla S, Repiscak P, Patel R, Salji M, Fleming J, Mitchell L, Nixon C, Strathdee D, Neilson M, Ntala C, Bryson S, Zanivan S, Edwards J, Robson CN, Goodyear CS, Blyth K, Leung HY. BRF1 accelerates prostate tumourigenesis and perturbs immune infiltration. Oncogene. 2020; 39: 1797–1806
MacKenzie DJ, Robertson NA, Rather I, Reid C, Sendzikaite G, Cruickshanks H, McBryan T, Hodges A, Pritchard C, Blyth K, Adams PD. DNMT3B Oncogenic Activity in Human Intestinal Cancer Is Not Linked to CIMP or BRAFV600E Mutation. iScience. 2020;23:100838-100838.
Mevel R, Steiner I, Mason S, Galbraith LCA, Patel R, Fadlullah MZH, Ahmad I, Leung HY, Oliveira P, Blyth K, Baena E, Lacaud G. RUNX1 marks a luminal castration resistant lineage established at the onset of prostate development. eLife. 2020;9:e60225.
Millar R, Kilbey A, Remak SJ, Severson TM, Dhayade S, Sandilands E, Foster K, Bryant DM, Blyth K, Coffelt SB. The MSP-RON axis stimulates cancer cell growth in models of triple negative breast cancer. Molecular oncology. 2020;14: 1868-1880
Oizel K, Tait-Mulder J, Fernandez-de-Cossio-Diaz J, Pietzke M, Brunton H, Lilla S, Dhayade S, Athineos D, Blanco GR, Sumpton D, Mackay GM, Blyth K, Zanivan SR, Meiser J, Vazquez A. Formate induces a metabolic switch in nucleotide and energy metabolism. Cell death & disease. 2020;11:310.
Ran R, Harrison H, Syamimi Ariffin N, Ayub R, Pegg HJ, Deng W, Mastro A, Ottewell PD, Mason SM, Blyth K, Holen I, Shore P. A role for CBFbeta in maintaining the metastatic phenotype of breast cancer cells. Oncogene. 2020; 39: 2624–2637
Rooney N, Mason SM, McDonald L, Däbritz JHM, Campbell KJ, Hedley A, Howard S, Athineos D, Nixon C, Clark W, Leach JDG, Sansom OJ, Edwards J, Cameron ER, Blyth K RUNX1 is a driver of renal cell carcinoma correlating with clinical outcome Cancer Res. 2020;
Sweeney K, Cameron ER, Blyth K. Complex Interplay between the RUNX Transcription Factors and Wnt/β-Catenin Pathway in Cancer: A Tango in the Night. Molecules and cells. 2020; 43: 188-197
Zhang T, Bauer C, Newman AC, Uribe AH, Athineos D, Blyth K, Maddocks ODK. Polyamine pathway activity promotes cysteine essentiality in cancer cells. Nature Metabolism. 2020; 2:1062–1076
2019
Hassan S, Purdie KJ, Wang J, Harwood CA, Proby CM, Pourreyron C, Mladkova N, Nagano A, Dhayade S, Athineos D, Caley M, Mannella V, Blyth K, Inman GJ, Leigh IM. A Unique Panel of Patient-Derived Cutaneous Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines Provides a Preclinical Pathway for Therapeutic Testing. International journal of molecular sciences. 2019; 20: 3428
Johnson SA, Ormsby MJ, McIntosh A, Tait SWG, Blyth K, Wall DM. Increasing the bactofection capacity of a mammalian expression vector by removal of the f1 ori. Cancer Gene Ther. 2019; 26: 183–194
Liko D, Mitchell L, Campbell KJ, Ridgway RA, Jones C, Dudek K, King A, Bryson S, Stevenson D, Blyth K, Strathdee D, Morton JP, Bird TG, Knight JRP, Willis AE, Sansom OJ. Brf1 loss and not overexpression disrupts tissues homeostasis in the intestine, liver and pancreas. Cell Death Differ. 2019; 26: 2535–2550
Rudzka DA, Spennati G, McGarry DJ, Chim YH, Neilson M, Ptak A, Munro J, Kalna G, Hedley A, Moralli D, Green C, Mason S, Blyth K, Mullin M, Yin H, Olson MF. Migration through physical constraints is enabled by MAPK-induced cell softening via actin cytoskeleton re-organization. Journal of cell science. 2019; 132:
Vande Voorde J, Ackermann T, Pfetzer N, Sumpton D, Mackay G, Kalna G, Nixon C, Blyth K, Gottlieb E, Tardito S. Improving the metabolic fidelity of cancer models with a physiological cell culture medium. Science Advances 2019; 5: eaau7314
2018
Campbell KJ, Dhayade S, Ferrari N, Sims AH, Johnson E, Mason SM, Dickson A, Ryan KM, Kalna G, Edwards J, Tait SWG, Blyth K. MCL-1 is a prognostic indicator and drug target in breast cancer. Cell Death Dis 2018; 9:19
McCarroll CS, He W, Foote K, Bradley A, McGlynn K, Vidler F, Nixon C, Nather K, Fattah C, Riddell A, Bowman P, Elliott EB, Bell M, Hawksby C, MacKenzie SM, et al. Runx1 Deficiency Protects Against Adverse Cardiac Remodeling After Myocardial Infarction. Circulation 2018; 137: 57-70.
Meiser J, Schuster A, Pietzke M, Vande Voorde J, Athineos D, Oizel K, Burgos-Barragan G, Wit N, Dhayade S, Morton JP, Dornier E, Sumpton D, Mackay GM, Blyth K, Patel KJ, et al. Increased formate overflow is a hallmark of oxidative cancer. Nat Commun. 2018; 9: 1368.
Novo D, Heath N, Mitchell L, Caligiuri G, MacFarlane A, Reijmer D, Charlton L, Knight J, Calka M, McGhee E, Dornier E, Sumpton D, Mason S, Echard A, Klinkert K, et al. Mutant p53s generate pro-invasive niches by influencing exosome podocalyxin levels. Nat Commun 2018; 9: 5069.
2017
Bulusu V, Tumanov S, Michalopoulou E, van den Broek NJ, MacKay G, Nixon C, Dhayade S, Schug ZT, Vande Voorde J, Blyth K, Gottlieb E, Vazquez A, Kamphorst JJ. Acetate Recapturing by Nuclear Acetyl-CoA Synthetase 2 Prevents Loss of Histone Acetylation during Oxygen and Serum Limitation. Cell Rep 2017; 18: 647-58
Dornier E, Rabas N, Mitchell L, Novo D, Dhayade S, Marco S, Mackay G, Sumpton D, Pallares M, Nixon C, Blyth K, Macpherson I, Rainero E, Norman JC. Glutaminolysis drives membrane trafficking to promote cancer invasion. Nat Commun 2017; 8: 2255.
Giampazolias E, Zunino B, Dhayade S, Bock F, Cloix C, Cao K, Roca A, Lopez J, Ichim G, Proics E, Rubio-Patino C, Fort L, Yatim N, Woodham E, Orozco S, Taraborrelli L, Peltzer N, Lecis D, Machesky L, Walczak H et al. Mitochondrial permeabilization engages NF-kappaB-dependent anti-tumour activity under caspase deficiency. Nat Cell Biol 2017; 19: 1116-29
Hernandez-Fernaud JR, Ruengeler E, Casazza A, Neilson LJ, Pulleine E, Santi A, Ismail S, Lilla S, Dhayade S, MacPherson IR, McNeish I, Ennis D, Ali H, Kugeratski FG, Al Khamici H, van den Biggelaar M, van den Berghe PV, Cloix C, McDonald L, Millan D et al. Secreted CLIC3 drives cancer progression through its glutathione-dependent oxidoreductase activity. 2017 Nat Commun 8: 14206
Hock AK, Cheung EC, Humpton TJ, Monteverde T, Paulus-Hock V, Lee P, McGhee E, Scopelliti A, Murphy DJ, Strathdee D, Blyth K, Vousden KH. Development of an inducible mouse model of iRFP713 to track recombinase activity and tumour development in vivo. Sci Rep 2017; 7: 1837
Loveridge CJ, Mui EJ, Patel R, Tan EH, Ahmad I, Welsh M, Galbraith J, Hedley A, Nixon C, Blyth K, Sansom O, Leung HY. Increased T-cell Infiltration Elicited by Erk5 Deletion in a Pten-Deficient Mouse Model of Prostate Carcinogenesis. Cancer Res 2017; 77: 3158-68
Loveridge CJ, van 't Hof RJ, Charlesworth G, King A, Tan EH, Rose L, Daroszewska A, Prior A, Ahmad I, Welsh M, Mui EJ, Ford C, Salji M, Sansom O, Blyth K, Leung HY. Analysis of Nkx3.1:Cre-driven Erk5 deletion reveals a profound spinal deformity which is linked to increased osteoclast activity. Sci Rep 2017; 7: 13241
Maddocks ODK, Athineos D, Cheung EC, Lee P, Zhang T, van den Broek NJF, Mackay GM, Labuschagne CF, Gay D, Kruiswijk F, Blagih J, Vincent DF, Campbell KJ, Ceteci F, Sansom OJ, Blyth K, Vousden KH. Modulating the therapeutic response of tumours to dietary serine and glycine starvation. Nature 2017; 544: 372-6
Reid SE, Kay EJ, Neilson LJ, Henze AT, Serneels J, McGhee EJ, Dhayade S, Nixon C, Mackey JB, Santi A, Swaminathan K, Athineos D, Papalazarou V, Patella F, Roman-Fernandez A, ElMaghloob Y, Hernandez-Fernaud JR, Adams RH, Ismail S, Bryant DM et al. Tumor matrix stiffness promotes metastatic cancer cell interaction with the endothelium. EMBO J 2017; 36: 2373-89
van Tuyn J, Jaber-Hijazi F, MacKenzie D, Cole JJ, Mann E, Pawlikowski JS, Singh Rai T, Nelson DM, McBryan T, Ivanov A, Blyth K, Wu H, Milling S, Adams PD. Oncogene-Expressing Senescent Melanocytes Upregulate Mhc Class Ii, A Candidate Melanoma Suppressor Function. J Invest Dermatol 2017; 137: 2197-207
Walton JB, Farquharson M, Mason S, Port J, Kruspig B, Dowson S, Stevenson D, Murphy D, Matzuk M, Kim J, Coffelt S, Blyth K, McNeish IA.
CRISPR/Cas9-derived models of ovarian high grade serous carcinoma targeting Brca1, Pten and Nf1, and correlation with platinum sensitivity. Sci Rep 2017;7: 16827
Weigert M, Binks A, Dowson S, Leung EYL, Athineos D, Yu X, Mullin M, Walton JB, Orange C, Ennis D, Blyth K, Tait SWG, McNeish IA. RIPK3 promotes adenovirus type 5 activity. Cell Death and Disease 2017; 8: 3206
Holen I, Speirs V, Morrissey B, Blyth K. In vivo models in breast cancer research: progress, challenges and future directions. Dis Model Mech 2017; 10: 359-71
Morrissey B, Blyth K, Carter P, Chelala C, Jones L, Holen I, Speirs V. The Sharing Experimental Animal Resources, Coordinating Holdings (SEARCH) Framework: Encouraging Reduction, Replacement, and Refinement in Animal Research. PLoS Biol 2017 15: e2000719
Riggio AI, Blyth K. The Enigmatic Role of RUNX1 in Female-Related Cancers: Current Knowledge & Future Perspectives. FEBS J 2017; 284: 2345-62
Rooney N, Riggio AI, Mendoza-Villanueva D, Shore P, Cameron ER, Blyth K. Runx Genes in Breast Cancer and the Mammary Lineage. Adv Exp Med Biol 2017; 962: 353-68
2016
Birch J, Clarke CJ, Campbell AD, Campbell K, Mitchell L, Liko D, Kalna G, Strathdee D, Sansom OJ, Neilson M, Blyth K, Norman JC. The initiator methionine tRNA drives cell migration and invasion leading to increased metastatic potential in melanoma. Biol Open.
Meiser J, Tumanov S, Maddocks O, Labuschagne CF, Athineos D, Van Den Broek N, Mackay GM, Gottlieb E, Blyth K, Vousden K, Kamphorst JJ, Vazquez A. Serine one-carbon catabolism with formate overflow. Science Advances 2: e1601273, 2016
Morrissey B, Blyth K, Carter P, Chelala C, Jones L, Holen I, Speirs V. SEARCHBreast: a new online resource to make surplus material from in vivo models of breast cancer visible and accessible to researchers. Breast Cancer Res 2016;18: 59.
Lab Members
Group Leader
Karen Blyth
Karen.Blyth@glasgow.ac.uk
I did my PhD at the University of Glasgow (too long ago!) studying cancer biology and oncogenic mechanisms of key cancer genes using mouse models of cancer – an interest I have continued to pursue throughout my career and since joining the CRUK Scotland Institute in 2009. What I enjoy most about my job is the fantastic people I work with and exciting collaborative science we do. I also co-lead the MRC National Mouse Genetic Network (NMGN) Cancer Cluster which is a UK team using complex genetic models of cancer to understand tumour complexity and how these might be used for better prediction of patient response to therapy. When I can escape work, I am happiest spending time with friends and family, exploring new places, being on remote Scottish beaches or chasing down the Aurora Borealis!
Associate Scientist
Kirsteen J. Campbell
K.Campbell@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
As an Associate Scientist in the In Vivo Cancer Biology lab at CRUK Scotland Institute and an Honorary Senior Lecturer at University of Glasgow I lead research projects focussed on understanding the role of aberrant cell death in cancer development and response to therapy. With expertise in breast and prostate cancer, and interests extending to pancreatic, lung and brain cancer, I use in vivo and in vitro models to help identify new therapeutic approaches with the aim of making cancer treatments kinder and more effective.
An advocate of scientific outreach, you’ll find me happily discussing our research at open evenings, lab tours, work experience and cancer awareness events.
Research Scientist
Laura Martinez Escardo
L.Martinez-Escardo@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
I am a postdoctoral scientist investigating the role of MCL-1 and other BCL-2 family proteins in prostate cancer at the In Vivo Cancer Biology group. I was born and raised in Terrassa, a city near Barcelona. My educational background is in Biomedical Sciences, with a master's degree in Biomedicine with a specialization in basic and translational research in cancer, and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Biomedicine at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). My research background and interests are in cell death pathways and mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in cancer. Here at the Institute, I am interrogating how these cell death pathways are altered in prostate cancer and how reinstatement of cell death could be used to improve treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Outside of work, I like spending quality time with family and friends, and I find joy in engaging in sports activities such as hiking, cycling, climbing, and water sports. I do also like to have relaxation time listening to music, watching films, reading books, or cooking and learning new recipes from around the world.
Senior Scientific Officers
Nimrit Kaur
N.Kaur@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
Driven by a deep passion for research, I am working as a Senior Scientific Officer investigating new potential radiosensitising agents in solid cancers. Originally from India, I moved to Glasgow in 2021 to pursue a Master of Research (MRes) in Biomedical Sciences specialising in Cancer Studies at the University of Glasgow. My initial role at CRUK SI began with my master’s project and evolved into a more extensive relationship, where I worked as a Scientific Officer in the Transgenic Technology unit to develop genetically modified mice using embryonic stem cells. Now, as part of Karen’s lab, I work with multiple cancer cell types in vitro and am honing my skills in the in vivo tumour models. Beyond the lab, I enjoy travelling, exploring new places (especially bakeries), and spending time outdoors.
Dale Watt
D.Watt@crukscotlandinstitute.ac.uk
I am a Senior Scientific Officer within the lab working predominantly on in vivo models of cancer. I work as part of the National Mouse Genetics Network in the Cancer Cluster group where we aim to develop and improve in vivo cancer models in order to align these better with human disease. I obtained my PhD at the CRUK Scotland institute in the field of Pancreatic Cancer and have an honours degree in Immunology from the University of Glasgow.
Graduate Students
Amy Lawlor
2317758l@student.gla.ac.uk
Matthew Winder
