Caroline Wheeler-Jones
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Caroline is a Professor of Vascular Cell Biology. Her major current research interest is in endothelial cell signalling, particularly molecular control of prostaglandin synthesis and release, and regulation of COX-2 expression/activity.
Biography
Caroline began her studies with a BSc (Hons) in Physiology followed by a PhD in Placental Physiology at the University of London which she completed in 1987. Caroline’s initial post-doctoral studies in human platelets (Thrombosis Research Unit; King’s College London) fuelled her interest in cellular signalling and her subsequent post-doctoral position with Professor Jeremy Pearson at KCL allowed her to pursue this interest in human endothelial cells. She was subsequently awarded a British Heart Foundation Intermediate Fellowship to begin independent research in this area.
Caroline was appointed to a lectureship position at the Royal Veterinary College in late 1997 and is currently holds a personal Chair in Vascular Cell Biology.
Research
Caroline’s major research interest is in endothelial cell signalling, in particular regulation of prostaglandin synthesis. Her current research is focused on understanding the molecular basis of vascular prostanoid synthesis in health and disease. As such, regulation of COX-2 expression and activity in endothelial cells and other cell types has become a major focus of her group.
Current projects in her laboratory include: roles of COX-2 in endothelial cell growth and angiogenesis; functional relevance of leptin signalling in endothelium; protease-activated receptors and endothelial cell function; interactions of dietary lipoproteins with endothelium. Caroline has a number of internal collaborations at the RVC, notably with Dr Andy Pitsillides and Professor Kathy Botham.
Caroline also collaborates externally on several projects focused on COX-2 and inflammation in the vasculature (Dr Justin Mason, Imperial College London; Dr Ewa Paleolog, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology; Drs Tom Carter and Matthew Hannah, National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill). In addition she co-sponsors (with Professor Peter Jones; KCL) a Diabetes Foundation-Diabetes UK Training Fellowship for Dr Claire Clarkin to study endothelial-endocrine actions in islets of Langerhans. Caroline is a long-standing committee member of the London Vascular Biology Forum (LVBF Website), a forum that brings together cardiovascular biologists from several major London institutions.
Teaching
Caroline developed and led the BVetMed Cardiovascular & Respiratory, and Endocrinology modules for several years. She now contributes to teaching cardiovascular anatomy, physiology and pharmacology to students on the 1st year BSc Bioveterinary Science course and to 2nd year BVetMed students.
Caroline established the 3rd year programme for the BSc Bioveterinary Sciences course and is now BSc Course Director, overseeing all three years of the degree. She is also Chairman of the 1st Year BVetMed examination board. As a result of her many and varied administrative roles she sits on several of the College’s committees. Caroline is currently an external examiner on the veterinary medicine programmes at University College Dublin and Nottingham University. She is also a qualified member of the Higher Education Academy.
Selected Publications
WHEELER-JONES, C. P. (2008) Regulation of endothelial prostacyclin synthesis by Protease-activated receptors: mechanisms and significance. Pharmacol Rep 60, 109-118. PubMed ID 18276992
CLARKIN, C. E., EMERY, R. J., PITSILLIDES, A. A. & WHEELER-JONES, C. P. (2008) Evaluation of VEGF-mediated signaling in primary human cells reveals a paracrine action for VEGF in osteoblast-mediated crosstalk to endothelial cells. J Cell Physiol 214, 537-544. PubMed ID 17685428
RITCHIE, E., SAKA, M., MACKENZIE, C., DRUMMOND, R., WHEELER-JONES, C., KANKE, T. & PLEVIN, R. (2007) Cytokine upregulation of proteinase-activated-receptors 2 and 4 expression mediated by p38 MAP kinase and inhibitory kappa B kinase beta in human endothelial cells. Br J Pharmacol 150, 1044-1054. PubMed ID 17339845
NAPOLITANO, M., DE PASCALE, C., WHEELER-JONES, C., BOTHAM, K. M. & BRAVO, E. (2007) Effects of lycopene on the induction of foam cell formation by modified LDL. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 293, E1820-1827. PubMed ID 17911344
SYEDA, F., GROSJEAN, J., HOULISTON, R. A., KEOGH, R. J., CARTER, T. D., PALEOLOG, E. & WHEELER-JONES, C. P. (2006) Cyclooxygenase-2 induction and prostacyclin release by protease-activated receptors in endothelial cells require cooperation between mitogen-activated protein kinase and NF-kappaB pathways. J Biol Chem 281, 11792-11804. PubMed ID 16467309
LEWTHWAITE, J. C., BASTOW, E. R., LAMB, K. J., BLENIS, J., WHEELER-JONES, C. P. & PITSILLIDES, A. A. (2006) A specific mechanomodulatory role for p38 MAPK in embryonic joint articular surface cell MEK-ERK pathway regulation. J Biol Chem 281, 11011-11018. PubMed ID 16464862
DE PASCALE, C., AVELLA, M., PERONA, J. S., RUIZ-GUTIERREZ, V., WHEELER-JONES, C. P. & BOTHAM, K. M. (2006) Fatty acid composition of chylomicron remnant-like particles influences their uptake and induction of lipid accumulation in macrophages. FEBS J 273, 5632-5640. PubMed ID 17096688
MAGUIRE, M., POOLE, S., COATES, A. R., TORMAY, P., WHEELER-JONES, C. & HENDERSON, B. (2005) Comparative cell signalling activity of ultrapure recombinant chaperonin 60 proteins from prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Immunology 115, 231-238. PubMed ID 15885129
BASTOW, E. R., LAMB, K. J., LEWTHWAITE, J. C., OSBORNE, A. C., KAVANAGH, E., WHEELER-JONES, C. P. & PITSILLIDES, A. A. (2005) Selective activation of the MEK-ERK pathway is regulated by mechanical stimuli in forming joints and promotes pericellular matrix formation. J Biol Chem 280, 11749-11758. PubMed ID 15647286
HODGES, R. J., JENKINS, R. G., WHEELER-JONES, C. P., COPEMAN, D. M., BOTTOMS, S. E., BELLINGAN, G. J., NANTHAKUMAR, C. B., LAURENT, G. J., HART, S. L., FOSTER, M. L. & MCANULTY, R. J. (2004) Severity of lung injury in cyclooxygenase-2-deficient mice is dependent on reduced prostaglandin E(2) production. Am J Pathol 165, 1663-1676. PubMed ID 15509536
ZUPANCIC, G., OGDEN, D., MAGNUS, C. J., WHEELER-JONES, C. & CARTER, T. D. (2002) Differential exocytosis from human endothelial cells evoked by high intracellular Ca(2+) concentration. J Physiol 544, 741-755. PubMed ID 12411520
WYATT, A. W., STEINERT, J. R., WHEELER-JONES, C. P., MORGAN, A. J., SUGDEN, D., PEARSON, J. D., SOBREVIA, L. & MANN, G. E. (2002) Early activation of the p42/p44MAPK pathway mediates adenosine-induced nitric oxide production in human endothelial cells: a novel calcium-insensitive mechanism. FASEB J 16, 1584-1594. PubMed ID 12374781
KEOGH, R. J., HOULISTON, R. A. & WHEELER-JONES, C. P. (2002) Thrombin-stimulated Pyk2 phosphorylation in human endothelium is dependent on intracellular calcium and independent of protein kinase C and Src kinases. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 294, 1001-1008. PubMed ID 12074576
KEOGH, R. J., HOULISTON, R. A. & WHEELER-JONES, C. P. (2002) Human endothelial Pyk2 is expressed in two isoforms and associates with paxillin and p130Cas. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 290, 1470-1477. PubMed ID 11820787
HOULISTON, R. A., KEOGH, R. J., SUGDEN, D., DUDHIA, J., CARTER, T. D. & WHEELER-JONES, C. P. (2002) Protease-activated receptors upregulate cyclooxygenase-2 expression in human endothelial cells. Thromb Haemost 88, 321-328. PubMed ID 12195707
GLIKI, G., WHEELER-JONES, C. & ZACHARY, I. (2002) Vascular endothelial growth factor induces protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent Akt/PKB activation and phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase-mediates PKC delta phosphorylation: role of PKC in angiogenesis. Cell Biol Int 26, 751-759. PubMed ID 12377207
DEWI, D. A., ABAYASEKARA, D. R. & WHEELER-JONES, C. P. (2002) Requirement for ERK1/2 activation in the regulation of progesterone production in human granulosa-lutein cells is stimulus specific. Endocrinology 143, 877-888. PubMed ID 11861509
JESSOP, H. L., SJOBERG, M., CHENG, M. Z., ZAMAN, G., WHEELER-JONES, C. P. & LANYON, L. E. (2001) Mechanical strain and estrogen activate estrogen receptor alpha in bone cells. J Bone Miner Res 16, 1045-1055. PubMed ID 11393781
HOULISTON, R. A. & WHEELER-JONES, C. P. (2001) sPLA(2) cooperates with cPLA(2)alpha to regulate prostacyclin synthesis in human endothelial cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 287, 881-887. PubMed ID 11573947
HOULISTON, R. A., PEARSON, J. D. & WHEELER-JONES, C. P. (2001) Agonist-specific cross talk between ERKs and p38(mapk) regulates PGI(2) synthesis in endothelium. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 281, C1266-1276. PubMed ID 11546664
GLIKI, G., ABU-GHAZALEH, R., JEZEQUEL, S., WHEELER-JONES, C. & ZACHARY, I. (2001) Vascular endothelial growth factor-induced prostacyclin production is mediated by a protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1 and 2 involving PKC-delta and by mobilization of intracellular Ca2+. Biochem J 353, 503-512. PubMed ID 11171046