Ecroyd, Heath

Overview

Professor Heath Ecroyd (PhD, Newcastle University, 2003) was an NHMRC Peter Doherty Fellow (2005-2009, University of Adelaide) and ARC Future Fellow (2012-2016; University of Wollongong). He heads a laboratory at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) researching the biochemistry and cellular biology of neurodegenerative disease. His main research focus is the role protein homeostasis (proteostasis) plays in preventing the aggregation of proteins associated with these diseases.

Top Publications

Year	Title
2018	Using single-molecule approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms of heat-shock protein chaperone function Published in American Journal of Molecular Biology
2016	Walking the tightrope: proteostasis and neurodegenerative disease Published in Journal of Neurochemistry
2018	The small heat shock protein Hsp27 binds α-synuclein fibrils, preventing elongation and cytotoxicity Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
2016	Rapid flow cytometric measurement of protein inclusions and nuclear trafficking Published in Scientific Reports
2016	Small heat-shock proteins prevent a-synuclein aggregation via transient interactions and their efficacy is affected by the rate of aggregation Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
2015	Small heat-shock proteins: important players in regulating cellular proteostasis Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
2015	Phosphomimics destabilize Hsp27 oligomeric assemblies and enhance chaperone activity Published in Chemistry and Biology
2014	The structured core domain of αB-crystallin can prevent amyloid fibrillation and associated toxicity Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA
2010	Small heat-shock proteins interact with a flanking domain to suppress polyglutamine aggregation Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA
2010	The interaction of αB-crystallin with mature α-synuclein amyloid fibrils inhibits their elongation Published in Biophysical Journal
2009	The thioflavin T fluorescence assay for amyloid fibril detection can be biased by the presence of exogenous compounds Published in The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Journal
2008	Dissociation from the oligomeric state is the rate-limiting step in fibril formation by kappa-casein Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
2007	Mimicking phosphorylation of alphaB-crystallin affects its chaperone activity Published in Biochemical Journal

Research Areas

Research Overview

My research focus is in the field of protein homeostasis (proteostasis), an important area of research as disturbances in proteostasis can lead to protein aggregation (i.e. the clumping of proteins into large deposits), a pathological hallmark of many human diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Motor Neurone Disease (MND). My work focuses on the role of molecular chaperone proteins in proteostasis. This is because these are the body’s front-line defenders against protein aggregation. By identifying innovative approaches to activate molecular chaperones, my work aims to develop new drugs to treat, and ultimately prevent, neurodegenerative diseases such as MND.

Available as Research Supervisor

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Year	Title
2019	High tolerance of repeated heatwaves in Australian native plants Published In Austral Ecology: a journal of ecology in the Southern Hemisphere Volume Online First Pages 1 - 12 ISSN 1442-9985 Altmetric
2019	Proteomics Approaches for Biomarker and Drug Target Discovery in ALS and FTD Published In Frontiers in Neuroscience Volume 13 Pages 548-1 - 548-25 ISSN 1662-453X Altmetric
2019	Small heat shock proteins: multifaceted proteins with important implications for life Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 24 Pages 295 - 308 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2018	Assessment of metal concentrations in the SOD1^G93Amouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and its potential role in muscular denervation, with particular focus on muscle tissue Published In Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Volume 88 Pages 319 - 329 ISSN 1044-7431 Altmetric
2018	Proteostasis and the Regulation of Intra- and Extracellular Protein Aggregation by ATP-Independent Molecular Chaperones: Lens α-Crystallins and Milk Caseins Published In Accounts of Chemical Research Volume 51 Pages 745 - 752 ISSN 0001-4842 Altmetric
2018	Single-Molecule Characterization of the Interactions between Extracellular Chaperones and Toxic α-Synuclein Oligomers Published In Cell Reports Volume 23 Pages 3492 - 3500 ISSN 2211-1247 Altmetric
2018	Stress in native grasses under ecologically relevant heat waves Published In PLoS One Volume 13 Pages e0204906-1 - e0204906-16 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2018	The influence of the N-terminal region proximal to the core domain on the assembly and chaperone activity of αB-crystallin Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 23 Pages 827 - 836 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2018	The small heat shock protein Hsp27 binds α-synuclein fibrils, preventing elongation and cytotoxicity Published In Journal of Biological Chemistry Volume 293 Pages 4486 - 4497 ISSN 0021-9258 Altmetric
2018	Using single-molecule approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms of heat-shock protein chaperone function Published In American Journal of Molecular Biology Volume 430 Pages 4525 - 4546 Altmetric
2017	Evaluating the Effect of Phosphorylation on the Structure and Dynamics of Hsp27 Dimers by Means of Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry Published In Analytical Chemistry Volume 89 Pages 13275 - 13282 ISSN 0003-2700 Altmetric
2017	Functional Amyloid Protection in the Eye Lens: Retention of α-Crystallin Molecular Chaperone Activity after Modification into Amyloid Fibrils Published In Biomolecules Volume 7 Pages 67-1 - 67-20 Altmetric
2017	Longitudinal assessment of metal concentrations and copper isotope ratios in the G93A SOD1 mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Published In Metallomics: integrated biometal science Volume 9 Pages 161 - 174 ISSN 1756-5901 Altmetric
2017	Monitoring Early-Stage Protein Aggregation by an Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorogen Published In Analytical Chemistry Volume 89 Pages 9322 - 9329 ISSN 0003-2700 Altmetric
2017	The functional roles of the unstructured N- and C-terminal regions in αB-crystallin and other mammalian small heat-shock proteins Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 22 Pages 627 - 638 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2017	The growing world of small heat shock proteins: from structure to functions Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 22 Pages 601 - 611 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2017	The heat shock response in neurons and astroglia and its role in neurodegenerative diseases Published In Molecular Neurodegeneration Volume 12 Pages 65-1 - 65-20 ISSN 1750-1326 Altmetric
2017	The small heat shock proteins αB-crystallin (HSPB5) and Hsp27 (HSPB1) inhibit the intracellular aggregation of α-synuclein Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 22 Pages 589 - 600 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2017	Using bicistronic constructs to evaluate the chaperone activities of heat shock proteins in cells Published In Scientific Reports Volume 7 Pages 2387-1 - 2387-12 ISSN 2045-2322 Altmetric
2016	AR-12 Inhibits Multiple Chaperones Concomitant With Stimulating Autophagosome Formation Collectively Preventing Virus Replication Published In Journal of Cellular Physiology Volume 231 Pages 2286 - 2302 ISSN 0021-9541 Altmetric
2016	An automated chromatography procedure optimized for analysis of stable Cu isotopes from biological materials Published In Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry Volume 31 Pages 2023 - 2030 ISSN 0267-9477 Altmetric
2016	Effect of molecular chaperones on aberrant protein oligomers in vitro: super-versus sub-stoichiometric chaperone concentrations Published In Biological Chemistry: official scientific journal of the GBM Volume 397 Pages 401 - 415 ISSN 1431-6730 Altmetric
2016	Formation and dissociation of sperm bundles in monotremes Published In Biology of Reproduction Volume 95 Pages 1 - 11 ISSN 0006-3363 Altmetric
2016	Multi-kinase inhibitors can associate with heat shock proteins through their NH2-termini by which they suppress chaperone function Published In Oncotarget Volume 7 Pages 12975 - 12996 ISSN 1949-2553 Altmetric
2016	Rapid flow cytometric measurement of protein inclusions and nuclear trafficking Published In Scientific Reports Volume 6 Pages 31138-1 - 31138-9 ISSN 2045-2322 Altmetric
2016	Small heat-shock proteins prevent a-synuclein aggregation via transient interactions and their efficacy is affected by the rate of aggregation Published In Journal of Biological Chemistry Volume 291 Pages 22618 - 22629 ISSN 0021-9258 Altmetric
2016	The effect of milk constituents and crowding agents on amyloid fibril formation by κ-casein Published In Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Volume 64 Pages 1335 - 1343 ISSN 0021-8561 Altmetric
2016	Walking the tightrope: proteostasis and neurodegenerative disease Published In Journal of Neurochemistry Volume 137 Pages 489 - 505 ISSN 0022-3042 Altmetric
2015	Casein structures in the context of unfolded proteins Published In International Dairy Journal Volume 46 Pages 2 - 11 ISSN 0958-6946 Altmetric
2015	Phosphomimics destabilize Hsp27 oligomeric assemblies and enhance chaperone activity Published In Chemistry and Biology Volume 22 Pages 186 - 195 ISSN 1074-5521 Altmetric
2015	SOD1 protein aggregates stimulate macropinocytosis in neurons to facilitate their propagation Published In Molecular Neurodegeneration Volume 10 Pages 57-1 - 57-17 ISSN 1750-1326 Altmetric
2015	Small heat-shock proteins: important players in regulating cellular proteostasis Published In Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences Volume 72 Pages 429 - 451 ISSN 1420-682X Altmetric
2015	αB-crystallin phosphorylation as a precursor to cataractogenesis Published In Acta Ophthalmologica Volume 93 Page p. ABS15-0312 ISSN 1395-3907 Altmetric
2014	Dynamics and chaperone function in the small heat-shock protein αb-crystallin Published In Protein Science Volume 23 Pages 114 - 115 ISSN 0961-8368 Altmetric
2014	Post-testicular sperm maturation and identification of an epididymal protein in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) Published In Reproduction Volume 147 Pages 265 - 277 ISSN 0022-4251 Altmetric
2014	Preventing α-synuclein aggregation: the role of the small heat-shock molecular chaperone proteins Published In BBA: Molecular Basis of Disease Volume 1842 Pages 1830 - 1843 ISSN 0925-4439 Altmetric
2014	The structured core domain of αB-crystallin can prevent amyloid fibrillation and associated toxicity Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 111 Pages E1562 - E1570 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2013	Amyloid fibrils from readily available sources: milk casein and lens crystallin proteins Published In Methods in Molecular Biology Volume 996 Pages 103 - 117 ISSN 1064-3745
2013	Avoiding the oligomeric state: αB-crystallin inhibits fragmentation and induces dissociation of apolipoprotein C-II amyloid fibrils Published In The FASEB Journal Volume 27 Pages 1214 - 1222 ISSN 0892-6638 Altmetric
2013	Extracellular chaperones and proteostasis Published In Annual Review of Biochemistry Volume 82 Pages 295 - 322 ISSN 0066-4154 Altmetric
2013	Invited review: Caseins and the casein micelle: Their biological functions, structures, and behavior in foods Published In Journal of Dairy Science Volume 96 Pages 6127 - 6146 ISSN 0022-0302 Altmetric
2013	Protease-activated alpha-2-macroglobulin can inhibit amyloid formation via two distinct mechanisms Published In FEBS Letters Volume 587 Pages 398 - 403 ISSN 0014-5793 Altmetric
2013	Structural and functional aspects of hetero-oligomers formed by the small heat shock proteins αB-crystallin and HSP27 Published In Journal of Biological Chemistry Volume 288 Pages 13602 - 13609 ISSN 0021-9258 Altmetric
2013	The small heat shock proteins αB-crystallin and Hsp27 suppress SOD1 aggregation in vitro Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 18 Pages 251 - 257 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2013	The small heat shock proteins: important players in small packages Published In The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Journal Volume 280 Pages 212 - 212 Altmetric
2012	Molecular dynamics analysis of apolipoprotein-D - lipid hydroperoxide interactions: mechanism for selective oxidation of Met-93 Published In PLoS One Volume 7 Pages e34057 - 1 - e34057 - 9 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2012	The contribution of proteomics to understanding epididymal maturation of mammalian spermatozoa Published In Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine Volume 58 Pages 197 - 210 ISSN 1939-6368 Altmetric
2012	The small heat-shock protein αB-crystallin uses different mechanisms of chaperone action to prevent the amorphous versus fibrillar aggregation of α-lactalbumin Published In Biochemical Journal Volume 448 Pages 343 - 352 ISSN 0264-6021 Altmetric
2011	Binding of the molecular chaperone αB-crystallin to Aβ amyloid fibrils inhibits fibril elongation Published In Biophysical Journal Volume 101 Pages 1681 - 1689 ISSN 0006-3495 Altmetric
2011	Enhanced molecular chaperone activity of the small heat-shock protein alphaB-cystallin following covalent immobilization onto a solid-phase support Published In Biopolymers Volume 95 Pages 376 - 389 ISSN 0006-3525 Altmetric
2011	Monotremes provide a key to understanding the evolutionary significance of epididymal sperm maturation Published In Journal of Andrology Volume 32 Pages 665 - 671 ISSN 0196-3635 Altmetric
2011	NMR spectroscopy of 14-3-3zeta reveals a flexible C-terminal extension: differentiation of the chaperone and phosphoserine-binding activities of 14-3-3zeta Published In Biochemical Journal Volume 437 Pages 493 - 503 ISSN 0264-6021 Altmetric
2010	Carboxymethylated-k-casein: A convenient tool for the identification of polyphenolic inhibitors of amyloid fibril formation Published In Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Volume 18 Pages 222 - 228 ISSN 1464-3391 Altmetric
2010	Small heat-shock proteins interact with a flanking domain to suppress polyglutamine aggregation Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 107 Pages 10424 - 10429 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2010	The dissociated form of kappa-casein is the precursor to its amyloid fibril formation Published In Biochemical Journal Volume 429 Pages 251 - 260 ISSN 0264-6021 Altmetric
2010	The interaction of unfolding α-lactalbumin and malate dehydrogenase with the molecular chaperone αB-crystallin: a light and X-ray scattering investigation Published In Molecular Vision Volume 16 Pages 2446 - 2456 ISSN 1090-0535
2010	The interaction of αB-crystallin with mature α-synuclein amyloid fibrils inhibits their elongation Published In Biophysical Journal Volume 98 Pages 843 - 851 ISSN 0006-3495 Altmetric
2010	αB-crystallin inhibits the cell toxicity associated with amyloid fibril formation by kappa-casein and the amyloid-β peptide Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 15 Pages 1013 - 1026 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2009	(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) maintains k-casein in its pre-fibrillar state without redirecting its aggregation pathway Published In Journal of Molecular Biology Volume 392 Pages 689 - 700 ISSN 0022-2836 Altmetric
2009	Crystallin proteins and amyloid fibrils Published In Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences Volume 66 Pages 62 - 81 ISSN 1420-682X Altmetric
2009	Model for amorphous aggregation processes Published In Physical Review E: Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics Volume 80 Pages 051907-1 - 051907-13 ISSN 1539-3755 Altmetric
2009	New proteins identified in epididymal fluid from the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) Published In Reproduction Fertility and Development Volume 21 Pages 1002 - 1007 ISSN 1031-3613 Altmetric
2009	Protective interactions of dairy peptides with fibril structures and relevance to Alzheimer's disease. Published In Australian Journal of Dairy Technology Volume 64 Pages 117 - 121 ISSN 0004-9433
2009	Testicular descent, sperm maturation and capacitation. Lessons from our most distant relatives, the monotremes Published In Reproduction Fertility and Development Volume 21 Pages 992 - 1001 ISSN 1031-3613 Altmetric
2009	The thioflavin T fluorescence assay for amyloid fibril detection can be biased by the presence of exogenous compounds Published In The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Journal Volume 276 Pages 5960 - 5972 ISSN 1742-464X Altmetric
2009	The two faced nature of milk casein proteins: amyloid fibril formation and chaperone-like activity Published In Australian Journal of Dairy Technology Volume 64 Pages 34 - 40 ISSN 0004-9433
2008	Amyloid fibril formation by bovine milk alpha(s2)-casein occurs under physiological conditions yet is prevented by its natural counterpart, alpha(s1)-casein Published In Biochemistry Volume 47 Pages 3926 - 3636 ISSN 0006-2960 Altmetric
2008	Dissociation from the oligomeric state is the rate-limiting step in fibril formation by kappa-casein Published In Journal of Biological Chemistry Volume 283 Pages 9012 - 9022 ISSN 0021-9258 Altmetric
2008	The effect of small molecules in modulating the chaperone activity of alpha B-crystallin against ordered and disordered protein aggregation Published In The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Journal Volume 275 Pages 935 - 947 ISSN 1742-464X Altmetric
2008	Unraveling the mysteries of protein folding and misfolding Published In IUBMB Life Volume 60 Pages 769 - 774 ISSN 1521-6543 Altmetric
2007	Characterisation of amyloid fibril formation by small heat-shock proteins, human αA-, αB- and R120G αB-crystallins Published In Journal of Molecular Biology Volume 372 Pages 470 - 484 ISSN 0022-2836 Altmetric
2007	Mimicking phosphorylation of alphaB-crystallin affects its chaperone activity Published In Biochemical Journal Volume 401 Pages 129 - 141 ISSN 0264-6021 Altmetric
2007	Role of the epididymis in sperm competition Published In Asian Journal of Andrology Volume 9 Pages 493 - 499 ISSN 1008-682X Altmetric
2007	Site-directed mutations in the C-terminal extension of human alphaB-crystallin affect chaperone function and block amyloid fibril formation Published In PLoS One Pages 1 - 10 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric

Chapter

Year	Title
2015	Redefining the chaperone mechanism of sHsps: not just holdase chaperones Published In The Big Book on Small Heat Shock Proteins Publisher Springer Pages 179 - 195 Altmetric
2014	Polymorphism in casein protein aggregation and amyloid fibril formation Published In Bio-nanoimaging: Protein Misfolding and Aggregation Publisher http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780123944313#ancp4: Elsevier Inc Pages 323 - 331 Altmetric
2013	Extracellular chaperones Published In Molecular Chaperones Publisher Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg Pages 241 - 268 Altmetric
2010	The two-faced nature of small heat shock proteins: Amyloid assembly and the inhibition of fibril formation. Relevance to disease states Published In Small stress proteins and human diseases Publisher New York: Nova Science Publishers Pages 189 - 211 ISBN 9781616681982 Edition 1

Investigator On

Year	Title
2019	GoBlot machines and Leica Objective Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
2019	Rapid Flow Cytometry Screen for Identifying Novel ALS Drug Leads Awarded by: Department of Defence (DoD) Funding Scheme: Amyotrophic Lateral Scleriosis Research Program: Therapeutic Idea Award
2019	Rapid screening on small molecule libraries to identify new drug leads to treat Motor Neurone Disease Awarded by: Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute Funding Scheme: Innovator Grant
2018	Ultrafast magic angle spinning solid-state NMR capability Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)
2012 - 2018	Small heat shock proteins: front-line defenders and therapeutic targets Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Future Fellowships
2017	Lumenera Infinity 2-5 microscope colour camera Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
2014	COUNTESS 11 FL Cell Counter and Qubit Quant Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
2014	Regional flow cytometry facility Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)
2013	Neon Transfection System: Workstation for transfer of genetic material into hard-to-work-with cells Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
2012	Protein aggregation and chaperones: key players in MND Awarded by: Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute Funding Scheme: Grants-in-Aid
2012	Targeting small heat shock proteins in diseases associated with alpha-synuclein aggregation Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Project Grant
2010 - 2011	Molecular chaperones as agents of the aging process Awarded by: IRT Research Foundation Funding Scheme: Grant
2010	Monotremes provide a key to understanding the molecular biology of mammalian gamete evolution Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
2007	Investigations into the anti-amyloid properties of curcumin using fluorescence-based spectroscopy Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Research Networks
	Contributions to Leica Dmi8 microscope Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
	Defining systems that clear dangerous misfolded proteins from body fluids Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects

Available as Research Supervisor

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Degree	Research Title	Advisee
Doctor of Philosophy	Extracellular Chaperones and their Cell Surface Receptors	West, Jennifer
Doctor of Philosophy	Investigating the structural and functional consequences of disease-related mutations in the small heat shock protein Hsp27	Rote, Anthea
Doctor of Philosophy	Ecroyd, Heath advising Johnston, Caitlin	Johnston, Caitlin
Doctor of Philosophy	Deciphering the structure-function relationships of the extracellular chaperone clusterin	Satapathy, Sandeep
Doctor of Philosophy	The development of a protein folding-sensor to study molecular chaperones at the single-molecule level	Marzano, Nicholas
Doctor of Philosophy	Investigating the role of proteostasis pathways in regulating the intracellular protein aggregation of firefly luciferase: a model system to study protein aggregation in cells	McMahon, Shannon
Doctor of Philosophy	High Throughput Flow Cytometric Drug Screen for Motor Neuron Disease	Miles, Nicole
Doctor of Philosophy	Are proteostasis defects responsible for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?	Lambert-Smith, Isabella

Orcid Id

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7574-0044 (confirmed)

Scopus Id

6506938962

Top Publications

Year	Title
2018	Using single-molecule approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms of heat-shock protein chaperone function Published in American Journal of Molecular Biology
2016	Walking the tightrope: proteostasis and neurodegenerative disease Published in Journal of Neurochemistry
2018	The small heat shock protein Hsp27 binds α-synuclein fibrils, preventing elongation and cytotoxicity Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
2016	Rapid flow cytometric measurement of protein inclusions and nuclear trafficking Published in Scientific Reports
2016	Small heat-shock proteins prevent a-synuclein aggregation via transient interactions and their efficacy is affected by the rate of aggregation Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
2015	Small heat-shock proteins: important players in regulating cellular proteostasis Published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences
2015	Phosphomimics destabilize Hsp27 oligomeric assemblies and enhance chaperone activity Published in Chemistry and Biology
2014	The structured core domain of αB-crystallin can prevent amyloid fibrillation and associated toxicity Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA
2010	Small heat-shock proteins interact with a flanking domain to suppress polyglutamine aggregation Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA
2010	The interaction of αB-crystallin with mature α-synuclein amyloid fibrils inhibits their elongation Published in Biophysical Journal
2009	The thioflavin T fluorescence assay for amyloid fibril detection can be biased by the presence of exogenous compounds Published in The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Journal
2008	Dissociation from the oligomeric state is the rate-limiting step in fibril formation by kappa-casein Published in Journal of Biological Chemistry
2007	Mimicking phosphorylation of alphaB-crystallin affects its chaperone activity Published in Biochemical Journal

Research Areas

Research Overview

My research focus is in the field of protein homeostasis (proteostasis), an important area of research as disturbances in proteostasis can lead to protein aggregation (i.e. the clumping of proteins into large deposits), a pathological hallmark of many human diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and Motor Neurone Disease (MND). My work focuses on the role of molecular chaperone proteins in proteostasis. This is because these are the body’s front-line defenders against protein aggregation. By identifying innovative approaches to activate molecular chaperones, my work aims to develop new drugs to treat, and ultimately prevent, neurodegenerative diseases such as MND.

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Year	Title
2019	High tolerance of repeated heatwaves in Australian native plants Published In Austral Ecology: a journal of ecology in the Southern Hemisphere Volume Online First Pages 1 - 12 ISSN 1442-9985 Altmetric
2019	Proteomics Approaches for Biomarker and Drug Target Discovery in ALS and FTD Published In Frontiers in Neuroscience Volume 13 Pages 548-1 - 548-25 ISSN 1662-453X Altmetric
2019	Small heat shock proteins: multifaceted proteins with important implications for life Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 24 Pages 295 - 308 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2018	Assessment of metal concentrations in the SOD1^G93Amouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and its potential role in muscular denervation, with particular focus on muscle tissue Published In Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience Volume 88 Pages 319 - 329 ISSN 1044-7431 Altmetric
2018	Proteostasis and the Regulation of Intra- and Extracellular Protein Aggregation by ATP-Independent Molecular Chaperones: Lens α-Crystallins and Milk Caseins Published In Accounts of Chemical Research Volume 51 Pages 745 - 752 ISSN 0001-4842 Altmetric
2018	Single-Molecule Characterization of the Interactions between Extracellular Chaperones and Toxic α-Synuclein Oligomers Published In Cell Reports Volume 23 Pages 3492 - 3500 ISSN 2211-1247 Altmetric
2018	Stress in native grasses under ecologically relevant heat waves Published In PLoS One Volume 13 Pages e0204906-1 - e0204906-16 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2018	The influence of the N-terminal region proximal to the core domain on the assembly and chaperone activity of αB-crystallin Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 23 Pages 827 - 836 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2018	The small heat shock protein Hsp27 binds α-synuclein fibrils, preventing elongation and cytotoxicity Published In Journal of Biological Chemistry Volume 293 Pages 4486 - 4497 ISSN 0021-9258 Altmetric
2018	Using single-molecule approaches to understand the molecular mechanisms of heat-shock protein chaperone function Published In American Journal of Molecular Biology Volume 430 Pages 4525 - 4546 Altmetric
2017	Evaluating the Effect of Phosphorylation on the Structure and Dynamics of Hsp27 Dimers by Means of Ion Mobility Mass Spectrometry Published In Analytical Chemistry Volume 89 Pages 13275 - 13282 ISSN 0003-2700 Altmetric
2017	Functional Amyloid Protection in the Eye Lens: Retention of α-Crystallin Molecular Chaperone Activity after Modification into Amyloid Fibrils Published In Biomolecules Volume 7 Pages 67-1 - 67-20 Altmetric
2017	Longitudinal assessment of metal concentrations and copper isotope ratios in the G93A SOD1 mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Published In Metallomics: integrated biometal science Volume 9 Pages 161 - 174 ISSN 1756-5901 Altmetric
2017	Monitoring Early-Stage Protein Aggregation by an Aggregation-Induced Emission Fluorogen Published In Analytical Chemistry Volume 89 Pages 9322 - 9329 ISSN 0003-2700 Altmetric
2017	The functional roles of the unstructured N- and C-terminal regions in αB-crystallin and other mammalian small heat-shock proteins Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 22 Pages 627 - 638 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2017	The growing world of small heat shock proteins: from structure to functions Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 22 Pages 601 - 611 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2017	The heat shock response in neurons and astroglia and its role in neurodegenerative diseases Published In Molecular Neurodegeneration Volume 12 Pages 65-1 - 65-20 ISSN 1750-1326 Altmetric
2017	The small heat shock proteins αB-crystallin (HSPB5) and Hsp27 (HSPB1) inhibit the intracellular aggregation of α-synuclein Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 22 Pages 589 - 600 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2017	Using bicistronic constructs to evaluate the chaperone activities of heat shock proteins in cells Published In Scientific Reports Volume 7 Pages 2387-1 - 2387-12 ISSN 2045-2322 Altmetric
2016	AR-12 Inhibits Multiple Chaperones Concomitant With Stimulating Autophagosome Formation Collectively Preventing Virus Replication Published In Journal of Cellular Physiology Volume 231 Pages 2286 - 2302 ISSN 0021-9541 Altmetric
2016	An automated chromatography procedure optimized for analysis of stable Cu isotopes from biological materials Published In Journal of Analytical Atomic Spectrometry Volume 31 Pages 2023 - 2030 ISSN 0267-9477 Altmetric
2016	Effect of molecular chaperones on aberrant protein oligomers in vitro: super-versus sub-stoichiometric chaperone concentrations Published In Biological Chemistry: official scientific journal of the GBM Volume 397 Pages 401 - 415 ISSN 1431-6730 Altmetric
2016	Formation and dissociation of sperm bundles in monotremes Published In Biology of Reproduction Volume 95 Pages 1 - 11 ISSN 0006-3363 Altmetric
2016	Multi-kinase inhibitors can associate with heat shock proteins through their NH2-termini by which they suppress chaperone function Published In Oncotarget Volume 7 Pages 12975 - 12996 ISSN 1949-2553 Altmetric
2016	Rapid flow cytometric measurement of protein inclusions and nuclear trafficking Published In Scientific Reports Volume 6 Pages 31138-1 - 31138-9 ISSN 2045-2322 Altmetric
2016	Small heat-shock proteins prevent a-synuclein aggregation via transient interactions and their efficacy is affected by the rate of aggregation Published In Journal of Biological Chemistry Volume 291 Pages 22618 - 22629 ISSN 0021-9258 Altmetric
2016	The effect of milk constituents and crowding agents on amyloid fibril formation by κ-casein Published In Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Volume 64 Pages 1335 - 1343 ISSN 0021-8561 Altmetric
2016	Walking the tightrope: proteostasis and neurodegenerative disease Published In Journal of Neurochemistry Volume 137 Pages 489 - 505 ISSN 0022-3042 Altmetric
2015	Casein structures in the context of unfolded proteins Published In International Dairy Journal Volume 46 Pages 2 - 11 ISSN 0958-6946 Altmetric
2015	Phosphomimics destabilize Hsp27 oligomeric assemblies and enhance chaperone activity Published In Chemistry and Biology Volume 22 Pages 186 - 195 ISSN 1074-5521 Altmetric
2015	SOD1 protein aggregates stimulate macropinocytosis in neurons to facilitate their propagation Published In Molecular Neurodegeneration Volume 10 Pages 57-1 - 57-17 ISSN 1750-1326 Altmetric
2015	Small heat-shock proteins: important players in regulating cellular proteostasis Published In Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences Volume 72 Pages 429 - 451 ISSN 1420-682X Altmetric
2015	αB-crystallin phosphorylation as a precursor to cataractogenesis Published In Acta Ophthalmologica Volume 93 Page p. ABS15-0312 ISSN 1395-3907 Altmetric
2014	Dynamics and chaperone function in the small heat-shock protein αb-crystallin Published In Protein Science Volume 23 Pages 114 - 115 ISSN 0961-8368 Altmetric
2014	Post-testicular sperm maturation and identification of an epididymal protein in the Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) Published In Reproduction Volume 147 Pages 265 - 277 ISSN 0022-4251 Altmetric
2014	Preventing α-synuclein aggregation: the role of the small heat-shock molecular chaperone proteins Published In BBA: Molecular Basis of Disease Volume 1842 Pages 1830 - 1843 ISSN 0925-4439 Altmetric
2014	The structured core domain of αB-crystallin can prevent amyloid fibrillation and associated toxicity Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 111 Pages E1562 - E1570 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2013	Amyloid fibrils from readily available sources: milk casein and lens crystallin proteins Published In Methods in Molecular Biology Volume 996 Pages 103 - 117 ISSN 1064-3745
2013	Avoiding the oligomeric state: αB-crystallin inhibits fragmentation and induces dissociation of apolipoprotein C-II amyloid fibrils Published In The FASEB Journal Volume 27 Pages 1214 - 1222 ISSN 0892-6638 Altmetric
2013	Extracellular chaperones and proteostasis Published In Annual Review of Biochemistry Volume 82 Pages 295 - 322 ISSN 0066-4154 Altmetric
2013	Invited review: Caseins and the casein micelle: Their biological functions, structures, and behavior in foods Published In Journal of Dairy Science Volume 96 Pages 6127 - 6146 ISSN 0022-0302 Altmetric
2013	Protease-activated alpha-2-macroglobulin can inhibit amyloid formation via two distinct mechanisms Published In FEBS Letters Volume 587 Pages 398 - 403 ISSN 0014-5793 Altmetric
2013	Structural and functional aspects of hetero-oligomers formed by the small heat shock proteins αB-crystallin and HSP27 Published In Journal of Biological Chemistry Volume 288 Pages 13602 - 13609 ISSN 0021-9258 Altmetric
2013	The small heat shock proteins αB-crystallin and Hsp27 suppress SOD1 aggregation in vitro Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 18 Pages 251 - 257 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2013	The small heat shock proteins: important players in small packages Published In The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Journal Volume 280 Pages 212 - 212 Altmetric
2012	Molecular dynamics analysis of apolipoprotein-D - lipid hydroperoxide interactions: mechanism for selective oxidation of Met-93 Published In PLoS One Volume 7 Pages e34057 - 1 - e34057 - 9 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2012	The contribution of proteomics to understanding epididymal maturation of mammalian spermatozoa Published In Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine Volume 58 Pages 197 - 210 ISSN 1939-6368 Altmetric
2012	The small heat-shock protein αB-crystallin uses different mechanisms of chaperone action to prevent the amorphous versus fibrillar aggregation of α-lactalbumin Published In Biochemical Journal Volume 448 Pages 343 - 352 ISSN 0264-6021 Altmetric
2011	Binding of the molecular chaperone αB-crystallin to Aβ amyloid fibrils inhibits fibril elongation Published In Biophysical Journal Volume 101 Pages 1681 - 1689 ISSN 0006-3495 Altmetric
2011	Enhanced molecular chaperone activity of the small heat-shock protein alphaB-cystallin following covalent immobilization onto a solid-phase support Published In Biopolymers Volume 95 Pages 376 - 389 ISSN 0006-3525 Altmetric
2011	Monotremes provide a key to understanding the evolutionary significance of epididymal sperm maturation Published In Journal of Andrology Volume 32 Pages 665 - 671 ISSN 0196-3635 Altmetric
2011	NMR spectroscopy of 14-3-3zeta reveals a flexible C-terminal extension: differentiation of the chaperone and phosphoserine-binding activities of 14-3-3zeta Published In Biochemical Journal Volume 437 Pages 493 - 503 ISSN 0264-6021 Altmetric
2010	Carboxymethylated-k-casein: A convenient tool for the identification of polyphenolic inhibitors of amyloid fibril formation Published In Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Volume 18 Pages 222 - 228 ISSN 1464-3391 Altmetric
2010	Small heat-shock proteins interact with a flanking domain to suppress polyglutamine aggregation Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 107 Pages 10424 - 10429 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2010	The dissociated form of kappa-casein is the precursor to its amyloid fibril formation Published In Biochemical Journal Volume 429 Pages 251 - 260 ISSN 0264-6021 Altmetric
2010	The interaction of unfolding α-lactalbumin and malate dehydrogenase with the molecular chaperone αB-crystallin: a light and X-ray scattering investigation Published In Molecular Vision Volume 16 Pages 2446 - 2456 ISSN 1090-0535
2010	The interaction of αB-crystallin with mature α-synuclein amyloid fibrils inhibits their elongation Published In Biophysical Journal Volume 98 Pages 843 - 851 ISSN 0006-3495 Altmetric
2010	αB-crystallin inhibits the cell toxicity associated with amyloid fibril formation by kappa-casein and the amyloid-β peptide Published In Cell Stress and Chaperones Volume 15 Pages 1013 - 1026 ISSN 1355-8145 Altmetric
2009	(-)-Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) maintains k-casein in its pre-fibrillar state without redirecting its aggregation pathway Published In Journal of Molecular Biology Volume 392 Pages 689 - 700 ISSN 0022-2836 Altmetric
2009	Crystallin proteins and amyloid fibrils Published In Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences Volume 66 Pages 62 - 81 ISSN 1420-682X Altmetric
2009	Model for amorphous aggregation processes Published In Physical Review E: Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics Volume 80 Pages 051907-1 - 051907-13 ISSN 1539-3755 Altmetric
2009	New proteins identified in epididymal fluid from the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) Published In Reproduction Fertility and Development Volume 21 Pages 1002 - 1007 ISSN 1031-3613 Altmetric
2009	Protective interactions of dairy peptides with fibril structures and relevance to Alzheimer's disease. Published In Australian Journal of Dairy Technology Volume 64 Pages 117 - 121 ISSN 0004-9433
2009	Testicular descent, sperm maturation and capacitation. Lessons from our most distant relatives, the monotremes Published In Reproduction Fertility and Development Volume 21 Pages 992 - 1001 ISSN 1031-3613 Altmetric
2009	The thioflavin T fluorescence assay for amyloid fibril detection can be biased by the presence of exogenous compounds Published In The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Journal Volume 276 Pages 5960 - 5972 ISSN 1742-464X Altmetric
2009	The two faced nature of milk casein proteins: amyloid fibril formation and chaperone-like activity Published In Australian Journal of Dairy Technology Volume 64 Pages 34 - 40 ISSN 0004-9433
2008	Amyloid fibril formation by bovine milk alpha(s2)-casein occurs under physiological conditions yet is prevented by its natural counterpart, alpha(s1)-casein Published In Biochemistry Volume 47 Pages 3926 - 3636 ISSN 0006-2960 Altmetric
2008	Dissociation from the oligomeric state is the rate-limiting step in fibril formation by kappa-casein Published In Journal of Biological Chemistry Volume 283 Pages 9012 - 9022 ISSN 0021-9258 Altmetric
2008	The effect of small molecules in modulating the chaperone activity of alpha B-crystallin against ordered and disordered protein aggregation Published In The Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS) Journal Volume 275 Pages 935 - 947 ISSN 1742-464X Altmetric
2008	Unraveling the mysteries of protein folding and misfolding Published In IUBMB Life Volume 60 Pages 769 - 774 ISSN 1521-6543 Altmetric
2007	Characterisation of amyloid fibril formation by small heat-shock proteins, human αA-, αB- and R120G αB-crystallins Published In Journal of Molecular Biology Volume 372 Pages 470 - 484 ISSN 0022-2836 Altmetric
2007	Mimicking phosphorylation of alphaB-crystallin affects its chaperone activity Published In Biochemical Journal Volume 401 Pages 129 - 141 ISSN 0264-6021 Altmetric
2007	Role of the epididymis in sperm competition Published In Asian Journal of Andrology Volume 9 Pages 493 - 499 ISSN 1008-682X Altmetric
2007	Site-directed mutations in the C-terminal extension of human alphaB-crystallin affect chaperone function and block amyloid fibril formation Published In PLoS One Pages 1 - 10 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric

Chapter

Year	Title
2015	Redefining the chaperone mechanism of sHsps: not just holdase chaperones Published In The Big Book on Small Heat Shock Proteins Publisher Springer Pages 179 - 195 Altmetric
2014	Polymorphism in casein protein aggregation and amyloid fibril formation Published In Bio-nanoimaging: Protein Misfolding and Aggregation Publisher http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780123944313#ancp4: Elsevier Inc Pages 323 - 331 Altmetric
2013	Extracellular chaperones Published In Molecular Chaperones Publisher Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg Pages 241 - 268 Altmetric
2010	The two-faced nature of small heat shock proteins: Amyloid assembly and the inhibition of fibril formation. Relevance to disease states Published In Small stress proteins and human diseases Publisher New York: Nova Science Publishers Pages 189 - 211 ISBN 9781616681982 Edition 1

Investigator On

Year	Title
2019	GoBlot machines and Leica Objective Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
2019	Rapid Flow Cytometry Screen for Identifying Novel ALS Drug Leads Awarded by: Department of Defence (DoD) Funding Scheme: Amyotrophic Lateral Scleriosis Research Program: Therapeutic Idea Award
2019	Rapid screening on small molecule libraries to identify new drug leads to treat Motor Neurone Disease Awarded by: Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute Funding Scheme: Innovator Grant
2018	Ultrafast magic angle spinning solid-state NMR capability Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)
2012 - 2018	Small heat shock proteins: front-line defenders and therapeutic targets Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Future Fellowships
2017	Lumenera Infinity 2-5 microscope colour camera Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
2014	COUNTESS 11 FL Cell Counter and Qubit Quant Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
2014	Regional flow cytometry facility Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)
2013	Neon Transfection System: Workstation for transfer of genetic material into hard-to-work-with cells Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
2012	Protein aggregation and chaperones: key players in MND Awarded by: Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute Funding Scheme: Grants-in-Aid
2012	Targeting small heat shock proteins in diseases associated with alpha-synuclein aggregation Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Project Grant
2010 - 2011	Molecular chaperones as agents of the aging process Awarded by: IRT Research Foundation Funding Scheme: Grant
2010	Monotremes provide a key to understanding the molecular biology of mammalian gamete evolution Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
2007	Investigations into the anti-amyloid properties of curcumin using fluorescence-based spectroscopy Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Research Networks
	Contributions to Leica Dmi8 microscope Awarded by: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Funding Scheme: Equipment Grant
	Defining systems that clear dangerous misfolded proteins from body fluids Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Degree	Research Title	Advisee
Doctor of Philosophy	Extracellular Chaperones and their Cell Surface Receptors	West, Jennifer
Doctor of Philosophy	Investigating the structural and functional consequences of disease-related mutations in the small heat shock protein Hsp27	Rote, Anthea
Doctor of Philosophy	Ecroyd, Heath advising Johnston, Caitlin	Johnston, Caitlin
Doctor of Philosophy	Deciphering the structure-function relationships of the extracellular chaperone clusterin	Satapathy, Sandeep
Doctor of Philosophy	The development of a protein folding-sensor to study molecular chaperones at the single-molecule level	Marzano, Nicholas
Doctor of Philosophy	Investigating the role of proteostasis pathways in regulating the intracellular protein aggregation of firefly luciferase: a model system to study protein aggregation in cells	McMahon, Shannon
Doctor of Philosophy	High Throughput Flow Cytometric Drug Screen for Motor Neuron Disease	Miles, Nicole
Doctor of Philosophy	Are proteostasis defects responsible for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?	Lambert-Smith, Isabella

Orcid Id

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7574-0044 (confirmed)

Scopus Id

6506938962

Ecroyd, Heath

Faculty Member

Overview

Overview

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Research Areas

Research Overview

Available as Research Supervisor

Publications

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Chapter

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Investigator On

Supervision

Available as Research Supervisor

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Identity

Orcid Id

Scopus Id

Overview

Top Publications

Research Areas

Research Overview

Publications

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Chapter

Funding

Investigator On

Supervision

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Identity

Orcid Id

Scopus Id

Visualisations

Research Areas