IRON: Focus is on our understanding at the moleculatr level how essential/toxic metal iron is transported by cells to maintain functional levels, with particular reference to regulation of genes incvolved in intestinal, placetal, hepatic, musco/skletal, vascular and neuronal iron transport. This has an important bearing on our understanding of hereditary haemochriomatosis, thalassaemia, other iron overloads, iron deficiency anaemia, inflammation, infection, neurodegeneration, early development, obesity and healthy ageing.

Objectives:
To characterise genes that are responsible for cellular iron trafficking and for intestinal iron absorption and regulation.
To quantify genetic and environmental contributions to the control of body iron stores
To quantify the influence of various plasma factors (which are altered as a result of iron deficiency, hypoxia, pregnancy and increased erythropoiesis) on the control of intestinal iron absorption and cellular iron levels.
To determine the effect of iron levels on other genes, proteins and metabolites, which will be investigated by microarray analysis , proteomics and metablomics.
To identify genes and proteins regulated by the levels of other major dietary metals Zn & Cu and antioxidants, using a genomic and proteomics approach

GLUCOSE/PHOSPHATE: Mechanism of glucose and phosphate transport across intestine and renal epithelia in relation to diabetes and chronic renal failure. Disease models are being used to unravel the mechanisms involved in the regulation of transport of these essential elements.
Aim: Changes in renal and intestinal glucose transport in diabetes mellitus and control by glucagons: Involvement of protein kinase A and protein kinase C signalling pathways
Objectives:
To determine the role of protein kinase A (PKA) and protein kinase C (PKC) in controlling the expression and activity of the two classes of renal and intestinal transporters: GLUT (facilitated) and SGLT (Na+ coupled).
To define the relationship of these signalling pathways to the changes in renal and intestinal glucose transport that occur in insulin-opaenic diabetes mellitus, and in response to pancreatic glucagons
To establish the contribution of glucagon or glucagon like peptide receptors along the renal tubule and intestinal tract.
The long-term goal is to define the significance of altered renal tubular transport of glucose in diabetes to its renal patho-physiology.