Dr Julia Horsfield
Director
BSc (Hons), PhD, DipAppSci
Dr Julia Horsfield is a developmental geneticist based in the Department of Pathology at the University of Otago.
Julia leads a research group investigating the role of chromosome structure in animal development and cancer. Her specific research interest lies in cohesin proteins, which are present in all animals and important for cell division and DNA repair. As the name implies, cohesin proteins’ main function is to hold replicated chromosomes together until cells divide. However, they are also involved in gene expression and this is where Julia’s research focus lies, particularly in relation to Cornelia de Lange and Roberts syndromes.
Julia has worked with zebrafish as her model animal for the past 12 years. She moved from the University of Auckland to the University of Otago in 2007, introducing Otago researchers to zebrafish in the process. Her enthusiasm for the zebrafish animal model has attracted several senior researchers and their teams to zebrafish and this has ultimately led to the development of the new state-of-the-art facility.
Publications
Kamstra, K., Rizwan, M. Z., Grattan, D. R., Horsfield, J. A., & Tups, A. (2022). Leptin regulates glucose homeostasis via the canonical Wnt pathway in the zebrafish. FASEB Journal, 36, e22207. doi: 10.1096/fj.202101764R
Horsfield, J., & Marsman, J. (Eds.). (2022). Chromatin: Methods and protocols: Methods in molecular biology (Vol. 2458). New York, NY: Springer, 379p. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2140-0
Horsfield, J. A. (2022). Full circle: A brief history of cohesin and the regulation of gene expression. FEBS Journal. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/febs.16362
Labudina, A., Antony, J., Meier, M., & Horsfield, J. (2021). Cohesin and pioneer factors act independently in zygotic genome activation in zebrafish. Proceedings of the 16th Congress of the Federation of Asian & Oceanic Biochemists & Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB). (pp. 58). Retrieved from https://www.faobmb2021.org
Horsfield, J. (2021). Why signalling pathways are altered by cohesin deficiency [Jisnuson Svasit Lecture]. Proceedings of the 16th Congress of the Federation of Asian & Oceanic Biochemists & Molecular Biologists (FAOBMB). (pp. 43). Retrieved from https://www.faobmb2021.org
Horsfield, J., & Marsman, J. (Eds.). (2022). Chromatin: Methods and protocols: Methods in molecular biology (Vol. 2458). New York, NY: Springer, 379p. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2140-0
Edited Book - Research
Kamstra, K., Rizwan, M. Z., Grattan, D. R., Horsfield, J. A., & Tups, A. (2022). Leptin regulates glucose homeostasis via the canonical Wnt pathway in the zebrafish. FASEB Journal, 36, e22207. doi: 10.1096/fj.202101764R
Journal - Research Article
Antony, J., Chin, C. V., & Horsfield, J. A. (2021). Cohesin mutations in cancer: Emerging therapeutic targets. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(13), 6788. doi: 10.3390/ijms22136788
Journal - Research Article
Leask, M., Carleton, C., Leeke, B., Newman, T., Antoun, J., Farella, M., & Horsfield, J. (2021). Riboceine rescues auranofin-induced craniofacial defects in zebrafish. Antioxidants, 10, 1964. doi: 10.3390/antiox10121964
Journal - Research Article
Schierding, W., Horsfield, J. A., & O'Sullivan, J. M. (2021). Low tolerance for transcriptional variation at cohesin genes is accompanied by functional links to disease-relevant pathways. Journal of Medical Genetics, 58, 534-542. doi: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2020-107095
Journal - Research Article
Thomas, A. L., Marsman, J., Antony, J., Schierding, W., O'Sullivan, J. M., & Horsfield, J. A. (2021). Transcriptional regulation of RUNX1: An informatics analysis. Gene, 12(8), 1175. doi: 10.3390/genes12081175
Journal - Research Article
Boocock, J., Leask, M., Okada, Y., Asian Genetic Epidemiology Network (AGEN) Consortium, Matsuo, H., Shi, Y., … Cadzow, M., Gosling, A. L., Major, T. J., Horsfield, J. A., … Merriman, T. R. (2020). Genomic dissection of 43 serum urate-associated loci provides multiple insights into molecular mechanisms of urate control. Human Molecular Genetics, 29(6), 923-943. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa013
Journal - Research Article
Chin, C. V., Antony, J., Ketharnathan, S., Labudina, A., Gimenez, G., Parsons, K. M., … Braithwaite, A., Guilford, P., … Horsfield, J. A. (2020). Cohesin mutations are synthetic lethal with stimulation of WNT signaling. eLIFE, 9, e61405. doi: 10.7554/eLife.61405
Journal - Research Article
Chiu, J. Z. S., Hold, I., Newman, T. A. C., Horsfield, J. A., & McDowell, A. (2020). Chlorogenic acid supplementation benefits zebrafish embryos exposed to auranofin. Pharmaceutics, 12, 1199. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics12121199
Journal - Research Article
Ketharnathan, S., Labudina, A., & Horsfield, J. A. (2020). Cohesin components Stag1 and Stag2 differentially influence haematopoietic mesoderm development in zebrafish embryos. Frontiers in Cell & Developmental Biology, 8, 617545. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.617545
Journal - Research Article
Marsman, J., Gimenez, G., Day, R. C., Horsfield, J. A., & Jones, G. T. (2020). A non-coding genetic variant associated with abdominal aortic aneurysm alters ERG gene regulation. Human Molecular Genetics, 29(4), 554-565. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddz256
Journal - Research Article
Jones, G. T., Marsman, J., Pardo, L. M., Nijsten, T., De Maeseneer, M., Phillips, V., Lynch-Sutherland, C., Horsfield, J., Krysa, J., & van Rij, A. M. (2019). A variant of the castor zinc finger 1 (CASZ1) gene is differentially associated with the clinical classification of chronic venous disease. Scientific Reports, 9, 14011. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-50586-2
Journal - Research Article
Leask, M., Dowdle, A., Salvesen, H., Topless, R., Fadason, T., Wei, W., … Marsman, J., Antony, J., … Merriman, T. R., & Horsfield, J. A. (2019). Functional urate-associated genetic variants influence expression of lincRNAs LINC01229 and MAFTRR. Frontiers in Genetics, 9, 733. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2018.00733
Journal - Research Article
Cukrov, D., Newman, T., Leask, M., Leeke, B., Sarogni, P., Patimo, A., … Horsfield, J., & Musio, A. (2018). Antioxidant treatment ameliorates phenotypic features of SMC1A-mutated Cornelia de Lange syndrome in vitro and in vivo. Human Molecular Genetics, 27(17), 3002-3011. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddy203
Journal - Research Article
Kaur, G., Li, C. G., Chantry, A., Stayner, C., Horsfield, J., & Eccles, M. R. (2018). SMAD proteins directly suppress PAX2 transcription downstream of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1) signalling in renal cell carcinoma. Oncotarget, 9(42), 26852-26867. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.25516
Journal - Research Article
Ketharnathan, S., Leask, M., Boocock, J., Phipps-Green, A. J., Antony, J., O'Sullivan, J. M., Merriman, T. R., & Horsfield, J. A. (2018). A non-coding genetic variant maximally associated with serum urate levels is functionally linked to HNF4A-dependent PDZK1 expression. Human Molecular Genetics, 27(22), 3964-3973. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddy295
Journal - Research Article
Lee, S. L. J., Horsfield, J. A., Black, M. A., Rutherford, K., & Gemmell, N. J. (2018). Identification of sex differences in zebrafish (Danio rerio) brains during early sexual differentiation and masculinisation using 17α-methyltestoterone. Biology of Reproduction, 99(2), 446-460. doi: 10.1093/biolre/iox175
Journal - Research Article
Mehta, S. Y., Morten, B. C., Antony, J., Henderson, L., Lasham, A., Campbell, H., Cunliffe, H., Horsfield, J. A., … Braithwaite, A. W. (2018). Regulation of the interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) pathway by p63 and Δ133p53 isoform in different breast cancer subtypes. Oncotarget, 9(49), 29146-29161. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.25635
Journal - Research Article
Meier, M., Grant, J., Dowdle, A., Thomas, A., Gerton, J., Collas, P., … Horsfield, J. A. (2018). Cohesin facilitates zygotic genome activation in zebrafish. Development, 145, dev156521. doi: 10.1242/dev.156521
Journal - Research Article
Schierding, W., Antony, J., Karhunen, V., Vääräsmäki, M., Franks, S., Elliott, P., … Horsfield, J. A., … Cutfield, W. S. (2018). GWAS on prolonged gestation (post-term birth): Analysis of successive Finnish birth cohorts. Journal of Medical Genetics, 55(1), 55-63. doi: 10.1136/jmedgenet-2017-104880
Journal - Research Article
Lee, S. L. J., Horsfield, J. A., Black, M. A., Rutherford, K., Fisher, A., & Gemmell, N. J. (2017). Histological and transcriptomic effects of 17α-methyltestosterone on zebrafish gonad development. BMC Genomics, 18, 557. doi: 10.1186/s12864-017-3915-z
Journal - Research Article
Marsman, J., Thomas, A., Osato, M., O'Sullivan, J. M., & Horsfield, J. A. (2017). A DNA contact map for the mouse Runx1 gene identifies novel haematopoietic enhancers. Scientific Reports, 7, 13347. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-13748-8
Journal - Research Article
McKinlay, P., Keller, C., & Horsfield, J. (2017). It’s written in your DNA: Or is it? Junctures, 2017(18), 81-87.
Journal - Research Article
McKinlay, P., Pickery, J.-J., & Horsfield, J. (2017). The GENE-ration game. Junctures, 2017(18), 71-80.
Journal - Research Article
Stayner, C., Poole, C. A., McGlashan, S. R., Pilanthananond, M., Brauning, R., Markie, D., … Slobbe, L., … Parker, K., Wiles, A., … Leichter, A., Leask, M., … Jennings, M., Horsfield, J. A., Walker, R. J., & Eccles, M. R. (2017). An ovine hepatorenal fibrocystic model of a Meckel-like syndrome associated with dysmorphic primary cilia and TMEM67 mutations. Scientific Reports, 7, 1601. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-01519-4
Journal - Research Article
Chatterjee, A., Lagisz, M., Rodger, E. J., Zhen, L., Stockwell, P. A., Duncan, E. J., Horsfield, J. A., … Nakagawa, S. (2016). Sex differences in DNA methylation and expression in zebrafish brain: A test of an extended ‘male sex drive’ hypothesis. Gene, 590, 307-316. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2016.05.042
Journal - Research Article
Dasgupta, T., Antony, J., Braithwaite, A. W., & Horsfield, J. A. (2016). HDAC8 inhibition blocks SMC3 deacetylation and delays cell cycle progression without affecting cohesin-dependent transcription in MCF7 cancer cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 291(24), 12761-12770. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M115.704627
Journal - Research Article
Newman, T., Jhinku, N., Meier, M., & Horsfield, J. (2016). Dietary intake influences adult fertility and offspring fitness in zebrafish. PLoS ONE, 11(11), e01663394. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166394
Journal - Research Article
Schierding, W., Antony, J., Cutfield, W. S., Horsfield, J. A., & O'Sullivan, J. M. (2016). Intergenic GWAS SNPs are key components of the spatial and regulatory network for human growth. Human Molecular Genetics, 25(15), 3372-3382. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddw165
Journal - Research Article
Antony, J., Dasgupta, T., Rhodes, J. M., McEwan, M. V., Print, C. G., O'Sullivan, J. M., & Horsfield, J. A. (2015). Cohesin modulates transcription of estrogen-responsive genes. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta: Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1849(3), 257-269. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2014.12.011
Journal - Research Article
Newman, T. A. C., Carleton, C. R., Leeke, B., Hampton, M. B., & Horsfield, J. A. (2015). Embryonic oxidative stress results in reproductive impairment for adult zebrafish. Redox Biology, 6, 648-655. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2015.10.010
Journal - Research Article
Schuster, K., Leeke, B., Meier, M., Wang, Y., Newman, T., Burgess, S., & Horsfield, J. A. (2015). A neural crest origin for cohesinopathy heart defects. Human Molecular Genetics, 24(24), 7005-7016. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddv402
Journal - Research Article
Leeke, B., Marsman, J., O'Sullivan, J. M., & Horsfield, J. A. (2014). Cohesin mutations in myeloid malignancies: Underlying mechanisms. Experimental Hematology & Oncology, 3, 13. doi: 10.1186/2162-3619-3-13
Journal - Research Article
Marsman, J., O'Neill, A. C., Kao, B. R.-Y., Rhodes, J. M., Meier, M., Antony, J., Mönnich, M., & Horsfield, J. A. (2014). Cohesin and CTCF differentially regulate spatiotemporal runx1 expression during zebrafish development. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta: Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1839(1), 50-61. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2013.11.007
Journal - Research Article
O'Sullivan, J. M., Doynova, M. D., Antony, J., Pichlmuller, F., & Horsfield, J. A. (2014). Insights from space: Potential role of diet in the spatial organization of chromosomes. Nutrients, 6(12), 5724-5739. doi: 10.3390/nu6125724
Journal - Research Article
Chatterjee, A., Ozaki, Y., Stockwell, P. A., Horsfield, J. A., Morison, I. M., & Nakagawa, S. (2013). Mapping the zebrafish brain methylome using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. Epigenetics, 8(9), 979-989. doi: 10.4161/epi.25797
Journal - Research Article
Deardorff, M. A., Wilde, J. J., Albrecht, M., Dickinson, E., Tennstedt, S., Braunholz, D., Mönnich, M., … Horsfield, J. A., & Kaiser, F. J. (2012). RAD21 mutations cause a human cohesinopathy. American Journal of Human Genetics, 90(6), 1014-1027. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.04.019
Journal - Research Article
Horsfield, J. A., Print, C. G., & Mönnich, M. (2012). Diverse developmental disorders from The One Ring: Distinct molecular pathways underlie the cohesinopathies. Frontiers in Genetics, 3, 171. doi: 10.3389/fgene.2012.00171
Journal - Research Article
Marsman, J., & Horsfield, J. A. (2012). Long distance relationships: Enhancer-promoter communication and dynamic gene transcription. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta: Gene Regulatory Mechanisms, 1819(11-12), 1217-1227. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2012.10.008
Journal - Research Article
McEwan, M. V., Eccles, M. R., & Horsfield, J. A. (2012). Cohesin is required for activation of MYC by estradiol. PLoS ONE, 7(11), e49160. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049160
Journal - Research Article
Mönnich, M., Kuriger, Z., Print, C. G., & Horsfield, J. A. (2011). A zebrafish model of Roberts syndrome reveals that Esco2 depletion interferes with development by disrupting the cell cycle. PLoS ONE, 6(5), e20051. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0020051
Journal - Research Article
Rhodes, J. M., McEwan, M., & Horsfield, J. A. (2011). Gene regulation by cohesin in cancer: Is the ring an unexpected party to proliferation? Molecular Cancer Research, 9(12), 1587-1607. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.mcr-11-0382
Journal - Research Article
Rhodes, J. M., Bentley, F. K., Print, C. G., Dorsett, D., Misulovin, Z., Dickinson, E. J., … Horsfield, J. A. (2010). Positive regulation of c-Myc by cohesin is direct, and evolutionarily conserved. Developmental Biology, 344, 637-649. doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2010.05.493
Journal - Research Article
Mönnich, M., Banks, S., Eccles, M., Dickinson, E., & Horsfield, J. (2009). Expression of cohesin and condensin genes during zebrafish development supports a non-proliferative role for cohesin. Gene Expression Patterns, 9(8), 586-594. doi: 10.1016/j.gep.2009.08.004
Journal - Research Article
Horsfield, J. A., Anagnostou, S. H., Hu, J. K.-H., Cho, K. H. Y., Geisler, R., Lieschke, G., … Crosier, P. S. (2007). Cohesin-dependent regulation of Runx genes. Development, 134, 2639-2649. doi: 10.1242/dev.002485
Journal - Research Article
Brumby, A., Secombe, J., Horsfield, J., Coombe, M., Amin, N., Coates, D., … Richardson, H. (2004). A genetic screen for dominant modifiers of a cyclin E hypomorphic mutation identifies novel regulators of S-phase entry in drosophilia. Genetics, 168(1), 227-251. doi: 10.1534/genetics.104.026617
Journal - Research Article
Kalev-Zylinska, M. L., Horsfield, J. A., Flores, M. V., Postlethwait, J. H., Chau, J. Y., Cattin, P. M., … Crosier, K. E. (2003). Runx3 is required for hematopoietic development in zebrafish. Developmental Dynamics, 228(3), 323-336. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.10388
Journal - Research Article
Brumby, A. M., Zraly, C. B., Horsfield, J. A., Secombe, J., Saint, R., Dingwall, A. K., & Richardson, H. (2002). Drosophila cyclin E interacts with components of the Brahma complex. EMBO Journal, 21(13), 3377-3389. doi: 10.1093/emboj/cdf334
Journal - Research Article
Crosier, P. S., Kalev-Zylinska, M. L., Hall, C. J., Flores, M. V. C., Horsfield, J. A., & Crosier, K. E. (2002). Pathways in blood and vessel development revealed through zebrafish genetics. International Journal of Developmental Biology, 46, 493-502.
Journal - Research Article
Horsfield, J., Ramachandran, A., Reuter, K., Lavallie, E., Collins-Racie, L., Crosier, K., & Crosier, P. (2002). Cadherin-17 is required to maintain pronephric duct integrity during zebrafish development. Mechanisms of Development, 115, 15-26. doi: 10.1016/S0925-4773(02)00094-1
Journal - Research Article