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
Boocock, J., Leask, M., Okada, Y., Asian Genetic Epidemiology Network (AGEN) Consortium, Matsuo, H., Shi, Y., … Cadzow, M., Gosling, A. L., Flynn, 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. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa013
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
Antony, J., Gimenez, G., Taylor, T., Khatoon, U., Day, R., Morison, I. M., & Horsfield, J. A. (2020). BET inhibition prevents aberrant RUNX1 and ERG transcription in STAG2 mutant leukaemia cells. Journal of Molecular Cell Biology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/jmcb/mjz114
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
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
Boocock, J., Leask, M., Okada, Y., Asian Genetic Epidemiology Network (AGEN) Consortium, Matsuo, H., Shi, Y., … Cadzow, M., Gosling, A. L., Flynn, 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. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddaa013
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
McKinlay, P., Keller, C., & Horsfield, J. (2017). It’s written in your DNA: Or is it? Junctures, 2017(18), 81-87.
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
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
McKinlay, P., Pickery, J.-J., & Horsfield, J. (2017). The GENE-ration game. Junctures, 2017(18), 71-80.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
Irvine, J., Horsfield, J. A., McKinney, C. Z., & Tate, W. P. (1998). A novel strategy to interfere with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 propagation. New Zealand Medical Journal, 111, 222-224.
Tate, W. P., Poole, E. S., Horsfield, J. A., Mannering, S. A., Brown, C. M., Moffat, J. G., Dalphin, M. E., … Major, L. L., & Wilson, D. N. (1995). Translational termination efficiency in both bacteria and mammals is regulated by the base following the stop codon. Biochemistry & Cell Biology, 73, 1095-1103. doi: 10.1139/o95-118
Journal - Research Other
Antony, J., Gimenez, G., Taylor, T., Khatoon, U., Day, R., Morison, I. M., & Horsfield, J. A. (2020). BET inhibition prevents aberrant RUNX1 and ERG transcription in STAG2 mutant leukaemia cells. Journal of Molecular Cell Biology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/jmcb/mjz114
Horsfield, J. A. (2019). Packaging development: How chromatin controls transcription in zebrafish embryogenesis. Biochemical Society Transactions, 47(2), 713-724. doi: 10.1042/bst20180617
Chatterjee, A., Stockwell, P. A., Horsfield, J. A., Morison, I. M., & Nakagawa, S. (2014). Base-resolution DNA methylation landscape of zebrafish brain and liver [Data in brief]. Genomics Data, 2, 342-344. doi: 10.1016/j.gdata.2014.10.008
Journal - Professional & Other Non-Research Articles
Kline, A. D., Krantz, I. D., Bando, M., Shirahige, K., Chea, S., Sakata, T., … Horsfield, J. A., … Haaland, R. E. (2019). Cornelia de Lange syndrome, related disorders, and the Cohesin complex: Abstracts from the 8th Biennial Scientific and Educational Symposium 2018 [Conference report]. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 179(6), 1080-1090. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.61108
Kline, A. D., Calof, A. L., Schaaf, C. A., Krantz, I. D., Jyonouchi, S., Yokomori, K., … Horsfield, J., … Dorsett, D. (2014). Cornelia de Lange syndrome: Further delineation of phenotype, cohesin biology and educational focus, 5th Biennial Scientific and Educational Symposium abstracts [Conference report]. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 164(6), 1384-1393. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.36417
Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Meier, M., Grant, J., Dowdle, A. E., Thomas, A., Gerton, J., Collas, P., … Horsfield, J. A. (2019). A zebrafish model for cohesin function in early embryo development. American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, 179(6), (pp. 1083-1084). doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.61108
Antony, J., Giminez, G., Khatoon, U., Day, R., Morison, I., & Horsfield, J. (2018). Targeted disruption of the cohesin subunit STAG2 leads to loss of insulation and inappropriate gene activation in response to differentiation signals. Blood, 132(Suppl. 1), (pp. 878). doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-99-117965