Summary
I am a Royal Society - Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellow and joined Imperial College in December 2017. My lab investigates how cells and viruses interact so we can better understand infection susceptibility, virus replication and transmission. We focus on host osmotic and protein homeostasis, biomolecular condensates, circadian rhythms, inflammation and antiviral immunity.
BIOGRAPHY
I studied Natural Sciences and completed my PhD in herpesvirus biology at the University of Cambridge in 2012. I then gained experience in circadian biology and neuroscience working as a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Cambridge Institute of Metabolic Science, and then as an Investigator Scientist at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
The homeostatic state of the cell when it encounters pathogens ultimately determines the success or failure of the infection. This baseline state changes depending on the time of day, the extracellular environment, prior cellular activity and stress state. My lab is interested in how these factors interact to impact the infection susceptibility, virus replication and production of new virus particles for transmission to others. For example, individual cells have molecular circadian clocks that coordinate 24h rhythms in activities such as gene transcription, protein synthesis, metabolism, energy production and immune signalling. These processes are co-opted by viruses in order to replicate, and we find that the amount of replication in cells and disease in animal models depends on the time that they are infected. We're exploring how mechanisms of cellular osmotic and protein homeostasis impact inflammatory and antiviral immunity, virus replication and stress responses.
We use physiologically relevant primary cell models and natural host-pathogen pairs to test our hypotheses. In addition, we apply our fundamental research to find novel ways to prevent virus transmission, focusing on respiratory infections such as SARS-CoV-2 and influenza.
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
Watson JL, Seinkmane E, Styles CT, et al. , 2023, Macromolecular condensation buffers intracellular water potential, Nature, Vol:623, ISSN:0028-0836, Pages:842-852
Beale AD, Hayter EA, Crosby P, et al. , 2023, Mechanisms and physiological function of daily haemoglobin oxidation rhythms in red blood cells, EMBO Journal, Vol:42, ISSN:0261-4189
Zhuang X, Edgar RS, McKeating JA, 2022, The role of circadian clock pathways in viral replication, Seminars in Immunopathology, Vol:44, ISSN:1863-2297, Pages:175-182
Wong DCS, Seinkmane E, Zeng A, et al. , 2021, CRYPTOCHROMES promote daily protein homeostasis, EMBO Journal, Vol:41, ISSN:0261-4189, Pages:1-23
Stangherlin A, Watson JL, Wong DCS, et al. , 2021, Compensatory ion transport buffers daily protein rhythms to regulate osmotic balance and cellular physiology, Nature Communications, Vol:12, ISSN:2041-1723, Pages:1-14
Putker M, Wong DCS, Seinkmane E, et al. , 2021, CRYPTOCHROMES confer robustness, not rhythmicity, to circadian timekeeping, EMBO Journal, Vol:40, ISSN:0261-4189, Pages:1-15
O' Neill JS, Hoyle NP, Robertson JB, et al. , 2020, Eukaryotic cell biology is temporally coordinated to support the energetic demands of protein homeostasis, Nature Communications, Vol:11, ISSN:2041-1723, Pages:1-11
Lasselin J, Ingre M, Regenbogen C, et al. , 2019, Sleep during naturally occurring respiratory infections: A pilot study, Brain Behavior and Immunity, Vol:79, ISSN:0889-1591, Pages:236-243
Henslee EA, Crosby P, Kitcatt SJ, et al. , 2017, Rhythmic potassium transport regulates the circadian clock in human red blood cells, Nature Communications, Vol:8, ISSN:2041-1723, Pages:1978-1978
Edgar RS, Stangherlin A, Nagy AD, et al. , 2016, Cell autonomous regulation of herpes and influenza virus infection by the circadian clock, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol:113, ISSN:0027-8424, Pages:10085-10090
Milev NB, Rey G, Valekunja UK, et al. , 2015, Analysis of the Redox Oscillations in the Circadian Clockwork, Methods in Enzymology, Vol:552, ISSN:0076-6879, Pages:185-210
Valekunja UK, Edgar RS, Oklejewicz M, et al. , 2013, Histone methyltransferase MLL3 contributes to genome-scale circadian transcription, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol:110, ISSN:0027-8424, Pages:1554-1559
Olmedo M, O'Neill JS, Edgar RS, et al. , 2012, Circadian regulation of olfaction and an evolutionarily conserved, nontranscriptional marker in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol:109, ISSN:0027-8424, Pages:20479-20484
Edgar RS, Green EW, Zhao Y, et al. , 2012, Peroxiredoxins are conserved markers of circadian rhythms, Nature, Vol:485, ISSN:0028-0836, Pages:459-U65
Gill MB, Edgar R, May JS, et al. , 2008, A Gamma-Herpesvirus Glycoprotein Complex Manipulates Actin to Promote Viral Spread, PLOS One, Vol:3, ISSN:1932-6203
Jones DC, Edgar RS, Ahmad T, et al. , 2006, Killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) genotype and HLA ligand combinations in ulcerative colitis susceptibility, Genes and Immunity, Vol:7, ISSN:1466-4879, Pages:576-582