Dr Steven Petrou
Bsc (Hons) (Melb) PhD (Melb)
Senior Research Fellow
Group Leader, Ion Channels and Human Disease Group
Contact Details
Email: | |
Phone: | +61 (0)3 8344 1957 |
Fax: | +61 (0)3 9347 0446 |
Research Interests
- Dr Steven Petrou has held a life long interest in life sciences and, in particular, the mechanisms that underlie human disease. His interest is focused on ion channels, largely because they are central to all body functions, and their involvement in human diseases in an effort to establish pathological mechanisms and to identify and act upon novel treatment opportunities.
Laboratory Techniques
- Molecular neurobiology
- Precision in vivo virus delivery for acute and chronic gene expression
- Quantitative neuronal morphology
- Biophysics and computer modelling
- Single cell and brain slice electrophysiology
- Macro and micro digital imaging and 3D brain reconstruction
- EEG, unit recording and behavioural analysis of mice
Additional Information
Dr Steven Petrou is a Senior Research Fellow at the Howard Florey Institute and University of Melbourne, and an Honorary Research Fellow at the Neurosciences Victoria and Brain Research Institute (Austin Health). He completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne (1992) and Postdoctoral Fellowship at Worcester Foundation of Experimental Biology, Massachusetts, USA (1995).
In 1998, Dr Steven Petrou returned to Australia and working with Prof David Williams at the Department of Physiology, University of Melbourne, established a molecular physiology laboratory.
In 2001, Dr Steven Petrou was a Research Fellow working in the laboratory of Prof Peter Seeburg at the Max Planck Institute, Heidelberg, Germany, learning how to make transgenic mouse models. He returned to Germany in 2002 where he spent several months in Nobel laureate, Prof Bert Sakmann’s laboratory learning the method of brain slice electrophysiology in anticipation of studying the brains of the knock-in mice he had created.
In 2003, he joined the Howard Florey Institute (HFI) as the head of the Ion Channels and Human Diseases group leading a multi-disciplinary team of 20 researchers and students undertaking epilepsy research.
Recent Publications (since 2000)
Scheffer IE, Harkin LA, Grinton BE, Dibbens LM, Turner SJ, Zielinski MA, Xu R, Jackson G, Adams J, Connellan M, Petrou S, Wellard RM, Briellmann RS, Wallace RH, Mulley JC, Berkovic SF. Temporal lobe epilepsy and GEFS+ phenotypes associated with SCN1B mutations. Brain. 2007 Jan;130(Pt 1):100-9.
Liu L, Zheng T, Morris MJ, Wallengren C, Clarke AL, Reid CA, Petrou S, O'Brien TJ. The mechanism of carbamazepine aggravation of absence seizures. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2006 Nov;319(2):790-8.
Berkovic SF, Petrou S. Febrile seizures: traffic slows in the heat. Trends Mol Med. 2006 Aug;12(8):343-4.
Berkovic SF, Mulley JC, Scheffer IE, Petrou S. Human epilepsies: interaction of genetic and acquired factors. Trends Neurosci. 2006 Jul;29(7):391-7.
Shemon AN, Sluyter R, Fernando SL, Clarke AL, Dao-Ung LP, Skarratt KK, Saunders BM, Tan KS, Gu BJ, Fuller SJ, Britton WJ, Petrou S, Wiley JS. A Thr357 to Ser polymorphism in homozygous and compound heterozygous subjects causes absent or reduced P2X7 function and impairs ATP-induced mycobacterial killing by macrophages. J Biol Chem. 2006 Jan 27;281(4):2079-86.
Gazina EV, Harrison DN, Jefferies M, Tan H, Williams D, Anderson DA, Petrou S. Ion transport blockers inhibit human rhinovirus 2 release. Antiviral Res. 2005 Aug;67(2):98-106.
Mulley JC, Scheffer IE, Petrou S, Dibbens LM, Berkovic SF, Harkin LA. SCN1A mutations and epilepsy. Hum Mutat. 2005 Jun;25(6):535-42.
Gu BJ, Sluyter R, Skarratt KK, Shemon AN, Dao-Ung LP, Fuller SJ, Barden JA, Clarke AL, Petrou S, Wiley JS. An Arg307 to Gln polymorphism within the ATP-binding site causes loss of function of the human P2X7 receptor. J Biol Chem. 2004 Jul 23;279(30):31287-95.
Dibbens LM, Feng HJ, Richards MC, Harkin LA, Hodgson BL, Scott D, Jenkins M, Petrou S, Sutherland GR, Scheffer IE, Berkovic SF, Macdonald RL, Mulley JC. GABRD encoding a protein for extra- or peri-synaptic GABAA receptors is a susceptibility locus for generalized epilepsies. Hum Mol Genet. 2004 Jul 1;13(13):1315-9.
Rogers S, Chandler JD, Clarke AL, Petrou S, Best JD. Glucose transporter GLUT12-functional characterization in Xenopus laevis oocytes. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2003 Aug 29;308(3):422-6.
Mulley JC, Scheffer IE, Petrou S, Berkovic SF. Channelopathies as a genetic cause of epilepsy. Curr Opin Neurol. 2003 Apr;16(2):171-6.
Wiley JS, Dao-Ung LP, Li C, Shemon AN, Gu BJ, Smart ML, Fuller SJ, Barden JA, Petrou S, Sluyter R. An Ile-568 to Asn polymorphism prevents normal trafficking and function of the human P2X7 receptor. J Biol Chem. 2003 May 9;278(19):17108-13.
Smart ML, Gu B, Panchal RG, Wiley J, Cromer B, Williams DA, Petrou S. P2X7 receptor cell surface expression and cytolytic pore formation are regulated by a distal C-terminal region. J Biol Chem. 2003 Mar 7;278(10):8853-60.
Bowser DN, Wagner DA, Czajkowski C, Cromer BA, Parker MW, Wallace RH, Harkin LA, Mulley JC, Marini C, Berkovic SF, Williams DA, Jones MV, Petrou S. Altered kinetics and benzodiazepine sensitivity of a GABAA receptor subunit mutation [gamma 2(R43Q)] found in human epilepsy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 Nov 12;99(23):15170-5.
Clarke AL, Petrou S, Walsh JV Jr, Singer JJ. Site of action of fatty acids and other charged lipids on BKCa channels from arterial smooth muscle cells. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2003 Mar;284(3):C607-19.
Clarke AL, Petrou S, Walsh JV Jr, Singer JJ. Modulation of BK(Ca) channel activity by fatty acids: structural requirements and mechanism of action. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2002 Nov;283(5):C1441-53.
Doolan GK, Panchal RG, Fonnes EL, Clarke AL, Williams DA, Petrou S. Fatty acid augmentation of the cardiac slowly activating delayed rectifier current (IKs) is conferred by hminK. FASEB J. 2002 Oct;16(12):1662-4.
Smart ML, Panchal RG, Bowser DN, Williams DA, Petrou S. Pore formation is not associated with macroscopic redistribution of P2X7 receptors. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2002 Jul;283(1):C77-84.
Bowser DN, Petrou S, Panchal RG, Smart ML, Williams DA. Release of mitochondrial Ca2+ via the permeability transition activates endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ uptake. FASEB J. 2002 Jul;16(9):1105-7.
Panchal RG, Smart ML, Bowser DN, Williams DA, Petrou S. Pore-forming proteins and their application in biotechnology. Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2002 Jun;3(2):99-115.
Worthington RA, Smart ML, Gu BJ, Williams DA, Petrou S, Wiley JS, Barden JA. Point mutations confer loss of ATP-induced human P2X(7) receptor function. FEBS Lett. 2002 Feb 13;512(1-3):43-6.
Harkin LA, Bowser DN, Dibbens LM, Singh R, Phillips F, Wallace RH, Richards MC, Williams DA, Mulley JC, Berkovic SF, Scheffer IE, Petrou S. Truncation of the GABA(A)-receptor gamma2 subunit in a family with generalized epilepsy with febrile seizures plus. Am J Hum Genet. 2002 Feb;70(2):530-6.
Panchal RG, Williams DA, Kitchener PD, Reilly AM, Khan J, Bowser DN, Petrou S. Gene transfer: manipulating and monitoring function in cells and tissues. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2001 Aug;28(8):687-91
Harrap SB, Petrou S. Utility of genetic approaches to common cardiovascular diseases. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2001 Jul;281(1):H1-6.
Reilly AM, Petrou S, Panchal RG, Williams DA. Restoration of calcium handling properties of adult cardiac myocytes from hypertrophied hearts. Cell Calcium. 2001 Jul;30(1):59-66.
Wallace RH, Marini C, Petrou S, Harkin LA, Bowser DN, Panchal RG, Williams DA, Sutherland GR, Mulley JC, Scheffer IE, Berkovic SF. Mutant GABA(A) receptor gamma2-subunit in childhood absence epilepsy and febrile seizures. Nat Genet. 2001 May;28(1):49-52.
Gu BJ, Zhang W, Worthington RA, Sluyter R, Dao-Ung P, Petrou S, Barden JA, Wiley JS. A Glu-496 to Ala polymorphism leads to loss of function of the human P2X7 receptor. J Biol Chem. 2001 Apr 6;276(14):11135-42.
Petrou S, Bowser DN, Nicholls RA, Panchal RG, Smart ML, Reilly AM, Williams DA. Genetically targeted calcium sensors enhance the study of organelle function in living cells. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2000 Sep;27(9):738-44.
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