RESEARCH GROUP STEWART

Research Group Stewart is currently not accepting applications for graduate students.

Genome Evolution and Ageing

The accumulation of mitochondrial dysfunction with age is one of the nine classic hallmarks of the ageing process. Many different analyses have identified the age-related accumulation of cells displaying mitochondrial dysfunction in the tissues of long-lived animals. Molecular analyses have identified the accumulation of mitochondrial DNA point mutations, structural aberrations of the mitochondrial chromosome, and a decrease in the number of mtDNA copies found within each cell. The lab focuses on the following research questions – how do the mitochondria acquire these mutations? How do they clonally expand to lead to mitochondrial deficiency? What effects do these sporadic deficient cells have on organismal health and ageing?

Selected publications

Genome editing in mitochondria corrects a pathogenic mtDNA mutation in vivo

Gammage, P. A.
Viscomi, C.
Simard, M. L.
Costa, A. S. H.
Gaude, E.
Powell, C. A.
Van Haute, L.
McCann, B. J.
Rebelo-Guiomar, P.
Cerutti, R.
Zhang, L.
Rebar, E. J.
Zeviani, M.
Frezza, C.
Stewart, J. B.
Minczuk, M.

(2018) Nat Med

MitoTALEN reduces mutant mtDNA load and restores tRNA(Ala) levels in a mouse model of heteroplasmic mtDNA mutation

Bacman, S. R.
Kauppila, J. H. K.
Pereira, C. V.
Nissanka, N.
Miranda, M.
Pinto, M.
Williams, S. L.
Larsson, N. G.
Stewart, J. B.
Moraes, C. T.

(2018) Nat Med

A novel histochemistry assay to assess and quantify focal cytochrome c oxidase deficiency

Simard, M. L.
Mourier, A.
Greaves, L. C.
Taylor, R. W.
Stewart, J. B.**

(2018) J Pathol, 245, 3, 311-323

A Phenotype-Driven Approach to Generate Mouse Models with Pathogenic mtDNA Mutations Causing Mitochondrial Disease

Kauppila, J. H.
Baines, H. L.
Bratic, A.
Simard, M. L.
Freyer, C.
Mourier, A.
Stamp, C.
Filograna, R.
Larsson, N. G.**
Greaves, L. C.
Stewart, J. B.**

(2016) Cell Rep, 16, 11, 2980-90

Simultaneous DNA and RNA Mapping of Somatic Mitochondrial Mutations across Diverse Human Cancers

Stewart, J. B.
Alaei-Mahabadi, B.
Sabarinathan, R.
Samuelsson, T.
Gorodkin, J.
Gustafsson, C. M.
Larsson, E.

(2015) PLoS Genet, 11, 6, e1005333

Third-party funding

2016-2019 | Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action, Innovation Training Network
REgulation of MItochondrial gene eXpression (REMIX)

2013-2015 | United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Research Grant
Using mtDNA mutator mouse-derived lineages to generate mouse models of human mitochondrial diseases

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