Personal profile
Research interests
Regulation of membrane proteins and receptors by tetraspanins
I investigate how membrane proteins and receptors on human cells are regulated by a family of 33 tetraspanin ‘membrane organiser’ proteins. A major focus is the regulation of the ‘molecular scissor’ ADAM10 by six tetraspanins that I have termed the TspanC8s. These comprise Tspan5, 10, 14, 15, 17 and 33. ADAM10 is essential for embryonic development and is expressed on all cells. ADAM10 is critical for cellular development, activation and adhesion; it functions by proteolytically cleaving the extracellular regions from its target proteins that include the cell fate regulator Notch, amyloid precursor protein, cadherin adhesion molecules and the platelet-activating collagen/fibrin receptor GPVI. We have proposed the “six scissor” hypothesis, whereby the associated TspanC8 dictates the subcellular localisation and substrate specificity of the ADAM10 scissor. This has potential for therapeutic targeting of ADAM10 in a cell type- or substrate-specific manner, so minimising toxic side effects. Diseases of interest include inflammatory diseases, heart attack and stroke, cancer, asthma and Alzheimer’s disease.
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Structure and function of tetraspanins in lymphocytes, University of Oxford
Award Date: 1 Dec 1995
Bachelor of Science, BSc (Hons) in Applied Biology, Class 1, University of Bath
Award Date: 1 Jun 1991
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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The immune receptor FcRg-chain mediates CD36-induced platelet activation and thrombosis by oxidised low-density lipoproteins.
Wraith, K. S., Khalil, J. S., Aburima, A., Cheah, L. T., Hindle, M. S., Berger, M., Uddin, R., Ayub, H., McKay, M., Xu, R.-G., Ariëns, R. A. S., Kearney, M. T., Tomlinson, M. G. & Naseem, K. M., 16 Jul 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Blood Advances.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Purification and characterisation of the platelet-activating GPVI/FcRγ complex in SMALPs
Wang, X., Slater, A., Lee, S. C., Harrison, N., Pollock, N. L., Bakker, S. E., Navarro, S., Nieswandt, B., Dafforn, T. R., García, Á., Watson, S. P. & Tomlinson, M. G., Apr 2024, In: Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics. 754, 13 p., 109944.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile99 Downloads (Pure) -
Divalent nanobodies to platelet CLEC-2 can serve as agonists or antagonists
Clark, J. C., Martin, E. M., Morán, L. A., Di, Y., Wang, X., Zuidscherwoude, M., Brown, H. C., Kavanagh, D. M., Hummert, J., Eble, J. A., Nieswandt, B., Stegner, D., Pollitt, A. Y., Herten, D.-P., Tomlinson, M. G., García, A. & Watson, S. P., 7 Apr 2023, In: Communications Biology. 6, 1, 17 p., 376.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile86 Downloads (Pure) -
Experimental validation of computerised models of clustering of platelet glycoprotein receptors that signal via tandem SH2 domain proteins
Maqsood, Z., Clark, J. C., Martin, E. M., Cheung, Y. F. H., Morán, L. A., Watson, S. E. T., Pike, J. A., Di, Y., Poulter, N. S., Slater, A., Lange, B. M. H., Nieswandt, B., Eble, J. A., Tomlinson, M. G., Owen, D. M., Stegner, D., Bridge, L. J., Wierling, C. & Watson, S. P., 28 Nov 2022, In: PLoS Computational Biology. 18, 11, e1010708.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile111 Downloads (Pure) -
The Platelet Collagen Receptor GPVI Is Cleaved by Tspan15/ADAM10 and Tspan33/ADAM10 Molecular Scissors
Koo, C. Z., Matthews, A. L., Harrison, N., Szyroka, J., Nieswandt, B., Gardiner, E., Poulter, N. S. & Tomlinson, M. G., 23 Feb 2022, In: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 23, 5, 2440.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile105 Downloads (Pure)
Projects
- 19 Finished
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A mass spectrometer for structural biology and top-down protein identification
Morris, J. (Co-Investigator), Watson, S. (Co-Investigator), Leney, A. (Principal Investigator), Carlomagno, T. (Co-Investigator), Lovering, A. (Co-Investigator), Cox, L. (Co-Investigator), Smerdon, S. (Co-Investigator), Tomlinson, M. (Co-Investigator), Knowles, T. (Co-Investigator), Grant, M. (Co-Investigator), Calebiro, D. (Co-Investigator), Cooper, H. (Co-Investigator), Jackson, R. (Co-Investigator) & Wilson, A. (Co-Investigator)
Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council
1/08/24 → 31/07/25
Project: Research Councils
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MRC IAA: Developing a novel workflow for therapeutic antibody generation
Tomlinson, M. (Principal Investigator) & Dafforn, T. (Co-Investigator)
Medical Research Council, Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council
1/07/23 → 30/06/24
Project: Research Councils
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An accurate eukaryotic plasma membrane assay for coronavirus binding
Tomlinson, M. (Co-Investigator) & Knowles, T. (Principal Investigator)
Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council
5/01/21 → 4/10/21
Project: Research
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A new mass spectrometer for structural proteomics and protein imaging
Thomas, C. (Co-Investigator), Grant, M. (Co-Investigator), Lovering, A. (Co-Investigator), Alderwick, L. (Co-Investigator), Tomlinson, M. (Co-Investigator), Winn, P. (Co-Investigator), Knowles, T. (Co-Investigator), Cooper, H. (Principal Investigator), Styles, I. (Co-Investigator), Gibbs, D. (Co-Investigator), Huber, D. (Co-Investigator), Bhatt, A. (Co-Investigator) & Leney, A. (Co-Investigator)
Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council
1/07/19 → 30/06/20
Project: Research