All living cells constantly sense and respond to their environment. Inside the cell, there is a complex network of signalling pathways, which regulate all cellular decisions from conception to old age. Abnormal signalling pathways cause disease; including developmental defects, inflammation, diabetes, cancer and neurodegeneration. Furthermore, signalling pathways can be manipulated with medicines to treat disease. Therefore, it is critical to understand the molecular mechanisms by which signalling pathways function in healthy and diseased cells.

My research focuses on the evolutionary conserved MAP kinase signalling pathways concentrating on the least well studied ERK5 pathway. MAP Kinase pathways are 3-tiered hierarchical protein kinase cascades that regulate key cell fate decisions. The best-understood example is the RAS-regulated RAF-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 cascade, which connects growth factors receptors to changes in gene expression through ERK-catalysed phosphorylation of ETS and AP-1 transcription factors. Components of the ERK5 pathway are ubiquitously expressed and play a key role in determining embryonic stem cell identity as well as the development of the musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. ERK5 is an unusual kinase as it possesses a unique large C-terminal extension containing a nuclear localisation signal and a transcriptional trans-activation domain. I am studying the molecular mechanisms by which ERK5 signals and regulates gene expression.