People

Dr Gareth Wright

Lecturer
School of Life Sciences
Dr Gareth Wright

Profile

Biography

Neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis pose a large financial and emotional cost to society. Their aetiology often stems from an inability of neural tissue to clear misfunctional macromolecules. I aim to answer the question, why are these molecules toxic and what can be done to prevent or cure the diseases they cause? I am interested in proteostasis and targeted protein degradation and study these areas using a combination of molecular, synthetic, cell and structural biology.

Teaching and supervision

Current teaching responsibilities

  • Transferable Skills in Life Sciences (BS143)

  • Employability Skills for the Biosciences (BS211)

  • Molecular Biology: Genes, Proteins and Disease (BS221)

  • Issues in Biomedical Science (BS306)

  • Mechanisms of Neurological Disease (BS350)

  • Research Project in Biomedical Science (BS831)

Publications

Journal articles (31)

Al-Jourani, O., Benedict, ST., Ross, J., Layton, AJ., van der Peet, P., Marando, VM., Bailey, NP., Heunis, T., Manion, J., Mensitieri, F., Franklin, A., Abellon-Ruiz, J., Oram, SL., Parsons, L., Cartmell, A., Wright, GSA., Baslé, A., Trost, M., Henrissat, B., Munoz-Munoz, J., Hirt, RP., Kiessling, LL., Lovering, AL., Williams, SJ., Lowe, EC. and Moynihan, PJ., (2023). Identification of d-arabinan-degrading enzymes in mycobacteria. Nature Communications. 14 (1), 2233-

Luis, AS., Baslé, A., Byrne, DP., Wright, GSA., London, JA., Jin, C., Karlsson, NG., Hansson, GC., Eyers, PA., Czjzek, M., Barbeyron, T., Yates, EA., Martens, EC. and Cartmell, A., (2022). Sulfated glycan recognition by carbohydrate sulfatases of the human gut microbiota. Nature Chemical Biology. 18 (8), 841-849

McAlary, L., Shephard, VK., Wright, GSA. and Yerbury, JJ., (2022). A copper chaperone–mimetic polytherapy for SOD1-associated amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 298 (3), 101612-101612

Luis, AS., Baslé, A., Byrne, DP., Wright, GSA., London, JA., Jin, C., Karlsson, NG., Hansson, GC., Eyers, PA., Czjzek, M., Barbeyron, T., Yates, EA., Martens, EC. and Cartmell, A., (2022). Author Correction: Sulfated glycan recognition by carbohydrate sulfatases of the human gut microbiota. Nature Chemical Biology. 18 (9), 1032-1032

Wright, GSA., (2021). Bacterial Evolutionary Precursors of Eukaryotic Copper-Zinc Superoxide Dismutases.. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38 (9), 3789-3803

Wright, GSA., (2020). Molecular and pharmacological chaperones for SOD1. Biochemical Society Transactions. 48 (4), 1795-1806

Chantadul, V., Wright, GSA., Amporndanai, K., Shahid, M., Antonyuk, SV., Washbourn, G., Rogers, M., Roberts, N., Pye, M., O’Neill, PM. and Hasnain, SS., (2020). Ebselen as template for stabilization of A4V mutant dimer for motor neuron disease therapy. Communications Biology. 3 (1), 97-

Wright, GSA., Watanabe, TF., Amporndanai, K., Plotkin, SS., Cashman, NR., Antonyuk, SV. and Hasnain, SS., (2020). Purification and Structural Characterization of Aggregation-Prone Human TDP-43 Involved in Neurodegenerative Diseases. iScience. 23 (6), 101159-101159

Wright, GSA., Antonyuk, SV. and Hasnain, SS., (2019). The biophysics of superoxide dismutase-1 and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics. 52, e12-

Hedison, TM., Shenoy, RT., Iorgu, AI., Heyes, DJ., Fisher, K., Wright, GSA., Hay, S., Eady, RR., Antonyuk, SV., Hasnain, SS. and Scrutton, NS., (2019). Unexpected Roles of a Tether Harboring a Tyrosine Gatekeeper Residue in Modular Nitrite Reductase Catalysis. ACS Catalysis. 9 (7), 6087-6099

Sala, FA., Wright, GSA., Antonyuk, SV., Garratt, RC. and Hasnain, SS., (2019). Molecular recognition and maturation of SOD1 by its evolutionarily destabilised cognate chaperone hCCS. PLOS Biology. 17 (2), e3000141-e3000141

Poonsiri, T., Wright, GSA., Solomon, T. and Antonyuk, SV., (2019). Crystal Structure of the Japanese Encephalitis Virus Capsid Protein. Viruses. 11 (7), 623-623

Chiduza, GN., Johnson, RM., Wright, GSA., Antonyuk, SV., Muench, SP. and Hasnain, SS., (2019). LAT1 (SLC7A5) and CD98hc (SLC3A2) complex dynamics revealed by single-particle cryo-EM. Acta Crystallographica Section D Structural Biology. 75 (7), 660-669

Manjula, R., Unni, S., Wright, GSA., Bharath M. M., S. and Padmanabhan, B., (2019). Rational discovery of a SOD1 tryptophan oxidation inhibitor with therapeutic potential for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics. 37 (15), 3936-3946

Manjula, R., Wright, GSA., Strange, RW. and Padmanabhan, B., (2018). Assessment of ligand binding at a site relevant to SOD1 oxidation and aggregation. FEBS Letters. 592 (10), 1725-1737

Poonsiri, T., Wright, GSA., Diamond, MS., Turtle, L., Solomon, T. and Antonyuk, SV., (2018). Structural Study of the C-Terminal Domain of Nonstructural Protein 1 from Japanese Encephalitis Virus. Journal of Virology. 92 (7), e01868-e01817

Capper, MJ., Wright, GSA., Barbieri, L., Luchinat, E., Mercatelli, E., McAlary, L., Yerbury, JJ., O’Neill, PM., Antonyuk, SV., Banci, L. and Hasnain, SS., (2018). The cysteine-reactive small molecule ebselen facilitates effective SOD1 maturation. Nature Communications. 9 (1), 1693-

Wright, GSA., Saeki, A., Hikima, T., Nishizono, Y., Hisano, T., Kamaya, M., Nukina, K., Nishitani, H., Nakamura, H., Yamamoto, M., Antonyuk, SV., Hasnain, SS., Shiro, Y. and Sawai, H., (2018). Architecture of the complete oxygen-sensing FixL-FixJ two-component signal transduction system. Science Signaling. 11 (525), eaaq0825-

Dickens, D., Chiduza, GN., Wright, GSA., Pirmohamed, M., Antonyuk, SV. and Hasnain, SS., (2017). Modulation of LAT1 (SLC7A5) transporter activity and stability by membrane cholesterol. Scientific Reports. 7 (1), 43580-

Wright, GSA., Antonyuk, SV. and Hasnain, SS., (2016). A faulty interaction between SOD1 and hCCS in neurodegenerative disease. Scientific Reports. 6 (1), 27691-

Hughes, AJ., Rudd, TR., Wright, GSA., Fernig, DG., Siligardi, G. and Yates, EA., (2015). Detection of interaction between protein trytophan residues and small or macromolecular ligands by synchrotron radiation magnetic circular dichroism. Analytical Methods. 7 (5), 1667-1671

Austin, JA., Wright, GSA., Watanabe, S., Grossmann, JG., Antonyuk, SV., Yamanaka, K. and Hasnain, SS., (2014). Disease causing mutants of TDP-43 nucleic acid binding domains are resistant to aggregation and have increased stability and half-life. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 111 (11), 4309-4314

Wright, GSA., Antonyuk, SV., Kershaw, NM., Strange, RW. and Samar Hasnain, S., (2013). Ligand binding and aggregation of pathogenic SOD1. Nature Communications. 4 (1), 1758-

Wright, GSA., Lee, HC., Schulze-Briese, C., Grossmann, JG., Strange, RW. and Hasnain, SS., (2013). The application of hybrid pixel detectors for in-house SAXS instrumentation with a view to combined chromatographic operation.. Journal of Synchrotron Radiation. 20 (Pt 2), 383-385

Kershaw, NM., Wright, GSA., Sharma, R., Antonyuk, SV., Strange, RW., Berry, NG., O'Neill, PM. and Hasnain, SS., (2013). X-ray Crystallography and Computational Docking for the Detection and Development of Protein–Ligand Interactions. Current Medicinal Chemistry. 20 (4), 569-575

Han, C., Wright, GSA., Fisher, K., Rigby, SEJ., Eady, RR. and Hasnain, SS., (2012). Characterization of a novel copper-haem c dissimilatory nitrite reductase from Ralstonia pickettii. Biochemical Journal. 444 (2), 219-226

Wright, GSA., Hasnain, SS. and Grossmann, JG., (2011). The structural plasticity of the human copper chaperone for SOD1: insights from combined size-exclusion chromatographic and solution X-ray scattering studies. Biochemical Journal. 439 (1), 39-44

Postis, VLG., Deacon, SE., Roach, PCJ., Wright, GSA., Xia, X., Wright, GSA., Xia, X., Ingram, JC., Hadden, JM., Henderson, PJF., Phillips, SEV., Roach, PCJ., McPherson, MJ. and Baldwin, SA., (2008). A high-throughput assay of membrane protein stability. Molecular Membrane Biology. 25 (8), 617-624

Roach, PCJ., Postis, VLG., Deacon, SE., Wright, GSA., Ingram, JC., Xia, X., McPherson, MJ. and Baldwin, SA., (2008). Large-scale preparation of bacterial cell membranes by tangential flow filtration. Molecular Membrane Biology. 25 (8), 609-616

Deacon, SE., Roach, PCJ., Postis, VLG., Wright, GSA., Xia, X., Phillips, SEV., Paul Knox, J., Henderson, PJF., McPherson, MJ. and Baldwin, SA., (2008). Reliable scale-up of membrane protein over-expression by bacterial auto-induction: From microwell plates to pilot scale fermentations. Molecular Membrane Biology. 25 (8), 588-598

Xia, X., Postis, VLG., Rahman, M., Wright, GSA., Roach, PCJ., Deacon, SE., Ingram, JC., Henderson, PJF., Findlay, JBC., Phillips, SEV., Postis, VLG., McPherson, MJ. and Baldwin, SA., (2008). Investigation of the structure and function of aShewanella oneidensisarsenical-resistance family transporter. Molecular Membrane Biology. 25 (8), 691-701

Reports and Papers (1)

Luis, A., Baslé, A., Byrne, DP., Wright, GSA., London, J., Chunsheng, J., Karlsson, N., Hansson, G., Eyers, P., Czjzek, M., Barbeyron, T., Yates, EA., Martens, EC. and Cartmell, A., (2021). Sulfated host glycan recognition by carbohydrate sulfatases of the human gut microbiota

Grants and funding

2023

BioPROTACs and BioAUTACs for neurodegenerative disease

Academy of Medical Sciences

Construction and testing of synthetic TDP43-targeted protein degraders

The Royal Society

TRICSS - a multi-user high-throughput platform to quantify biological interactions in solution

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

TRICSS - a multi-user high-throughput platform to quantify biological interactions in solution

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

2022

Natural and synthetic chaperones for SOD1-related Motor Neuron Disease

Motor Neurone Disease Association

Contact

gareth.wright@essex.ac.uk
+44 (0) 1206 874048

Location:

Colchester Campus

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