
Overview
Background
Brett Collins is an NHMRC Career Development Fellow and head of the Molecular Trafficking Lab at UQ's Institute for Molecular Bioscience. He was a lead investigator in the seminal structural studies of AP2, the protein adaptor molecule central to clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and has since defined the molecular basis for the function of critical proteins regulating membrane trafficking and signalling at the endosome organelle. His team is now focused on understanding how discrete molecular interactions between proteins and lipids control these processes in human cells.
Associate Professor Collins was awarded his PhD in 2001 and has published over 75 papers including in Cell, Nature, Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, Developmental Cell, and The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, altogether cited more than 3100 times. He is the recipient of 3 prestigious fellowships, including a previous Career Development Award from the National Health and Medical Research Council and a Future Fellowship from the Australian Research Council, and was awarded the University of Queensland Research Excellence Award in 2008. In 2015 he was awarded the Emerging Leader Award of the ANZSCDB and in 2016 the Merck Research Medal from the ASBMB. He is currently the President of the Queensland Protein Group.
Availability
- Professor Brett Collins is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Macquarie University
Research interests
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Membrane Trafficking
The basis for movement of molecules between cellular organelles essential for cell homeostasis.
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Structural biology
The atomic resolution details of how biological molecules are assembled together and interact with each other.
Research impacts
Trafficking is essential for normal cellular function and is perturbed in many different diseases, notably Alzheimer’s and other neurological disorders, pathogen invasion, cancer and inflammation. A/Prof Collins is probing the fundamental mechanisms of membrane transport, through the application of high-resolution structure determination, quantitative biophysical analyses of molecular interactions, and correlated cellular studies of essential protein machineries. Understanding these molecular mechanisms will allow us to determine how their dysfunction contributes to disease and how to target them for new therapies.
Works
Search Professor Brett Collins’s works on UQ eSpace
2023
Journal Article
The association between inflammatory markers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Gigase, Frederieke A. J., Smith, Emma, Collins, Brett, Moore, Kendall, Snijders, Gijsje J. L. J., Katz, Daniel, Bergink, Veerle, Perez-Rodriquez, M. Mercedes and De Witte, Lotje D. (2023). The association between inflammatory markers in blood and cerebrospinal fluid: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry, 28 (4), 1502-1515. doi: 10.1038/s41380-023-01976-6
2023
Journal Article
Large 22q13.3 deletions perturb peripheral transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles in Phelan-McDermid syndrome
Breen, Michael S., Fan, Xuanjia, Levy, Tess, Pollak, Rebecca M., Collins, Brett, Osman, Aya, Tocheva, Anna S., Sahin, Mustafa, Berry-Kravis, Elizabeth, Soorya, Latha, Thurm, Audrey, Powell, Craig M., Bernstein, Jonathan A., Kolevzon, Alexander and Buxbaum, Joseph D. (2023). Large 22q13.3 deletions perturb peripheral transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles in Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Human Genetics and Genomics Advances, 4 (1) 100145, 1-15. doi: 10.1016/j.xhgg.2022.100145
2022
Conference Publication
Peripheral and CSF inflammatory biomarkers after COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant individuals
Rajasekaran, Vignesh, Gigase, Frederieke, Smith, Emma, Collins, Brett, Katz, Daniel, Hamburger, Joshua, Ramirez-Zamudio, Andres, Janevic, Teresa, Spicer, Julie, Pietrzak, Robert, Jessel, Rebecca, Bergink, Veerle, Dolan, Siobhan M., McClure, Margaret, De Witte, Lotje and Perez-Rodriguez, M. Mercedes (2022). Peripheral and CSF inflammatory biomarkers after COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant individuals. 28th Annual Meeting of the PsychoNeuroImmunology-Research-Society, Zurich Switzerland, Jun 15-18, 2022. SAN DIEGO: ACADEMIC PRESS INC ELSEVIER SCIENCE. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2022.07.144
2022
Journal Article
Proteomic identification and structural basis for the interaction between sorting nexin SNX17 and PDLIM family proteins
Healy, Michael D., Sacharz, Joanna, McNally, Kerrie E., McConville, Calum, Tillu, Vikas A., Hall, Ryan J., Chilton, Molly, Cullen, Peter J., Mobli, Mehdi, Ghai, Rajesh, Stroud, David A. and Collins, Brett M. (2022). Proteomic identification and structural basis for the interaction between sorting nexin SNX17 and PDLIM family proteins. Structure, 30 (12), 1590-1602.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.str.2022.10.001
2022
Journal Article
Rare coding variation provides insight into the genetic architecture and phenotypic context of autism
Fu, Jack M., Satterstrom, F. Kyle, Peng, Minshi, Brand, Harrison, Collins, Ryan L., Dong, Shan, Wamsley, Brie, Klei, Lambertus, Wang, Lily, Hao, Stephanie P., Stevens, Christine R., Cusick, Caroline, Babadi, Mehrtash, Banks, Eric, Collins, Brett, Dodge, Sheila, Gabriel, Stacey B., Gauthier, Laura, Lee, Samuel K., Liang, Lindsay, Ljungdahl, Alicia, Mahjani, Behrang, Sloofman, Laura, Smirnov, Andrey N., Barbosa, Mafalda, Betancur, Catalina, Brusco, Alfredo, Chung, Brian H. Y., Cook, Edwin H. ... Talkowski, Michael E. (2022). Rare coding variation provides insight into the genetic architecture and phenotypic context of autism. Nature Genetics, 54 (9), 1320-1334. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01104-0
2022
Journal Article
ESCPE-1 mediates retrograde endosomal sorting of the SARS-CoV-2 host factor Neuropilin-1
Simonetti, Boris, Daly, James L., Simón-Gracia, Lorena, Klein, Katja, Weeratunga, Saroja, Antón-Plágaro, Carlos, Tobi, Allan, Hodgson, Lorna, Lewis, Philip A., Heesom, Kate J., Shoemark, Deborah K., Davidson, Andrew D., Collins, Brett M., Teesalu, Tambet, Yamauchi, Yohei and Cullen, Peter J. (2022). ESCPE-1 mediates retrograde endosomal sorting of the SARS-CoV-2 host factor Neuropilin-1. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (25) e2201980119, 1-11. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2201980119
2022
Journal Article
The structure of caveolin finally takes shape
Parton, Robert G. and Collins, Brett M. (2022). The structure of caveolin finally takes shape. Science Advances, 8 (19) eabq6985, eabq6985. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abq6985
2022
Journal Article
SNX27–Retromer directly binds ESCPE-1 to transfer cargo proteins during endosomal recycling
Simonetti, Boris, Guo, Qian, Giménez-Andrés, Manuel, Chen, Kai-En, Moody, Edmund R. R., Evans, Ashley J., Chandra, Mintu, Danson, Chris M., Williams, Tom A., Collins, Brett M. and Cullen, Peter J. (2022). SNX27–Retromer directly binds ESCPE-1 to transfer cargo proteins during endosomal recycling. PLoS Biology, 20 (4) e3001601, e3001601. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001601
2022
Journal Article
Structural predictions of the SNX-RGS proteins suggest they belong to a new class of lipid transfer proteins
Paul, Blessy, Weeratunga, Saroja, Tillu, Vikas A., Hariri, Hanaa, Henne, W. Mike and Collins, Brett M. (2022). Structural predictions of the SNX-RGS proteins suggest they belong to a new class of lipid transfer proteins. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 10 826688, 826688. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2022.826688
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Towards a generic prototyping approach for therapeutically-relevant peptides and proteins in a cell-free translation system
Wu, Yue, Cui, Zhenling, Huang, Yen-Hua, de Veer, Simon J., Aralov, Andrey V., Guo, Zhong, Moradi, Shayli V., Hinton, Alexandra O., Deuis, Jennifer R., Guo, Shaodong, Chen, Kai-En, Collins, Brett M., Vetter, Irina, Herzig, Volker, Jones, Alun, Cooper, Matthew A., King, Glenn F., Craik, David J., Alexandrov, Kirill and Mureev, Sergey (2022). Towards a generic prototyping approach for therapeutically-relevant peptides and proteins in a cell-free translation system. Nature Communications, 13 (1) 260, 260. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27854-9
2022
Journal Article
FGF1 and insulin control lipolysis by convergent pathways
Sancar, Gencer, Liu, Sihao, Gasser, Emanuel, Alvarez, Jacqueline G., Moutos, Christopher, Kim, Kyeongkyu, van Zutphen, Tim, Wang, Yuhao, Huddy, Timothy F., Ross, Brittany, Dai, Yang, Zepeda, David, Collins, Brett, Tilley, Emma, Kolar, Matthew J., Yu, Ruth T., Atkins, Annette R., van Dijk, Theo H., Saghatelian, Alan, Jonker, Johan W., Downes, Michael and Evans, Ronald M. (2022). FGF1 and insulin control lipolysis by convergent pathways. Cell Metabolism, 34 (1), 171-183. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.12.004
2022
Journal Article
Biochemical basis for an interaction between SNX27 and the flexible SNX1 N-terminus
Chandra, Mintu, Collins, Brett M. and Jackson, Lauren P. (2022). Biochemical basis for an interaction between SNX27 and the flexible SNX1 N-terminus. Advances in Biological Regulation, 83 100842, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jbior.2021.100842
2021
Journal Article
De novo macrocyclic peptides for inhibiting, stabilizing, and probing the function of the retromer endosomal trafficking complex
Chen, Kai-En, Guo, Qian, Hill, Timothy A., Cui, Yi, Kendall, Amy K., Yang, Zhe, Hall, Ryan J., Healy, Michael D., Sacharz, Joanna, Norwood, Suzanne J., Fonseka, Sachini, Xie, Boyang, Reid, Robert C., Leneva, Natalya, Parton, Robert G., Ghai, Rajesh, Stroud, David A., Fairlie, David P, Suga, Hiroaki, Jackson, Lauren P., Teasdale, Rohan D., Passioura, Toby and Collins, Brett M. (2021). De novo macrocyclic peptides for inhibiting, stabilizing, and probing the function of the retromer endosomal trafficking complex. Science Advances, 7 (49) eabg4007, eabg4007. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abg4007
2021
Journal Article
Rational design of potent peptide inhibitors of the PD-1:PD-L1 interaction for cancer immunotherapy
Yin, Huawu, Zhou, Xiuman, Huang, Yen-Hua, King, Gordon J., Collins, Brett M., Gao, Yanfeng, Craik, David J. and Wang, Conan K. (2021). Rational design of potent peptide inhibitors of the PD-1:PD-L1 interaction for cancer immunotherapy. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 143 (44) jacs.1c08132, 18536-18547. doi: 10.1021/jacs.1c08132
2021
Journal Article
Cavin4 interacts with Bin1 to promote T-tubule formation and stability in developing skeletal muscle
Lo, Harriet P., Lim, Ye-Wheen, Xiong, Zherui, Martel, Nick, Ferguson, Charles, Ariotti, Nicholas, Giacomotto, Jean, Rae, James, Floetenmeyer, Matthias, Moradi, Shayli Varasteh, Gao, Ya, Tillu, Vikas A., Xia, Di, Wang, Huang, Rahnama, Samira, Nixon, Susan J., Bastiani, Michele, Day, Ryan D., Smith, Kelly A., Palpant, Nathan J., Johnston, Wayne A., Alexandrov, Kirill, Collins, Brett M., Hall, Thomas E. and Parton, Robert G. (2021). Cavin4 interacts with Bin1 to promote T-tubule formation and stability in developing skeletal muscle. Journal of Cell Biology, 220 (12) e201905065. doi: 10.1083/jcb.201905065
2021
Journal Article
Enabling efficient folding and high-resolution crystallographic analysis of bracelet cyclotides
Huang, Yen-Hua, Du, Qingdan, Jiang, Zhihao, King, Gordon J., Collins, Brett M., Wang, Conan K. and Craik, David J. (2021). Enabling efficient folding and high-resolution crystallographic analysis of bracelet cyclotides. Molecules, 26 (18) 5554, 5554. doi: 10.3390/molecules26185554
2021
Journal Article
Structural basis for the binding of the cancer targeting scorpion toxin, ClTx, to the vascular endothelia growth factor receptor neuropilin-1
Sharma, Gagan, Braga, Carolyne B., Chen, Kai-En, Jia, Xinying, Ramanujam, Venkatraman, Collins, Brett M., Rittner, Roberto and Mobli, Mehdi (2021). Structural basis for the binding of the cancer targeting scorpion toxin, ClTx, to the vascular endothelia growth factor receptor neuropilin-1. Current Research in Structural Biology, 3, 179-186. doi: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2021.07.003
2021
Journal Article
Key phases in the formation of caveolae
Parton, Robert G., Tillu, Vikas, McMahon, Kerrie-Ann and Collins, Brett M. (2021). Key phases in the formation of caveolae. Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 71, 7-14. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2021.01.009
2021
Journal Article
Sorting nexin-27 regulates AMPA receptor trafficking through the synaptic adhesion protein LRFN2
McMillan, Kirsty J., Banks, Paul J., Hellel, Francesca L. N., Carmichael, Ruth E., Clairfeuille, Thomas, Evans, Ashley J., Heesom, Kate J., Lewis, Philip, Collins, Brett M., Bashir, Zafar, Henley, Jeremy M., Wilkinson, Kevin and Cullen, Peter J. (2021). Sorting nexin-27 regulates AMPA receptor trafficking through the synaptic adhesion protein LRFN2. eLife, 10 e59432. doi: 10.7554/elife.59432
2021
Journal Article
Regulation of NMDA receptor trafficking and gating by activity-dependent CaMKIIα phosphorylation of the GluN2A subunit
Yong, Xuan Ling Hilary, Zhang, Lingrui, Yang, Liming, Chen, Xiumin, Tan, Jing Zhi Anson, Yu, Xiaojun, Chandra, Mintu, Livingstone, Emma, Widagdo, Jocelyn, Vieira, Marta M., Roche, Katherine W., Lynch, Joseph W., Keramidas, Angelo, Collins, Brett M. and Anggono, Victor (2021). Regulation of NMDA receptor trafficking and gating by activity-dependent CaMKIIα phosphorylation of the GluN2A subunit. Cell Reports, 36 (1) 109338, 1-21. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109338
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Brett Collins is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Available projects
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High resolution structural studies of the Commander protein complex essential for intracellular trafficking
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Developing synthetic nanobodies for high resolution structural studies
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Structure and function of endosomal sorting nexin proteins.
Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Studying the role of Calsyntenin-1 as a novel chaperone for the amyloid precursor protein.
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Structural and cellular analysis of Rab GTPases for drug development in cancer.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jennifer Stow, Dr Quan Nguyen
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Doctor Philosophy
Exploring connections between mitochondrial fission and lipid droplets in macrophage antimicrobial responses.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jennifer Stow
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Doctor Philosophy
Exploring connections between mitochondrial fission and lipid droplets in macrophage antimicrobial responses.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jennifer Stow
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Doctor Philosophy
Studying the role of the Retromer trafficking complex as a hub for regulating Rab GTPases at the endosome.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Chen
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Doctor Philosophy
The Role of Caveolar Proteins in Cancer
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Harriet Lo, Professor Robert Parton
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Doctor Philosophy
Targeting bacterial cell envelope coordination for antibiotic drug discovery
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Waldemar Vollmer
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Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the molecular structures of proteins involved in rare disease.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Rosemary Cater
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Doctor Philosophy
Development of peptide-based inhibitors for crop protection
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Conan Wang, Professor David Craik
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Doctor Philosophy
Characterization of blood-brain barrier nutrient transporters
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Rosemary Cater
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Doctor Philosophy
Regulation of sorting nexin 27 by protein phosphorylation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Victor Anggono
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Structural Studies of Cavin Complex Formation and Interaction with Regulatory Proteins
Principal Advisor
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Structural Characterisation of Endosomal Trafficking Protein Sorting Nexin 27
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Kevin Chen
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Screening ligand-binding domains for rapid biosensor design and testing
Principal Advisor
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Structural and Functional Characterisation of the Commander Trafficking Complex and Accessory Proteins
Principal Advisor
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
Rational computational design of protein binders for biosensor and therapeutic applications
Principal Advisor
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
E. coli Cell-Free Platform for Production of Complex Peptides and Proteins
Principal Advisor
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Structural studies of sorting nexin proteins from two distinct subfamilies
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rohan Teasdale
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of proteins essential to vesicle membrane fusion
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emerita Professor Jenny Martin
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Structural and functional studies of suppressor of copper sensitivity proteins from Proteus mirabilis
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Emerita Professor Jenny Martin
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2015
Doctor Philosophy
Structural basis of protein cargo transport by sorting nexins
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rohan Teasdale
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Structure-function studies of the PX-FERM proteins in endosomal trafficking
Principal Advisor
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Structural Basis for Assembly and Membrane Modulating Properties of the Retromer Protein Coat Complex
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rohan Teasdale
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding Protein Mediated Membrane Fusion
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alan Mark
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation and roles of the postsynaptic Ca2+ sensor Copine-6 in primary neurons
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Victor Anggono
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Dynamic re-organisation of Munc18-1 and syntaxin-1A nanodomains on the plasma membrane of neurosecretory cells during exocytosis
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Frederic Meunier
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2019
Doctor Philosophy
Dynamic Reorganization of Presynaptic Proteins During Neurotransmission and Neuronal Degeneration
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Jurgen Götz, Professor Frederic Meunier
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
The disulfide oxidative pathway in Chlamydia trachomatis
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emerita Professor Jenny Martin
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Structural and functional characterisation of the cavin membrane coat complex
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robert Parton
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Towards the development of a prokaryotic system for the in vitro study of caveola formation
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Robert Parton
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
Analysing the Mechanism and Regulation of Vinculin in Cadherin Adhesions
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alpha Yap
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2013
Doctor Philosophy
Novel approaches for understanding prenylation and Rho GTPase membrane targeting
Associate Advisor
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2012
Doctor Philosophy
Role of Munc18-1 in regulating neuroexocytosis
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Elizabeth Coulson, Professor Frederic Meunier
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Brett Collins directly for media enquiries about:
- Alzheimer's
- cancer
- Cryoelectron microscopy
- inflammation
- inflammatory disease
- muscular dystrophy
- Parkinson's
- x-ray crystallography
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