![Professor Jennifer Stow](/sites/default/files/profiles/436.jpeg)
Overview
Background
Professor Jennifer Stow is a molecular cell biologist, an NHMRC Leadership Fellow and head of the Protein Trafficking and Inflammation research laboratory in The University of Queensland’s Institute of Molecular Bioscience (IMB). Her previous leadership appointments include as Division Head and Deputy Director (Research) at IMB (12 years) and she currently serves on national and international advisory boards, editorial boards and steering committees, and as an elected Associate Member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO).
Jenny Stow received her undergraduate and PhD qualifications at Melbourne’s Monash University before undertaking postdoctoral training in the Department of Cell Biology at Yale University School of Medicine, USA. With training as a microscopist in kidney research, she gained further experience at Yale as a postdoc in the lab of eminent cell biologist and microscopist, Dr Marilyn Farquhar, where protein trafficking was both a theme and a passion. Jenny then took up her first faculty appointment as an Assistant Professor in the Renal Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School in Boston USA, where her research uncovered new roles for a class of enzymes, GTPases, in regulating trafficking within cells. At MGH her research also formed part of a highly successful NIH Renal Cell Biology Program. In late 1994, Jenny moved her research lab back to Australia, to The University of Queensland, in late 1994 as a Wellcome Trust International Medical Research Fellow. As part of IMB since, the Stow lab has continued a focus on protein trafficking, including pioneering live-cell imaging, to spearhead their work on trafficking in inflammation, cancer and chronic disease. Major discoveries include identifying new proteins and pathways for recycling adhesion proteins in epithelial cells, inflammatory cytokine secretion in macrophages and immune signalling through Toll-like receptors in inflammation and infection. Small GTPases of the Rab family, signalling adaptors and kinases feature among the molecules studied in the Stow lab for their functional roles and their potential as drug targets in inflammation and cancer. A keen focus is to understand the role of the fluid uptake pathway, macropinocytosis, in controlling inflammation, cancer and mucosal absorption.
Professor Stow has been awarded multiple career fellowships including from American Heart Association, Wellcome Trust and NHMRC. She has published >200 papers, cited over 15,500 times and she is the recipient of awards and honours, most recently including the 2019 President's Medal from the Australia and New Zealand Society for Cell and Developmental Biology. She is also academic head of IMB Microscopy, a world-class fluorescence microscopy and image analysis facility. Her research is funded by a variety of agencies and industry partnerships, in addition to NHMRC and ARC, including through the ARC Centre of Excellence in Quantum Biotechnology, QUBIC. The Stow lab work with national and international collaborators and welcome students and postdoctoral trainees to participate in their research. We value having a diverse, inclusive and supportive culture for research and celebrate the many diverse and wonderful successes of Stow lab alumni.
Availability
- Professor Jennifer Stow is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor (Honours) of Science (Advanced), Monash University
- Doctor of Philosophy, Monash University
Research interests
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Controlling Inflammation: Receptor Signalling and Cytokine Secretion.
Immune cells like macrophages are activated by contact with pathogens and other stimuli, triggering protective immune and inflammatory responses. Signalling pathways generated by macrophage Toll-like receptors (TLRs) elicit the synthesis and secretion of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. These cytokines instruct other cells to mount either anti-microbial attack responses, followed by tissue repair responses, that over time, control and suppress inflammation. Disrupting the finely tuned TLR signalling pathways and release of cytokines leads to the inflammatory tissue damage that accompanies many chronic diseases. Our research investigates the roles of TLR signalling regulators, including coreceptors, signalling adaptors, lipid kinases and GTPases that help to bias and control cytokine programming. While current therapies target the cytokines themselves, our research is generating strategies to target additional regulatory molecules to control inflammation in disease.
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Cellular Pathways to and from the Cell Surface.
Cells have intimate contact with their tissue environments and each other through many cell surface projections and trafficking pathways that move proteins, membranes and other matter into and out of cells. Live cell imaging and microscopy reveal these behaviours at molecular, cellular and tissue levels. Our research examines the surface features (ruffles, filopodia, cilia) and cellular pathways (macropinocytosis, secretory and recycling pathways) in macrophages, other immune cells, epithelial cells and cancer cells that give each of them specialised functions. As revealed by our research, many of these pathways are governed by small GTPases of the Rab family and their effector molecules. Understanding these pathways is important in disease, for instance, immunity, inflammation and cancer metastasis are all dependent on the Rab-mediated macropinocytosis or cell drinking pathways we investigate.
Research impacts
Understanding how cells and molecules within our bodies function is essential for understanding and addressing diseases and other factors that affect our biology, such as genetics, environment, drugs and bugs. Cells contain remarkably complex pathways for trafficking, or moving proteins around, and for the receptor signalling that controls cell responses. Many of these pathways are affected in disease and are also the targets for drugs we use to treat disease. Insights gained from our research generate a fundamental understanding of cell biology as a necessary framework for developing new treatment strategies. Poorly controlled inflammation is a pervasive disease process underlying many chronic diseases and our research on immune cells is uncovering how inflammation is normally controlled within cells. This information is instructive for devising strategies and identifying drugs that are likely to control inflammation in different chronic diseases and in cancer.
Our work takes advantage of the cutting-edge rsearch facilities in IMB at The University of Queensland, and we collaborate with many valued colleagues throughout Australia and around the world. Technologically, it is a very exciting time for biological and biomedical research, with the rapid development of new types of microscopy, laser imaging, big-image data computing, artificial intelligence and virtual reality capabilities for visualising and analysing living cells and tissues. Our research is part of national and global efforts to refine and apply the latest imaging and big data technologies to resolve structures and processes in normal cells and in cells affected by disease.
Works
Search Professor Jennifer Stow’s works on UQ eSpace
2021
Journal Article
Rab6b localizes to the Golgi complex in murine macrophages and promotes tumor necrosis factor release in response to mycobacterial infection
Domínguez Cadena, Leslie C., Schultz, Thomas E., Zamoshnikova, Alina, Donovan, Meg L., Mathmann, Carmen D., Yu, Chien-Hsiung, Mori, Giorgia, Stow, Jennifer L and Blumenthal, Antje (2021). Rab6b localizes to the Golgi complex in murine macrophages and promotes tumor necrosis factor release in response to mycobacterial infection. Immunology and Cell Biology, 99 (10), 1067-1076. doi: 10.1111/imcb.12503
2021
Book Chapter
Detecting Endogenous Rab8 Activation
Tong, Samuel J., Lucas, Richard M., Xiao, Zhijian, Luo, Lin and Stow, Jennifer L. (2021). Detecting Endogenous Rab8 Activation. Rab GTPases: Methods and Protocols. (pp. 45-56) New York, NY United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1346-7_4
2020
Journal Article
Ciliopathies and the kidney: a review
McConnachie, Dominique J., Stow, Jennifer L. and Mallett, Andrew J. (2020). Ciliopathies and the kidney: a review. American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 77 (3), 410-419. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2020.08.012
2020
Journal Article
Neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree
Gilding, Edward K., Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Israel, Mathilde R., Harvey, Peta J., Poth, Aaron G., Rehm, Fabian B. H., Stow, Jennifer L., Robinson, Samuel D., Yap, Kuok, Brown, Darren L., Hamilton, Brett R., Andersson, David, Craik, David J., Vetter, Irina and Durek, Thomas (2020). Neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree. Science Advances, 6 (38) eabb8828, 1-10. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abb8828
2020
Journal Article
Macropinocytosis: insights from immunology and cancer
Stow, Jennifer L., Hung, Yu and Wall, Adam A. (2020). Macropinocytosis: insights from immunology and cancer. Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 65, 131-140. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2020.06.005
2020
Journal Article
Editorial overview: Membrane traffic in the time of COVID-19
Brodsky, Frances M. and Stow, Jennifer L. (2020). Editorial overview: Membrane traffic in the time of COVID-19. Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 65, iii-v. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2020.09.003
2020
Journal Article
High‐speed squeeze: light‐sheet imaging of zebrafish neutrophils
Stow, Jennifer L. and Condon, Nicholas D. (2020). High‐speed squeeze: light‐sheet imaging of zebrafish neutrophils. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 108 (2), 447-449. doi: 10.1002/jlb.1ce0320-082
2020
Journal Article
Toll-like receptor 4 stimulates gene expression via Smad2 linker region phosphorylation in vascular smooth muscle cells
Afroz, Rizwana, Zhou, Ying, Little, Peter J., Xu, Suowen, Mohamed, Raafat, Stow, Jennifer and Kamato, Danielle (2020). Toll-like receptor 4 stimulates gene expression via Smad2 linker region phosphorylation in vascular smooth muscle cells. ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science, 3 (3) acsptsci.9b00113, 524-534. doi: 10.1021/acsptsci.9b00113
Featured
2020
Journal Article
Class IIa histone deacetylases drive toll-like receptor-inducible glycolysis and macrophage inflammatory responses via pyruvate kinase M2
Das Gupta, Kaustav, Shakespear, Melanie R., Curson, James E.B., Murthy, Ambika M.V., Iyer, Abishek, Hodson, Mark P., Ramnath, Divya, Tillu, Vikas A., von Pein, Jessica B., Reid, Robert C., Tunny, Kathryn, Hohenhaus, Daniel M., Moradi, Shayli Varasteh, Kelly, Gregory M., Kobayashi, Takumi, Gunter, Jennifer H., Stevenson, Alexander J., Xu, Weijun, Luo, Lin, Jones, Alun, Johnston, Wayne A., Blumenthal, Antje, Alexandrov, Kirill, Collins, Brett M., Stow, Jennifer L., Fairlie, David P. and Sweet, Matthew J. (2020). Class IIa histone deacetylases drive toll-like receptor-inducible glycolysis and macrophage inflammatory responses via pyruvate kinase M2. Cell Reports, 30 (8), 2712-2728.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.007
2020
Journal Article
A life in pictures—Marilyn Gist Farquhar
Stow, Jennifer L., Saraste, Jaakko and Brown, William J. (2020). A life in pictures—Marilyn Gist Farquhar. Journal of Cell Biology, 219 (2). doi: 10.1083/jcb.202001010
2020
Journal Article
Automated analysis of cell surface ruffling: ruffle quantification macro
Condon, Nicholas D., Stow, Jennifer L. and Wall, Adam A. (2020). Automated analysis of cell surface ruffling: ruffle quantification macro. Bio-Protocol, 10 (2) ARTN e3494, e3494. doi: 10.21769/BioProtoc.3494
2019
Journal Article
Signalling, sorting and scaffolding adaptors for Toll-like receptors
Luo, Lin, Lucas, Richard M., Liu, Liping and Stow, Jennifer L. (2019). Signalling, sorting and scaffolding adaptors for Toll-like receptors. Journal of Cell Science, 133 (5) jcs239194, jcs239194. doi: 10.1242/jcs.239194
2019
Journal Article
SCIMP is a universal Toll‐like receptor adaptor in macrophages
Luo, Lin, Curson, James E. B., Liu, Liping, Wall, Adam A., Tuladhar, Neeraj, Lucas, Richard M., Sweet, Matthew J. and Stow, Jennifer L. (2019). SCIMP is a universal Toll‐like receptor adaptor in macrophages. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 107 (2) JLB.2MA0819-138RR, 251-262. doi: 10.1002/jlb.2ma0819-138rr
2019
Journal Article
Inhibitors of class I histone deacetylases attenuate thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in mice by suppressing hepatic Type 2 inflammation
Loh, Zhixuan, Fitzsimmons, Rebecca L., Reid, Robert C., Ramnath, Divya, Clouston, Andrew, Gupta, Praveer K., Irvine, Katharine M., Powell, Elizabeth E., Schroder, Kate, Stow, Jennifer L., Sweet, Matthew J., Fairlie, David P. and Iyer, Abishek (2019). Inhibitors of class I histone deacetylases attenuate thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in mice by suppressing hepatic Type 2 inflammation. British Journal of Pharmacology, 176 (19) bph.14768, 3775-3790. doi: 10.1111/bph.14768
2019
Journal Article
RAB27A promotes melanoma cell invasion and metastasis via regulation of pro-invasive exosomes
Guo, Dajiang, Lui, Goldie Y. L., Lai, Siew Li, Wilmott, James S., Tikoo, Shweta, Jackett, Louise A., Quek, Camelia, Brown, Darren L., Sharp, Danae M., Kwan, Rain Y. Q., Chacon, Diego, Wong, Jason H., Beck, Dominik, van Geldermalsen, Michelle, Holst, Jeff, Thompson, John F., Mann, Graham J., Scolyer, Richard A., Stow, Jennifer L., Weninger, Wolfgang, Haass, Nikolas K. and Beaumont, Kimberley A. (2019). RAB27A promotes melanoma cell invasion and metastasis via regulation of pro-invasive exosomes. International Journal of Cancer, 144 (12), 3070-3085. doi: 10.1002/ijc.32064
2019
Conference Publication
Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Attenuate Hepatic Fibrosis through Suppression of Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells and Type 2 Inflammation
Iyer, Abishek, Loh, Zhixuan, Fitzsimmons, Rebecca L., Reid, Robert C., Ramnath, Divya, Clouston, Andrew, Irvine, Katharine M., Powell, Elizabeth E., Schroder, Kate, Stow, Jennifer L., Sweet, Matthew J. and Fairlie, David P. (2019). Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors Attenuate Hepatic Fibrosis through Suppression of Group 2 Innate Lymphoid Cells and Type 2 Inflammation. Experimental Biology Meeting (EB), Orlando Fl, Apr 06-09, 2019. HOBOKEN: WILEY.
2019
Journal Article
Guanine nucleotide exchange factors activate Rab8a for Toll-like receptor signalling
Tong, Samuel J., Wall, Adam A., Hung, Yu, Luo, Lin and Stow, Jennifer L. (2019). Guanine nucleotide exchange factors activate Rab8a for Toll-like receptor signalling. Small GTPases, 12 (1), 1-17. doi: 10.1080/21541248.2019.1587278
2019
Journal Article
Rab8a localisation and activation by Toll-like receptors on macrophage macropinosomes
Wall, Adam A., Condon, Nicholas D., Luo, Lin and Stow, Jennifer L. (2019). Rab8a localisation and activation by Toll-like receptors on macrophage macropinosomes. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 374 (1765) 20180151, 20180151. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0151
2019
Journal Article
Individual Smad2 linker region phosphorylation sites determine the expression of proteoglycan and glycosaminoglycan synthesizing genes
Kamato, Danielle, Burch, Micah, Yang, Zhou, Mohamed, Raafat, Stow, Jennifer L., Osman, Narin and Little, Peter J. (2019). Individual Smad2 linker region phosphorylation sites determine the expression of proteoglycan and glycosaminoglycan synthesizing genes. Cellular Signalling, 53, 365-373. doi: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2018.11.005
2019
Conference Publication
RAB27A promotes melanoma cell invasion and metastasis via regulation of pro-invasive exosomes
Guo, D., Lui, G. Y., Wilmott, J. S., Tikoo, S., Brown, D. L., Mann, G. J., Scolyer, R. A., Stow, J. L., Weninger, W., Beaumont, K. A. and Haass, N. (2019). RAB27A promotes melanoma cell invasion and metastasis via regulation of pro-invasive exosomes. 46th Annual Meeting of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft-Dermatologische-Forschung (ADF), Munich, GERMANY, MAR 13-16, 2019. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Jennifer Stow is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
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Doctor Philosophy
Barrier functions of the intestinal epithelium.
Principal Advisor
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Doctor Philosophy
Gut inflammation: model systems and the development of anti-inflammatory peptide drugs.
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Thomas Durek
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Doctor Philosophy
Structural and cellular analysis of Rab GTPases for drug development in cancer.
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Quan Nguyen, Professor Brett Collins
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Doctor Philosophy
Performing microrheological measurements of biological compartments with rotational optical tweezers
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alexander Stilgoe, Dr Itia Favre-Bulle, Professor Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop
Completed supervision
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2023
Doctor Philosophy
Cell death, inflammation, and macrophages in cardiac ischemia and metabolic disease
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Nathan Palpant
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
Rab GTPase Regulation of Primary Cilia in Renal Epithelium
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Andrew Mallett
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2022
Master Philosophy
Rab GTPase Regulation of Cell Surface Protrusions
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Andrew Mallett
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Regulation of Rab8 in Toll-Like Receptor Signalling Pathways
Principal Advisor
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2020
Doctor Philosophy
Inflammatory modulation in microglia: Macropinocytosis for receptor trafficking and signalling
Principal Advisor
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2018
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of Dorsal Ruffles in Activated Macrophages
Principal Advisor
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Molecular Regulation of Phagocytosis and Signaling in Macrophages
Principal Advisor
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2014
Doctor Philosophy
The Role of Rab23 in Epithelial Morphogenesis, Polarity and Lumen Formation
Principal Advisor
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2011
Doctor Philosophy
Investigating the Role of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase in Cytokine Trafficking and Secretion
Principal Advisor
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
Exocytosis and Endocytosis in LPS-activated macrophages: pathways and regulators
Principal Advisor
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2008
Doctor Philosophy
The regulators of E-cadherin trafficking in polarized epithelial cells
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rohan Teasdale
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2007
Doctor Philosophy
THE EXOCYTIC AND ENDOCYTIC TRAFFICKING OF E-CADHERIN IN EPITHELIAL CELLS
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rohan Teasdale
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2006
Doctor Philosophy
ANALYSIS OF CADHERIN AND RECEPTOR TYROSINE KINASE INTERACTIONS: TRAFFICKING AND FUNCTION
Principal Advisor
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2006
Doctor Philosophy
DYNAMIC IMAGING OF POST-GOLGI PROTEIN TRANSPORT
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rohan Teasdale
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Doctor Philosophy
INTRACELLULAR CYTOKINE TRAFFICKING AND PHAGOCYTOSIS IN MACROPHAGES
Principal Advisor
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2022
Doctor Philosophy
SCIMP as a scaffold for kinases in innate immune receptor pathways
Associate Advisor
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2021
Doctor Philosophy
SCIMP: a novel TLR4 adaptor protein that fine-tunes inflammatory signalling in myeloid cells
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Matt Sweet
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2016
Doctor Philosophy
Retinoid-related Orphan Nuclear Receptor Alpha and Macrophages in Lipid Metabolism and Immunity
Associate Advisor
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2010
Doctor Philosophy
Computational methods to define the endosomal proteome
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rohan Teasdale
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2009
Doctor Philosophy
The molecular mechanism of MC1R association with skin cancer risk phenotypes
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rick Sturm
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2006
Doctor Philosophy
MOLECULAR CHANGES DEFINING THE TRANSITION FROM RADIAL TO VERTICAL GROWTH PHASE IN MELANOMA
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rick Sturm
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2005
Doctor Philosophy
THE ROLE OF P120-CTN IN REGULATING E-CADHERIN-MEDIATED ADHESION
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alpha Yap
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
POST-GOLGI TRAFFICKING IN THE MAMMALIAN SECRETORY PATHWAY
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Rohan Teasdale
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2004
Doctor Philosophy
MEMBRANE MOVEMENTS OF E-CADHERIN
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Alpha Yap
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2003
Doctor Philosophy
MOLECULAR DISSECTION OF PROTEIN TARGETTING IN EUCARYOTIC CELLS
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Jennifer Stow directly for media enquiries about:
- anti-imflammatory
- bacteria
- bacterial infection
- Biology - molecular
- cancer
- Cancer cells
- Cell biology
- chronic disease
- Cytokines
- Host-pathogen interactions
- imaging
- Infectious disease
- Inflammation
- Inflammatory disease
- legionella
- legionnaires disease
- Macrophages
- microscopy
- Molecular biology
- molecular imaging
- Protein secretion
- scientific leadership
- Vesicle trafficking
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