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Prof Steve Bolsover

  • Extension:

    46560

  • Email:

    s.bolsover@ucl.ac.uk

  • Address:

    Cell and Developmental Biology, UCL ,
    Gower Street ,
    London ,
    WC1E 6BT

  • Appointments:

    Emeritus Professor of Cell Physiology, Cell & Developmental Biology, Div of Biosciences
    Research Technician, Inst Ophthalmology - Ocular Biology, Institute of Ophthalmology

Research Summary

My research work has studied many aspects of intracellular signalling, concentrating on calcium and on neurones. My work falls into three main areas:

1. Defining the spatial organization of calcium signals in cells. I was responsible for putting together one of the first calcium imaging systems in Britain. We used this, for example, to show for the first time that calcium spatial gradients develop in fatigued skeletal muscle cells. In two Nature papers I described how electrical stimulation elicits hotspots of calcium in developing nerve cells and how the nuclear envelope filters calcium signals.

2. Investigating how calcium and other messenger systems regulate nerve cell development. I began by measuring calcium at the tip of growing axons as they developed in vitro, allowing correlation of developmental behaviour with calcium concentration. I then performed similar measurements on nerve cells in situ within whole developing zebrafish embryos. This work became a project independent of me headed by my former postdoc, Rachel Ashworth, who now holds a BBSRC David Phillips fellowship. Most recently I am investigating the role of ErbB1 signalling in axon outgrowth, and in particular whether blocking ErbB1 signalling can improve the outcome following spinal cord injury.

3. Examining the processes downstream of calcium signals and in particular their spatial organization. I have published on most of the well known targets of calcium including protein kinase C, NFAT and calmodulin. A particular interest is how a spatially inhomogeneous distribution of a target protein interacts with a spatially inhomogeneous calcium signal to allow activation of specific processes within the cell.

Research Activities

  • Axonal regeneration

Recent Publications

Displaying 50 most recent publications. For the full list please visit UCL Discovery

  1. Coatesworth W,Bolsover S (2008) Calcium signal transmission in chick sensory neurones is diffusion based Cell Calcium, 43(3), 236 - 249. 10.1016/J.CECA.2007.05.016.
  2. (2008) The stargazin-related protein γ7 interacts with mRNA binding proteins and regulates the expression and stability of specific mRNAs including CaV2.2 Journal of Neuroscience, 28(42), 10604 - 10617. 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.2709-08.2008.
  3. Bolsover S,Fabes J,Anderson PN (2008) Axonal guidance molecules and the failure of axonal regeneration in the adult mammalian spinal cord Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience, 26(2-3), 117 - 130.
  4. Fensome-Green A,Stannard N,Li M,Bolsover S,Cockcroft S (2007) Bromoenol lactone, an inhibitor of Group V1A calcium-independent phospholipase A(2) inhibits antigen-stimulated mast cell exocytosis without blocking Ca(2+) influx Cell Calcium, 44, 145 - 153. 10.1016/j.ceca.2006.06.002.
  5. Fabes J,Anderson P,Brennan C,Bolsover S (2007) Regeneration-enhancing effects of EphA4 blocking peptide following corticospinal tract injury in adult rat spinal cord European Journal of Neuroscience, 26(9), 2496 - 2505.
  6. Psatha MI,Razi M,Koffer A,Moss SE,Sacks DB,Bolsover SR (2007) Targeting of calcium:calmodulin signals to the cytoskeleton by IQGAP1 Cell Calcium, 41, 593 - 605. 10.1016/j.ceca.2006.10.009.
  7. Fabes J,Anderson P,Yanez-Munoz RJ,Thrasher A,Brennan C,Bolsover S (2006) Accumulation of the inhibitory receptor EphA4 may prevent regeneration of corticospinal tract axons following lesion European Journal of Neuroscience, 23(7), 1721 - 1730.
  8. Bolsover S (2006) Light up the signal fires - imaging calcium’s protein partners Physiology News, 62, 37 - 38.
  9. Coatesworth W,Bolsover S (2006) Spatially organised mitochondrial calcium uptake through a novel pathway in chick neurones Cell Calcium, 39, 217 - 225. 10.1016/j.ceca.2005.10.012.
  10. Blanc-Brude O,Archer F,Leoni P,Derian C,Bolsover SR,Laurent GJ,Chambers RC (2005) Factor Xa stimulates fibroblast procollagen production, proliferation and calcium signaling via PAR1 activation Experimental Cell Research, 304(1), 16 - 27.
  11. Bolsover SR (2005) Calcium signalling in growth cone migration. Cell Calcium, 37(5), 395 - 402.
  12. Pandey V,Mihara S,Fensome-Green A,Bolsover S,Cockcroft S (2004) Monomeric IgE stimulates NFAT translocation into the nucleus, a rise in cytosol Ca2+, degranulation, and membrane ruffling in the cultured rat basophilic leukemia-2H3 mast cell line. The Journal of Immunology, 172(7), 4048 - 4058.
  13. Bolsover S,Hyams J,Shephard EA,Weidemann C,White H (2004) Cell Biology: A Short Course.
  14. Ranasinghe S,Bolsover S (2004) Microglial calcium responses to platelet-activating factor are inhibited by analogue CAS 99103-16-9 and dihydropyridine PCA 4248 but not by ginkgolide A. Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, 95(2), 87 - 91.
  15. Psatha M,Koffer A,Erent M,Moss SE,Bolsover S (2004) Calmodulin spatial dynamics in RBL-2H3 mast cells. Cell Calcium, 36(1), 51 - 59. 10.1016/j.ceca.2003.11.009.
  16. Bolsover SR,Gomez-Fernandez JC,Corbalan-Garcia S (2003) Role of the Ca2+/phosphatidylserine-binding region of the C2 domain in the translocation of protein kinase Calpha to the plasma membrane. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 278, 10282 - 10290. 10.1074/jbc.M212145200.
  17. Bolsover S,R H,J S S,E A W,H A W,G C (2003) Cell Biology, A Short Course, 1 - 531.
  18. Bolsover SR,Hyams JS,Shephard EA,White H,A Weidemann CG (2003) Cell Biology: A Short Course. Second edition..
  19. Reeves EP,Lu H,Jacobs HL,Messina CGM,Bolsover S,Gabella G,Potma EO,Warley A,Roes J,Segal AW (2002) Killing activity of neutrophils is mediated through activation of proteases by K+ flux Nature, 416(6878), 291 - 297. 10.1038/416291a.
  20. Chadborn N,Eickholt B,Doherty P,Bolsover S (2002) Direct measurement of local raised subplasmalemmal calcium concentrations in growth cones advancing on an N-cadherin substrate European Journal of Neuroscience, 15(12), 1891 - 1898.
  21. Ashworth R,Bolsover SR (2002) Spontaneous activity-independent intracellular calcium signals in the developing spinal cord of the zebrafish embryo Developmental Brain Research, 139(2), 131 - 137.
  22. Milikan JM,Carter TD,Horne JH,Tzortzopoulos A,Torok K,Bolsover SR (2002) Integration of calcium signals by calmodulin in rat sensory neurons. European Journal of Neuroscience, 15(4), 661 - 670.
  23. Ashworth R,Zimprich F,Bolsover SR (2001) Buffering intracellular calcium disrupts motoneuron development in intact zebrafish embryos Developmental Brain Research, 129(2), 169 - 179.
  24. Bolsover S,Ibrahim O,O'luanaigh N,Williams H,Cockcroft S (2001) Use of fluorescent calcium dyes with green fluorescent protein and its variants: problems and solutions Biochemical Journal, 356(2), 345 - 352.
  25. Parkinson NA,Bolsover SR (2001) A nuclear location for Ca2+-activated adenylyl cyclases I and III in neurones Molecular Brain Research, 91(1), 43 - 49.
  26. Pandey V,Bolsover SR (2000) Immediate and neurotoxic effects of HIV protein gp120 act through CXCR4 receptor Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 274(1), 212 - 215.
  27. Milikan JM,Bolsover SR (2000) Use of fluorescently labelled calmodulins as tools to measure subcellular calmodulin activation in living dorsal root ganglion cells Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology, 439(3), 394 - 400.
  28. Santella L,Bolsover SR (1999) The control of nuclear processes by calcium, 487 - 511.
  29. Ashmore JF,Bolsover SR,Cockcroft S,Duchen MR,Koffer A,Moss SE,Swann K (1999) Imaging as applied to cell signalling: work from the Physiology Imaging Consortium (UCL.PIC) Journal of Physiology, 518, 25.
  30. Ashworth R,Bolsover SR (1999) Effects of calcium indicators on [Ca2+]i oscillations and pathfinding in developing neurones in vivo Journal of Physiology, 515, 61.
  31. Ashworth R,Bolsover SR (1999) Calcium transients in neurons developing within the embryonic zebrafish spinal cord: evidence for a role in axogenesis Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 25(1), 8 - 8.
  32. Bolsover SR,Ashworth R,Archer F (1999) Activator of calcium influx proves a slippery customer The Journal of Physiology, 517, 2 - 2.
  33. Ibrahim OH,Bolsover SR,Cockcroft S (1999) Simultaneous measurement of cytosolic calcium and EGFP-PITPα expression in continuous cultures of rat basophilic leukaemia cells Journal of Physiology, 518, 24.
  34. Parkinson N,Bolsover SR (1999) Calcium signalling through unperturbed cytosol of sensory neurones isolated from adult rat Journal of Physiology, 518, 21.
  35. (1999) Inhibition of EGF-dependent calcium influx by annexin VI is splice-form specific Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 260, 540 - 546.
  36. Shorte SL,Bolsover SR (1999) Imaging Reality: Understanding maps of physiological cell signals measured by fluorescence microscopy and digital imaging, 94 - 107.
  37. Archer F,Doherty F,Collins D,Bolsover SR (1999) "CAMs and FGF cause a local submembrane calcium signal promoting axon outgrowth without a rise in bulk calcium concentration European Journal of Neuroscience, 11(10), 3565 - 3573.
  38. Bolsover SR (1998) Confocal calcium imaging, 94 - 116.
  39. Fleet A,Ellis-Davies GCR,Bolsover SR (1998) Calcium buffering capacity of neuronal cytosol measured by flash photolysis of calcium buffer NP-EGTA Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 250, 786 - 790.
  40. Parkinson N,Bolsover SR,Mason W (1998) Nuclear and cytosolic calcium changes in osteoclasts stimulated with ATP and integrin-binding peptide Cell Calcium, 24, 213 - 221.
  41. Zimprich F,Ashworth R,Bolsover SR (1998) Real time measurements of calcium dynamics in neurons developing in situ within zebrafish embryos Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology, 436, 489 - 493.
  42. Archer F,Ashworth R,Bolsover SR (1998) Calcium and neuronal development and growth, 239 - 265.
  43. Bolsover S,Hyams J,Jones S,Shephard EA,White H (1997) From genes to cells, 1 - 448.
  44. Barry MF,Nowicky AN,Bolsover SR,Caddy KWT,Bindman LJ (1997) The postsynaptic induction of non-associative LTD in CA1 of rat hippocampus in vitro is not correlated with the rise in [Ca2+]i produced by postsynaptic firing Society for Neuroscience Abstracts, 23, 149 - 149.
  45. Bolsover SR,Kater SB,Guthrie PB (1996) Spatial gradients of cytosolic calcium concentration in neurones during paradoxical activation by calcium. Cell Calcium, 20(4), 373 - 379.
  46. de-Allie FA,Bolsover SR,Nowicky AV,Strong PN (1996) Characterization of Ca(2+)-activated 86Rb+ fluxes in rat C6 glioma cells: a system for identifying novel IKCa-channel toxins. Br J Pharmacol, 117(3), 479 - 487.
  47. Barry MF,Vickery RM,Bolsover SR,Bindman LJ (1996) Intracellular studies of heterosynaptic long-term depression (LTD) in CA1 of hippocampal slices. Hippocampus, 6(1), 3 - 8. 10.1002/(SICI)1098-1063(1996)6:1<3::AID-HIPO2>3.0.CO;2-S.
  48. Amato A,AlMohanna FA,Bolsover SR (1996) Spatial organization of calcium dynamics in growth cones of sensory neurones DEV BRAIN RES, 92(1), 101 - 110.
  49. Zimprich F,Bolsover SR (1996) Calcium channels in neuroblastoma cell growth cones. Eur J Neurosci, 8(3), 467 - 475.
  50. DEALLIE FA,BOLSOVER SR,NOWICKY AV,STRONG PN (1995) CALCIUM-ACTIVATED RB-86(+) FLUXES IN THE RAT C6 GLIOMA CELL-LINE BRIT J PHARMACOL, 116, P168 - P168.

Qualifications

  • 1980: Master of Arts, University of Cambridge
  • 1979: Doctor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge
  • 1976: Bachelor of Arts (Honours), University of Cambridge

Keywords

  • Axon
  • Axon degeneration
  • Axon guidance
  • Axon regeneration
  • Calcium
  • Calcium imaging
  • Calcium signalling
  • Cell culture
  • Computational modeling
  • Computational modelling
  • Confocal microscopy
  • Electrophysiological recording techniques
  • Fluorescence microscopy techniques
  • G-protein coupled receptors
  • Growth cone
  • Image analysis
  • Imaging
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Intracellular recording
  • Ion channels
  • Modelling
  • Neuron
  • Patch-clamp recording
  • Repair
  • Single-channel recording
  • Spinal cord
  • Spinal cord injury
  • axon outgrowth