Physiology

Head of Discipline
Associate Professor R S Mason
Location
Anderson Stuart Building, The University of Sydney

Physiology is the study of the function of the body and its cells and tissues. It is a central discipline in the study of medicine, and a major research Discipline in the Faculty of Medicine. The Discipline is a major contributor to the Graduate Medical Program.

The Discipline holds dual status with the faculties of Science and Medicine, offering undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and research opportunities for students enrolled through either faculty.

Muscle Cell Function Laboratory
Professor D G Allen’s laboratory is concerned with the regulation of calcium and other ions in striated muscle cells. Of particular interest are the effects of ischaemia and hypoxia on ionic regulation and function of the heart and studies of excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal muscle during fatigue.

Neurobiology Laboratory
Professor M R Bennett’s laboratory is concerned with the mechanisms by which nerve terminals secrete transmitter substances in the brain and peripheral nervous system. The regulation of this secretion at different release sites within a single nerve terminal by calcium channel modulation is of particular interest.

Different neural preparations provide different advantages in these enquiries and those used involve the hippocampus, autonomic ganglia, together with neuromuscular systems and somatic neuromuscular systems. Malfunction of secretory mechanisms in these systems can lead to various disorders such as epilepsy and hypertension.

Epithelial Transport Laboratory
Professor J A Young’s and Professor D I Cook’s laboratory is studying membrane transport proteins and their control in epithelial organs such as salivary glands and the pancreas and in early mouse embryo cells and parathyroid cells. Electro-physiological techniques, such as patch-clamping and the measurement of intracellular ion concentrations using fluorescent dyes are also being used to study the mechanism of ion transport by epithelial cells grown in tissue culture.

Cardiovascular Laboratory (Neural Control)
Professor R A L Dampney’s laboratory studies the functional organisation of nerve pathways in the brain that control the circulation of blood in the body at both the integrative and cellular level. Current work is focused on the connection, functions and pharmacology of nuclei in the brainstem and forebrain that regulate blood pressure and volume. A wide range of physiological, elctrophysiological, neuroanatomical, immunohistochemical and pharmacological methods are used.

Muscle Research Laboratory
Dr J F Y Hoh’s group studies the cell biology and molecular biology of muscle fibre specialisation in craniofacial muscles using monoclonal antibodies and molecular biological methods. In order to study how jaw muscles of carnivores are able to specifically express certain unique isoforms of myofibrillar proteins, several of these jaw-specific muscle genes (superfast and jaw-specific slow myosin heavy chains, superfast light chain-2) have been cloned and sequenced. The regulatory sequences flanking these genes are being analysed in transfection studies. We are also raising monoclonal antibodies to myosins in extraocular muscles in order to define the types and distribution of myosins in these extremely rapidly contracting muscles. A comparative analysis of skeletal and cardiac myosins in marsupial animals has also been initiated.

Basic and Clinical Genomics laboratory
Professor B J Morris' Laboratory studies the molecular biology of renin gene expression, the genetic basis of essential hypertension, and isolation of novel splicing factors. Recent work includes studies in the following areas:

• Genome scanning for linkage of microsatellite loci to high blood pressure
• Cross-sectional genetic studies of human essential hypertension
• The variegation model for control of a physiologically regulatable promoter (human renin gene)
• Identification of factors and mechanisms for control of human renin mRNA stability
• Quantification of various mRNAs by real-time reverse transcriptase PCR
• Binding partners for and role of Lark and other nuclear proteins

Bone and Skin Laboratory
Associate Professor R S Mason and her group study the mechanisms which regulate calcium and phosphate concentrations and bone mass using cellular and molecular techniques. These studies are directed towards better understanding the pathogenesis of osteoporosis and other bone and dental disorders and to improved treatment methods. Mechanisms involved in skin protection from sunlight by vitamin D compounds, which are also important for healthy bones, are studied in skin cell and in vivo systems.

Auditory Neuroscience Laboratory
Work in Associate Professor S Carlile’s laboratory centres on how auditory space is encoded in the mammalian nervous system. Digital signal processing techniques are combined with bio-acoustic recordings to generate ‘virtual space’ stimuli over headphones. Human psychophysical studies examine the contributions of various acoustic cues to auditory perception and neurophysiological studies examine how these cues are encoded and processed by the nervous system.

Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory
Dr W D Phillips and his group study the function of proteins and genes involved in the development and plasticity of synapses in muscle and the brain. They use the techniques of molecular and cell biology to explore the mechanisms by which the specialised postsynaptic membrane is formed and regulated.

Laboratory of Developmental Physiology
Dr M Day's research relates to cellular processes occuring during the development of the embryo before implantation, including fertilisation, cell division and cell differentiation. Techniques include patch clamping and molecular biology.

Human Reproduction Unit - Royal North Shore Hospital
Associate Professor C O'Neil studies the control of mammalian fertilization and early embryo development and reproductive endocrinology. Techniques used include IVF, embryo micro manipulation and confocal microscopy.

Hypertension and Stroke Research Laboratory - Royal North Shore Hospital
Associate Professor P Pilowsjky's group studies the nerve pathways in the brainstem and spinal cord that control the airways, breathing and circulation. Techniques include pharmacology, molecular biology and immunocyto chemistry.

Vision Laboratory
Dr D Protti's laboratory is focused on the study of different retinal circuits. We are particularly interested in the circuits that mediate night vision and in the changes that take place during the transition from nighttime to daytime vision. Techniques used to investigate these topics include patch-clamp recordings in retinal tissue and intracellular staining and morphological reconstruction of cells.

Cortical Development Laboratory
Dr C Leamey's laboratory studies the mechanisms which underlie the development of appropriate connectivity in the brain. Using the somatosensory and visual pathways of the developing mouse as a model, we investigate whether specific molecules that are differentially expressed between cortical areas play a role in regulating the pattern of cortical connectivity. For this we use a combination of anatomical, physiological and molecular techniques to examine how connectivity changes in animals who over or under express the genes of interest.

Louise Loomes
Discipline Manager

Room E206
Anderson Stuart Bldg
The University of Sydney
NSW 2006 Australia

Phone: +61 2 9351 3247
Fax: +61 2 9351 5182
E-mail: