Murray Whitelaw

Murray Whitelaw

School of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology


Our laboratory studies how mammalian cells adapt to environmental and physiological perturbations. We are investigating the basic-Helix-Loop-Helix/PER-ARNT-SIM (bHLH/PAS) family of transcription factors, a set of proteins that function as intracellular stress sensors for hypoxia, toxin infiltration, infection and neuron hyperexcitation. Understanding the biochemical mechanisms which trigger activition of bHLH/PAS proteins, and subsequently how they regulate specific sets of target genes to facilitate cell survival and a return to homeostasis, is a central aim of our research.  Our ambition is to advance knowledge of how various bHLH/PAS proteins protect against (or when misregulated, exacerbate) pathologies such as cancer, ischemia, metabolic diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders. A better molecular understanding of these disease states will underpin new therapeutic approaches and drug design strategies. 

National Health and Medical Research Council

  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2019 - 2024 Principal Supervisor Development and application of dual fluorescent reporting systems for HIF-1 alpha and other transcription factor pathways Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Timothy Patrick Allen
    2017 - 2021 Co-Supervisor Understanding PPARg-Ligand Interactions to Treat Type 2 Diabetes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Rebecca Louise Frkic
    2017 - 2022 Co-Supervisor Molecular Drivers of Aerobic Glycolysis in the Mammalian Retina Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Cameron David Haydinger
    2015 - 2021 Principal Supervisor Investigating mechanisms and biological functions of the bHLH/PAS transcription factors SIM1 and ARNT2 Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Alexis Georgia Gerassimou
    2014 - 2019 Co-Supervisor Identification and Validation of SOXB1 Bound Developmental Enhancers Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ella Paulina Thomson
    2014 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Investigating the Warburg effect and the role of pyruvate kinase M2 in retinal Müller glial cells Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Thaksaon Kittipassorn
    2014 - 2023 Principal Supervisor Function and Mechanism of The Single-Minded 2 Gene Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Emily Lyn Button
    2013 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Characterising Novel Substrates of the Asparaginyl Hydroxylase FIH Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Jacqueline-Alba Fabrizio
    2012 - 2017 Co-Supervisor A Role for Bivalent Genes in Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Mr Francisco Sadras
    2011 - 2017 Co-Supervisor Development and Applications of CRISPR/Cas9 Genome Editing Technology Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Fatwa Adikusuma
    2011 - 2018 Co-Supervisor Investigating the Role of HIF-1 and HIF-2 Transcription Factors in Multiple Myeloma Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Natalia Magdalena Martin
    2009 - 2016 Principal Supervisor Function and Regulation of Single-minded 1 and Single-minded 2 Transcription Factors in Disease Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Adrienne Sullivan
    2009 - 2020 Co-Supervisor Deciphering the Transcriptional Mechanisms and Function of SOX3 in the Developing Embryonic Mouse Brain and Postnatal Testes Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Dale Christopher McAninch
    2008 - 2012 Principal Supervisor Regulation of Eukaryotic Transcription by bHLH/PAS Transcription Factors AhR and Arnt Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Nan Hao
    2007 - 2012 Co-Supervisor Characterising Ankyrin Repeat Proteins as Substrates of the Asparaginyl Hydroxylase FIH Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Sarah Wilkins
    2006 - 2011 Principal Supervisor Identification of Downstream Target Genes and Analysis of Obesity-Related Variants of the bHLH/PAS Transcription Factor Single-Minded 1 Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Anne Raimondo
    2006 - 2012 Co-Supervisor Expression and Function of Npas4 During Early Development Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Tom Klaric
    2006 - 2012 Co-Supervisor Regulation of the Rgs4 Gene by the Hypoxia Inducible Factors Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Sam Olechnowicz
    2006 - 2014 Principal Supervisor Regulation of Expression and Activity of the bHLH-PAS Transcription Factor NPAS4 Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr David Bersten
    2005 - 2006 Principal Supervisor The Role of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 in Early Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation Master of Science Master Full Time Mr Cameron McLean
    2005 - 2011 Co-Supervisor Investigation into The Molecular Function of The Neuronal Hu RNA Binding Protein, HuCsv1 Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Peter McCarthy
    2005 - 2011 Co-Supervisor Investigating Potential Post-Translational Modification of Factor-Inhibiting HIF (FIH-1) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Karolina Lisy
    2005 - 2016 Co-Supervisor Identification and Characterisation of Novel Substrates and Binding Partners of the Asparaginyl Hydroxylase, FIH Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Ms Rachel Hampton-Smith
    2004 - 2008 Co-Supervisor Substrate Specificity of Factor Inhibiting HIF-1 (FIH-1) Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Sarah Karttunen
    2004 - 2009 Principal Supervisor Gene Regulatory and Pro-Tumourigenic Mechanisms of the bHLH-PAS Transcription Factor SIM2s Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Ms Alexandra Farrall
    2004 - 2010 Co-Supervisor The Deubiquitylating Enzyme USP9X Promotes the Polarity and Self-Renewal of Neural Progenitor Cells Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Lachlan Jolly
    2003 - 2005 Principal Supervisor Differential Function and Regulation of the Hypoxia Inducible Factors in the Rat Pheochromocytoma Cell Line Pc12 Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Anthony Fedele
    2003 - 2009 Principal Supervisor The Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor: Structural Analysis and Activation Mechanisms Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Fiona Whelan
    2002 - 2004 Co-Supervisor Mechanisms of embryonic stem cell division and differentiation Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Josephine Amelia Wright
    2001 - 2005 Principal Supervisor Characterising the Differential Regulation of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1a and 2a Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time APrf Cameron Bracken
    1999 - 2004 Principal Supervisor NOVEL MECHANISMS FOR ACTIVATION OF THE DIOXIN (ARYL-HYDROCARBON) RECEPTOR Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Sebastian Furness
    1999 - 2004 Principal Supervisor CROSS-TALK BETWEEN SIM & OTHER bHLH/PAS FACTORS & THE SEARCH FOR SIM2 TARGET GENES Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time APrf Susan Lesley Woods
    1998 - 2002 Principal Supervisor CHARACTERISING MECHANISMS OF REGULATION OF HYPOXIA-INDUCIBLE FACTORS Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr David Lando
    1998 - 2003 Principal Supervisor INVESTIGATING THE ROLE OF ARNT ISOFORMS AS bHLH/PAS TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATORS Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Robyn Kewley
    1997 - 2003 Principal Supervisor Characterising the mechanism of Activation of the bHLH/PAS Dioxin Receptor Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Michael Lees

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