Susan M. Sullivan

(nee Williams)

Email: s.sullivan@aussci.com

About my research:

I have special interest in medically significant research, particularly neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, and more recently in hypoxia. I am currently a third year PhD student at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia. My PhD research examines the relationships between hypoxia and brain damage in the mammalian brain. Hypoxia (a lack of oxygen) is a major cause of brain damage in both young and old humans. For example, hypoxia may occur during the birthing process, or through a stroke. The consequences of a hypoxic event are highly variable and the mechanisms by which brain damage occurs are not fully understood. Understanding the basis of mechanisms that cause brain damage, and being able to detect this damage accurately and timely, is vital for optimising clinical management of patients.

I am particularly interested in the role of astrocytes in hypoxia. Astrocytes play a key role in regulating water movement and various molecules in the extracellular space. Any changes in the morphology of astrocytes or the proteins they express would have a direct influence on the viability of neurons in the region, which may become vulnerable to death by over excitation or oedema.

My PhD studies build on my earlier collaborative research work with the Perinatal Research Centre at the Royal Brisbane Hospital on hypoxic neonatal piglets where I helped show dramatic changes in the expression of multiple glial glutamate transporters and that the pattern of transporter loss exactly matched the patterns of cellular damage (Pow et al 2004). I maintain an interest in understanding the normal changes that occur in the developing and aging brain (including work where I have examined glutamate transporter expression in disease states such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease). I also have interests in molecular biology, especially in the genetic causes of disease.

Tertiary Education:

Bachelor of Science with Honours (Class I), University of Queensland, 2002. Thesis Title: The Potential Contributions of Neprilysin and EAAT2 to the Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease.

Technical skills:

Through my employment as a Research Assistant and my postgraduate education, I have gained proficiency in a variety of laboratory techniques, including: immunocytochemistry and histology; Western Blotting; iontophoretic cell injection; tissue processing and sectioning; light microscopy, confocal microscopy and imaging; DNA, RNA and protein extraction; RT-PCR, PCR and genotyping; antibody production; animal-related procedures (euthanasia etc); animal handling.

Awards received:

Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) Scholarship, 2005.
Student travel award, 2005, Australian Neuroscience Society.
Student travel award, 2002, The Australian and New Zealand Society for Neuropathology.

List of Publications

Journal Articles:

Sullivan, S.M., Lee, A., Björkman, S.T., Miller, S.M., Sullivan, R.K.P., Poronnik, P., Colditz, P.B., and Pow, D.V. (2007) Cytoskeletal Anchoring of GLAST Determines Susceptibility to Brain Damage: An Identified Role for GFAP. Journal of Biological Chemistry. (Epub ahead of press, Aug 6).

Sullivan, S.M.,* Macnab, L.M.,* Björkman, S.T., Colditz, P.B., and Pow, D.V. (2007). GLAST1b, the exon-9 skipping form of the glutamate transporter EAAT1 is a sensitive marker of neuronal dysfunction in the hypoxic brain. Neuroscience. DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.08.011

Williams, S.M., Macnab, L.T., and Pow, D.V. (2007) Cryptic expression of functional glutamate transporters in the developing rodent brain. Neuron Glia Biology 2: 199-215.

Diaz, C.M., Macnab, L.T., Williams, S.M., Sullivan, R.K.P., and Pow, D.V. (2007) EAAT1 and D-serine expression are early features of human retinal development. Exp Eye Res 84:876-85.

Williams, S.M., Diaz, C.M., Macnab, L.T., Sullivan, R.K.P., and Pow, D.V. (2006) Immunocytochemical analysis of D-serine distribution in the mammalian brain reveals novel anatomical compartmentalisations in glia and neurons. Glia. 53: 401-411.

Macnab, L.T., Williams, S.M., and Pow, D.V. (2006) Expression of the exon 3 skipping form of GLAST, GLAST1a, in brain and retina. Neuroreport 17:1867-70.

Buckley, S.T., Foley, P.F., Innes, D.J., Loh, E.W., Shen, Y., Williams, S.M., Harper, C.G., Tannenberg, A.E., and Dodd, P.R. (2006) GABAA Receptor b isoform protein expression in human alcoholic brain: interaction with genotype. Neurochemistry International 49:557-67.

Williams, S.M., Bryan-Lluka, L.J., and Pow, D.V. (2005) Quantitative Analysis of Immunolabelling for Serotonin and for Glutamate Transporters after Administration of Imipramine and Citalopram. Brain Research. 1042: 224-32.

Williams, S.M., Sullivan, R.K.P., Scott, H.L., Finkelstein, D.I., Colditz, P.B., Lingwood, B.E., Dodd, P.R., and Pow, D.V. (2005) Glial Glutamate Transporter Expression Patterns in Brains from Multiple Mammalian Species. Glia. 49: 520-541.

Pow, D.V., Sullivan, R.K.P., Williams, S.M., Scott, H.L., Dodd, P.R., and Finkelstein, D.I. (2005) Differential expression of the GABA transporters GAT-1 and GAT-3 in brains of rats, cats, monkeys and humans. Cell and Tissue Research. 320: 379-392.

Pow, D.V., Naidoo, T., Lingwood, B.E., Healy, G.N., Williams, S.M., Sullivan R.K.P., O’Driscoll, S., and Colditz, P.B. (2004) Loss of Glial Glutamate Transporters and Induction of Neuronal Expression of GLT-1B in the Hypoxic Neonatal Pig Brain. Developmental Brain Research. 153: 1-11.

Foley, P.F., Loh, E.-W., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Tannenberg, A.E.G., Harper, C.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2004) Association Studies of Neurotransmitter Gene Polymorphisms in Alcoholic Caucasians. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1025: 39-46.

Book Chapter:

Pow, D.V., Sullivan, R.K.P., Williams, S.M., and WoldeMussie, E. (2004) Transporters and Oxidative Stress in AMD. (Editors Provis, J. and Penfold, P.) Chapter 8: 123-147. Elsevier, UK.

Australian Conference Abstracts:

Sullivan, S.M., Björkman, S.T., Colditz, P.B. and Pow, D.V. (2007) Astrocyte Remodelling In The Hypoxic Brain: A Propathogenic Event? At the joint ANS/IBRO meeting. Melbourne, Australia, 12-17 July.

Macnab, L.T., Sullivan, R.K.P., Sullivan, S.M., and Pow, D.V. (2007) Spontaneous Microvascular Lesions in Rat Retinae Cause Delayed Focal Retinal Damage. At the joint ANS/IBRO meeting. Melbourne, Australia, 12-17 July.

Sullivan, S.M., Macnab, L.T., Björkman, S.T., Colditz, P.B. and Pow, D.V. (2007) GLAST1b is a Marker of Neuronal Dysfunction in the Hypoxic Brain. At the Glutamate in the Vineyards meeting: An international conference on the neuropharmacology of glutamate. Hunter Valley, Australia, 8-10 July.

Sullivan, S.M., Lee, A., Macnab, L.T., Poronnik, P., Björkman, S.T., Colditz, P.B. and Pow, D.V. (2007) The Glial Cytoskeleton and Glutamate Homeostasis. At the Glutamate in the Vineyards meeting: An international conference on the neuropharmacology of glutamate. Hunter Valley, Australia, 8-10 July.

Williams, S.M., Colditz, P.B., and Pow, D.V. (2006) Hypoxic Insults Reveal a Link Between Cellular Architecture and Glutamate Homeostasis. At the 26th Annual Meeting of the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS). Sydney, Australia, 31 Jan-3 Feb.

Pow, D.V., Williams, S.M., Macnab, L.T., Sullivan, R.K.P., and Anderson, W.B. (2006) D-Serine: Is it a Vesicular Glial and Neuronal Transmitter? At the 26th Annual ANS Meeting. Sydney, Australia, 31 Jan-3 Feb.

Diaz, C.M., Macnab, L.T., Williams, S.M., Sullivan, R.K.P., and Pow, D.V. (2006) Is the Human Müller Cell Really a Late Developer? Evidence for Early Expression of Radial Glial Markers in the Foetal Retina. At the 26th Annual ANS Meeting. Sydney, Australia, 31 Jan-3 Feb.

Pow, D.V., Williams, S.M., Boyce, D., Goldsworthy, B., Sullivan, R.K.P., and Diaz, C.M. (2005) Localisation of the NMDA Receptor Coagonist D-Serine in the Rodent Brain. At the 25th Annual ANS Meeting. Perth, Australia, 30 Jan-2 Feb.

Diaz, C.M., Williams, S.M., Sullivan, R.K.P., and Pow, D.V. (2005) Localisation of D-Serine in the Developing Human Retina. At the 25th Annual ANS Meeting. Perth, Australia, 30 Jan-2 Feb.

Foley, P.F., Loh, E.-W., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Shen, Y., Tannenberg, A.E.G., Harper, C.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2005) Combined influence of neurotransmitter gene polymorphisms in post-mortem alcoholics. At the 25th Annual ANS Meeting. Perth, Australia, 30 Jan-2 Feb.

Foley, P.F., Loh, E.-W., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Tannenberg, A.E.G., Harper, C.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2004) Genetic Associations with Neurotransmission in Post-Mortem Alcoholics. At the 5th International Meeting on Addictions. Crossing boundaries: Implications of Advances in Basic Sciences for the Management of Addiction. Sunshine Coast, Australia, 24-26 Sept.

Foley, P.F., Loh, E.-W., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Tannenberg, A.E.G., Harper, C.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2004) Genetic Associations in Alcoholics Studied at Post-Mortem. At the 4th Australasian Human Gene Mapping Meeting. Perth, Australia, 10-11 Aug.

Williams, S.M., Dixon, G., and Pow, D.V. (2004) Is there an Abnormality in the Expression of Glutamate Transporters in Schizophrenia? At the 24th Annual ANS Meeting. Melbourne, Australia, 27-30 Jan.

Foley, P.F., Loh, E.-W., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Tannenberg, A.E.G., Harper, C.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2004) Neurotransmitter gene polymorphisms in alcoholics. At the 24th Annual ANS Meeting. Melbourne, Australia, 27-30 Jan.

Williams, S.M., and Pow, D.V. (2003) Unexpectedly Early Expression of Functional Glial Glutamate Transporters in Developing Rat Brains. At the 23rd Annual ANS Meeting. Adelaide, Australia, 28-31 Jan.

Pow, D.V., Sullivan, R.K.P., and Williams, S.M. (2003) Visualising CNS Glutamate Transporters in Development, Health and Disease. At the 23rd Annual ANS Meeting. Adelaide, Australia, 28-31 Jan.

Foley, P.F., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Loh, E.-W., Tannenberg, A.E.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2003) Genetic Polymorphisms in Alcoholism in Post-Mortem Cases: Association with Brain Reward. At the 23rd Annual ANS Meeting. Adelaide, Australia, 28-31 Jan.

Williams, S.M., Scott, H.L., Innes, D.J., Pow, D.V., and Dodd, P.R. (2002) Localisation and Genotyping of Glutamate Transporter EAAT2 in Alzheimer’s Disease. At the 22nd Annual ANS Meeting. Sydney, Australia, 4-6 Feb.

Foley, P.F., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Loh, E.-W., Tannenberg, R.K., Tannenberg, A.E.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2002) Genetic Polymorphisms in Post-Mortem Cases: Associations with Alcoholism and Dementia. At the 3rd Australasian Human Gene Mapping Meeting. Hobart, Australia, 4-6 Dec.

International Conference Abstracts:

Diaz, C.M., Williams, S.M., Sullivan, R.K.P., and Pow, D.V., (2005) Early expression of glutamate transporters in the developing human retina. At the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting. Fort Lauderdale, USA, 1-5 May.

Sullivan, R.K.P., Williams, S.M., Rauen, T., Scott, H., Finkelstein, D., Colditz, P., Lingwood, B., and Pow, D.V. (2004) Glutamate Transporter Expression Pattern vary in Mammals with Differing Levels of Cortical Complexity. Program No. 504.9 at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting. San Diego, USA, 23-27 Oct.

Pow, D.V., Williams, S.M., and Sullivan, R.K.P. (2004) D-serine localisation in the human and rat retina. Investigative Opthalmology & Visual Science 45: U103-U103 3285 Suppl. 2, Apr 2004.

Foley, P.F., Loh, E.-W., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Tannenberg, A.E.G., Harper, C.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2004) Genetic Polymorphisms in Post-Mortem Alcoholics. At the International Society for Biomedical Research on Alcoholism (ISBRA) 12th World Congress on Biomedical Alcohol Research. Heidelberg/Mannheim, Germany, 29 Sept – 2 Oct.

Foley, P.F., Loh, E.-W., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Tannenberg, A.E.G., Harper, C.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2004) Alcohol-Associated Gene Polymorphisms in Post-Mortem Cases. At the 27th Annual Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism. Vancouver, Canada, 26-30 Jun.

Foley, P.F., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Loh, E.-W., Tannenberg, A.E.G., Harper, C.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2003) Association Studies of Neurotransmitter Gene Polymorphisms in Alcoholic Caucasians. At the International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN) / Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry (APSN) Satellite Meeting 1. Current Status of Dependence/Abuse Studies: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Drugs of Abuse and Neurotoxicity. Kyoto, Japan, 29 Jul – 1 Aug.

Foley, P.F., Innes, D.J., Williams, S.M., Loh, E.-W., Tannenberg, R.K., Tannenberg, A.E.G., and Dodd, P.R. (2003) Genetic Polymorphisms in Post-Mortem Alcoholic Caucasians. At the 26th Annual Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism. Fort Lauderdale, USA, 21-25 Jun.

Pow, D.V., Sullivan, R., Scott, H., Dodd., and Williams, S.M. (2003) Holes in your cortex and other anomalies! Glutamate and GABA transporters in humans and other species. Journal of Neurochemistry 87: 114-114 Suppl. 1, Dec 2003.

Conference Presentations:

Williams, S.M., Bryan-Lluka, L.J., and Pow, D.V. (2005) Quantitative Analysis of Serotonin Levels in the Murine Brain Following Treatment with Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Drugs. At the 25th Annual Meeting of the Australian Neuroscience Society (ANS). Perth, Australia, 30 Jan – 2 Feb. Published in Proc Aust Neuroscience Soc. 16.

Williams, S.M., Innes, D.J., Scott, H.L., Pow, D.V., and Dodd, P.R. (2002) The Glutamate Transporter EAAT2 and Alzheimer’s Disease. At the Annual Scientific Meeting of The Australian and New Zealand Society for Neuropathology (ANZSNP). Sydney, Australia, 2-3 Jun.