Towers, Matthew, Dr

Dr Matthew Towers

School of Biosciences

Reader of Developmental Biology

Wellcome Senior Fellow in Basic Biomedical Science

m.towers@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 4697

D18c, Firth Court

Full contact details

Dr Matthew Towers
School of Biosciences
D18c
Firth Court
Western Bank
��«Ӱҵ
S10 2TN

Profile

2017-present: Reader of Developmental Biology, University of ��«Ӱҵ
2017- present: Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow, University of ��«Ӱҵ
2011-2016: MRC Career Development Fellow, University of ��«Ӱҵ
2010-2011: Independent researcher, University of ��«Ӱҵ
2007-2010: Postdoctoral researcher, University of Bath
2005-2007: Postdoctoral researcher, University of Dundee
2003-2004: Research assistant, University of East Anglia, Norwich
1998-2003: PhD, John Innes Centre, Norwich
1995-1998: BSc Genetics, University of Leeds

Research interests

Vertebrate limb development

Lay summary

We are interested in how complex structures are correctly formed in the body. The crucial events that control how we develop occur during the earliest stages of life in the embryo. In particular, our research is centred on how limbs develop and we mostly work on chicken embryos because we can look directly at how they develop by opening a small window in the egg.

We want to understand how cells divide for the correct number of times in order to generate correctly patterned limbs. This research is important because it can give insights into the mechanisms that cause cells to lose control of cell division and turn into cancerous tumours. In addition, by revealing how digits develop, we can use this knowledge to understand the causes of birth defects that affect the limb and other structures in the body.

Technical summary

Understanding how embryonic development is timed and scaled remains one of the most important questions in biology. Knowledge of this will inform many areas of embryonic patterning and will also have implications for stem cell development, regenerative biology and clinical disorders.

A major reason why this problem remains unanswered is that it is extremely difficult to understand whether the behaviour of a cell is determined intrinsically or by extrinsic signals in vivo. In our recent publications, we have shown that intrinsic timing mechanisms play a crucial role in chick limb patterning (Chinnaiya et al., Nat Comm 2014) (Saiz-Lopez et al., Nat Comm 2015). We have demonstrated this by coupling embryological techniques with modern molecular analyses in the chick limb, which is a classical developmental model.

At present the questions we are focussing on are:

Do cell cycle regulators form the basis of intrinsic timers?
How are intrinsic timers integrated with extrinsic signals to control growth and patterning and is developmental time reversible?
How do intrinsic timers and extrinsic signals scale species-specific development?
Role of cell cycle regulators in hypothalamic patterning (with Prof. Marysia Placzek).

Publications

Show: Featured publications All publications

Featured publications

Journal articles

Sedas Perez S, McQueen C, Stainton H, Pickering J, Chinnaiya K, Saiz-Lopez P, Placzek M, Ros MA & Towers M (2023) . Nature Communications, 14(1), 5841.
Busby L, Aceituno C, McQueen C, Rich CA, Ros MA & Towers M (2020) . Development, 147(9).
Pickering J & Towers M (2016) . Development, 143(19), 3514-3521.
Saiz-Lopez P, Chinnaiya K, Campa VM, Delgado I, Ros MA & Towers M (2015) . Nature Communications, 6.
Pickering J & Towers M (2014) . eLS.
Towers M, Signolet J, Sherman A, Sang H & Tickle C (2011) . Nat Commun, 2, 426.
Towers M, Mahood R, Yin Y & Tickle C (2008) . Nature, 452(7189), 882-886.

All publications

Journal articles

Sedas Perez S, McQueen C, Stainton H, Pickering J, Chinnaiya K, Saiz-Lopez P, Placzek M, Ros MA & Towers M (2023) . Nature Communications, 14(1), 5841.
Chinnaiya K, Burbridge S, Jones A, Kim DW, Place E, Manning E, Groves I, Sun C, Towers M, Blackshaw S & Placzek M (2023) . eLife, 12.
Stainton H & Towers M (2022) . Cell Reports, 38(4).
McQueen C & Towers M (2020) . Development, 147(17), dev177956-dev177956.
Busby L, Aceituno C, McQueen C, Rich CA, Ros MA & Towers M (2020) . Development, 147(9).
Pickering J, Chinnaiya K & Towers M (2019) . eLife, 8.
Fu T, Pearson C, Towers M & Placzek M (2019) . Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 31(5), e12727-e12727.
Pickering J, Rich CA, Stainton H, Aceituno C, Chinnaiya K, Saiz-Lopez P, Ros MA & Towers M (2018) . eLife, 7.
Stainton H & Towers M (2018) , 143-153.
Davey MG, Towers M, Vargesson N & Tickle C (2018) . The International Journal of Developmental Biology, 62(1-2-3), 85-95.
Fu T, Towers M & Placzek M (2017) . Development, 144, 3278-3288.
Towers M (2017) . Genesis.
Pickering J, Wali N & Towers M (2017) . Developmental Dynamics.
Tickle C & Towers M (2017) . Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 5, 0-0.
Saxena A, Towers M & Cooper KL (2017) The origins, scaling and loss of tetrapod digits. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 372(1713).
Saxena A, Towers M & Cooper KL (2017) . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 372(1713), 20150482-20150482.
Saiz-Lopez P, Chinnaiya K, Towers M & Ros MA (2017) . Development, 144(3), 479-486.
Pickering J & Towers M (2016) . Development, 143(19), 3514-3521.
Saiz-Lopez P, Chinnaiya K, Campa VM, Delgado I, Ros MA & Towers M (2015) . Nature Communications, 6.
Pickering J & Towers M (2014) . eLS.
Chinnaiya K, Tickle C & Towers M (2014) . Nat Commun, 5, 4230.
Woolley TE, Baker RE, Tickle C, Maini PK & Towers M (2014) . DEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, 243(2), 290-298.
Towers M, Wolpert L & Tickle C (2012) . Curr Opin Cell Biol, 24(2), 181-187.
Welten M, Pavlovska G, Chen Y, Teruoka Y, Fisher M, Bangs F, Towers M & Tickle C (2011) . Dev Dyn, 240(5), 1278-1288.
Towers M, Signolet J, Sherman A, Sang H & Tickle C (2011) . Nat Commun, 2, 426.
Towers M, Fisunov G & Tickle C (2009) . Gene Expr Patterns, 9(7), 528-531.
Towers M & Tickle C (2009) . Int J Dev Biol, 53(5-6), 805-812.
Towers M & Tickle C (2009) . Development, 136(2), 179-190.
Towers M, Mahood R, Yin Y & Tickle C (2008) . Nature, 452(7189), 882-886.
Li X, Liu J, Davey M, Duce S, Jaberi N, Liu G, Davidson G, Tenent S, Mahood R, Brown P , Cunningham C et al (2007) . J Anat, 211(6), 798-809.
Gaudin V, Lunness PA, Fobert PR, Towers M, Riou-Khamlichi C, Murray JAH, Coen E & Doonan JH (2000) . Plant Physiology, 122(4), 1137-1148.
Groves I, Holmshaw J, Furley D, Manning E, Chinnaiya K, Towers M, Evans BD, Placzek M & Fletcher AG () . Development.
Pickering J, Chinnaiya K, Rich CA, Saiz-Lopez P, Ros MA & Towers M () .
Busby L, Aceituno C, McQueen C, Rich CA, Ros MA & Towers M () .

Chapters

Placzek M, Fu T & Towers M (2020) , Masterclass in Neuroendocrinology (pp. 3-30). Springer International Publishing
Tickle C & Towers M () (pp. 1-10). Wiley

Conference proceedings papers

Towers M, Signolet J, Downie H, Delgado I, Sherman A, Sang H & Tickle C (2009) . MECHANISMS OF DEVELOPMENT, Vol. 126 (pp S211-S212)
Towers M (2003) . Cell Biology International, Vol. 27(3) (pp 283-285)

Preprints

Perez SS, McQueen C, Pickering J, Chinnaiya K, Saiz-Lopez P, Ros MA & Towers M (2023) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Chinnaiya K, Burbridge S, Jones A, Kim DW, Place E, Manning E, Groves I, Sun C, Towers M, Blackshaw S & Placzek M (2022) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Groves I, Holmshaw J, Furley D, Towers M, Evans BD, Placzek M & Fletcher AG () , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Stainton H & Towers M () , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Research group

Current lab members

Connie Rich
Holly Stainton
Lara Busby
Aragorn Jones

Professional activities and memberships

F1000 - faculty member in pattern formation
Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellowship Award

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School of Biosciences

School of Biosciences

Dr Matthew Towers

Vertebrate limb development

Lay summary

Technical summary

Featured publications

Journal articles

All publications

Journal articles

Chapters

Conference proceedings papers

Preprints

Current lab members

Links