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Dr Mark Myers

NH&MRC Research Officer

[Colour Photo of Dr Mark Myers]

Telephone:
+61 - 3 9905 1435

Facsimile:
+61 - 3 9905 4699

Email:
Mark.Myers@med.monash.edu.au

Research interests:

Type 1 diabetes mellitus

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is caused by an autoimmune attack that leads to the destruction of the insulin-producing islet b -cells of the pancreas. Once all the islet b -cells are destroyed, daily injections of insulin are required to prevent coma and eventual death. The reasons why the islet b -cells are recognised as foreign and attacked by the immune system are unclear, but both genetic and environmental factors are implicated. Understanding the underlying biochemistry of how genetic susceptibility and environment interact to cause Type 1 diabetes will lead to a means of preventing the disease.

The molecules that are recognised by the autoimmune attack are mostly associated with vesicles and secretory granules in the islet b -cells. My research is directed at characterising this autoimmune response in those with type 1 diabetes (publications 1,3-6) and identifying the factors that are toxic to islet b -cells or may lead to the autoimmune attack (publications 2 and 7).

Current research topics:

  1. characterisation a new autoantigen, originally known as ICA12, which we have now identified as the transcription factor SOX13 (publications 9 and 10)
  2. exploration of the idea that defects in secretory granule formation may be a key component in the initiation of autoimmunity to the islet b -cell, focussing on the role of a multi-subunit enzyme called the vacuolar ATPase (publication 8).

Selected Recent Publications:

  1. Myers M.A, Rabin D.U. and M.J. Rowley. (1995) Pancreatic islet cell cytoplasmic antibody in diabetes is represented by antibodies to islet cell antigen 512 and glutamic acid decarboxylase. Diabetes 44: 1290-1295


  2. Esposti M.D., Ngo A. and M.A. Myers. (1996) Inhibition of mitochondrial complex I may account for IDDM induced by intoxication with the rodenticide Vacor. Diabetes. 45:1531-1534


  3. Myers M.A., Mackay I.R., Zimmet P.Z. and M.J. Rowley. (1996) Autoantibodies to glutamate decarboxylase in Insulin Dependent Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Annual 10 Chapter 2 pgs 15-36. S.M. Marshall, P.D. Home , R.A. Rizza (eds.) Elsevier Science B.V.


  4. Feeney S.J., Myers M.A., Mackay I.R., Zimmet P.Z., Howard N., Verge C.F. and M.J. Rowley. (1997) Evaluation Of ICA512As In combination with other islet cell autoantibodies at the onset of IDDM. Diabetes Care 20: 1403-1407


  5. Whittingham S, Byron S.L., Tuomilehto J., Zimmet P.Z., Myers M.A., Vidgren G., Rowley M.J., Feeney S.J., Koskela P., Tuomilehto-Wolf E. and I.R. Mackay. (1997) Autoantibodies associated with presymptomatic Insulin-Dependent Diabetes Mellitus in women. Diabetic Medicine 14: 678-685


  6. Myers M.A., Laks M., Feeney S.J, Mandel T.E., Koulmanda M., Bone A., Barley J., Rowley M.J. and I.R. Mackay. (1998) Antibodies to ICA512 in rodent models of IDDM. Journal of Autoimmunity 11: 265-272


  7. Myers M.A., Georgiou H.M., Byron S. and. Esposti M.D. (1999) Inhibition of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation induces hyper-expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase in pancreatic islet cells. Autoimmunity 30: 43-51


  8. Myers M.A. (1999) Environmental factors and type 1 diabetes- is the secretory granule the target? Diabetes Annual 12 S.M. Marshall, P.D. Home , R.A. Rizza (eds.) Elsevier Science B.V. Chapter 2 pages 21-45)


  9. Myers MA, Kasimiotis H, Argentaro A, Mertin S, Fida S, Ferraro T, Olsson J, Rowley MJ and VR Harley. (2000) The SRY-related protein SOX13 is a diabetes autoantigen expressed in pancreatic islets. Diabetes 49: 555-561


  10. Kasimiotis H, Fida S, Rowley M, Zimmet PZ, Gleason S, Rabin DU, and MA Myers. (2000). Antibodies to SOX13 (ICA12) are associated with type 1 diabetes. Autoimmunity (accepted 29 May 2000).
  
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