Dr Magdaline Costa, BSc(Hons), Ph.D

Embryonic stem cell differentiation lab

Research Summary

Prior to joining the laboratory of Professors Andrew Elefanty and Edouard Stanley, I completed a PhD a post doc term aimed at determining how the human tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) gene is regulated. From 2002 to 2005, I established a successful hESC gene targeting protocol. I am currently involved in the generation and expansion of human endothelial cells and their progenitors from hES cells.

Publications

Refereed journals
Davis, R. P., Ng, E. S., Costa, M., Mossman, A. K., Sourris, K., Elefanty, A. G. Stanley, E. G. (2008). Targeting a GFP reporter gene to the MIXL1 locus of human embryonic stem cells identifies human primitive streak-like cells and enables isolation of primitive hematopoietic precursors. Blood. 111: 1876-1884.

Davis, R. P., Costa, M., Grandela, C., Holland, A. M., Hatzistavrou, T., Micallef, S. J., Li, X., Goulburn, A. L., Azzola, L., Elefanty, A. G., Stanley, E. G. (2008). A protocol for removal of antibiotic resistance cassettes from human embryonic stem cells genetically modified by homologous recombination or transgenesis. Nat. Protocols. 3: 1550-1558.

Costa, M, Sourris, K., Hatzistavrou, T., Elefanty, A. G. Stanley, E. G. (2008). Expansion of human embryonic stem cells in vitro. Curr. Protoc. Stem Cell Biol. 1: 1C.1.1  - 1C.1.7.

Costa, M., Dottor,i M., Sourris, K., Jamshidi, P., Hatzistavrou, T., Davis, R., Azzola, L., Jackson, S., Lim, S. M., Pera, M., Elefanty, A. G. Stanley, E. G. (2007). A method for genetic modification of human embryonic stem cells using electroporation. Nat. Protocols. 2: 792-796.

Costa, M., Dottori, M., Ng, E. S., Hawes, S. M., Sourris, K., Jamshidi, P., Pera, M. F, Elefanty, A. G. Stanley, E. G. (2005). The hESC line Envy expresses high levels of GFP in all differentiated progeny. Nat. Methods. 2: 259-260.
Lux, W., Klobeck, H. G., Daniel, P. B., Costa, M., Medcalf, R. L., Schleuning, W. D. (2005). In vivo and in vitro analysis of the human tissue-type plasminogen activator gene promoter in neuroblastomal cell lines: evidence for a functional upstream kappaB element. J. Thromb. Haemost. 3: 1009-1017.

Costa, M., Medcalf, R. L. (2001). Ectopic expression of the cAMP-responsive element binding protein inhibits phorbol ester-mediated induction of tissue-type plasminogen activator gene expression. Eur. J. Biochem. 268: 987-996.

Costa, M., Grant, P. J., Rice, G. I., Futers, T. S., Medcalf, R. L. (2001). Human endothelial cell-derived nuclear proteins that recognise polymorphic DNA elements in the von Willebrand factor gene promoter include YY1. Thromb. Haemost. 86: 672-679.

Costa, M., Shen, Y., Medcalf, R. L. (2000). Overexpression of a dominant negative CREB protein in HT-1080 cells selectively disrupts plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 but not tissue-type plasminogen activator gene expression. FEBS Lett. 482: 75-80.

Costa, M., Shen, Y., Maurer, F., Medcalf, R. L. (1998). Transcriptional regulation of the tissue-type plasminogen-activator gene in human endothelial cells: identification of nuclear factors that recognise functional elements in the tissue-type plasminogen-activator gene promoter. Eur. J. Biochem. 258: 123-131.

Dear, A. E., Costa, M., Medcalf, R. L. (1997). Urokinase-mediated transactivation of the plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2) gene promoter in HT-1080 cells utilises AP-1 binding sites and potentiates phorbol ester-mediated induction of endogenous PAI-2 mRNA. FEBS Lett. 402: 265-272.

Costa, M., Medcalf, R. L. (1996). Differential binding of cAMP-responsive-element (CRE)-binding protein-1 and activating transcription factor-2 to a CRE-like element in the human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) gene promoter correlates with opposite regulation of t-PA by phorbol ester in HT-1080 and HeLa cells. Eur. J. Biochem. 237: 532-538.