Karen Chapman
Personal Chair of Molecular Endocrinology

Address
- Street
-
Queen's Medical Research Institute
47 Little France Crescent
Edinburgh BioQuarter - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH16 4TJ
Research summary
Karen Chapman: Glucocorticoid action Research in my lab is focussed on the actions of glucocorticoids - steroid hormones that play key roles in stress, inflammatory and other homeostatic responses, and developmentally, in maturing the fetus ready for life after birth.
Projects:
Developmental effects of glucocorticoids: fetal programming For over 50 years we have known that glucocorticoids are essential in late gestation for fetal lung maturation and life beyond birth: hence, potent synthetic glucocorticoids are administered to pregnant women at risk of preterm delivery. Whilst previously assumed to be completely safe, considerable evidence now suggests that excessive fetal exposure is not as harm-free as previously assumed. We discovered a role for endogenous glucocorticoid action in maturing the fetal heart. We are now investigating the mechanisms, including whether glucocorticoid action in the perinatal period determines cardiomyocyte endowment in adulthood. We are also testing the effects of precocious activation of glucocorticoid receptors upon fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, heart function and survival.
11beta-HSD1 in the immuno-modulatory and metabolic effects of glucocorticoids A key level of control over glucocorticoid action is their metabolism by the 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (11beta-HSD) enzymes. Work from Edinburgh has established the important role played by 11beta-HSD1 in the immune-modulating, anti-inflammatory and metabolic effects of glucocorticoids. We are now focussing on novel aspects of 11beta-HSD1, including how it shapes immune and inflammatory responses via metabolic switches and its role in bile acid homeostasis.
Research activities
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Glucocorticoids regulate mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation in fetal cardiomyocytes
In:
The Journal of Physiology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1113/JP281860
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
The ratio of ursodeoxycholyltaurine to 7-oxolithocholyltaurine serves as a biomarker of decreased 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 activity in mouse
In:
British Journal of Pharmacology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.15367
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Endocrine aspects of ACE2 regulation: RAAS, steroid hormones and SARS-Cov-2
In:
Journal of Endocrinology, vol. 247, pp. R45–R62
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-20-0260
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Reciprocal Regulation of HSD11B1 and HSD11B2 Predicts Glucocorticoid Sensitivity in Childhood ALL
In:
Journal of Pediatrics, vol. 220, pp. 249-253
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2019.12.054
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Quantitative analysis of 11-dehydrocorticosterone and corticosterone for preclinical studies by liquid chromatography triple quadrupole mass spectrometry
In:
Rapid communications in mass spectrometry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8610
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Peripheral glucocorticoid signaling in Kawasaki disease
In:
Pediatric Research
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-019-0481-x
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Letter (Published) -
Antenatal dexamethasone treatment transiently alters diastolic function in the mouse fetal heart
In:
Journal of Endocrinology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-18-0666
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Corticosteroid receptor balance regulates life and death in cardiomyocytes
In:
Science Signaling
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/scisignal.aaw8715
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Editorial (Published) -
Adrenal hormones mediate disease tolerance in malaria
(18 pages)
In:
Nature Communications, vol. 9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06986-5
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Renal and Blood Pressure Response to a High-Salt Diet in Mice With Reduced Global Expression of the Glucocorticoid Receptor
In:
Frontiers in physiology, vol. 9, pp. 848
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.00848
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Glucocorticoids, antenatal corticosteroid therapy and fetal heart maturation
In:
Journal of molecular endocrinology, vol. 61, pp. R61-R73
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JME-18-0077
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article (Published) -
11Beta‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase‐1 deficiency or inhibition enhances hepatic myofibroblast activation in murine liver fibrosis
(15 pages)
In:
Hepatology, vol. 67, pp. 2167-2181
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.29734
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 deficiency alters brain energy metabolism in acute systemic inflammation
In:
Brain, Behavior, and Immunity
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2017.11.015
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 has no effect on survival during experimental malaria but affects parasitemia in a parasite strain-specific manner
In:
Scientific Reports
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-14288-x
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Macrophage 11β-HSD1 deficiency promotes inflammatory angiogenesis
In:
Journal of Endocrinology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-17-0223
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
11β-HSD1 suppresses cardiac fibroblast CXCL2, CXCL5 and neutrophil recruitment to the heart post MI
(13 pages)
In:
Journal of Endocrinology, vol. 233, pp. 315-327
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-16-0501
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Glucocorticoid receptor alters isovolumetric contraction and restrains cardiac fibrosis
In:
Journal of Endocrinology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-16-0458
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 deficiency alters the gut microbiome response to western diet
In:
Journal of Endocrinology, vol. 232, pp. 273-283
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JOE-16-0578
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Getting to the heart of intracellular glucocorticoid regeneration: 11β-HSD1 in the myocardium
(13 pages)
In:
Journal of molecular endocrinology, vol. 58, pp. R1-R13
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/JME-16-0128
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
A novel role for the mineralocorticoid receptor in glucocorticoid driven vascular calcification
In:
Vascular pharmacology, vol. 86, pp. 87-93
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vph.2016.04.005
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)