William Cawthorn
Senior Lecturer

Address
- Street
-
Queen's Medical Research Institute
47 Little France Crescent
Edinburgh BioQuarter - City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH16 4TJ
Research summary
I study the formation and function of bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT), a major component of our bone marrow that may have broad implications on health and disease. One striking observation is that, unlike other types of adipose tissue, BMAT accumulates during conditions of starvation, including caloric restriction (CR) in animals and in human patients with anorexia nervosa. Therefore, a key focus of my lab is to determine the causes and consequences of BMAT accumulation during CR. To do so we use a combination of preclinical models, cutting-edge biomedical imaging, and clinical sample analyses. Our aim is to establish how BMAT impacts metabolic homeostasis, haematopoiesis, cardiovascular function and skeletal health. There is currently much interest in using CR, or pharmacological CR mimetics, to prevent and treat chronic diseases. In pursuing our studies of CR and BMAT, my lab has identified striking sex differences, with females resisting many of the metabolic benefits of CR. This has implications for the use of CR and/or CR mimetics to improve health. Thus, my lab is now also investigating the mechanisms underlying these sex differences. Understanding these mechanisms might reveal new approaches for treating chronic diseases. Finally, my lab is exploring population-level techniques to dissect the formation and function of BMAT in humans, both in normal physiology and disease. More information can be found elsewhere on the Centre for Cardiovascular Science website, and via my profile on Edinburgh Research Explorer (which includes further details of my research, publications, funding and other activities).
Research activities
- eLIFE (Journal)
- UK Reproducibility Network (External organisation)
- LERU League of European Research Universities (External organisation)
- Adipocytes and Bone
- Sex & fat & blood & bones: Bone marrow fat as a novel regulator of immune function, bone biology and cardiometabolic health
- Metabolic and endocrine functions of bone marrow adipocytes
- Diabetes (Journal)
- Academic success beyond the journal impact factor: a junior PI’s view
- Journal of Endocrinology (Journal) to
- Science (Journal)
- Endocrine and Metabolic Functions of Bone Marrow Adipose Tissue
- Science (Journal)
- Bone marrow adipose tissue: Endocrine aspects and impact on metabolic homeostasis
- Bone marrow adipose tissue: Starving for attention
- British Journal of Pharmacology (Journal)
- Diabetes (Journal) to
- Diabetes (Journal)
- British Journal of Pharmacology (Journal)
- Frontiers in Endocrinology (Journal)
- External examiner for PhD thesis
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Turning the spotlight on Bone Marrow adipocytes: in haematological malignancy and non-malignant conditions
In:
British journal of haematology, vol. 201, pp. 605-619
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.18748
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
The effects of caloric restriction on adipose tissue and metabolic health are sex- and age-dependent
In:
eLIFE
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.88080
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
A novel deep learning method for large-scale analysis of bone marrow adiposity using UK Biobank Dixon MRI data
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.06.22283151
Research output: › Preprint (Published) -
Awareness of and Engagement with Open Research Behaviours: Development of the Brief Open Research Survey (BORS) with the UK Reproducibility Network
(34 pages)
DOI: https://doi.org/doi:10.31222/osf.io/w48yh
Research output: › Preprint (Submitted) -
The effects of caloric restriction on adipose tissue and metabolic health are sex- and age-dependent
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.02.20.481222
Research output: › Preprint (Published) -
Guidelines for biobanking of bone marrow adipose tissue and related cell types: Report of the Biobanking Working Group of the International Bone Marrow Adiposity Society
In:
Frontiers in Endocrinology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.744527
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Adipocytes disrupt the translational programme of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia to favour tumour survival and persistence
In:
Nature Communications
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-25540-4
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Ablation of Enpp6 results in transient bone hypomineralization
In:
JBMR Plus
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jbm4.10439
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
PHOSPHO1 is a skeletal regulator of insulin resistance and obesity
(20 pages)
In:
BMC Biology, vol. 18
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12915-020-00880-7
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Bone marrow adipose tissue
(22 pages)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-801238-3.11207-3
Research output: › Chapter (peer-reviewed) (Published) -
Bone marrow adipose tissue is a unique adipose subtype with distinct roles in glucose homeostasis
In:
Nature Communications, vol. 11
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-16878-2
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Standardised Nomenclature, Abbreviations, and Units for the study of Bone Marrow Adiposity: Report of the Nomenclature Working Group of the International Bone Marrow Adiposity Society
In:
Frontiers in Endocrinology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2019.00923
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Myeloma cells down‐regulate adiponectin in bone marrow adipocytes via TNF‐alpha
In:
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.3951
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Bone marrow adipose tissue does not express UCP1 during development or adrenergic-induced remodeling
In:
Scientific Reports
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-54036-x
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
A comparison of the bone and growth phenotype of mdx, mdx:cmah-/- and mdx:utrn+/- murine models with the C57BL10 wildtype mouse
In:
Disease Models and Mechanisms
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/dmm.040659
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Fat cell progenitors get singled out
In:
Science, vol. 364, pp. 328-329
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aax2967
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
New Insights Into the Long Non-coding RNA SRA: Physiological Functions and Mechanisms of Action
In:
Frontiers in Medicine, vol. 5, pp. 244
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2018.00244
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Molecular Interaction of Bone Marrow Adipose Tissue with Energy Metabolism
(9 pages)
In:
Current Molecular Biology Reports, vol. 4, pp. 41-49
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40610-018-0096-8
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article (Published) -
Bone marrow adipocytes resist lipolysis and remodeling in response to β-adrenergic stimulation
In:
Bone
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2018.01.016
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Adipose specific disruption of seipin causes early-onset generalised lipodystrophy and altered fuel utilisation without severe metabolic disease
In:
Molecular Metabolism
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2018.01.019
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)