Member
Andrew Leask, BSc. PhD
CIHR Group in Skeletal Development and Remodeling,
Dental Sciences Building
University of Western Ontario
London, ON, N6A 5C1, Canada
Email: andrew.leask@schulich.uwo.ca
Present Position
Associate Professor
Societies
American Society for Cell Biology,
American Society for Matrix Biology
Awards
Medical Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellowship Award 1993-1996
Early Researcher Award (Ontario Government)2006
CIHR/IMHA Quality of Life Award Overall Winner 2005
Research Themes
My laboratory has been involved in a number of projects aiming at the characterization of the molecular mechanism underlying tissue repair and fibrosis. We have used scleroderma as a model system. We have identified several pathways required for normal tissue repair and the progression to fibrotic disease. Such pathways involve the TGFbeta, endothelin, and CCN pathways.
Recent Publications
Kennedy, L., Liu, S., Shi-wen, X., Carter, D., Lyons, K., Black, C.M., Abraham, D.J, Leask A.
CCN2 is essential for fibroblast function.
Exp. Cell Res 2007 313: 952-964
Shi-wen, X., Rodrigues-Pascual, F., Lamas, S., Holmes, A., Howat, S., Pearson, J.D., Dashwood, MR., du Bois, RM, Denton, CP,
Black, CM, Abraham, DJ, Leask A
Constitutive ALK5-indepenent JNK activation contributes to endothelin-1 over-expression in pulmonary fibrosis.
Mol Cell Biol. 2006 26:5518-27.
Liu, S.,Shi-wen, X.,Kennedy, L., Pala, D.,Carter, DE, Black, CM, Abraham, DJ, Leask, A.
FAK is required for TGFb-induced JNK phosphorylation in fibroblasts: implications for acquisition of a matrix remodeling phenotype.
Mol. Biol. Cell. 2007 18: 2169-2178
Shi-wen, X.,Stanton, L.,Kennedy, L.,Pala, D., Chen, Y., Howat, S.L., Renzoni, E.A., Carter, D.E., Bou-Gharios, G.,
Stratton, R.J., Pearson, J.D., Beier, F., Lyons, K.M..,Black, C.M., Abraham, D.J. Leask, A.
CCN2 is necessary for adhesive responses to TGFß1 in embryonic fibroblasts.
J Biol Chem. 2006 281:10715-26.
Chen, Y., Abraham, D.J., Shi-wen, X., Black, C.M., Lyons, K.M., Leask A
CCN2 (Connective Tissue Growth Factor) Promotes Fibroblast Adhesion to Fibronectin.
Mol. Biol. Cell. 2004 15:5635-46
Holmes, A., Abraham, DJ., Chen. Y., Shi-wen, X., Denton, C., Black, C.M., Leask, A
Sp1 is required for elevated CTGF expression in scleroderma fibroblasts.
J. Biol. Chem. 2003 278:41728-33.
Holmes A, Abraham, D.J., Sa S, Shiwen X, Black CM, Leask A.
CTGF and SMADs, maintenance of scleroderma phenotype is independent of SMAD signaling.
J. Biol. Chem. 2001 276: 10594-601