Dr Charlotte Lawson
BSc MSc PhD
Associate Professor
Department: Comparative Biomedical Sciences
Campus: Camden
Research Groups: Cardiovascular and Renal Biology, CPCS (Research Programme)
I am a member of the Cardiovascular and Inflammation biology research group. My main research interests are leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions and vascular inflammation, extracellular vesicle production and adhesion molecule signalling.
After graduating from Wye College (University of London) with a BSc in Animal Science, I undertook an ARC funded research studentship at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, supervised by Professor and Professor , and was awarded my PhD in 1997. From 1998-2003 I took up a BHF funded post-doctoral position at Imperial College (Harefield Hospital) with Marlene Rose in the transplant immunology group.
In 2001 I was awarded a 3 year BHF Intermediate Fellowship to pursue independent research. I moved to the ÐÂÔÂÖ±²¥ in 2004 as a Lecturer and member of the Cardiovascular and Inflammation biology research group. I am interested in all aspects of vascular inflammation and my current research focuses on extracelluar vesicle production in vascular endothelium, effects of milk-derived extracellular vesicles on human immune cell and endothelial cell function and leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions during inflammatory responses.
Since starting my post-doctoral position at Harefield Hospital my main research interest has focussed on interactions between leukocytes or leukocyte derived factors and the endothelium during vascular inflammation
Current research topics include extracellular vesicle formation in endothelial cells and monocytes and the role of milk-derived extracellular vesicles in human immune and endothelial cell responses
Areas of expertise in the lab include culture of endothelial cells from different vascular beds/species, use of a parallel plate flow chamber, production and propagation of adenovirus and retrovirus and transfection of primary endothelial cells and cell lines, isolation and detection of microvesicles by flow cytometry.
I am a founding member of the UK Extracellular Vesicle Forum and I am the Treasurer. I sit on the Membership and Professional Affairs Committee at the Royal Society of Biology.
I currently have external collaborations with Miss Janice Tsui at Royal Free Hospital, Dr Lindsay Bottoms at University of Hertfordshire as well as regularly collaborating with basic scientist and clinicians at the RVC
Day A, Jameson Z, Hyde C, Simbi B, Fowkes R, Lawson C. C-Type Natriuretic Peptide (CNP) Inhibition of Interferon-γ-Mediated Gene Expression in Human Endothelial Cells In Vitro. Biosensors (Basel). 2018 Sep 14;8(3). pii: E86. doi: 10.3390/bios8030086. PubMed PMID: 30223437;
Finding EJT, Lawson C, Elliott J, Harris PA, Menzies-Gow NJ. Cell specific microvesicles vary with season and disease predisposition in healthy and previously laminitic ponies. Vet Immunol Immunopathol. 2018 Aug;202:85-92. doi:10.1016/j.vetimm.2018.06.001. Epub 2018 Jun 23. PubMed PMID: 30078603.
Lawson C, Kovacs D, Finding E, Ulfelder E, Luis-Fuentes V. Extracellular Vesicles: Evolutionarily Conserved Mediators of Intercellular Communication. Yale J Biol Med. 2017 Sep 25;90(3):481-491. eCollection 2017 Sep. Review. PubMed PMID: 28955186; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC5612190.
Schroeder JH, McCarthy D, Szestak T, Cook DA, Taylor MJ, Craig AG, Lawson C, Lawrence RA. Brugia malayi microfilariae adhere to human vascular endothelial cells in a C3-dependent manner. PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 May 8;11(5):e0005592. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005592.
Jonas KC, Melrose T, Thompson IR, Baxter GF, Lipscomb VJ, Niessen SJ, Lawson C, McArdle CA, Roberson MS, McGonnell IM, Wheeler-Jones CP, Fowkes RC. Natriuretic peptide activation of extracellular regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway by particulate guanylyl cyclases in GH3 somatolactotropes. Cell Tissue Res. 2017 Apr 27. doi: 10.1007/s00441-017-2624-x.
Lawson C, Rose M, Wolf S. Leukocyte Adhesion Under Hemodynamic Flow Conditions. Methods Mol Biol. 2017;1591:85-100. doi: 10.1007/978-1-4939-6931-9_7. PubMed PMID: 28349477.
Pollott G, Brito A, Gardiner C, Lawson C. A Comparison of Different Methodologies for the Measurement of Extracellular Vesicles and Milk-derived Particles in Raw Milk from Cows. Biomark Insights. 2016 Dec 13;11:147-155.
Lawson C, Vicencio JM, Yellon DM, Davidson SM. Microvesicles and exosomes: new players in metabolic and cardiovascular disease. J Endocrinol. 2016 Feb;228(2):R57-71. doi: 10.1530/JOE-15-0201. Epub 2016 Jan 7. Review. PubMed PMID: 26743452.
Heinrich LF, Andersen DK, Cleasby ME, Lawson C. Long-term high fat feeding of rats results in increased numbers of circulating microvesicles with pro-inflammatory effects on endothelial cells. Br J Nutr. 2015 113(11):1704-11.
Pollott GE, Wilson K, Jerram L, Fowkes RC, Lawson C. Technical note: A noninvasive method for measuring mammary apoptosis and epithelial cell activation in dairy animals using microparticles extracted from milk. J Dairy Sci. 2014 97(8):5017-22
Lawson C. Pancreatic Allografts: Identification of Useful Biomarkers of Rejection and Beyond. Dig Dis Sci. 2014 Jan 8. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID:24399054.
Wolf SI, Howat S, Abraham DJ, Pearson JD, Lawson C. Agonistic anti-ICAM-1 antibodies in scleroderma: activation of endothelial pro-inflammatory cascades. Vascul Pharmacol. 2013. 59(1-2):19-26.
Jan-Hendrik Schroeder, Biggy H. Simbi, Natalie Tilsley, Louise Johnson, Sara R Cole, Mark J. Taylor, Charlotte Lawson and Rachel A. Lawrence. Live Brugia malayi microfilariae inhibit monocyte and neutrophil extravasation, but are relatively inert in stimulating vascular endothelial cell immune function. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases 2012;6(11):e1914.
Holtom E, Usherwood JR, Macey MG, Lawson C. Microparticle formation after co-culture of human whole blood and umbilical artery in a novel in vitro model of flow. Cytometry A. 2012 81(5):390-9.
Armengol Lopez S, Botham KM, Lawson C. The oxidative state of chylomicron remnants influences their modulation of human monocyte activation. Int J Vasc Med. 2012;2012:942512.
Graham VS, Lawson C, Wheeler-Jones CP, Perona JS, Ruiz-Gutierrez V, Botham KM. Triacylglycerol-rich lipoproteins derived from healthy donors fed different olive oils modulate cytokine secretion and cyclooxygenase-2 expression in macrophages: the potential role of oleanolic acid. Eur J Nutr. 2012 51(3):301-9.
Graham VS, Di Maggio P, Armengol S, Lawson C, Wheeler-Jones CP, Botham KM. Inhibition of macrophage inflammatory cytokine secretion by chylomicron remnants is dependent on their uptake by the low density lipoprotein receptor. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2011 Mar;1811(3):209-20.
Bentley C, Hathaway N, Widdows J, Bejta F, De Pascale C, Avella M, Wheeler-Jones CP, Botham KM, Lawson C. Influence of chylomicron remnants on human monocyte activation in vitro. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2011 21(11):871-8
Macey MG, Wolf SI, Lawson C. Microparticle formation after exposure of blood to activated endothelium under flow. Cytometry A. 2010 77:761-8.
Lawson C, Rose M, Wolf S. Leucocyte adhesion under haemodynamic flow conditions. Methods Mol Biol. 2010;616:31-47.
MG, Wolf SI, Wheeler-Jones CP, Lawson C. Expression of blood coagulation factors on monocytes after exposure to TNF-treated endothelium in a novel whole blood model of arterial flow. J Immunol Methods. 2009 350:133-41
HOLDER, A. L., WOLF, S., WALSHE, C., PANDYA, P., STANFORD, R. E., SMITH, J. D., ROSE, M. L. & LAWSON, C. (2008) Expression of endothelial intercellular adhesion molecule-1 is determined by genotype: effects on efficiency of leukocyte adhesion to human endothelial cells. Hum Immunol 69, 71-78.
BENTLEY, C., BEJTA, F., DE PASCALE, C., AVELLA, M., WHEELER-JONES, C. P., BOTHAM, K. M. & LAWSON, C. (2007) Dietary fats induce human monocyte activation in vitro. Biochem Soc Trans 35, 464-465.
OSBORNE, F. N., KALSI, K. K., LAWSON, C., LAVITRANO, M., YACOUB, M. H., ROSE, M. L. & SMOLENSKI, R. T. (2005) Expression of human ecto-5'-nucleotidase in pig endothelium increases adenosine production and protects from NK cell-mediated lysis. Am J Transplant 5, 1248-1255.
LAWSON, C., HOLDER, A. L., STANFORD, R. E., SMITH, J. & ROSE, M. L. (2005) Anti-intercellular adhesion molecule-1 antibodies in sera of heart transplant recipients: a role in endothelial cell activation. Transplantation 80, 264-271.
JOHANSSON, U., LAWSON, C., DABARE, M., SYNDERCOMBE-COURT, D., NEWLAND, A. C., HOWELLS, G. L. & MACEY, M. G. (2005) Human peripheral blood monocytes express protease receptor-2 and respond to receptor activation by production of IL-6, IL-8, and IL-1{beta}. J Leukoc Biol 78, 967-975.
TAY, S. S., MCCORMACK, A., LAWSON, C. & ROSE, M. L. (2003) IFN-gamma reverses the stop signal allowing migration of antigen-specific T cells into inflammatory sites. J Immunol 170, 3315-3322.
KALSI, K., LAWSON, C., DOMINGUEZ, M., TAYLOR, P., YACOUB, M. H. & SMOLENSKI, R. T. (2002) Regulation of ecto-5'-nucleotidase by TNF-alpha in human endothelial cells. Mol Cell Biochem 232, 113-119.
LAWSON, C., AINSWORTH, M. E., MCCORMACK, A. M., YACOUB, M. & ROSE, M. L. (2001) Effects of cross-linking ICAM-1 on the surface of human vascular smooth muscle cells: induction of VCAM-1 but no proliferation. Cardiovasc Res 50, 547-555.
SMITH, J. D., LAWSON, C., YACOUB, M. H. & ROSE, M. L. (2000) Activation of NF-kappa B in human endothelial cells induced by monoclonal and allospecific HLA antibodies. Int Immunol 12, 563-571.
LAWSON, C., MCCORMACK, A. M., MOYES, D., YUN, S., FABRE, J. W., YACOUB, M. & ROSE, M. L. (2000) An epithelial cell line that can stimulate alloproliferation of resting CD4+ T cells, but not after IFN-gamma stimulation. J Immunol 165, 734-742.
KALSI, K. K., LAWSON, C., MCCORMACK, A., KOCHAN, Z., YACOUB, M. H. & SMOLENSKI, R. T. (2000) TNF-alpha reduces the activity of ecto-5'-nucleotidase in human endothelial cells. Adv Exp Med Biol 486, 149-152.
LAWSON, C., AINSWORTH, M., YACOUB, M. & ROSE, M. (1999) Ligation of ICAM-1 on endothelial cells leads to expression of VCAM-1 via a nuclear factor-kappaB-independent mechanism. J Immunol 162, 2990-2996.
I am the Course Director for the BSc/MSci Biosciences degree programmes. I have a strong interest in developing employability skills, and widening participation of different groups of students in science and veterinary medicine. My teaching is mainly in cell biology and respiratory and cardiovascular physiology. I am also module leader for the first year BSc Biosciences Biology of The Cell module. I supervise a number of undergraduate and masters research projects.
"Lab in a bag" hands on biological sciences classes in schools with the RVC Access team