Dr Luise Cullen-McEwen - Researcher Profile

Dr Luise Cullen-McEwen

Address

Dept of Anatomy & Developmental Biology
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing & Health Sciences, Clayton

Biography

Dr Luise Cullen-McEwen is a Research Fellow with the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology.  Luise obtained her Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Wollongong (1998), Honours degree at Melbourne University (1999) and her PhD at Monash University (2002). In 2002 she was appointed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology in the School of Biomedical Sciences at Monash University. Luise’s research focuses on kidney development, particularly the regulation of branching morphogenesis and thereby nephron number during embryogenesis. Luise’s PhD studied the role of Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) in regulating ureteric branching morphogenesis. GDNF is a key regulator of early branching in the developing kidney. Luise has extensive experience in animal handling, embryo dissection, embryonic kidney culture, whole mount immunofluorescence, histology and unbiased stereology.

Luise Cullen-McEwen obtained her Bachelor of Biomedical Science at the University of Wollongong (1998), Honours degree at Melbourne University (1999) and her PhD at Monash University (2002). In 2002 she was appointed as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology in the School of Biomedical Sciences at Monash University. Luise’s research focuses on kidney development, particularly the regulation of branching morphogenesis and thereby nephron number during embryogenesis. Luise’s PhD studied the role of Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) in regulating ureteric branching morphogenesis. GDNF is a key regulator of early branching in the developing kidney. Luise has extensive experience in animal handling, embryo dissection, embryonic kidney culture, whole mount immunofluorescence, histology and unbiased stereology. Luise has applied for NHMRC funding in 2010 for a research project to investigate the effect of maternal hyperglycemia (maternal diabetes) on kidney development.

 

blue kidney tree

Above Image: Histological section of embryonic day 15 rat kidney stained for ureteric tree (Dolichos Biflorus Agglutinin staining)

green fluoresence image tag

Above Image: Immunofluorescence photomicrographs of the ureteric tree in metanephroi cultured for 3 days in control media (i), or media supplemented with rhGDNF (ii), FCS (iii), or rhGDNF plus 10% FCS (iv).

Qualifications

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Institution: University of Melbourne
Year awarded: 2005

Publications

Book Chapters

Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Armitage, J.A., Nyengaard, J.R., Bertram, J.F., 2012, Estimating nephron number in the developing kidney using the physical disector/fractionator combination, in Methods in Molecular Biology - Kidney Development, eds O Michos, Humana Press, USA, pp. 109-119.

Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Douglas-Denton, R.N., Bertram, J.F., 2012, Estimating total nephron number in the adult kidney using the physical disector/fractionator combination, in Methods in Molecular Biology - Kidney Development, eds O Michos, Humana Press, USA, pp. 333-350.

Harper, I.S., Cullen, L.A., Bertram, J.F., 2001, Quantitative studies of branching morphogenesis in the developing kidney, in Branching in Nature - Dynamics and Morphogenesis of Branching Structures from Cell to River Networks, eds V Fleury, J-F Gouyet, M Leonetti, EDP Sciences, Les Ulis, pp. 243-248.

Journal Articles

Gray, S., Cullen-McEwen, L., Bertram, J., Moritz, K., 2012, Mechanism of alcohol-induced impairment in renal development: Could it be reduced by retinoic acid?, Clinical And Experimental Pharmacology And Physiology [P], vol 39, issue 9, Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Asia, Australia, pp. 807-813.

Henry, S.L., Bensley, J.G., Wood-Bradley, R.J., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Bertram, J.F., Armitage, J.A., 2012, White adipocytes: More than just fat depots, International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology [P], vol 44, issue 3, Pergamon, UK, pp. 435-440.

Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Armitage, J.A., Nyengaard, J.R., Moritz, K.M., Bertram, J.F., 2011, A design-based method for estimating glomerular number in the developing kidney, American Journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology [P], vol 300, issue 6, American Physiological Society, USA, pp. F1448-F1453.

Walker, K., Sims-Lucas, S., Caruana, G., Cullen-McEwen, L., Li, J., Sarraj, M., Bertram, J., Stenvers, K., 2011, Betaglycan is required for the establishment of nephron endowment in the mouse, PLoS ONE [P], vol 6, issue 4 (Art. No: e18723), Public Library of Science, USA, pp. 1-10.

Sorocos, K., Kostoulias, X., Cullen-McEwen, L., Hart, A., Bertram, J., Caruana, G., 2011, Expression patterns and roles of periostin during kidney and ureter development, Journal Of Urology [P], vol 186, issue 4, Elsevier Science Inc., USA, pp. 1537-1544.

Gray, S.P., Denton, K.M., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Bertram, J.F., Moritz, K.M., 2010, Prenatal exposure to alcohol reduces nephron number and raises blood pressure in progeny, Journal Of The American Society Of Nephrology [P], vol 21, issue 11, American Society of Nephrology, USA, pp. 1891-1902.

David, F.S., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Wu, X.S., Zins, S.R., Lin, J., Bertram, J.F., Neel, B.G., 2010, Regulation of kidney development by Shp2: An unbiased stereological analysis, Anatomical Record-Advances In Integrative Anatomy And Evolutionary Biology [P], vol 293, issue 12, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., USA, pp. 2147-2153.

Sims-Lucas, S., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Eswarakumar, V.P., Hains, D., Kish, K., Becknell, B., Zhang, J., Bertram, J.F., Wang, F., Bates, C.M., 2009, Deletion of Frs2alpha from the ureteric epithelium causes renal hypoplasia, American Journal Of Physiology-Renal Physiology [P], vol 297, issue 5, American Physiological Society, USA, pp. F1208-F1219.

Shweta, A., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Kett, M.M., Evans, R.G., Denton, K.M., Fitzgerald, S.M., Anderson, W.P., Bertram, J.F., 2009, Glomerular surface area is normalized in mice born with a nephron deficit: no role for AT1 receptors, American Journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology [P], vol 296, issue 3, American Physiological Society, USA, pp. F583-F589.

Elisaia, A., Barzel, B., Wood-Bradley, R., Henry, S., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Bertram, J.F., Armitage, J., 2009, The role of maternal diet in programming obesity, hypertension and metabolic disease and its relevance to the Western Pacific population, Samoa Medical Journal [P], vol 1, issue 1, Oceania University of Medicine, Samoa, pp. 8-15.

Abdelkader (Shweta), A., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Kett, M.M., Evans, R.G., Denton, K.M., Fitzgerald, S.M., Anderson, W.P., Bertram, J.F., 2008, Glomerular surface area is normalized in mice born with a nephron deficit: No role for AT(1) receptors, American Journal of Physiology: Renal Physiology, vol E, American Physiological Society, USA, pp. F583-F589.

Little, M.H., Brennan, J., Georgas, K., Davies, J.A., Davidson, D.R., Baldock, R.A., Beverdam, A., Bertram, J.F., Capel, B., Chiu, H.S., Clements, D., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Fleming, J.S., Gilbert, T., Houghton, D., Kaufman, M.H., Kleymenova, E., Koopman, P.A., Lewis, A.G., McMahon, A.P., Mendelsohn, C.L., Mitchell, E.K., Rumballe, B.A., Sweeney, D.E., Valerius, M.T., Yamada, G., Yang, Y., Yu, J., 2007, A high-resolution anatomical ontology of the developing murine genitourinary tract, Gene Expression Patterns, vol 7, issue 6, Elsevier Science BV, Amsterdam Netherlands, pp. 680-699.

Hoppe, C.C., Evans, R.G., Moritz, K.M., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Fitzgerald, S.M., Dowling, J.P., Bertram, J.F., 2007, Combined prenatal and postnatal protein restriction influences adult kidney structure, function, and arterial pressure, American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, vol 292, issue 1, American Physiological Society, Bethesda USA, pp. 462-469.

Singh, R.R., Moritz, K.M., Bertram, J.F., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., 2007, Effects of dexamethasone exposure on rat metanephric development: In vitro and in vivo studies, American Journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology, vol 293, issue 2, American Physiological Society, Bethesda MD USA, pp. F548-F554.

Singh, R.R., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Kett, M.M., Boon, W.M., Dowling, J.P., Bertram, J.F., Moritz, K.M., 2007, Prenatal corticosterone exposure results in altered AT1/AT2, nephron deficit and hypertension in the rat offspring, The Journal of Physiology, vol 579, issue 2, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford England UK, pp. 503-513.

Caruana, G., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Nelson, A.L., Mantzioros, X.P., Woods, K., Gardiner, B., Davis, M., Taylor, D., Teasdale, R., Grimmond, S.M., Little, M.H., Bertram, J.F., 2006, Spatial gene expression in the T-stage mouse metanephros, Gene Expression Patterns, vol 6, Elsevier Science BV, Amsterdam Netherlands, pp. 807-825.

Guo, M., Ricardo, S.D., Deane, J.A., Shi, M., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Bertram, J.F., 2005, A stereological study of the renal glomerular vasculature in the db/db mouse model of diabetic nephropathy, Journal of Anatomy, vol 207, issue 6, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford England, pp. 813-821.

Dickinson, H., Walker, D.W., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Wintour, E., Moritz, K.M., 2005, The spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) completes nephrogenesis before birth, American journal of Physiology - Renal Physiology, vol 289, issue 2, Amer Physiological Society, Bethesda USA, pp. F273-F279.

Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Caruana, G., Bertram, J.F., 2005, The where, what and why of the developing renal stroma, Nephron Experimental Nephrology, vol 99, issue 1, S Karger AG, Switzerland, pp. e1-e8.

Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Kett, M.M., Dowling, J.P., Anderson, W.P., Bertram, J.F., 2003, Nephron number, renal function, and arterial pressure in aged GDNF heterozygous mice, Hypertension, vol 41, issue 2, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia USA, pp. 335-340.

Fricout, G., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Harper, I.S., Jeulin, D., Bertram, J.F., 2002, A quantitative method for analysing 3-D branching in embryonic kidneys: development of a technique and preliminary data, Image Analysis and Stereology, vol 21, International Society for Stereology, Slovenia, pp. 37-41.

Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Fricout, G., Harper, I.S., Jeulin, D., Bertram, J.F., 2002, Quantitation of 3D ureteric branchin morphogenesis in cultured embryonic mouse kidney, Internation Journal of Developmental Biology, vol 46, UBC Press, Spain, pp. 1049-1055.

Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Drago, J., Bertram, J.F., 2001, Nephron endowment in glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) heterozygous mice, Kidney International, vol 60, issue 1, Blackwell Science Inc, Malden MA USA, pp. 31-36.

Cullen, L.A., Young, R.J., Bertram, J.F., 2000, Studies on the effects of gentamicin on rat metanephric development in vitro, Nephrology, vol 5 issue feb/may 2000, Blackwell Science Asia, www.blackwell-science-asia.com/nep, pp. 115-123.

Conference Proceedings

Fricout, G., Jeulin, D., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Harper, I.S., Bertram, J.F., 2002, 3-D Skeletonization of uteric trees in developing Kidneys, Mathematical Morphology, 03/04/2002 - 05/04/2002, CSIRO, Collingwood Vic Australia, pp. 157-164.

Fricout, G., Cullen-McEwen, L.A., Harper, I.S., Jeulin, D., Bertram, J.F., 2001, A quantitative method for analysing 3D branching in embryonic kidneys: development of a technique and preliminary data, Proceedings of the 8th ECS and Image Analysis, 04/09/01 to 07/09/01, International Society for Stereology, Slovenia, pp. 36-41.

Grants

Title:
Aust Kidney Fdn (S/Ship) - L A Cullen.
Investigators:
Cullen-McEwen, L
Funding:
(2008 - 2012). Australian Kidney Foundation.
Title:
Gestational diabetes mellitus: implicatinos for kidney development and adult renal health.
Investigators:
Cullen-McEwen, L
Funding:
(2013 - 2016). Diabetes Australia.

Postgraduate Research Supervisions

Current Supervision

Program of Study:
(DOCTORATE BY RESEARCH).
Thesis Title:
The effects of diabetes in pregnancy on offspring kidney development and adult health.
Supervisors:
Cullen-Mcewen, L (Main), Armitage, J (Associate), Bertram, J (Associate).