Professor John Beattie - Zinc and vascular health

Professor John BeattieContact details for Professor John Beattie

Email:J.Beattie@abdn.ac.uk

Telephone:+44 (0)1224 438631

Research Focus

Zinc deficiency affects one third of the World’s population and is recognised by the WHO as a critical global nutritional deficiency. Zinc is required for the proper function of over 2500 proteins and deficiencies give rise to impaired growth, development and immunity. Even in developed countries, marginal zinc deficiency is likely to be prevalent and may have important consequences for the pathogenesis of heart disease. Our recent proteomic analysis of aorta from zinc deficient rats reveals a deficiency-related decrease in protein kinase Cα (PKCα) levels coincidental with the targeting of pathways relating to vascular smooth muscle (VSM) differentiation, fatty acid oxidation and carbohydrate metabolism.  Particular targets identified include the VSM-specific protein sm22α (transgelin 1), whose genetic ablation in apoE-null mice accelerates atherogenesis.  We are using mouse models of heart disease to better understand how marginal zinc deficiency, equivalent to that experienced by sections of the Scottish population, affect the initiation and pathogenesis of vascular disease and to define optimal dietary zinc intakes for maintaining vascular health.

Specifically, I aim to:

  • Demonstrate whether marginal zinc deficiency influences the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis using appropriate mouse models.
  • Understand the mechanisms by which zinc protects the vascular system and maintains vascular health.
  • Evaluate the role of zinc and the zinc-binding protein metallothionein in protecting the vascular system from oxidative stress.

 

Research Projects

  • Human Biomarkers of Zinc Status (HuBZS) study funded by the Department of Health
  • Global Research Network Program grant from the National Research Foundation of Korea and University of Aberdeen, on zinc status and vascular smooth muscle cell function
  • Zinc deficiency and atherosclerosis, funded by the Scottish Executive Rural and Environment Affairs Department
  • Anti-obesogenic properties of phytochemicals, funded by the Korea Food Research Institute
  • Effect of selenium speciation and dose on atherosclerosis, funded by the British Heart Foundation
  • The role for zinc in the inflammatory response to sepsis, funded by the Intensive Care Society

Editorial Board Membership

British Journal of Nutrition
Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology
Cardiovascular Toxicology
Nutrition Research and Practice

Policy Briefings

Latest Publications

Ginger phytochemicals mitigate the obesogenic effects of a high-fat diet in mice: A proteomic and biomarker network analysis. Beattie JH, Nicol F, Gordon MJ, Reid MD, Cantlay L, Horgan GW, Kwun IS, Ahn JY, Ha TY. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 2011, 55 Suppl 2:S203-213.

Differential effects of nutritional folic acid deficiency and moderate hyperhomocysteinemia on aortic plaque formation and DNA methylation. McNeil C.J., Beattie J.H., Gordon M-J., Pirie L.P. and Duthie S.J. Clinical Epigenetics, (In Press).

Microanalytical isotope ratio measurements and elemental mapping using laser ablation ICP-MS for tissue thin sections: Zinc tracer studies in rats. Urgast DS, Ou O, Gordon MJ, Raab A, Kwun IS, Beattie JH, Feldmann J. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (In Press).

Zinc deprivation inhibits extracellular matrix calcification through decreased synthesis of matrix proteins in osteoblasts. Alcantara EH, Lomeda RA, Feldmann J, Nixon GF, Beattie JH, Kwun IS. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 2011 Jun 8. [Epub ahead of print].

Metabolomics and human nutrition. Primrose S, Draper J, Elsom R, Kirkpatrick V, Mathers JC, Seal C, Beckmann M, Haldar S, Beattie JH, Lodge JK, Jenab M, Keun H, Scalbert A. British Journal of Nutrition. 2011, 105(8):1277-1283.

Zinc deficiency suppresses matrix mineralization and retards osteogenesis transiently with catch-up possibly through Runx 2 modulation. Kwun IS, Cho YE, Lomeda RA, Shin HI, Choi JY, Kang YH, Beattie JH. Bone. 2010, 46(3):732-741.

Preliminary evidence of immune function modulation by thyroid hormones in healthy men and women aged 55-70 years. Hodkinson CF, Simpson EE, Beattie JH, O'Connor JM, Campbell DJ, Strain JJ, Wallace JM. Journal of Endocrinology. 2009, 202(1):55-63.

Rapid quantification of aortic lesions in apoE(-/-) mice. Beattie JH, Duthie SJ, Kwun IS, Ha TY, Gordon MJ. Journal of Vascular Research. 2009, 46(4):347-352.

The impact of rapid economic growth and globalization on zinc nutrition in South Korea. Kwun IS, Do MS, Chung HR, Kim YH, Beattie JH. Public Health Nutrition. 2009, 12(8):1234-1241.