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Professor Paula Murphy

Professor (Zoology)
      
Profile Photo

Professor Paula Murphy

Professor (Zoology)

 Paula.Murphy@tcd.ie

 


Paula Murphy's research interests are in the genetic regulation of embryonic development, and she has been carrying out research in this field since starting postgraduate studies towards her doctoral degree in 1987. The relationship between gene expression patterns and gene function has been a prominent part of her work, and detailed expression analysis is one of her specialisations. The focus of her current research is on understanding the molecular basis of tissue formation and morphogenesis in the vertebrate embryo, in particular how mechanical signals integrate with molecular pathways in guiding spatially organized tissue differentiation. She uses mouse and chick animal models to reveal the effects of disrupting regulatory mechanisms to test functional hypotheses; making use of mutant mouse lines. The research team is currently pioneering approaches to specifically manipulate gene function using CRISPR interference directly in vivo in the chick embryo. This permits targeting of specific tissues in a whole embryo context. The lab specializes in imaging molecular events within the 3D morphological context of the embryo. Her research career spans experience in a number of top international research institutions (Medical Research Council HUman Genetics Unit, Edinburgh; The University of Rome (La Sapienza); Ecole Normale Supeieur, Paris; The biotechnology Institute of Oslo, University of Oslo) and she continues to collaborate with international colleagues in the US and Europe.
  3d Imaging   Developmental Biology   Embryology   Expression Analysis   Genetics   In Situ Hybridisation   Morphogenesis   Wnt Signalling Pathway
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
French Medium Basic Medium
Italian Medium Basic Medium
Norwegian Medium Basic Medium
Rolfe RA, Basturkmen EB, Sliney L, Hayden G, Dunne N, Buckley N, McCarthy H, Szczesney SE, and Murphy P., Embryo Movement is required for limb tendon maturation, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Peterson BE, Canonicco Castro ML, McCarthy HO, Buckley N, Dunne N, Rolfe RA, Murphy P, Szczesny SE., Structural determinants of tendon multiscale mechanics and their sensitivity to mechanical stimulation during development in an embryonic chick model., Acta Biomateralia, 190, 2024, p303 - 316, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI  Other  Other
Gallagher, S,. Murphy, P., Implementing inter-institutional lifelong sustainability education: The UNI-ECO e-learning case study, Irish Journal of Academic Practice, 11, (2), 2024, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Building a Co-ordinated Musculoskeletal System: The Plasticity of the Developing Skeleton in Response to Muscle Contractions in, editor(s)Boris Kablar , Roles of Skeletal Muscle in Organ Development, Springer Nature, 2023, [Paula Murphy and Rebecca Rolfe], Book Chapter, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Murphy P., Armit C., Hill B., Venkataraman S., Frankel P., Baldock R. and Davidson D. , Integrated analysis of Wnt signalling system component gene expression, Development , 149, (16), 2022, pdoi: 10.1242/dev.200312. Epub , Notes: [Epub 2022 Aug 15 ], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Hill, Bill. Husz, Zost. Armit, Chris. Davidson, Duncan R. Murphy, Paula. Baldock, Richard A., WlzWarp: An Open-Source Tool for Complex Alignment of Spatial Data, 2022, Notes: [Preprint for open access through biorXiv ahead of peer review. posted Feb 14 2022], Journal Article, SUBMITTED  TARA - Full Text  DOI
Rolfe, RA. Shea, CA. and Murphy P., Geometric analysis of chondrogenic self-organisation of embryonic limb bud cells in micromass culture., Cell and Tissue Research , 2022, Notes: [doi: 10.1007/s00441-021-03564-y], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text
Rolfe, RA. Scanlon-O' Callaghan, D. and Murphy P., Joint development recovery on resumption of embryonic movement following paralysis, Disease Models and Mechanisms , 14, (4), 2021, phttps://doi.org/10.1242/dmm.04 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  URL
Shea, C.A. and Murphy, P , The Primary Cilium on Cells of Developing Skeletal Rudiments; Distribution, Characteristics and Response to Mechanical Stimulation, Frontiers in Cell and developmental Biology , 2021, phttps://doi.org/10.3389/fcell. , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  URL
Peterson BE., Rolfe RA., Kunselman A., Murphy P., and Szczesny S., Mechanical Stimulation via Muscle Activity is Necessary for the Maturation of Tendon Multiscale Mechanics during Embryonic Development, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology , 2021, p10.3389/fcell.2021.725563 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  TARA - Full Text  DOI  URL
  

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Hill, Bill. Husz, Zost. Armit, Chris. Davidson, Duncan R. Murphy, Paula. Baldock, Richard A., WlzWarp: An Open-Source Tool for Complex Alignment of Spatial Data, biorXiv , 2022, Notes: [Preprint for open access through biorXiv ahead of peer review. posted Feb 14 2022], Journal Article, APPROVED
Murphy, Paula. Summerhurst, Kristen. Brady, Gareth. Vendrell, Victor. Frankel, Patrick. Redmond, Martina. Maddock, Jessica. Killion-Connolly, Somantha. Armit, Chris. Hill, Bill. Venkatarman, Shanmugasundaram. Yiwen, Sun. Baldock, Richard. Davidson, Duncan. , Wnt Pathway Analysis mapped gene-expression data, University of Edinburgh (datashare) , 2021, Dataset, PUBLISHED
Murphy, Paula. Summerhurst, Kristen. Brady, Gareth. Vendrell, Victor. Frankel, Patrick. Redmond, Martina. Killion-Connolly, Somantha. Armit, Chris. Hill, Bill. Venkatarman, Shanmugasundaram. Yiwen, Sun. Baldock, Richard. Davidson, Duncan. Maddock, Jessica, Wnt Pathway Analysis mapped gene-expression point-cloud data, University of Edinburgh (datashare) , 2021, Dataset, PUBLISHED
Nowlan, N. C., P. Murphy & P. J. Prendergast. , The influence of mechanical forces in the growing embryonic limb. , Transactions of the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society, Chicago, Illinois, edited by Burr, D. B , 31, 2006, ppno. 123-, Conference Paper, PUBLISHED
Miller S.F., Runker A.E., Kerjan G., Friedel R.H., Murphy P., Mitchell K.J., TEM7R in the developing mammalian nervous system. , International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience , 24, 2006, p598 - 598, Journal Article, PUBLISHED

  


Award Date
Fellow of Trinity College Dublin 2008
Welcome Trust Research Grant 2010-2014
Science Foundation Ireland. Investigator Programme Grant September 2003 - September 2007
Norwegian Cancer Society (Den Norske Kreftforening) research grants 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999
Human Frontiers Science Program fellowship 1993
EMBO long term research fellowship 1991
Medical Research Council Studentship 1988
The focus of the research is on understanding the molecular basis of tissue formation and morphogenesis in the vertebrate embryo, in particular how mechanical signals integrate with molecular pathways in guiding spatially organized tissue differentiation. The laboratory uses both mouse and chick animal models to reveal the effects of disrupting regulatory mechanisms to test functional hypotheses; making use of mutant mouse lines. This work is noteworthy for synergistic interdisciplinary collaboration, yet maintaining a focus and leadership in developmental biology. My independent research is built upon high impact work during my PhD and post-doctoral fellowships, initially establishing my independent research lab at Trinity College with a Science Foundation Ireland Principal Investigator award, using 3D imaging to integrate multiple gene expression patterns across time and space in the mouse embryo; work that has recently culminated in release of a valuable 3D mapped data resource for the Developmental Biology Community (https://journals.biologists.com/dev/article/276332/Signalling-pathway-Wnt-igration) My focus on morphogenesis of the developing limb in particular, and how spatially organized tissue specification occurs, led to collaborative research with colleagues in the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering and I have built a very successful track-record of collaborative research with engineers. These interdisciplinary collaborations have had a transformative effect, bringing a developmental biology perspective and understanding, enabling a deeper understanding of the role mechanics plays in morphogenesis. I have co-advised engineering students who have become very successful independent researchers themselves and are now using embryological models in their independent research. We have used transcriptomics to show that Wnt siganlling is central to the mechanoresponse in the skeleton and the openly available data were the 5th most highly viewed mouse data of 18,000 database entries, highlighting the utility, timeliness and quality of the work (Rolfe et al 2014). Significantly, we proposed a new model to explain the correct spatial differentiation of permanent articular cartilage at the joint and the transient cartilage that will serve as an anlage for later bone development (Rolfe et al 2018; Singh et al 2018).