Dr Kathy Grace Mountjoy

Biography

Dr Kathy Mountjoy is the principal investigator of the Molecular Neuroendocrinology Laboratory in the Department of Physiology and is also a member of the Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, a Principal Investigator in the Centre for Brain Research, and an Associate Investigator in the Maurice Wilkins Centre.

Three years post doctoral training were spent at the Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA working with Professor Jeffrey Flier and a further three years at The Vollum Institute for Advanced Biomedical Research, The Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland, Oregon working with Dr Roger Cone.

After returning to Auckland in 1993 her research has concentrated on understanding physiological roles for endogenous melanocortin peptides and how they signal through melanocortin receptors with a particular focus on roles in energy homeostasis.

Research | Current

Research interests

• Endocrinology
• Neuroendocrinology
• Physiology
• Cell Signalling
• Molecular Biology
• Neuroscience
• Biochemistry
• Mouse Genetics

Active Research Collaborations

Dr Gus Grey, Department of Physiology, University of Auckland

Professor Joel Elmquist, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Professor Brad Lowell, Harvard University, Boston, MA

Recent Publications

Kumar, S. S., Ward, M. -L., & Mountjoy, K. G. (2021). Quantitative high-throughput assay to measure MC4R-induced intracellular calcium.. Journal of molecular endocrinology, 66(4), 285-297. doi:10.1530/jme-20-0285

Mountjoy, K. G. (2021) ELISA versus LUMINEX assay for measuring mouse metabolic hormones and cytokines: sharing the lessons I have learned, Journal of Immunoassay and Immunochemistry, 42:2, 154-173, DOI: 10.1080/15321819.2020.1838924

Shome, A., McGregor, A., Cavadino, A., & Mountjoy, K. G. (2020). Central administration of β-MSH reduces body weight in obese male Pomctm1/tm1mice.. Biochimica et biophysica acta. General subjects, 1864(10), 129673. doi:10.1016/j.bbagen.2020.129673

Caruso, V., Chai, B. -X., Clark, A. J. L., Cone, R. D., Eberle, A. N., Farooqi, S., . . . Wikberg, J. E. S. (2019). Melanocortin receptors (version 2019.4) in the IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology Database. IUPHAR/BPS Guide to Pharmacology CITE, 2019(4). doi:10.2218/gtopdb/f38/2019.4

Hubbard, K., Shome, A., Sun, B., Pontré, B., McGregor, A., & Mountjoy, K. G. (2019). Chronic High-Fat Diet Exacerbates Sexually Dimorphic Pomctm1/tm1 Mouse Obesity.. Endocrinology, 160(5), 1081-1096. doi:10.1210/en.2018-00924

Mountjoy, K. G., Caron, A., Hubbard, K., Shome, A., Grey, A. C., Sun, B., . . . Elmquist, J. K. (2018). Desacetyl-α-melanocyte stimulating hormone and α-melanocyte stimulating hormone are required to regulate energy balance.. Molecular metabolism, 9, 207-216. doi:10.1016/j.molmet.2017.11.008

Mountjoy, K. G. (2015). Pro-Opiomelanocortin (POMC) Neurones, POMC-Derived Peptides, Melanocortin Receptors and Obesity: How Understanding of this System has Changed Over the Last Decade.. Journal of neuroendocrinology, 27(6), 406-418. doi:10.1111/jne.12285

Kay, E. I., Botha, R., Montgomery, J. M., & Mountjoy, K. G. (2015). hMRAPα, but Not hMRAP2, Enhances hMC4R Constitutive Activity in HEK293 Cells and This Is Not Dependent on hMRAPα Induced Changes in hMC4R Complex N-linked Glycosylation.. PloS one, 10(10), e0140320. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140320

Teaching | Current

Course Co-ordinator for MedSci 732

Course Co-ordinator for MedSCi 312

Postgraduate supervision

Doctorate

Shree Kumar

Areas of expertise

• Molecular biology
• Endocrinology
• Neuroendocrinology
• Cell culture
• Cell signaling assays
• ELISA
• Western blotting
• In situ hybridisation
• Digital Droplet PCR
• Immunohistochemistry
• Mouse physiology
• Mouse genetics

Committees/Professional groups/Services

• American Endocrine Society
• Australian Endocrine Society
• New Zealand Endocrine Society
• New Zealand Physiological Society
• Neuroscience Society
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• American Neuroendocrine Society