DR. ROBIN YATES

BSc., BVSc.(hons), PhD. Assistant Professor Dept. of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine,Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Dept. of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Institute Affiliation:  III & Faculty of Vet Med, Dept. of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine

Research Interests

Phagocytes are cells named for their ability to engulf or "eat" particulate material via the process of phagocytosis. They function in a diverse array of essential tasks throughout the body, operating at the frontlines to protect the body against invading microbes and also performing numerous housekeeping functions that are necessary for normal growth and maintenance of health. The phagosome is the organelle that is formed within the phagocyte following phagocytosis and is charged with the task of processing the engulfed material appropriately. In primitive phagocytes, such as the amoeba, this organelle serves as the "stomach" of the cell and acts to efficiently and completely digest its contents for cellular nutrition. In phagocytes of higher order organisms, however, the phagosome can be charged to perform a multitude of precise functions, many of which rely on controlled or partial deconstruction of engulfed material. Phagocytes such as macrophages and dendritic cells can adapt the lumenal chemistries within the phagosome to best suit the task at hand. This allows these cells to perform numerous tasks within the body.   However, with increased versatility comes increased fallibility which can lead to disease.

The Yates lab focuses its research on the lumenal environment within phagosomes in macrophages and dendritic cells.  By utilizing techniques in fluorometry, microscopy and molecular biology the group can monitor chemistries within this microenvironment; explore relationships between phagosomal chemistries and dissect pathways that alter phagosomal function.  Since phagosomes play key roles in numerous physiologies and pathologies, this fundamental work has the potential to impact a diverse array of biomedical fields from tuberculosis to atherosclerosis and to influence the design of vaccines and drug delivery technologies.

Please click here for the Yates lab website

 Personnel:

Recent Publications

• Rybicka, J.M., Balce, D.R., Khan, M., Krohn, R.M., and Yates, R.M. (2010). NADPH oxidase activity controls phagosomal proteolysis in macrophages through modulation of the lumenal redox environment of phagosomes. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA. In Press. [Epub ahead of print]
• VanderVen, B.C., Hermetter, A., Huang, A., Maxfield, F.R., Russell, D.G. and Yates, R.M. (2010). Development of a novel, cell-based chemical screen to identify inhibitors of intraphagosomal lipolysis in macrophages. Cytometry. In Press.
•  Zaiss AK, Vilaysane A, Cotter MJ, et al. Antiviral antibodies target adenovirus to phagolysosomes and amplify the innate immune response. J Immunol 2009;182(11):7058-68.
•  VanderVen BC, Yates RM, Russell DG. Intraphagosomal measurement of the magnitude and duration of the oxidative burst. Traffic 2009;10(4):372-8.
• Yates RM, Hermetter A, Russell DG. Recording phagosome maturation through the real-time, spectrofluorometric measurement of hydrolytic activities. Methods Mol Biol 2009;531:157-71.
• Yates RM, Russell DG. Real-time spectrofluorometric assays for the lumenal environment of the maturing phagosome. Methods Mol Biol 2008;445:311-25.
• Russell DG, Yates RM. Toll-like receptors and phagosome maturation. Nat Immunol 2007;8(3):217; author reply -8.
• Yates RM, Hermetter A, Taylor GA, Russell DG. Macrophage activation downregulates the degradative capacity of the phagosome. Traffic 2007;8(3):241-50.
•  Russell DG, Yates RM. TLR signalling and phagosome maturation: an alternative viewpoint. Cell Microbiol 2007;9(4):849-50.
• Rohde K, Yates RM, Purdy GE, Russell DG. Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the environment within the phagosome. Immunol Rev 2007;219:37-54.

Contact Information:
University of Calgary
Room 4AA12
3330 Hospital Drive NW ,
Calgary , Alberta , Canada T2N 4N1
Tel (Office) :403-210-6249.
Tel (Lab) :403-210-6251.
Fax :403-210-7882.
email: rmyates [at] ucalgary [dot] ca