Dr Caroline Gorvin

Dr Caroline Gorvin

Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research
Sir Henry Dale Fellow
Associate Professor of Receptor Biology

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 6857
Email
c.gorvin@bham.ac.uk
Twitter
@caroline_gorvin
View my research portal
Address
Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Caroline’s research is focussed on the trafficking and signalling of membrane proteins, and how their impairments contribute to endocrine and metabolic disease. She is currently establishing her research group investigating metabolic GPCRs and how they integrate hormonal signals to regulate appetite. 

Qualifications

  • DPhil in Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, 2012.
  • BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science with Industrial Experience, University of Manchester, 2008.

Biography

Caroline obtained her BSc (Hons) in Biomedical Science with Industrial Experience in 2008 from the University of Manchester. She spent her year in industry in 2007 at AstraZeneca plc in the in vitro electrophysiology team. Caroline then moved to the University of Oxford for her PhD studies, where her research focussed on the cellular mechanisms by which mutations in a chloride-proton antiporter cause the renal disorder Dent’s disease. She also spent time on secondment at UMC St Radboud, Nijmegen, The Netherlands, during this period.

Caroline continued in Oxford undertaking postdoctoral research investigating the signalling and trafficking of the GPCR, calcium-sensing receptor, and its role in calcium homeostasis. Caroline moved to the IMSR in January 2018 to establish her research group investigating metabolic GPCRs. 

Research

Caroline’s research group investigates how impairments in the trafficking and signalling of membrane proteins contribute to endocrine disorders.

The Gorvin group currently has active research programmes investigating:

1) How metabolic GPCRs cross-talk and interact to regulate appetite (funded by a Wellcome Trust & Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellowship),

2) The interaction between GPCRs in bone metabolism and obesity (funded by Novo Nordisk),

3) How genetic alterations in the calcium-sensing receptor, and components of its signalling pathway, contribute to human disorders of calcium homeostasis.

This research combines microscopy techniques (including single molecule imaging) with signalling assays (e.g. BRET, HTRF, TR-FRET, AlphaScreen and reporter assays) in primary and immortalised cell-lines. Caroline collaborates with both basic science researchers and clinicians to advance understanding of GPCR signalling in endocrine and metabolic disease. 

 

Current group members:

Aqfan Jamaluddin (Post-doc)

Rachael Wyatt (Research Technician)

Maria Price (PhD Metabolism and Systems Research)

Morten Steen Hansen (visiting clinical PhD student from University of Southern Denmark)

Other activities

Basic science lead for the Society for Endocrinology Bone and Calcium Network

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Xu, W, Qadir, MMF, Nasteska, D, Mota de Sa, P, Gorvin, CM, Blandino-Rosano, M, Evans, CR, Ho, T, Potapenko, E, Veluthakal, R, Ashford, FB, Bitsi, S, Fan, J, Bhondeley, M, Song, K, Sure, VN, Sakamuri, SSVP, Schiffer, L, Beatty, W, Wyatt, R, Frigo, DE, Liu, X, Katakam, PV, Arlt, W, Buck, J, Levin, LR, Hu, T, Kolls, J, Burant, CF, Tomas, A, Merrins, MJ, Thurmond, DC, Bernal-Mizrachi, E, Hodson, DJ & Mauvais-Jarvis, F 2023, 'Architecture of androgen receptor pathways amplifying glucagon-like peptide-1 insulinotropic action in male pancreatic β cells', Cell Reports, vol. 42, no. 5, 112529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112529

Hansen, MS, Søe, K, Christensen, LL, Fernandez-Guerra, P, Hansen, NW, Wyatt, RA, Martin, C, Hardy, RS, Andersen, TL, Olesen, JB, Hartmann, B, Rosenkilde, MM, Kassem, M, Rauch, A, Gorvin, C & Frost, M 2023, 'GIP reduces osteoclast activity and improves osteoblast survival in primary human bone cells', European Journal of Endocrinology , vol. 188, no. 1, lvac004. https://doi.org/10.1093/ejendo/lvac004

Howles, SA, Gorvin, CM, Cranston, T, Rogers, A, Gluck, AK, Boon, H, Gibson, K, Rahman, M, Root, A, Nesbit, MA, Hannan, FM & Thakker, RV 2023, 'GNA11 variants identified in patients with hypercalcemia or hypocalcemia', Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.4803

Gorvin, CM, Newey, PJ & Thakker, R 2023, 'Identification of prolactin receptor variants with diverse effects on receptor signalling', Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, vol. 70, no. 3, e220164. https://doi.org/10.1530/JME-22-0164

Fenton, CG, Crastin, A, Martin, CS, Suresh, S, Montagna, I, Hussain, B, Naylor, AJ, Jones, SW, Hansen, MS, Gorvin, CM, Price, M, Filer, A, Cooper, MS, Lavery, GG, Raza, K & Hardy, RS 2022, '11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 within osteoclasts mediates the bone protective properties of therapeutic corticosteroids in chronic inflammation', International Journal of Molecular Sciences, vol. 23, no. 13, 7334, pp. 7334. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23137334

Hannan, F, Stevenson, M, Bayliss, A, Stokes, V, Stewart, M, Kooblall, K, Gorvin, CM, Codner, G, Teboul, L, Wells, S & Thakker, R 2021, 'Ap2s1 mutation causes hypercalcaemia in mice and impairs interaction between calciumsensing receptor and adaptor protein-2', Human Molecular Genetics, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 880-892. https://doi.org/10.1093/hmg/ddab076

Gorvin, CM 2021, 'Calcium-sensing receptor signaling - how human disease informs biology', Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research, vol. 16, pp. 10-18. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coemr.2020.06.007

Abid, HA, Inoue, A & Gorvin, CM 2021, 'Heterogeneity of G-protein activation by the calcium-sensing receptor', Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, vol. 67, no. 2, pp. 41-53. https://doi.org/10.1530/JME-21-0058

Chapter

Gorvin, CM 2023, Recent advances in calcium-sensing receptor structures and signaling pathways. in AK Shukla (ed.), G Protein-Coupled Receptors - Part B. Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science, vol. 195, Elsevier, pp. 121-135. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pmbts.2022.06.014

Gorvin, CM 2022, 4.02 - GPCR’s and Endocrinology. in T Kenakin, G Bewick & MC Michel (eds), Comprehensive Pharmacology. 1st edn, vol. 4, Elsevier, pp. 3-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820472-6.00020-7

Entry for encyclopedia/dictionary

Gorvin, CM 2021, GPCRs and Endocrinology. in Reference Module in Biomedical Sciences. Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-820472-6.00020-7

Preprint

Read, M, Brookes, K, Zha, L, Manivannan, S, Kim, J, Kocbiyik, M, Fletcher, A, Gorvin, CM, Firth, G, Fruhwirth, G, Nicola, J, Jhiang, S, Ringel, M, Campbell, M, Sunassee, K, Blower, P, Boelaert, K, Nieto, H, Smith, V & McCabe, C 2023 'Dissecting endocytic mechanisms reveals new molecular targets to enhance sodium iodide symporter activity with clinical relevance to radioiodide therapy' bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.05.22.541733

Review article

Jamaluddin, A & Gorvin, CM 2023, 'Targeting G protein-coupled receptors to regulate energy homeostasis', Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, vol. 70, no. 4, e230014. https://doi.org/10.1530/JME-23-0014

Gorvin, CM 2022, 'The importance of functionally characterizing calcium-sensing receptor variants in individuals with hypercalcemia', Journal of the Endocrine Society, vol. 6, no. 6, bvac052, pp. 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1210/jendso/bvac052

Gorvin, CM 2021, 'Genetic causes of neonatal and infantile hypercalcaemia', Pediatric Nephrology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00467-021-05082-z

View all publications in research portal