John Parkinson, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, Molecular Structure and Function
Hospital for Sick Children
555 University Avenue
Toronto ON M5G 1X8
Email: jparkin@sickkids.ca
Website: http://www.compsysbio.org/lab
Research Interests:
My labs research interests focus on using genomics-type datasets to understand the evolution and function of the molecular innovations that parasites have acquired to infect and persist within their hosts. Particular emphasis is placed on apicomplexans (Toxoplasma), as well as cestodes (Echinococcus). Our current interests center on the application of systems biology tools to study the organization and operation of
metabolic processes within these parasites.
Keywords: Bioinformatics, Apicomplexa, Toxoplasma, Echinococcus, Genomics, Systems Biology, Metabolism.
Recent publications:
Kono, M., Herrmann, S., Loughran, N.B., Cabrera, A., Engelberg, K., Lehmann, C., Sinha, D., Prinz, B., Ruch, U., Heussler, V., Spielman, T., Parkinson, J.* and Gilberger, T.* (2012) Evolutuion and architecture of the inner membrane complex in the asexual and sexual stages of the malaria parasite. Mol. Biol. Evol. In press. DOI: 10.1093/molbev/mss081. *co-corresponding authors
Reid, A.J., Vermont, S.J., Cotton, J.A., Harris, D., Hill-Cawthorne, G.A., Könen-Waisman, S., Latham, S., Mourier, T., Norton, R., et al. (2012) Comparative genomics of the apicomplexan parasites Toxoplasma gondii and Neospora caninum: Coccidia differing in host range and transmission strategy. PLoS Pathogens. In press.
Hung, S. and Parkinson, J. (2011) Post-genomics Resources and Tools for Studying Apicomplexan Metabolism. Trends in Parasitology. 27(3):131-40.
Wasmuth, J., Daub, J., Peregrin-Alvarez, J.M.,Finney, C.A.M. and Parkinson, J. (2009) The origins of apicomplexan sequence innovation. Genome Research. 19:1202-1213.
González, S., Fló, M., Margenat, M., Durán, R., González-Sapienza, G., Graña, M., Parkinson, J., Maizels, R., Salinas, G., Alvarez, B. and Fernandez, C. (2009) A family of diverse Kunitz inhibitors from Echinococcus granulosus potentially involved in host-parasite cross-talk. PLoS ONE. 4: e7009.
Ghedin, E., Wang, S., Spiro, D., Caler, E., Zhao, Q., Crabtree, J., Allen, J.E., Delcher, A.L., Guiliano, D.B., Miranda-Saavedra, D., Angiuoli, S.V., Creasy, T., Amedeo, P., Haas, B., El-Sayed, N.M., Wortman, J.R., Feldblyum, T., Tallon, L., et al. (2007) Draft genome of the filarial nematode parasite Brugia malayi. Science. 317(5845):1756-60.