Publications

2025

• Brennan, A., Lovell. S., Vance. K.W, and Mason. J.M. An Intracellular Peptide Library Screening Platform Identifies Irreversible Covalent Transcription Factor Inhibitors. Advanced Science (In Press)
• Little, M., Mason, J.M. and Mehrban, N. Evolution of branched peptides as novel biomaterials. J. Mater. Chem. B 13, 2226-41 (2025).

2024

• Yu, M., Tang, T.M.S., Ghamsari, L., Yuen G., Scuoppo C., Rotolo, J.A., Kappel, B.J, and Mason, J.M. Exponential Combination of a and e/g Intracellular Peptide Libraries Identifies a Selective ATF3 Inhibitor. ACS Chem Biol 19, 3, 753-62 (2024).
• Hole, K., Huggon, L., Brown, J., Mason, J.M., Zhu, B., and Williams, R.J. Tau^P301L disengages from the proteosome core complex and neurogranin coincident with enhanced neuronal network excitability. Cell Death & Disease (In Press).

2023

• Tang, T.M.S., and Mason, J.M. Intracellular application of an asparaginyl endopeptidase for producing recombinant head-to-tail cyclic proteins. JACS Au 3, 12, 3290-96 (2023).
• Allen S.G., Meade R.M., White Stenner L.L., Mason J.M. Peptide-based Approaches to Directly Target Alpha-Synuclein in Parkinsons disease. Mol Neurodegen 18:80 (2023).
• Meade, R.M., Allen S.G., Williams, C., Tang, T.M.S., Crump, M.P., and Mason, J.M. An N-terminal alpha-Synuclein fragment binds lipid vesicles to modulate lipid induced aggregation. Cell. Rep. Phys. Sci. 4, 101563 (2023).
• Watt, K.J.C., Meade. R.M., James, T., Mason J.M. Development of a hydroxyflavone-labelled 4554W peptide probe for monitoring alpha-Synuclein aggregation. Sci. Rep. 13:10968 (2023).
• Madden S., Brennan A., Mason J.M. A library-derived peptide inhibitor of the BZLF1 transcription factor. J Pept Sci, e3557 (2023)

2022

• Brennan A., Leech J.T., Kad N.M., and Mason J.M. The Effect of Helix-Inducing Constraints and Downsizing Upon a Transcription Block Survival Derived Functional cJun Antagonist. Cell. Rep. Phys. Sci. 3, 101077 (2022).
• Nadal‑Bufi F., Chan L.Y., Mohammad H.H., Mason J.M., Salomon C., Lai A., Thompson E.W., Craik D.J., Kaas Q., and Henriques S.T. Peptide‑based LDH5 inhibitors enter cancer cells and impair proliferation Cell Mol Life Sci 79:606 (2022)
• Watt K.J.C., Meade, R.M., Williams R.J., and Mason, J.M. Anionic lipid vesicles have differential effects on the aggregation of early-onset associated alpha-synuclein missense mutants. J. Biol. Chem. 298(12) 102565 (2022).
• Leech J.T., Brennan A., Don N.A., Mason J.M., and Kad N.M. In vitro Single molecule and bulk phase studies reveal the AP-1 transcription factor cFos binds to DNA without cJun. J. Biol. Chem 298(8) 10229 (2022).
• Darvishi E., Ghamsari L., Leong S.F., Ramirez R., Koester M., Gallagher E., Yu M., Mason J.M., Merutka G., Kappel B.J. Anti-cancer activity of ST101, a novel antagonist of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein β. Mol Cancer Ther 21(11) 1632-44 (2022).
• Brennan A., Leech J.T., Kad N.M., and Mason J.M. An Approach to Derive Functional Antagonists of Transcription Factor Activity. JACS Au. 2, 4, 996-1006 (2022)
• Watt K.J.C., Meade R.M., Williams R.J., and Mason J.M. Library-derived peptide aggregation modulators of Parkinson's disease early-onset alpha-synuclein variants. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 13, 12, 1790-1804 (2022).

2021

• Meade, R.M., Watt, K.J.C., Williams, R.J., and Mason. J.M. A Downsized and Optimised Intracellular Library-derived Peptide Prevents α-Synuclein Primary Nucleation and Toxicity Without Impacting Upon Lipid Binding. J. Mol. Biol. 433:167323 (2021).
• Nadal-Bufi, F., Mason, J.M. Chan, L.Y., Craik, D.J., and Henriques, S.T. Designed beta-Hairpins Inhibit LDH5 Oligomerization and Enzymatic Activity. J. Med. Chem 64(7) 3767-79 (2021).

• Hole K.L., Staniaszek L.E., Balan G.M., Mason J.M., Brown J.T., Williams R.J. Oral (-)-Epicatechin Inhibits Progressive Tau pathology in rTg4510 Mice Independent of Direct Actions at GSK3β. Front Neurosci 15:697319 (2021).
• Yu, M., Ghamsari, L., Rotolo, J.A., Kappel, B.J. and Mason, J.M. Combined Computational and Intracellular Peptide Library Screening: Towards a Potent and Selective Fra1 Inhibitor. RSC Chem Biol 2, 656-668 (2021).
• Madden S.K., Dantas de Araujo A., Gerhardt M., Fairlie D.P., and Mason J.M. Taking the Myc out of Cancer: Toward Therapeutic Strategies to Directly Inhibit c-Myc. Molecular Cancer 20(3) (2021).
• Kwok, A., Camacho I., Winter S., Knight M., Meade R., van der Kamp M., Turner A., O'Hara J., Mason J.M, Jones A, Arcus V., Pudney C.R. A Thermodynamic Model for Interpreting Tryptophan Excitation-energy-dependent Fluorescence Spectra Provides Insight into Protein Conformational Sampling and Stability. Front. Mol. Biosci. 8:778244 (2021).

2020

• Meade, R.M., Williams, R.J. and Mason, J.M. A Series of Helical Alpha-synuclein Fibril Polymorphs Are Populated in the Presence of Lipid Vesicles. Nature Partner Journal - Parkinsons disease 6(20), (2020).
• Meade, R.M., Morris, K.J., Watt, K.J.C., Williams, R.J., and Mason. J.M. The Library Derived 4554W Peptide Inhibits Primary Nucleation of α-Synuclein. J. Mol. Biol. 432, 166706 (2020).
• Torpey, J.H., Meade, R.M., Mistry, R., Mason, J.M., and Madine, J. Insights Into Peptide Inhibition of Alpha-Synuclein Aggregation. Frontiers in Neuroscience 14, p1082 (2020)
• Brennan, A., Leech, J.T., Kad, N.M., and Mason J.M. Selective Antagonism of cJun as a Cancer Therapy. J Exp Clin Cancer Res 39(1) (2020).
• Leech J.T., Don N.A., Mason J.M*., and Kad N.M*. Single molecule imaging reveals cFos is capable of binding to and diffusing on DNA tightropes independently of cJun submitted (biorxiv) *corresponding authors.
• Lathbridge, A., Michalowska, A., Mason, J.M. Coupling Computational and Intracellular Screening and Selection Towards Co-compatible cJun and cFos Antagonists. Biochemistry 59(4), 530-540 (2020).

2019

• Hoang, H.N, Hill, T.A., Ruiz-Gomez, G., Diness, F., Mason, J.M. Wu, C., Abbenante, G., Shephard, N.E., and Fairlie, D.P. Twists or Turns: Stabilising alpha vs. beta-turns in tetrapeptides Chem. Sci., 10, 10595-600 (2019).
• Meade, R., Fairlie, D.P., and Mason, J.M. Alpha-Synuclein Structure and Parkinsons Disease: Lessons and Emerging Principles. Mol Neurodegener 14:29 (2019).
• Lathbridge, A and Mason, J.M. Combining Constrained Heptapeptide Cassettes With Computational Design to Create Coiled Coil Targeting Helical Peptides. ACS Chem. Biol 14, 1293-1304 (2019).
• Gulacsy C., Meade R., Catici D., Soeller C., Pantos, G., Jones D., Alibhai D., Jepson M., Valev V., Mason, J.M*. Williams R.J*., Pudney C.R*. An excitation-energy-dependent molecular beacon detects early-stage neurotoxic Abeta aggregates in the presence of cortical neurons. ACS Chem. Neurosci. 10, 1240-1250 (2019). *corresponding authors.

2018

• Lathbridge, A and Mason J.M. Computational Competitive and Negative Design to Derive a Specific cJun Antagonist. Biochemistry. 57(42), 6108-18 (2018).

2017

• Baxter D., Ullman C.G., Frigotto L., and Mason J.M. Exploiting Overlapping Advantages of in vitro and in cellulo Selection Systems to Isolate a Novel High-affinity cJun Antagonist. ACS Chem Biol 12, 2579-2588 (2017).
• Baxter D., Perry S., Hill T.A., Woan K., Zaccai N., Brady L., Fairlie D.P., and Mason J.M. Helix-constrained Fos-based peptides inhibit oncogenic Activator Protein-1 and cancer cell proliferation. ACS Chem Biol 12, 2051-2061 (2017).
• McDowall, J., Ntai, I., Hake, J., Whitley, O., Mason, J.M., Pudney, C.R., and Brown, D.R. Steady-state kinetics of alpha-synuclein ferrireductase activity identifies the catalytically competent species. Biochemistry. 56, 2497-2505 (2017).
• Crooks, R.O., Lathbridge A., Panek, A., and Mason J.M. Computational Prediction and Design to Create Iteratively Larger Heterospecific Coiled Coil Sets. Biochemistry. 56, 1573-84 (2017).

2016

• Shepherd N.E., Harrison R.S., Ruiz-Gomez G., Abbenante G., Mason J.M., and Fairlie D.P. Downsizing the BAD BH3 peptide to small constrained α-helices with improved ligand efficiency. Org Biomol Chem 14, 10939-45 (2016).
• Crooks R.O., Baxter, D., Panek, A.S., Lubben, A.T. and Mason J.M. Deriving Heterospecific Self-assembling Protein-Protein Interactions Using a Computational Interactome Screen. J. Mol. Biol. 428, 385-398 (2016).

2015

• Mason J.M. & Fairlie D.P. Towards peptide-based inhibitors as therapies for Parkinson's disease Future Med. Chem. 7, 2103-5 (2015).
• Cheruvara H, Allen-Baume V.L, Kad N.M, Mason J.M. Intracellular screening of a peptide library to derive a potent peptide inhibitor of α-synuclein aggregation. J Biol Chem. 290, 7426-35 (2015).

2014

• Baxter D., Ullman, C.G., and Mason J.M. Library construction, selection and modification strategies to generate therapeutic peptide-based modulators of protein-protein interactions. Future Med. Chem. 6, 2073-2092 (2014).
• Acerra, N., Kad, N.M., Cheruvara, H., and Mason J.M. Intracellular Selection of peptide Inhibitors that Target Disulphide-Bridged Abeta42 Oligomers Protein Science 23, 1262-1274 (2014).
• Acerra, N., Kad, N.M., Griffith D.A., Ott, S., Crowther D.C., and Mason, J.M. Retro-inversal of Intracellular Selected Aβ Interacting Peptides: Implications for a Novel Alzheimers Disease Treatment. Biochemistry 53(13), 2101-2111 (2014).

2013

• Acerra, N., Kad N.M., and Mason, J.M. Combining Intracellular Selection with Protein-fragment Complementation to Derive ABeta Interacting Peptides. Protein Eng Des Sel. 26(7), 463-470 (2013). Supporting Information

• Rao, T., Ruiz-Gomez G., Hill, T.A., Hoang H.N., Fairlie, D.P., and Mason, J.M. Truncated and helix-constrained peptides with high affinity and specificity for the cFos coiled-coil of AP-1. PLOS One., 8(3), e59415 (2013).

2012

• Mason, J.M., Bendall, D.S., Howe, C.J., and Worrall, J.A.R. The role of a disulphide bridge in the stability and folding kinetics of Aribidopsis thaliana cytochrome c_6A. Biochim Biophys Acta., 1824, 311-318 (2012).

2011

• Crooks, R.O., Rao, T., and Mason, J.M. Truncation, Randomisation and Selection: Generation of a Reduced Length cJun Antagonist that Retains High Interaction Stability. J. Biol. Chem., 286, 29470-9 (2011). 
• Worrall, J.A.R. and Mason, J.M. Thermodynamic Analysis of Jun-Fos Coiled-coil Peptide Antagonists: Inferences for Optimisation of Enthalpic Binding Forces. FEBS. J., 278(4) 663-672 (2011).

2010

• Mason, J.M. Design and Development of Peptides and Peptide Mimetics as Antagonists for Therapeutic Intervention. Future Med. Chem 2(12), 1813-1822 (2010). 

2009

• Mason, J.M. Electrostatic Contacts in the Activator Protein-1 Coiled Coil Enhance Stability Predominantly by Decreasing the Unfolding Rate. FEBS. J. 276, 7305-7318 (2009).
• Mason, J. M., Hagemann, U. B., and Arndt, K. M. Role of Hydrophobic and Electrostatic Interactions in Coiled Coil Stability and Specificity. Biochemistry, 48, 10380-10388 (2009).
• Mason, J.M., Muller, K.M. & Arndt, K.M., Peptides Tailored to Interfere with Protein Interaction and Function. Chemistry Today. Vol 27(2), 47-50, (2009).

2008

• Mason, J.M., Mueller, K.M., and Arndt, K.M., iPEP: Peptides Designed and Selected for Interfering with Protein Interaction and Function. Biochem. Soc. Trans., 36, 1442-1447 (2008).
• Hagemann, U.B., Mason, J.M., Muller, K.M. and Arndt, K.M., Selectional and mutational scope of peptides sequestering the Jun-Fos coiled-coil domain, J. Mol. Biol. 381, 73-88 (2008).
• Willemsen T, Hagemann U.B., Jouaux E.M., Stebel S.C., Mason J.M., Muller K.M., and Arndt K.M., Protein Engineering. Book Chapter in Molecular Biomethods Handbook, 2nd Edition, Eds John M Walker and Ralph Rapley (2008).

2007

• Mason, J.M., Hagemann, U., Arndt, K.M., Improved stability of the Jun−Fos Activator Protein-1 coiled coil motif: A stopped-flow circular dichroism kinetic analysis J. Biol. Chem. 282, 23015-23024 (2007).
• Mason, J.M., Muller, K.M., and Arndt. K.M., Positive Aspects of Negative Protein Design: Simultaneous Selection of Specificity and Stability. Biochemistry, 46, 4804-4814 (2007).
• Mason, J.M., Muller, K.M., and Arndt K.M., Considerations in the Design and Optimization of Coiled coil Structures. Methods. Mol. Biol., 352, 35-70 (2007).
• Hecky, J., Mason, J.M., Arndt, K.M., and Muller, K.M., A General Method of Terminal Truncation, Evolution, and Re-Elongation to Generate Enzymes of Enhanced Stability. Methods. Mol. Biol., 352, 275-304 (2007).

2006

• Mason, J.M., Muller, K.M., Schmitz, M.A., and Arndt, K.M., Semirational Design of Jun-Fos Coiled coils with Increased Affinity: Universal Implications in Leucine zipper Prediction and Design. P.N.A.S. 103, 8989-8994, (2006). Supporting Information
• Kokkoni, N., Stott, K., Amijee, H., Mason, J.M., and Doig, A.J., N-Methylated Peptide Inhibitors of beta-Amyloid Aggregation and Toxicity. Optimisation of Inhibitor Structure. Biochemistry, 45, 9906-9918, (2006).
• Compton, E.L.R., Farmer, N.A., Lorch, M., Mason, J.M., Moreton, K.M., and Booth, P.J., Kinetics of an Individual Transmembrane Helix during Bacteriorhodopsin Folding, J. Mol. Biol. 357, 325-38, (2006).
• Doig, A.J., Kokkoni, N., Stott, K., Amijee, N., Bottomley, J., Mason, J.M., Treherne, M., and Scope, D., N-methylated inhibitors of beta-smyloid aggregation. Alzheimers and Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2(3), Page S605 (2006).

2005

• Mason, J.M., Cliff M.J., Sessions, R.B., and Clarke, A.R., Low-energy pathways and non-native interactions: The influence of artificial disulfide bridges on the mechanism of folding J.Biol.Chem. 280, 40494-40499 (2005).

2004

• Mason, J.M., and Arndt K.M., Coiled coils: stability, specificity, and biological implications. Chembiochem., 5, 170-6, (2004).
• Doig, A.J., Kokkoni, N., Mason, J.M., Amijee, H., Stott, K., Treherne, M., N-methylated Peptide Inhibitors of Abeta Aggregation. Neurobiology of Aging., 25, S576, (2004).

2003

• Mason J.M., Kokkoni N., Stott K., and Doig A.J., Design strategies for anti-amyloid agents. Curr. Op. Struct. Biol., 13, 526-32, (2003).

2002

• Mason, J.M., Gibbs, N., Sessions, R.B., and Clarke A.R., The Influence of Intramolecular Bridges on the Dynamics of a Protein Folding Reaction. Biochemistry, 40, 12093-12099, (2002).

2000

• Lorch, M., Mason, J.M., and Clarke, A.R., Effects of Mutations on the Thermodynamics of a Protein Folding Reaction: Implications for the Mechanism of Formation of Intermediate and transition States. Biochemistry, 39, 3480-3485, (2000).

1999

• Lorch, M., Mason, J.M., Clarke, A.R., and Parker, M.J., Effects of Core Mutations on the Folding of a β-sheet Protein: Implications for Backbone Organisation in the I-state Biochemistry, 38, 1377-1385, (1999).

Patents:

• Patent #WO2006087550, 2006-08-24, Doig A.J. (GB); Stott K. (GB); Mason J.M. (GB); Kokkoni N. (GB); Amijee H. (GB); Treheren J.M. (GB); Scopes D.I.C. (GB), "Amyloid-binding peptides, analogues and uses thereof".