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Dr Colin Moran
address

School of Sport

University of Stirling

Stirling

FK9 4LA
Scotland

UK
telephone Tel: + 44 (0) 1786 466510
fax Fax: + 44 (0) 1786 466477
email Email: colin.moran@stir.ac.uk
web Web: www.stir.ac.uk/sport
About
2011 – present Lecturer, University of Stirling
2010 – 2011 Project Coordinator, University of Edinburgh
2003 – 2010 Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Glasgow
1997 – 2002 Ph.D. Genetics, University of Leicester
1992 – 1996 B.Sc. Genetics, University of Glasgow
Research
Colin’s research focuses on understanding how genetic and environmental variation contribute to, and interact in, the development of athletic ability, obesity, diabetes and muscle function.
His work involves the general population as well as risk groups and elite athletes and he has published work using a combination of sports science, genetics, molecular biology, nutrition and complex statistics. This has highlighted cases where the size of the environmental influence on particular phenotypes (e.g. the relationship between exercise level and weight) varies by genotype (i.e. exercise is more important for certain genoptye groups). Related differences can also be observed at both the gene expression and biochemical levels. Currently, he is interested in understanding the control of this gene expression through methylation, while continuing to investigate other genetic variation potentially involved in these processes.
The impact of this work is a step towards the personalised medicine promised by the completion of the Human Genome Project, providing information on how altering controllable elements of the process, such as nutrition, or exercise type / amount, may be more important for certain genetically defined individuals within the population. This will allow the appropriate targeting of limited resources to the individuals who will benefit from them, potentially altering the practice of diverse groups from Medics and Nutritionists to Personal Trainers.
Publications

T Alfred, Y Ben-Shlomo, R Cooper, R Hardy, C Cooper, IJ Deary, D Gunnell, SE Harris, M Kumari, RM Martin, CN Moran, YP Pitsiladis, SM Ring, AA Sayer, G Davey Smith, JM Starr, D Kuh, INM Day and the HALCyon study team (2011) ACTN3 Genotype, Athletic Status and Lifecourse Physical Capability: Meta-Analysis of the Published Literature and Findings from Nine Studies Human Mutation epub ahead of print.
CN Moran, ND Barwell, D Malkova, SJ Cleland, I McPhee, CJ Packard, VA Zammit, JMR Gill (2011) Effects of Diabetes Family History and Exercise Training on the expression of Adiponectin and Leptin and their Receptors Metabolism 60(2): 206-214.
CN Moran and KJ Halliday (2010) Arabidopsis Fruit Development: new directions for an old pathway Current Biology 20(24): R1081-1083.
LML Hall*, CN Moran* (*joint first authors), GR Milne, J Wilson, NG MacFarlane, NG Forouhi, G Feuerstein, N Hariharan, IP Salt, N Sattar, and JMR Gill (2010) Fat oxidation, fitness and skeletal muscle expression of oxidative/lipid metabolism genes in South Asians: implications for insulin resistance PLoS One 5(12): e14197.
RA Scott, CN Moran, MES Bailey, RH Wilson, N Fuku, M Tanaka, A Tsiokanos, AZ Jamurtas, E Grammatikaki, G Moschonis Y Manios, YP Pitsiladis (2010) FTO genotype and adiposity in children: physical activity levels influence the effect of the risk genotype Int J of Obesity 18(12): 1339-1343.
RH Wilson, CN Moran, JJ Cole, YP Pitsiladis, MES Bailey (2010) Evolutionary history of the ADRB2 gene in humans American Journal of Human Genetics 86(3): 490-493.
CN Moran, CP Kyriacou (2009) Functional neurogenetics of the courtship song of male Drosophila melanogaster Cortex 45(1): 18-34.
ND Barwell, D Malkova, CN Moran, SJ Cleland, CJ Packard, VA Zammit, JMR Gill (2008) Exercise training has greater effects on insulin sensitivity in daughters of patients with type 2 diabetes than matched control subjects Diabetologia 51(10): 1912-1919.
G Kourlaba, YP Pitsiladis, V Lagou, E Grammatikaki, CN Moran, Y Manios (2008) Interaction effect between total energy and macronutrient intakes and ACE I/D polymorphism on adiposity-related phenotypes in toddlers and preschoolers. The GENESIS study. British J of Nutrition 100(6): 1333-1340.
V Lagou, Y Manios, CN Moran, RH Wilson, MES Bailey, E Grammatikaki, E Oikonomou, E Ioannou, G Moschonis, YP Pitsiladis (2007) Developmental changes in adiposity in toddlers and preschoolers in the GENESIS study and associations with the ACE I/D polymorphism Int J of Obesity 31(7): 1052-1060.
CN Moran, N Yang, MES Bailey, A Tsiokanos, A Jamurtas, DG MacArthur, K North, YP Pitsiladis, RH Wilson (2007) Association analysis of the ACTN3 R577X polymorphism and complex quantitative body composition and performance phenotypes in adolescent Greeks European J of Human Genetics 15(1): 88-93.
CN Moran, C Vassilopoulos, A Tsiokanos, AZ Jamurtas, MES Bailey, HE Montgomery, RH Wilson, YP Pitsiladis (2006) The associations of ACE polymorphisms with physical, physiological and skill parameters in adolescents European J of Human Genetics 14(3): 332-339.
CN Moran, C Vassilopoulos, A Tsiokanos, AZ Jamurtas, MES Bailey, RH Wilson, YP Pitsiladis (2005) Effects of interaction between ACE polymorphisms and lifestyle on adiposity in adolescent Greeks Obesity Research 13(9): 1499-1504.
RA Scott, CN Moran, RH Wilson, V Onywera, MK Boit, WH Goodwin, P Gohlke, HE Montgomery, YP Pitsiladis (2005) No association between Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) gene variation and endurance athlete status in Kenyans Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology, Part A 141(2): 169-175.
RA Scott, RH Wilson, WH Goodwin, CN Moran, E Georgiades, B Wolde, YP Pitsiladis (2005) Mitochondrial DNA Lineages of Elite Ethiopian Athletes Comp Biochem and Physiol, Part B 140(3): 497-503.
RA Scott, CN Moran, RH Wilson, WH Goodwin and YP Pitsiladis (2004) Genetic influence on East African running success Equine and Comparative Exercise Physiology 1(4): 273-280.
CN Moran, RA Scott, SM Adams, SJ Warrington, MA Jobling, RH Wilson, WH Goodwin, E Georgiades, B Wolde, YP Pitsiladis (2004) Y Chromosome Haplogroups of Elite Ethiopian Endurance Runners Human Genetics 115(6): 492-497.