Dr Kelly Walton

Senior Research Fellow

School of Biomedical Sciences

kelly.walton@uq.edu.au

Following the award of her PhD in 2008 (Swinburne University), Dr Walton was recruited to the Hudson Institute of Medical Research (formerly Prince Henry’s Institute of Medical Research) alongside renowned endocrinologists, A/Prof’s David Robertson and Craig Harrison. In 2016, she relocated to the Department of Physiology at Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute, and was appointed as leader of the Reproduction and Metabolism Group in 2019. In 2022, Dr Walton was recruited to the University of Queensland as Senior Research Fellow where she now leads the Reproductive Growth Factors Laboratory in the School of Biomedical Sciences. Dr Walton’s research achievements have been honoured by the Society for Reproductive Biology as the 2017 recipient of the Newcastle Emerging Leaders Award, and she was also named as the 2019 Mid-Career Researcher of the Year by the Endocrine Society of Australia.

Publications

Journal Articles (39)

Journal Articles

Stocker, William A., Howard, James A., Maskey, Shreya, Luan, Haitong, Harrison, Sophie G., Hart, Kaitlin N., Hok, Lucija, Thompson, Thomas B., Walton, Kelly L. and Harrison, Craig A. (2024). Characterization of the molecular mechanisms that govern anti‐Müllerian hormone synthesis and activity. The FASEB Journal, 38 (1) e23377, 1-18. doi: 10.1096/fj.202301335rr

Wang, Yi Tian, Harrison, Craig A., Skinner, Elizabeth H., Haines, Kimberley J., Holdsworth, Clare, Lang, Jenna K., Hibbert, Elizabeth, Scott, David, Eynon, Nir, Tiruvoipati, Ravindranath, French, Craig J., Stepto, Nigel K., Bates, Samantha, Walton, Kelly L., Crozier, Tim M. and Haines, Terry P. (2023). Activin A level is associated with physical function in critically ill patients. Australian Critical Care, 36 (5), 702-707. doi: 10.1016/j.aucc.2022.10.019

Hagg, Adam, O'Shea, Eliza, Harrison, Craig A. and Walton, Kelly Louise (2023). Targeting activins and inhibins to treat reproductive disorders and cancer cachexia. Journal of Endocrinology, 258 (1), 1-15. doi: 10.1530/joe-22-0290

Kappes, Emily C, Kattamuri, Chandramohan, Czepnik, Magdalena, Yarawsky, Alexander E, Brûlé, Emilie, Wang, Ying, Ongaro, Luisina, Herr, Andrew B, Walton, Kelly L, Bernard, Daniel J and Thompson, Thomas B (2023). Follistatin forms a stable complex with Inhibin A that does not interfere with Activin A antagonism. Endocrinology, 164 (3) bqad017. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqad017

Walton, Kelly L., Goney, Monica P., Peppas, Zoe, Stringer, Jessica M., Winship, Amy, Hutt, Karla, Goodchild, Georgia, Maskey, Shreya, Chan, Karen L., Brûlé, Emilie, Bernard, Daniel J., Stocker, William A. and Harrison, Craig A. (2022). Inhibin inactivation in female mice leads to elevated FSH levels, ovarian over-stimulation, and pregnancy loss. Endocrinology, 163 (4) bqac025. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqac025

Houston, Brendan J, O’Connor, Anne E, Wang, Degang, Goodchild, Georgia, Merriner, D Jo, Luan, Haitong, Conrad, Don F, Nagirnaja, Liina, Aston, Kenneth I, Kliesch, Sabine, Wyrwoll, Margot J, Friedrich, Corinna, Tüttelmann, Frank, Harrison, Craig, O’Bryan, Moira K and Walton, Kelly (2022). Human INHBB gene variant (c.1079T>C:p.Met360Thr) alters testisgerm cell content, but does not impact fertility in mice. Endocrinology, 163 (3) bqab269. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqab269

Brûlé, Emilie, Wang, Ying, Li, Yining, Lin, Yeu-Farn, Zhou, Xiang, Ongaro, Luisina, Alonso, Carlos A. I., Buddle, Evan R. S., Schneyer, Alan L., Byeon, Chang-Hyeock, Hinck, Cynthia S., Mendelev, Natalia, Russell, John P., Cowan, Mitra, Boehm, Ulrich, Ruf-Zamojski, Frederique, Zamojski, Michel, Andoniadou, Cynthia L., Sealfon, Stuart C., Harrison, Craig A., Walton, Kelly L., Hinck, Andrew P. and Bernard, Daniel J. (2021). TGFBR3L is an inhibin B co-receptor that regulates female fertility. Science Advances, 7 (51) eabl4391, eabl4391. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abl4391

Hart, Kaitlin N., Stocker, William A., Nagykery, Nicholas G., Walton, Kelly L., Harrison, Craig A., Donahoe, Patricia K., Pépin, David and Thompson, Thomas B. (2021). Structure of AMH bound to AMHR2 provides insight into a unique signaling pair in the TGF-β family. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118 (26) e2104809118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2104809118

Hagg, Adam, Kharoud, Swati, Goodchild, Georgia, Goodman, Craig A., Chen, Justin L., Thomson, Rachel E., Qian, Hongwei, Gregorevic, Paul, Harrison, Craig A. and Walton, Kelly L. (2020). TMEPAI/PMEPA1 is a positive regulator of skeletal muscle mass. Frontiers in Physiology, 11 560225, 560225. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.560225

Goney, Monica P., Wilce, Matthew C. J., Wilce, Jacqueline A., Stocker, William A., Goodchild, Georgia M., Chan, Karen L., Harrison, Craig A. and Walton, Kelly L. (2020). Engineering the ovarian hormones inhibin A and inhibin B to enhance synthesis and activity. Endocrinology, 161 (8), 1-12. doi: 10.1210/endocr/bqaa099

Stocker, William A., Walton, Kelly L., Richani, Dulama, Chan, Karen L., Beilby, Kiri H., Finger, Bethany J., Green, Mark P., Gilchrist, Robert B. and Harrison, Craig A. (2020). A variant of human growth differentiation factor-9 that improves oocyte developmental competence. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 295 (23), 7981-7991. doi: 10.1074/jbc.ra120.013050

Walton, Kelly L., Chen, Justin L., Arnold, Quinn, Kelly, Emily, La, Mylinh, Lu, Louis, Lovrecz, George, Hagg, Adam, Colgan, Timothy D., Qian, Hongwei, Gregorevic, Paul and Harrison, Craig A. (2019). Activin A–induced cachectic wasting is attenuated by systemic delivery of its cognate propeptide in male mice. Endocrinology, 160 (10), 2417-2426. doi: 10.1210/en.2019-00257

Riepsamen, Angelique H., Chan, Karen, Lien, Shelly, Sweeten, Prudence, Donoghoe, Mark W., Walker, Glenda, Fraison, Eloïse H. J., Stocker, William A., Walton, Kelly L., Harrison, Craig A., Ledger, William L., Robertson, David M. and Gilchrist, Robert B. (2019). Serum concentrations of oocyte-secreted factors BMP15 and GDF9 during IVF and in women with reproductive pathologies. Endocrinology, 160 (10), 2298-2313. doi: 10.1210/en.2019-00264

Bouty, Aurore, Walton, Kelly, Listyasari, Nurin Aisyiyah, Robevska, Gorjana, Van den Bergen, Jocelyn, Santosa, Ardy, Faradz, Sultana M H, Harrison, Craig, Ayers, Katie L and Sinclair, Andrew H (2019). Functional characterization of two new variants in the bone morphogenetic protein 7 prodomain in two pairs of monozygotic twins with hypospadias. Journal of the Endocrine Society, 3 (4), 814-824. doi: 10.1210/js.2018-00333

Richani, Dulama, Constance, Katherine, Lien, Shelly, Agapiou, David, Stocker, William A., Hedger, Mark P., Ledger, William L., Thompson, Jeremy G., Robertson, David M., Mottershead, David G., Walton, Kelly L., Harrison, Craig A. and Gilchrist, Robert B. (2019). Cumulin and FSH Cooperate to Regulate Inhibin B and Activin B Production by Human Granulosa-Lutein Cells In Vitro. Endocrinology, 160 (4), 853-862. doi: 10.1210/en.2018-01026

Walton, Kelly L. and Harrison, Craig A. (2018). Inhibin: To Betaglycan, or Not to Betaglycan. Endocrinology, 160 (2), 341-342. doi: 10.1210/en.2018-01049

Walker, Ryan G., McCoy, Jason C., Czepnik, Magdalena, Mills, Melanie J., Hagg, Adam, Walton, Kelly L., Cotton, Thomas R., Hyvönen, Marko, Lee, Richard T., Gregorevic, Paul, Harrison, Craig A. and Thompson, Thomas B. (2018). Molecular characterization of latent GDF8 reveals mechanisms of activation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 115 (5), E866-E875. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1714622115

Walton, Kelly L., Johnson, Katharine E. and Harrison, Craig A. (2017). Targeting TGF-β mediated SMAD signaling for the prevention of fibrosis. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 8 (JUL) 461. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00461

Chen, Justin L., Walton, Kelly L., Hagg, Adam, Colgan, Timothy D., Johnson, Katharine, Qian, Hongwei, Gregorevic, Paul and Harrison, Craig A. (2017). Specific targeting of TGF-β family ligands demonstrates distinct roles in the regulation of muscle mass in health and disease. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114 (26), E5266-E5275. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1620013114

Wang, Yao, Chen, Qi, Zhao, Min, Walton, Kelly, Harrison, Craig and Nie, Guiying (2017). Multiple Soluble TGF-β Receptors in Addition to Soluble Endoglin Are Elevated in Preeclamptic Serum and They Synergistically Inhibit TGF-β Signaling. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 102 (8), 3065-3074. doi: 10.1210/jc.2017-01150

Walker, Ryan G., Czepnik, Magdalena, Goebel, Erich J., McCoy, Jason C., Vujic, Ana, Cho, Miook, Oh, Juhyun, Aykul, Senem, Walton, Kelly L., Schang, Gauthier, Bernard, Daniel J., Hinck, Andrew P., Harrison, Craig A., Martinez-Hackert, Erik, Wagers, Amy J., Lee, Richard T. and Thompson, Thomas B. (2017). Structural basis for potency differences between GDF8 and GDF11. BMC Biology, 15 (1) 19. doi: 10.1186/s12915-017-0350-1

Patino, Liliana C., Walton, Kelly L., Mueller, Thomas D., Johnson, Katharine E., Stocker, William, Richani, Dulama, Agapiou, David, Gilchrist, Robert B., Laissue, Paul and Harrison, Craig A. (2017). BMP15 mutations associated with primary ovarian insufficiency reduce expression, activity, or synergy with GDF9. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 102 (3), 1009-1019. doi: 10.1210/jc.2016-3503

Coulson, Rhiannon, Liew, Seng H., Connelly, Angela A., Yee, Nicholas S., Deb, Siddhartha, Kumar, Beena, Vargas, Ana C., O'Toole, Sandra A., Parslow, Adam C., Poh, Ashleigh, Putoczki, Tracy, Morrow, Riley J., Alorro, Mariah, Lazarus, Kyren A., Yeap, Evie F.W., Walton, Kelly L., Harrison, Craig A., Hannan, Natalie J., George, Amee J., Clyne, Colin D., Ernst, Matthias, Allen, Andrew M. and Chand, Ashwini L. (2017). The angiotensin receptor blocker, Losartan, inhibits mammary tumor development and progression to invasive carcinoma. Oncotarget, 8 (12), 18640-18656. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.15553

Chen, Justin L., Walton, Kelly L., Qian, Hongwei, Colgan, Timothy D., Hagg, Adam, Watt, Matthew J., Harrison, Craig A. and Gregorevic, Paul (2016). Differential effects of IL6 and activin A in the development of cancer-associated cachexia. Cancer Research, 76 (18), 5372-5382. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-15-3152

Winbanks, Catherine E., Murphy, Kate T., Bernardo, Bianca C., Qian, Hongwei, Liu, Yingying, Sepulveda, Patricio V., Beyer, Claudia, Hagg, Adam, Thomson, Rachel E., Chen, Justin L., Walton, Kelly L., Loveland, Kate L., McMullen, Julie R., Rodgers, Buel D., Harrison, Craig A., Lynch, Gordon S. and Gregorevic, Paul (2016). Smad7 gene delivery prevents muscle wasting associated with cancer cachexia in mice. Science Translational Medicine, 8 (348). doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aac4976

Walton, Kelly L., Kelly, Emily K., Johnson, Katharine E., Robertson, David M., Stanton, Peter G. and Harrison, Craig A. (2016). A novel, more efficient approach to generate bioactive inhibins. Endocrinology, 157 (7), 2799-2809. doi: 10.1210/en.2015-1963

Heng, Sophea, Dynon, Kemperly, Li, Ying, Edgell, Tracey, Walton, Kelly, Rombauts, Luk J., Vollenhoven, Beverley and Nie, Guiying (2015). Development of a high-throughput assay for human proprotein convertase 5/6 for detecting uterine receptivity. Analytical Biochemistry, 475, 14-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ab.2014.12.012

Chen, Justin L., Walton, Kelly L., Al-Musawi, Sara L., Kelly, Emily K., Qian, Hongwei, La, Mylinh, Lu, Louis, Lovrecz, George, Ziemann, Mark, Lazarus, Ross, El-Osta, Assam, Gregorevic, Paul and Harrison, Craig A. (2015). Development of novel activin-targeted therapeutics. Molecular Therapy, 23 (3), 434-444. doi: 10.1038/mt.2014.221

Chen, Justin L., Walton, Kelly L., Winbanks, Catherine E., Murphy, Kate T., Thomson, Rachel E., Makanji, Yogeshwar, Qian, Hongwei, Lynch, Gordon S., Harrison, Craig A. and Gregorevic, Paul (2014). Elevated expression of activins promotes muscle wasting and cachexia. Faseb Journal, 28 (4), 1711-1723. doi: 10.1096/fj.13-245894

Tournier, Isabelle, Marlin, Régine, Walton, Kelly, Charbonnier, Françoise, Coutant, Sophie, Théry, Jean-Christophe, Charbonnier, Camille, Spurrell, Cailyn, Vezain, Myriam, Ippolito, Lorena, Bougeard, Gaëlle, Roman, Horace, Tinat, Julie, Sabourin, Jean-Christophe, Stoppa-Lyonnet, Dominique, Caron, Olivier, Bressac-de Paillerets, Brigitte, Vaur, Dominique, King, Mary-Claire, Harrison, Craig and Frebourg, Thierry (2014). Germline mutations of inhibins in early-onset ovarian epithelial tumors. Human Mutation, 35 (3), 294-297. doi: 10.1002/humu.22489

Nicholls, Peter K., Stanton, Peter G., Chen, Justin L., Olcorn, Justine S., Haverfield, Jenna T., Qian, Hongwei, Walton, Kelly L., Gregorevic, Paul and Harrison, Craig A. (2012). Activin signaling regulates sertoli cell differentiation and function. Endocrinology, 153 (12), 6065-6077. doi: 10.1210/en.2012-1821

Dynon, Kemperly, Heng, Sophea, Puryer, Michelle, Li, Ying, Walton, Kelly, Endo, Yaeta and Nie, Guiying (2012). HtrA3 as an Early Marker for Preeclampsia: Specific Monoclonal Antibodies and Sensitive High-Throughput Assays for Serum Screening. Plos One, 7 (9) ARTN e45956. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0045956

Simpson, Courtney M., Stanton, Peter G., Walton, Kelly L., Chan, Karen L., Ritter, Lesley J., Gilchrist, Robert B. and Harrison, Craig A. (2012). Activation of latent human GDF9 by a single residue change (Gly391Arg) in the mature domain. Endocrinology, 153 (3), 1301-1310. doi: 10.1210/en.2011-1632

Makanji, Yogeshwar, Walton, Kelly L., Chan, Karen L., Gregorevic, Paul, Robertson, David M. and Harrison, Craig A. (2011). Generation of a specific activin antagonist by modification of the activin A propeptide. Endocrinology, 152 (10), 3758-3768. doi: 10.1210/en.2011-1052

Nicholls, Peter K., Harrison, Craig A., Walton, Kelly L., McLachlan, Robert I., O'Donnell, Liza and Stanton, Peter G. (2011). Hormonal Regulation of Sertoli Cell Micro-RNAs at Spermiation. Endocrinology, 152 (4), 1670-1683. doi: 10.1210/en.2010-1341

Walton, Kelly L., Makanji, Yogeshwar, Chen, Justin, Wilce, Matthew C., Chan, Karen L., Robertson, David M. and Harrison, Craig A. (2010). Two distinct regions of latency-associated peptide coordinate stability of the latent transforming growth factor-β1 complex. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 285 (22), 17029-17037. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M110.110288

Walton, Kelly L., Makanji, Yogeshwar, Wilce, Matthew C., Chan, Karen L., Robertson, David M. and Harrison, Craig A. (2009). A common biosynthetic pathway governs the dimerization and secretion of inhibin and related transforming growth factor β(TGFβ) ligands. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284 (14), 9311-9320. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M808763200

Makanji, Yogeshwar, Walton, Kelly L., Wilce, Matthew C., Chan, Karen L., Robertson, David M. and Harrison, Craig A. (2008). Suppression of inhibin A biological activity by alterations in the binding site for betaglycan. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 283 (24), 16743-16751. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M801045200