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Nick Gibson |
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Staff Scientist
Ph.D. 1988, Ohio State University
| Office: |
Gould-Simpson Bldg. Rm. 644 |
| E-mail: |
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| Phone: |
(520) 621-6671 |
| Fax: |
(520) 621-8282 |
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During formation of the olfactory system, axons of olfactory neurons located
peripherally must grow toward the brain. As these axons near the
brain they encounter glial cells which, as a result of contact with the
axons, proliferate and migrate outward into the olfactory nerve.
These glia, termed sorting zone glia, then influence subsequently
arriving axons, causing them to change course dramatically and to
fasciculate with other axons responsive to a given odorant so as to
travel together to their target glomerulus. Having formed a
protoglomerulus, the axon terminals then induce another set of brain glia
to migrate to surround the glomerulus, a necessary step for
stabilization.
My current
research is aimed at understanding the molecular signals used by neurons
and glia to communicate during these events. I have found evidence
of roles for nitric oxide in glial migration, activation of EGF receptors
in ORN axon outgrowth, activation of FGF receptors in glial migration,
and homophilic interactions among molecules of the IgCAM neuroglian (an
insect homolog of vertebrate L1) with subsequent effects on the receptor
molecule activation. I have recently submitted a manuscript looking
at the importance of lipid rafts, specialized membrane domains rich in
sterols, sphingomyelin, and glycosphingolipids, to the interactions and
functioning of the above molecules. I have also found differences
in expression patterns of glycosphingolipids by male and female brains,
an intriguing finding which may one day shed light on questions of brain
function and plasticity.
Selected Recent Publications
Gibson NJ, Tolbert LP. 2006. Activation of epidermal growth factor
receptor mediates receptor axon sorting and extension in the developing
olfactory system of the moth Manduca sexta. J Comp Neurol
495:554-572.
Gibson NJ, Hildebrand JG, Tolbert LP. 2004. Glycosylation patterns are
sexually dimorphic throughout development of the olfactory system in
Manduca sexta. J Comp Neurol 476(1):1-18.
Abeytunga DTU, Glick JJ, Gibson NJ, Oland LA, Somogyi A, Wysocki VH, Polt
R. 2004. Presence of unsaturated sphingomyelins and changes in
their composition during the life cycle of the moth Manduca sexta.
J Lipid Res 45:1221â1231.
Higgins, M.R., Gibson, N.J., Eckholdt, P.A., Nighorn, A., Copenhaver,
P.F., Nardi, J., and Tolbert, L.P. 2002. Different isoforms of Fasciclin
II are expressed by a subset of developing olfactory receptor neurons and
by olfactory-nerve glial cells during formation of glomeruli in the moth
Manduca sexta. Dev Biol 244:134-54.
Gibson, N.J., Rossler, W., Nighorn, A.J., Oland, L.A., Hildebrand, J.G.,
and Tolbert, L.P. 2001. Neuron-glia communication via nitric oxide is
essential in establishing antennal-lobe structure in Manduca
sexta. Dev Biol 240(2):326-39.
Gibson, N.J., and Nighorn, A. 2000. Expression of Nitric Oxide
Synthase and Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase in the Developing Olfactory System
of Manduca sexta. J Comp Neurol 422:191-205.
Gibson, N.J., and Brown, M.F. 1992. Lipid Headgroup and Acyl Chain
Composition Modulate the MI MII Equilibrium of Rhodopsin in Recombinant
Membranes. Biochemistry 32:2438-2454.
Gibson, N.J., and Cassim, J.Y. 1989. Evidence for an αII-type Helical
Conformation for Bacteriorhodopsin in the Purple Membrane.
Biochemistry 28:2134-2139.
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