Nikita Gamper

Professor, Head of Neuroscience Research Group, University of Leeds, UK,

Adjunct Professor, Supervisor of Doctorate Candidates, Hebei Medical University;

LS2 9JT, Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, Garstang Building 6.31d, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

E-mail: n.gamper@leeds.ac.uk

Work and Education Experience

1. 1987-1995      St. Petersburg State University  Master degree

2. 1995–1998     Sechenov Institute of Evolutionary Physiology and Biochemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences,  PhD

3. 1999-2001      Postdoctoral fellowTuebingen University, Department of Physiology, Tuebingen, Germany.

4. 2001-2005      Postdoctoral fellowUniversity of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, Department of Physiology, San Antonio, Texas.

5. 2005-2011     LecturerInstitute of Membrane and Systems Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

6. 2011-2014     Associate ProfessorInstitute of Membrane and Systems Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

7. 2011-present   Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology. Department of Pharmacology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, China

8. 2014-presnt    Professor of Neuroscience, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

Research interests

I am fascinated with the molecular and biophysical principles underlying neuronal communication, especially in relation to human excitability disorders such as pain and epilepsy. My group has a long track record in understanding ionic mechanisms regulating neuronal excitability. Thus,we elucidated the roles and modulation of M-type K+ channels, T-type Ca2+ channels and TMEM16A Cl- channels in peripheral somatosensoryneurons, highlighting novel mechanisms of pain. We also recently reported what could amount to a novel principle of somatosensory processing in mammals: GABAergic filtering in the spinal ganglia. We also investigate transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of sensory neuronal gene expression associated with chronic pain. Other interests include ion channel modulation by G protein coupled receptors, compartmentalization of intracellular signalling cascades, novel Cl- channels and some other related topics.

Representative Publications in Recent 5 Years

1. Local Ca2+ signals couple activation of TRPV1 and ANO1 sensory ion channels. Sci Signal. 2020 Apr 28;13(629), Shah S, Carver CM, Mullen P, Milne S, Lukacs V, Shapiro MS, Gamper N.

2. Delineating an extracellular redox-sensitive module in T-type Ca2+ channels, J Biol Chem. 2020 May 1;295(18):6177-6186, Huang D, Shi S, Liang C, Zhang X, Du X, An H, Peers C, Zhang H, Gamper N.

3. Kv7.4 Channel Contribute to Projection-Specific Auto-Inhibition of Dopamine Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area, Front Cell Neurosci. 2019 Dec 18;13:557, Su M, Li L, Wang J, Sun H, Zhang L, Zhao C, Xie Y, Gamper N, Du X, Zhang H.

4. Auxiliary subunits control biophysical properties and response to compound NS5806 of the Kv4 potassium channel complex, FASEB J. 2020 Jan;34(1):807-821,Zhang H, Zhang H, Wang C, Wang Y, Zou R, Shi C, Guan B, Gamper N, Xu Y.

5. Predictors and Clinical Outcomes in Empyema Thoracis Patients Presenting to the Emergency Department Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery, J Clin Med. 2019 Oct 3;8(10):1612, Tsai YM, Gamper N, Huang TW, Lee SC, Chang AH.

6. Volume-regulated Cl- current: contributions of distinct Cl- channels and localized Ca2+ signals, Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2019 Sep 1;317(3):C466-C480, Liu Y, Zhang H, Men H, Du Y, Xiao Z, Zhang F, Huang D, Du X, Gamper N, Zhang H.

7. Repressor Element 1-silencing Transcription Factor Drives the Development of Chronic Pain States 2019 PAIN.  Zhang F, Gigout S, Liu Y, Wang Y, Hao H, Buckley NJ, Zhang H, Wood IC, Gamper N. IF: 6.029

8. Transcriptional Regulation of Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels Contributes to GM-CSF-Induced Pain. 2019. Jounal Neuroscience Zhang F, Wang Y, Liu Y, Han H, Zhang D, Fan X, Du X, Gamper N, Zhang H. IF:6.07

9. Berrout, J., Kyriakopoulou, E., Moparthi, L., Hogea, A.S., Berrout, L., Ivan, C.,  Lorger, M., Boyle, J., Peers, C., Muench, S., Elies J., Hu, X., Hurst, C., Hall, T., Umamaheswaran, S., Wesley, L., Gagea, M., Shires, M., Manfield, I., Knowles, M.A., Davies, S., Suhling, K., Gonzalez, Y.T., Carragher, N., Macleod, K., Abbott, J., Calin, J.A., Gamper, N., Zygmunt, P.M., Timsah, Z. (2017) TRPA1- FGFR2 binding event is a regulatory oncogenic driver modulated by miRNA-142-3p. Nat Commun.8:947.

10. Gao, H., Boillat, A., Huang, D., Liang, C., Peers, C., Gamper, N. (2017) Intracellular zinc activates KCNQ channels by reducing their dependence on phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A.114:E6410-E6419.

11. Du, X., Hao, H., Yang, Y., Huang, S., Wang, C., Gigout, S., Ramli, R., Li, X., Jaworska, E., Edwards, I., Deuchars, J., Yanagawa, Y., Qi, J., Guan, B., Jaffe, D.B., Zhang, H., Gamper, N. (2017) Local GABAergic signaling within sensory ganglia controls peripheral nociceptive transmission. J Clin Invest. 127:1741-1756. 

12. Li, L., Sun, H., Ding, J., Niu, C., Su, M., Zhang, L., Li, Y., Wang, C., Gamper, N., Du, X., Zhang, H. (2017) Selective targeting of M-type potassium Kv 7.4 channels demonstrates their key role in the regulation of dopaminergic neuronal excitability and depression-like behaviour.Br J Pharmacol. 74:4277-4294.

13. Chen ,K., Marsh, B.C., Cowan, M., Al'Joboori, Y.D., Gigout, S., Smith, C.C., Messenger, N., Gamper, N., Schwab, M.E., Ichiyama, R.M. (2017) Sequential therapy of anti-Nogo-A antibody treatment and treadmill training leads to cumulative improvements after spinal cord injury in rats. Exp Neurol. 292:135-144.

14. Huang, D., Huang, S., Gao, H., Liu, Y., Qi, J., Chen, P., Wang, C., Scragg, J.L., Vakurov, A., Peers, C., Du, X., Zhang, H., Gamper, N.(2016) Redox-dependent modulation of t-type Ca2+ channels in sensory neurons contributes to acute anti-nociceptive effect of substance P.Antioxid Redox Signal.25:233-51

15. Parry, D.A., Holmes, T.D., Gamper, N., El-Sayed, W., Hettiarachchi, N.T., Ahmed, M., Cook, G.P., Logan, C.V., Johnson, C.A., Joss, S., Peers, C., Prescott, K., Savic, S., Inglehearn, C.F., Mighell, A.J. (2016) A homozygous STIM1 mutation impairs store-operated calcium entry and natural killer cell effector function without clinical immunodeficiency. J Allergy Clin Immunol.137:955-7.

16. Sundt, D., Gamper, N., Jaffe, D.B. (2015) Spike propagation through the dorsal root ganglia in an unmyelinated sensory neuron: a modeling study. J Neurophysiol. 114:3140-53.

17. Du, X., Gao, H., Jaffe, J., Zhang, H., Gamper, N. (2017) M-type K+ channels in peripheral nociceptive pathways. Br J Pharmacol (in press).

18. Elies J, Scragg JL, Boyle JP, Gamper N, Peers C. (2016) Regulation of the T-type Ca2+ channel Cav3.2 by hydrogen sulfide: emerging controversies concerning the role of H2S in nociception.J Physiol.594:4119-29