Associate Professor
Dept. of Anesthesiology
PhD, Institute of Molecular Biology, USSR Academy of Sciences
Phone: (516)-367-8316
enikolop@cshl.edu
Lab: Dept. of Anesthesiology
The Enikolopov Website at CSHL
Research
Stem cells have a unique ability to self renew and to produce progenitor cells that eventually generate differentiated cells. This cascade of transitions from stem cells to their differentiated progeny is under dynamic control, ensuring a rapid response to demands for more cells due to stress, damage, or altered environment. We use flies, frogs, and mice as models to study signals that regulate distinct steps in the differentiation cascade and mediate interactions between stem cells and their microenvironment.
Our focus is on stem cells in the adult brain and the relationship between neurogenesis and mood disorders. We have generated several models to study how stem cells give rise to progenitors and, ultimately, to neurons. We are using these models to identify signaling pathways that control generation of new neurons in the brain, to determine the targets of antidepressant therapies, and to search for neuronal and neuroendocrine circuits involved in mood regulation.
Much of our interest is related to a versatile signaling molecule, nitric oxide (NO). We found that NO acts as a negative regulator of cell division in the developing and adult nervous system, such that by manipulating NO levels it is possible to change the number of neural stem and progenitor cells. We are working to dissect the interactions between NO and the signaling pathways that control stem cell division and differentiation.
- Publications
- Laboratory Personnel
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- Gleiberman, A.S., T. Michurina, J.M. Encinas, J.L. Roig, P. Krasnov, F. Balordi, G. Fishell, M.G. Rosenfeld, and G. Enikolopov. 2008. Genetic approaches identify adult pituitary stem cells. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA, 105: 6332-6337.
- Encinas, J.M., A. Vaahtokari, and G. Enikolopov. 2006. Fluoxetine targets early progenitor cells in the adult brain. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103: 8233–8238.
- Stasiv, Y., B. Kuzin, M. Regulski, T. Tully, and G. Enikolopov. 2004. Regulation of multimers via truncated isoforms: a novel mechanism to control nitric oxide signaling. Genes & Dev. 18: 1812-1823.
- Kuzin, B., I. Roberts, N. Peunova, and G. Enikolopov. 1996. Nitric oxide regulates cell proliferation during Drosophila development. Cell 87: 639–649.
- Peunova, N. and G. Enikolopov. 1995. Nitric oxide triggers a switch to growth arrest during differentiation of neuronal cells. Nature 375: 68–73.