Monica Gibson

Portrait of Monica Gibson

Adjunct Assistant Professor
Department of Dentistry

Dr. Gibson's research is focused on a member of non-collagenous proteins, dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP). DSPP is an extracellular matrix protein that plays a vital role in the formation and mineralization of dentin and supporting periodontal tissues. DSPP is a large protein that undergoes proteolytic processing to form the NH2-terminal fragment [dentin sialoprotein (DSP) and its proteoglycan form (DSP-PG)] and COOH-terminal fragment [dentin phosphoprotein (DPP)]. The importance of DSPP in dentinogenesis is supported by experiments showing association of mutations in the DSPP gene with human dentinogenesis imperfecta. While studies have demonstrated the critical role of DSPP in dentin formation, mechanisms by which DSPP functions in biomineralization remained largely unclear. Dr. Gibson's research has been a comprehensive effort to outline the function of this protein and its cleaved fragments. She presented this work as a finalist at the American Association of Dental Research (AADR) Hatton awards. Additionally, during the course of her research, she have been able to create a successful animal model to replicate periodontitis disease process.

Selected Publications:

Treatment of gummy smile multifactorial etiology: A case report.
Gibson MP and Tatakis DN.
Clin Adv Perio 2017 November: 7(4): 167-173.

Over-expressing the NH2-terminal fragment of Dentin Sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) aggravates the periodontal defects in Dspp knockout mice.
Gibson MP, Jani P, Wang X, Lu Y, Qin C.
J Oral Bio 2014

Failure to Process Dentin Sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) into Fragments Leads to Periodontal Defects in Mice.
Gibson MP, Jani P, Liu Y, Wang X, Lu Y, Feng JQ, Qin C.
Eur J Oral Sci 2013

Role of NH2-terminal fragment of dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) in dentinogenesis.
Gibson MP, Liu Q, Zhu Q, Lu Y, Jani P, Wang X, Liu Y, Paine ML, Snead ML, Feng JQ, Qin C.
Eur J Oral Sci 2013 Apr; 121(2): 76-85.

The rescue of DMP1-deficient tooth defects by the transgenic expression of DSPP indicates that DSPP is a downstream effector molecule of DMP1 in dentinogenesis.
Gibson MP, Zhu Q, Wang S, Liu Q, Liu Y, Wang X, Yuan B, Ruest LB, Feng JQ, D'Souza RN, Qin C, Lu Y. J Biol Chem 2013 Mar; 288(10): 7204-14.

Proteolytic processing of dentin Sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) is essential to dentinogenesis.
Zhu Q, Gibson MP, Liu Q, Liu Y, Lu Y, Wang X, Feng JQ, Qin C.
J Biol Chem 2012 Aug; 287(36): 30426-35.