Dr. Gilmour’s current research explores two themes. First, she aims to understand the mechanisms through which fish maintain gas exchange and acid-base balance in diverse environments. Work in this area focuses on mechanisms of gas sensing and ion transport, particularly with respect to the enzyme carbonic anhydrase, which plays key roles in both gas transfer and acid-base balance in a variety of tissues. Second, Dr. Gilmour is using the formation of dominance hierarchies in fish and the resultant social stress as a means of studying chronic stress. Questions of interest focus on how the stress axis functions during acute versus chronic stress, as well as the physiological consequences of chronic stress on metabolism, growth and tolerance of environmental challenges such as elevated temperature.
Selected publications
- Tea, J., Alderman, S.L. and Gilmour, K.M. Social stress increases plasma cortisol and reduces forebrain cell proliferation in subordinate male zebrafish (Danio rerio). J. Exp. Biol. 222, jeb194894, 2019
- Kostyniuk, D., Culbert, B.M., Mennigen, J.A. and Gilmour, K.M. Social status affects lipid metabolism in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Am. J. Physiol. 315, R241-R255, 2018
- Culbert, B.M. and Gilmour, K.M. Rapid recovery of the cortisol response from social subordination in rainbow trout. Physiol. Behav. 164, 306-313, 2016
- Jeffrey, J.D. and Gilmour, K.M. Programming of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis by maternal social status in zebrafish (Danio rerio). J. Exp. Biol. 219, 1734-1743, 2016
- Brannen, M. and Gilmour, K.M. Carbonic anhydrase expression in the branchial ionocytes of rainbow trout. J. Exp. Biol. 221, jeb164582, 2018
- Carrie, D. and Gilmour, K.M. Phosphorylation increases the catalytic activity of rainbow trout gill cytosolic carbonic anhydrase. J. Comp. Physiol. B 186, 111-122, 2016