Home → Faculty of Health → School of Biomedical Science → Staff → Phillip Jobling

Dr. Phil Jobling

Discipline of Physiology
School of Biomedical Sciences
Room 406, Medical Sciences Building
University of Newcastle
Callaghan, N.S.W. 2308
Phone: +61 2 492 15126
Fax: +61 2 492 11706
Email: phillip.jobling@newcastle.edu.au

Research Interests

Research focus:

My research centres on the structure and function of nerves which control our internal organs. This includes, the sensory neurons which give us information on the state of our internal organs, and the autonomic neurons which modify organ function. We are interested in how autonomic neurons receive information from other parts of the nervous system and how they process this information before sending signals to the final target organ. At present we are focussing on control of the female reproductive tract using a number of animal models. To study these complex nervous pathways we use a combination of electrical recording techniques, to monitor the activity of individual neurons, and anatomical techniques to visualise the shape and chemical content of neurons.

Aims and health outcomes:

The major aim of our research is to build a picture of the types of neurons which are important in pelvic organ function and the nature of the chemical signals which neurons use to communicate with each other. This knowledge will be crucial to the design of therapies aimed at combating the wide range of diseases which involve perturbations of the autonomic and sensory nervous systems. Such maladies include incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and chronic pelvic pain.

Recent highlights include, the characterisation of neurons involved in the control of the uterus and the discovery of a novel chemical transmission system involved in uterine blood flow regulation. At present we are embarking on an ambitious project to measure signals from neurons which monitor the state of the uterine cervix.


Combined electrophysiology and anatomy of neurons which innervate the pelvic organs	Preganglionic neurons in the mouse spinal cord

Teaching

I interact with students in a wide range of programs including Biomedical Science, Medicine, the Health Sciences and Education. Topics include: Cardiovascular and Respiratory Physiology, Neuroscience, Sports Science and Histology. A number of students also undertake research projects within my laboratory. For a current list of projects click on the Autonomic Nervous System laboratory link.

Publications

Jobling P, Messenger JP, Gibbins, IL (2001) Differential expression of functionally identified and immunohistochemically identified NK1 receptors on sympathetic neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology 85: 1888-1898.
Anderson RL, Jobling P, Gibbins IL (2001) Development of electrophysiological and morphological diversity in autonomic neurons. Journal of Neurophysiology 86: 1237-1251.
Morris JL, Jobling P, Gibbins IL (2001) Differential inhibition by botulinum neurotoxin A of cotransmitters released from autonomic vasodilator neurons. American Journal of Physiology. 281: H2124-2132.
Anderson RL, Jobling P, Matthew SE, Gibbins IL (2002) Development of convergent synaptic inputs to subpopulations of autonomic neurons. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 447: 218-233.
Morris JL, Jobling P, Gibbins IL (2002) Botulinum neurotoxin A attenuates release of norepinepherine but not neuropeptide Y from vasoconstrictor neurons. American Journal of Physiology. 283: H2627-2635.
Gibbins IL, Teo EH, Jobling P, Morris JL. (2003) Synaptic density, convergence and dendritic complexity of prevertebral sympathetic neurons. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 455: 285-98.
Morris JL, Jobling P, Shimizu T, Gibbins, IL (2003) Interleukin-1 receptor immunoreactivity in sympathetic vascular and non vascular neurons in the guinea-pig coeliac ganglion. Neuroscience Letters. 333: 54-58
Gibbins IL, Jobling P Morris JL (2003) Functional organisation of peripheral vasomotor pathways. Acta Physiologica Scandinavica. 177: 237-245
Gibbins IL, Jobling P, Teo EH, Matthew SE Morris JL. (2003) Heterogenous expression of SNAP-25 and synaptic vesicle proteins by central and peripheral inputs to sympathetic neurons. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 459: 25-43.
Jobling P, Gibbins IL, Morris JL. (2003) Functional organization of vasodilator neurons in pelvic ganglia of female guinea pigs: comparison with uterine motor neurons. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 459: 223-241.
Morris JL, Ozols D, Lewis RJ, Gibbins IL, Jobling P (2004) Differential involvement of N-type calcium channels in transmitter release from vasoconstrictor and vasodilator neurons. British Journal of Pharmacology 141:961-970.
Jobling P, Gibbins IL, Lewis RJ, Morris JL (2004) Differential expression of calcium channels in sympathetic and parasympathetic preganglionic inputs to neurons in paracervical ganglia of guinea-pigs. Neuroscience. 127:455-466.
Morris JL, Konig P, Shimizu T, Jobling P, Gibbins IL (2005) Most peptide-containing sensory neurons lack proteins for exocytotic release and vesicular transport of glutamate. Journal of Comparative Neurology. 483:1-16.
Morris JL, Gibbins IL, Jobling P (2005) Post-stimulus potentiation of transmission in pelvic ganglia enhances sympathetic dilatation of the guinea-pig uterine artery in vitro. Journal of Physiology 566: 189-203.

Links to Further Information

Autonomic Nervous System Laboratory:
Australian Neuroscience Society: www.ans.org.au
Australian Physiological Society: www.aups.org.au

Newcastle University Researcher Report