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Nikolai Petrovich Skiba

Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Ophthalmology
Box 3802 Med Ctr, Durham, NC 27710
Wadsworth Bldg, Durham, NC 27710

Overview


My research focuses on applying mass spectrometry based proteomics to study proteins in eye tissues, cells and sub-cellular compartments to understand mechanisms of vision. An important aspect of my research is to identify proteins in different compartments of retinal photoreceptor cells, their amount and modification status at different cell states defined by the light conditions, genotype, disease etc. This information can be valuable in understanding molecular mechanisms of vision and biology of the photoreceptor cell. Another important aspect of my research is to assist basic scientist and clinicians in our department in their proteomic needs which include identification of proteins and other biomolecules in a given biological sample, detection of protein post-translational modifications and sequence variations, elucidation of protein-protein interactions and also characterization of changes in the protein concentration and composition in a biological sample at different conditions.

Current Duke Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor of Ophthalmology · 2021 - Present Ophthalmology, Clinical Science Departments

Recent Scholarly Works


Dysregulation of Non-Muscle Myosin IIA Assembly and Phosphorylation in S100A4 Null Mouse Lens.

Journal article J Cell Physiol · June 2026 Non-muscle myosin IIA (NMIIA), a motor protein plays a critical role in regulating cell morphology, adhesion, migration, contractility, and mechanotransduction across various tissues, including the ocular lens. S100A4, a known NMIIA-interacting protein, is ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Human Lens Fiber Cytoskeletome Reveals Neuronal Signatures and the Presence of Chaperonins, Proteasome, Signaling, and Redox Regulators.

Journal article Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci · May 1, 2026 PURPOSE: Morphogenesis, growth, shape, mechanics, and transparency of the ocular lens critically depend on cytoskeletal networks and cell adhesive interactions. However, the molecular composition of these cellular components of lens fibers remains to be de ... Full text Link to item Cite

Mapping the chaperonin TRiC/CCT interactome in mouse photoreceptors reveals functional significance for energy metabolism.

Journal article PLoS One · 2026 The eukaryotic chaperonin TRiC/CCT is essential for folding a diverse set of proteins, yet its interactome and functional roles in specialized neurons remain incompletely understood. To investigate TRiC-mediated folding in rod photoreceptors, we generated ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Mechanism of photoreceptor cell degeneration in animal models of retinal diseases

ResearchFacility Mgr. · Awarded by University of Houston · 2025 - 2030

Identification of proteins localized to photoreceptor connecting cilium

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2026

Identification of novel contributors to retinitis pigmentosa using metabolic and proteomic approaches

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill · 2021 - 2024

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Education


Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry (Russia) · 1986 Ph.D.
Lomonosov Moscow State Universty (Russia) · 1978 B.S.