Allison K. Wilson Ph.D.
Department Chair/Professor
awilson@ben.edu
www.ben.edu/faculty/awilson/index.asp

Address
5700 College Road
Lisle, IL 60532

Department

Building
Birck Hall  Room: 319

Phone
Direct: (630) 829-6520
Department: (630) 829-6563
Fax: (630) 829-6547

Year Started
1997

Degrees
PhD, University of Illinois-Chicago

Bio
Research Interests:

Osteoblasts and osteoclasts, bone-forming and bone-resorbing cells, respectively, mediate growth, modeling, remodeling, and repair of bone. The adult skeleton routinely undergoes remodeling in response to physical, hormonal, and metabolic stresses. In normal bone homeostasis, there is no net gain or loss of bone. However, uncoupling of the remodeling process by increasing osteoclastic activity without increasing bone formation to the same extent, can lead to bone loss.

The objective of my research program is to determine mechanisms by which cadmium causes bone loss. Animal studies indicate that bone loss responses occur at blood cadmium concentrations in the range of levels reported for persons who smoke cigarettes and for workers with low-level cadmium exposure in industry. Cadmium-induced bone loss is also more pronounced in animals that have experienced increased bone stress such as estrogen deficiency, suggesting that women exposed to cadmium are at increased risk for postmenopausal osteoporosis.

To investigate cellular mechanisms for the increased activity of the resident osteoclast population in response to cadmium exposure, cultured cell lines and primary bone cell cultures are used to study the motility, the signals for apoptosis, and the signal transduction involved with cytoskeletal reorganization that must occur when an osteoclast changes from a motile configuration to a resorbing configuration. Cell migration assays, chemotactic assays, cell viability assays, microscopic examination of immunohistochemically or fluorescently-labeled cells, gel electrophoresis, western blotting, and RT-PCR are some of the techniques used in these investigations.


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Selected references:

Wilson, A.K. and M.H. Bhattacharyya. Effects of cadmium on bone: An in vivo model for the early response. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 145:68-73, 1997.

Wilson, A.K., Cerny, E.A., Smith, B.D., Wagh, A., and M.H. Bhattacharyya. Effects of cadmium on osteoclast formation and activity in vitro. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 140:451-460, 1996.

Wilson, A.K., Gorgas, G., Claypool, W.D., and P. deLanerolle. An increase or decrease in myosin II phosphorylation inhibits macrophage motility. J. Cell. Biol. 114:227-283, 1991.

Wilson, A.K., Takai, A., Ruegg, J.C., and P. deLanerolle. Okadaic acid, a phosphatase inhibitor increases myosin light chain phosphorylation but decreases macrophage motility. Am. J. Physiol. 260:L105-L112, 1991.

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Education:
B.S. Biology, Iowa State University
Ph.D. Physiology, University of Illinois at Chicago

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