Associate Professor

Division of Pharmacology
School of Medicine
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, CA 92350
U.S.A

Phone: (909) 558-4325
Fax: (909) 558-4029
E-mail: seanwilson@llu.edu

Sean Wilson, PhD

Research Interest

The pulmonary vasculature is unique in that it regulates oxygenation of the blood. Before birth the fetal lung is only preparing for this role outside the womb. Although the mother protects the unborn child from the environment, the fetal lung adapts to maternal stresses. Ideally these adaptations would better prepare the newborn to meet the challenges of the outside world. Instead, they often result in pulmonary vascular disease. Regrettably, pulmonary hypertension of the newborn is an intractable disease with few effective treatments. Although a number of proteins have been identified that participate in the development of pulmonary vascular disease, the cell signaling pathways that regulate this process remain unclear. What is certain is that neuro-humoral substances bind to cell surface receptors and this activates intracellular signaling cascades. This includes Ca2+ that is fundamental to the development of pulmonary vascular disease. Our research aims to delineate the cellular processes central to Ca2+ signaling during lung development. Understanding these systems can provide new insights into pulmonary vascular disease and opportunities to develop novel therapies.

 Selected Publications

  1. Behringer, E.J., L.D. Leite, N.E. Buchholz, M.G. Keeney, W.J. Pearce, C.K. Vanterpool, S.M. Wilson, J.N. Buchholz. Maturation and Long-Term Hypoxia Alters Calcium-Induced Calcium Release in Sheep Cerebrovascular Sympathetic Neurons. Journal of Applied Physiology, 107:1223-34, 2009. PMID19644029
  2. Hume, J.R., C. McAllister, S.M. Wilson. Inhibition of InsP3 responses and capacitative calcium entry by caffeine in canine pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells. Vascular Pharmacology, 50:89-97, 2009.
  3. Behringer, E.J., C.K. Vanterpool, W.J. Pearce, S.M. Wilson, J.N. Buchholz. Advancing age alters the contribution of calcium release from smooth endoplasmic reticulum stores in superior cervical ganglion cells. Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences. 64:34-44, 2009.
  4. Goyal, R., O. Ostrovskaya, J.E. Angermann, G.D. Smith, S.M. Wilson. Aging and calcium clearance in murine mesenteric arterial myocytes. Experimental Gerontology, 44:201-7, 2009.
  5. Goyal, R, K. Creel, E. Chavis, G.D. Smith, L.D. Longo, S.M. Wilson. Maturation of Ca2+ signaling in Ovine pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells. American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology. 295:L905-14, 2008.
  6. Ostrovskaya, O., R. Goyal, N. Osman, C.E. McAllister, I.N. Pessah, J.R. Hume, S.M. Wilson. FLA 365 as an inhibitor of ryanodine receptor signaling in canine pulmonary arterial myocytes. Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. 323:381-902, 2007.
  7. Ng, L.C., S.M. Wilson, C.E. McAllister, and J.R. Hume. Roles of InsP3 and ryanodine receptors in capacitative Ca2+ entry in canine pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells. British Journal of Pharmacology [shared co-authorship with L.C. Ng]. British Journal of Pharmacology. 152:101-11, 2007
  8. del Corsso, C, O Ostrovskaya, CE McAllister, K Murray, WJ Hatton, AM Gurney, NJ Spencer, S.M. Wilson. Effects of aging on Ca2+ signaling in murine mesenteric arterial smooth muscle cells. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development, 127, 315-323, 2006.
  9. Wilson, S.M., H.S. Mason, L.C. Ng, S. Montague, L. Johnston, N. Nicholson, S. Mansfield and J.R. Hume. Role of basal extracellular Ca2+ entry during 5-HT-induced vasoconstriction of canine pulmonary arteries. Br J Pharmacol 144: 252-264, 2005.
  10. Ng, L.C., S.M. Wilson and J.R. Hume. Mobilization of SR Stores by Hypoxia Leads to Consequent Activation of Capacitative Ca2+ Entry in Isolated Canine Pulmonary Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells. The Journal of Physiology, 563: 409-419, 2005.
  11. Wilson, S.M., H.S. Mason, G.D. Smith, N. Nicholson, L. Johnston, R. Janiak and J.R. Hume. Comparative capacitative calcium entry mechanisms in canine pulmonary and renal arterial smooth muscle cells. The Journal of Physiology 543: 917-931, 2002.
  12. Hermoso, M, C.M. Satterwhite, Y Andrade, J Hidalgo, S.M. Wilson, B Horowitz and J.R. Hume. ClC-3 is a fundamental molecular component of volume-sensitive outwardly rectifying Cl- channels and volume regulation in HeLa Cells and Xenopus laevis oocytes. Journal of Biological Chemistry 277: 40066-40074, 2002.
  13. Janiak, R, S.M. Wilson, S. Montague and J.R. Hume. Heterogeneity of calcium stores and elementary release events in canine pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells. American Journal of Physiology Cell Physiol 280: C22-C33, 2001.
  14. Wilson, S.M., S.C. Lee, S. Shook and P.A. Pappone. ATP and beta-adrenergic stimulation enhance voltage-gated K current inactivation in brown adipocytes. American Journal of Physiology Cell Physiol 279: C1847-C1858, 2000.
  15. Wilson, S.M., M.J. Barsoum, B.W. Wilson and P.A. Pappone. Purine nucleotides modulate proliferation of brown fat preadipocytes. Cell Proliferation 32: 131-140, 1999.
  16. Wilson, S.M. and P.A. Pappone. P2 receptor modulation of voltage-gated potassium currents in Brown adipocytes. Journal of General Physiology 113: 125-138, 1999.

Book Chapters

  1. S.M. Wilson and N. Leblanc. Chapter 1. Membrane Electrical Properties of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells of the Pulmonary Circulation. In Ion Channels in the Pulmonary Vasculature. Edited by X.J. Yuan. Marcel Dekker Publisher. ISBN: 0-8247-5968-0. 200