Faculty of Virology

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Van G. Wilson
Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies
Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis

Education:
B.S. Georgia Institute of Technology Applied Biology 1975
Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH Microbiology 1980

Research Description:
My area of specialization is the molecular biology of papovaviruses, with a primary focus on mechanisms of DNA replication. Work in recent years has focused on papillomaviruses and avian polyomaviruses. A major goal of the lab over the last five years has been characterization of the structure and biochemical functions of the bovine papillomavirus E1 replication protein. Coupled with the study of the E1 protein has been a complementary analysis of the structure and organization of the viral origin region. E1 functions as an origin recognition protein and a helicase, though how the activity of this protein is regulated during keratinocyte differentiation is still unknown. Recently, we determined that E1 is post-translationally modified by addition of 1 or more SUMO moieties. Sumoylation is a widespread modification whose biological functions are only recently becoming understood. Studies are in progress to 1) determine the role of sumoylation in the viral life cycle, 2) evaluate the effect of sumoylation on the structure and activity of the E1 helicase, and 3) characterize the regulation of sumoylation during normal keratinocyte differentiation.

Representative Publications:
Deyrieux, A. , Rosas-Acosta, G., Ozbun, M. and V.G. Wilson. 2007. Sumoylation Dynamics During Keratinocyte Differentiation. Journal of Cell Science 120: 125-136.

Langeries, M., Rosas-Acosta, G., Mulder, K. and V.G. Wilson. 2007. Production of Sumoylated Proteins Using a Baculovirus Expression System. Journal of Virological Methods 139:189-194.

Bian, X., Rosas-Acosta, G., Wu, Y-C., and V.G. Wilson. 2007. Nuclear import of BPV1 E1 protein is mediated by multiple alpha importins and is negatively regulated by phosphorylation near a nuclear localization signal. Journal of Virology 81:2899-2908.

Deyrieux, A.F. and V.G. Wilson. 2007. In vitro culture conditions to study keratinocyte differentiation using the HaCaT cell line. Cytotechnology 54:77-83.

Wu, Y.-C., Deyrieux, A., and V.G. Wilson. 2007. Papillomaviruses and the Host Sumoylation System. Biochemical Society Transactions 35:1433-1435.

Rosas-Acosta, G. and V.G. Wilson. 2008. Identification of a Nuclear Export Signal Sequence for Bovine Papillomavirus E1 Protein. Virology 373:149-162.

Wilson, V.G. and P. Heaton. 2008. The Ubiquitin Proteolytic System - A Focus on SUMO: A review. Expert Review of Proteomics 5:121-135.

 

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