Sara Chen, MD
Vivek Choudhary, DVM, PhD
Shinjini Spaulding
Yonghong Luo
Sam Melnyk
Purnima Merai, MS
Ismail Kaddour-Djebbar
Phone: (706) 721-0698
Fax: (706) 721-7299
Email: wbollag@augusta.edu
Office: CB-1008
Lab: CB-1055
Left image: Pictured left to right: Dr. Ismail Kaddour-Djebbar, Lawrence Olala, Dr.
Wendy Bollag, Dr. Vivek Choudhary, Dr. Sara Chen (2016)
Right Image: Pictured left to right: Back Row: Dr. Ismail Kaddour-Djebbar, Dr. Vivek Choudhary, Inas Helwa, Lawrence Olala; Front Row: Ying-Ying Tsai, Dr. Wendy Bollag, Purnima Merai, Dr. Sara Chen (2013)
Jump to: Education & TrainingAcademic AppointmentsResearch InterestsCurrent ProjectsAwards & AccomplishmentsRelated Links
2009-present: Professor, Department of Physiology and College of Graduate Studies, Augusta University, Augusta, GA
2011-present: Adjunct Professor, Department of Oral Biology (Dental College of Georgia), Augusta University, Augusta, GA
2009-present: Adjunct Professor, Departments of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, Medicine (Dermatology) and Orthopaedic Surgery, Augusta University, Augusta, GA
2011-2016: VA Research Career Scientist, Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center
2004-2009: Professor, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA
1999-2004: Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA
1993-1999: Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA
1992-1993: Assistant Professor, Department of Biology, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
My research interests lie in understanding the mechanisms by which hormones, growth factors, cytokines and other signaling molecules instruct cells to respond appropriately to perform their functions. My laboratory currently has one project investigating the regulation of keratinocyte growth and differentiation and a second defining the signaling mechanisms regulating aldosterone secretion from the adrenal gland. In the first project in skin, we are defining the role of the signaling enzymes phospholipase D (PLD) in promoting epidermal keratinocyte differentiation and protein kinase D (PKD) in supporting keratinocyte proliferation and survival. Our data suggest that PLD promotes keratinocyte differentiation and inhibits proliferation whereas PKD acts in an opposite fashion. By regulating these processes PLD and PKD may play a role in the development of skin diseases. Our second project investigates the mechanism by which very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), the levels of which are elevated in obesity, stimulates the production of aldosterone. As a key hormone involved in sodium homeostasis, aldosterone is an important regulator of blood pressure, and abnormalities in its levels can contribute to various cardiovascular pathologies including hypertension. Since obesity is often associated with high blood pressure, our research may provide one mechanism by which excess weight contributes to hypertension.
Representative Publications
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Choudhary V, S Griffith, X Chen & WB Bollag. Pathogen-associated molecular pattern-induced TLR2 and TLR4 activation increases keratinocyte production of inflammatory mediators and is inhibited by phosphatidylglycerol, Mol. Pharmacol., 97: 324-335, 2020 (e-published ahead of print March 15, 2020). |
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Yang R, S Chowdhury, V Choudhary, X Chen & WB Bollag. Aquaporin-3 expression induced by histone deacetylase inhibitors is mediated in part by peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) in keratinocytes, Exp. Dermatol., 29: 380-386, 2020 (e-published ahead of print January 30, 2020). |
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Bollag WB, LO Olala, D Xie, X Lu, H Qin, V Choudhary, R Patel, D Bogorad, A Estes & MA Watsky. Dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol accelerates corneal epithelial wound healing. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., 61: 29, 2020. |
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Choudhary V*, R Uarantanawong*, R Patel, H Patel, W Bao, B Hartney, E Cohen, X Chen, Q Zhong, CM Isales & WB Bollag. Phosphatidylglycerol inhibits toll-like receptor-mediated inflammation by damage-associated molecular patterns. J. Invest. Dermatol., 139: 868-877, 2019 (e-published ahead of print October 31, 2018). *contributed equally to this work |
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Tsai Y-Y, WE Rainey, MH Johnson & WB Bollag. VLDL-activated cell signaling pathways that stimulate adrenal cell aldosterone production, Mol. Cell. Endocrinol., 433: 138-146, 2016 (e-published ahead of print, May 21, 2016). |
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Bollag WB, L Aitkens, J White & KA Hyndman. Aquaporin-3 in the epidermis: More than skin deep. Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol., 318: C1144-c1153, 2020 (e-published ahead of print April 8, 2020). (Invited review) |
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Tsai Y-Y, WE Rainey & WB Bollag. Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-induced signals mediating aldosterone production. J. Endocrinol. 232: R115-R129, 2017 (e-published ahead of print December 2, 2016). |
