Office: 68 Pearson Hall
Phone: (513) 529-1694
Email: tim.wilson@MiamiOH.edu

Education

Ph.D. in Immunology, Washington University in St. Louis, 2007

Research Interests

Leukocytes are the primary cellular component of the immune system, and different subtypes populate distinct cellular niches to carry out their functions. The vast majority of leukocytes are motile, and therefore experience a dynamic extracellular environment that requires the ability to integrate a variety of signals. Whether responding to an invading pathogen or maintaining tissue homeostasis, leukocytes must have the ability to distinguish foreign and self, as well as dangerous and innocuous, and be able to respond appropriately. The long term goal of my research is to understand the mechanisms by which leukocyte surface receptors interpret their cellular microenvironment and deliver the downstream signals governing leukocyte activation and effector functions.

Prior work has focused on uncharacterized members of the Fc Receptor-Like (FCRL) and SLAM families of cell surface receptors. Current and future studies will examine how these and other cell surface molecules promote resistance to infection or alter susceptibility to autoimmune disease.

Selected publications

• Wilson TJ, Garner LI, Metcalfe C, King E, Margraf S, and Brown MH. 2014. Fine specificity and molecular competition in SLAM family receptor signaling. PLOS One. 9(3):e92184.
• Wilson TJ, Fuchs A, and Colonna M. 2012. Cutting Edge: FcRL4 and FcRL5 are receptors for IgA and IgG. Journal of Immunology. 188(10): 4741-4745.
• Wilson TJ, Gilfillan SG, Colonna M. 2010. FcRLA associates with intracellular IgG and IgM, but is dispensable for antigen-specific immune responses. Journal of Immunology. 185: 2960-2967.
• Swanson CL, Wilson TJ, Strauch P, Colonna M, Pelanda R, Torres RM. 2010. Type I IFN enhances follicular B cell contribution to the T cell-independent antibody response. Journal of Experimental Medicine. 207(7): 1485-1500.
• Wilson TJ, Presti RM, Tassi I, Overton ET, Cella M, Colonna M. 2007. FcRL6, a new ITIM-bearing receptor on cytolytic cells, is broadly expressed by lymphocytes following HIV-1 infection. Blood 109(9): 3786-93.
• Wilson TJ, Colonna M. 2005. A new Fc receptor homolog, FREB2, found in germinal center B cells. Genes and Immunity 6: 341-6.