UTHSC Physiology Faculty Page for Mitchell A. Watsky, Ph.D.

Education

B.S. Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

Ph.D., Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Postdoctoral, Mayo Foundation, Rochester, Minnesota, Department of Physiology and Biophysics

Research Interest

Corneal cell ion channels, gap junctions, tissue engineering and wound healing
Myofibroblasts and fibrosis

Research Support

2009-2011 NIH/ National Eye Institute, "Vitamin D in the Cornea and Anterior Segment of the Eye." Principal Investigator.
2000-2009 NIH/ National Eye Institute Core Grant for Vision Research P30 EY13080, Participant (P.I. Diana Johnson): imaging and molecular biology.
2001-2009 St. Jude Research Foundation, "Diminished Bone Mineral Density in Survivors of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia." Contractor (performing bone marker assays); P.I. Sue Kaste.
2001-2008, University of Ottawa, "Development of an Innervated Corneal Construct for In Vivo testing." Co- Principal Investigator (with M. Griffith).
2005-2007 Scleroderma Foundation, "Cl- Channel Activity and Function in Systemic Sclerosis Myofibroblasts." Principal Investigator.

Selected Publications

Griffith, M, Osborne, R, Munger, R, Song, Y, Xiaojuan, X, Laycock, N, Hakim, M, Doillon, C, and Watsky, MA. A functional human corneal equivalent from cell lines. Science 286:2169-2172, 1999.
Wang, J, Carbone, LD, and Watsky, MA. Receptor-mediated activation of a depolarizing Cl- current by lysophosphatidic acid and sphingosine-1-phosphate in cultured corneal keratocytes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 43:3202-3208, 2002.
Griffith, M, Hakim, M, Shimmura, S, Watsky, MA, Li, F, Carlsson, D, Doillon, CJ, Nakamura, M, Suuronenm E, Shinozaki, N, Nakata, K, and Sheardown, H. Artificial human corneas: Scaffolds for transplantation and host regeneration. Cornea, 21(Suppl): S54-61, 2002.
Williams, KK and Watsky, MA. Gap junctional communication in the human corneal endothelium and epithelium. Current Eye Research. 25: 29-36, 2002.
Du, H, Viar, MJ, Johnson, LR, Watsky, MA. Polyamines in cultured rabbit corneal cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 44: 2512-2517, 2003.
Doillon, C, Watsky, MA, Munger, R., Laycock, N. and Griffith, M (First two author made equivalent contributions). A stabilized collagen-based scaffold for a tissue engineered cornea: Physical and physiological properties. Int J Artificial Organs. 26: 764-773, 2003.
Suuronen, EJ, Nakamura, M, Stys, PK, Watsky, MA, Muller, LJ, Munger, R, Shinozaki, N, and Griffith, M. Innervated human corneal equivalents as in vitro models for nerve-target interactions. FASEB J. 18(1):17-172, 2004.
Williams, KK and Watsky, MA. Bicarbonate promotes gap junctional intercellular communication in the epithelium and endothelium of the rabbit cornea. Current Eye Research. 28(2):109-120, 2004.
Yin, Z and Watsky, MA. Chloride channel activity in human lung fibroblasts and myofibroblasts. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 288(6):L1110-6, 2005.
Yin, F and Watsky, MA LPA and S1P increase corneal epithelial and endothelial cell transcellular resistance. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 46(6):1927-1933, 2005.
Carbone LD, Barrow KD, Bush AJ, Boatright D, Michelson JA, Pitts KA, Pintea VN, Kang AH, Watsky MA. Effects of a low sodium diet on bone metabolism. J Bone Mineral Metab. 23:506-513, 2006.
Carbone, LD, Barrow, KD, Warrington, KJ, Pugazhenthi, M, Watsky, MA, Somes, G, Ingels, J, Postlethwaite, AE. Pamidronate infusion in patients with systemic sclerosis results in a less fibrogenic blood mononuclear cell cytokine profile. Clinical and Exp Immunology. 146: 371-380, 2006.
Carbone, LD, Rosenberg, EW, Tolley, EA, Holick, MF, Hughes, TA, Watsky, MA, Barrow, KD, Chen, TC, Wilkin, NK, Bhattacharya, SK, Dowdy, JC, Sayre, RM, Weber, KT. 25Hydroxyvitamin D, Cholesterol, and Ultraviolet Radiation. Metabolism. 57:741-748, 2008.
Yin, Z, Tong, Y, Zhu, H, Watsky, MA. ClC-3 is required for LPA- and swelling- activated Cl- channel activity in corneal keratocytes and lung fibroblasts. Am J Physiol (Cell). 294:C535-C542, 2008.
Liu, Wenguang, Deng, Chao, McLaughlin, CR, Fagerholm, P, Lagali, NS, Heyne, B, Scaiano, JC, Watsky, MA, Kato, Y, Munger, R, Shinozaki, N, Li, F, Griffith, M. Collagen-phosphorylcholine interpenetrating network hydrogels as corneal substitutes. Biomaterials. 30:1551-1559, 2009.

Chapters:

Watsky, MA, and Edelhauser, HF. The influence of calcium and intraocular irrigating solutions on corneal endothelial permeability. In: International Ophthalmology Clinics. Smolin, G, and Friedlaender, MH (Eds.), Little, Brown and Co., Boston, MA, 33: 109-125, 1993.
Stiemke, MM, Watsky, MA, Kangas, TA, and Edelhauser, HF. The establishment and maintenance of corneal transparency. In: Progress in Retinal and Eye Research. Osborne, N (Ed.), Vol.14, 1995.
Watsky, MA, Olsen, TW, and Edelhauser, HF. Cornea and Sclera. In: Duane?s Foundations of Clinical Ophthalmology. Tasman, B, and Jaeger, E (Eds.), JB Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, PA, 1995.
Griffith, M, Watsky, MA, Liu, Chia-Yang and Trinkaus-Randall, Vickery. Epithelial Cell Culture: Cornea. In: Methods of Tissue Engineering, Eds. A. Atala and R. Lanza, Academic Press, CA, 131-140, 2002.
Griffith, M, Trinkaus-Randall, Vickery, Watsky, MA, Liu, Chia-Yang and Sheardown, Heather. Cornea. In: Methods of Tissue Engineering, Eds. A. Atala and R. Lanza, Academic Press, CA, 927-941, 2002.
Dawson, DG, Watsky, MA, and Edelhauser, HF. Cornea and Sclera. In: Duane?s Foundations of Clinical Ophthalmology. Tasman, B, and Jaeger, E (Eds.), JB Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, PA, (2006).