1966 A.B., Chemistry, Gettysburg College
1971 Ph.D., Biochemistry, University of Pennsylvania
1971 Post-Doctoral, Biology, Brandeis University
1973 Post-Doctoral, Molecular Biology, Harvard University
1974 Post-Doctoral, Cell Biology, Hebrew University

• Interaction of HIV with proteins of the innate immune system in oral fluids
• Microscale Diagnostic/Analytical Devices
• Protein-Protein interactions

An affinity towards Chemistry and Biochemistry has shaped my approach to understanding biology as modular components of a complex, highly integrated system through experiments that address questions of protein-protein interactions. My research focus is on questions of protein-protein interactions as applied to understanding the effect of salivary proteins, in particular members of the innate immune system, such as gp340 (salivary agglutinin), on HIV at the molecular level. Additional work explores the development of rapid, microscale diagnostics using oral fluid samples.

NIH/NIDCR

Tal-Singer, R., Peng, C., Ponce de Leon, M., Abrams, W.R., Banfield, B.W., Tufaro, F., Cohen, G.H., Eisenberg, R.J. Interaction of Herpes Simplex virus glycoprotein gC with mammalian cell surface molecules. J Virology 69:4471-4483, 1995.

Rux, A.H., Moore, W.T., Lambris, J.D., Abrams, W.R., Peng, C., Friedman, H.M., Cohen, G.H., Eisenberg, R.J. Disulfide bond structure determination and biochemical analysis of glycoprotein c from Herpes Simplex virus. J Virology 70:5455-5465, 1996.

Wojczyk, B.S., Czerwinski, M., Stwora-Wojczyk, M.M., Siegel, D.L., Abrams, W.R., Wunner, W.H., Spitalnik, S.L. Purification of a secreted form of recombinant rabies virus glycoprotein: Comparison of two affinity tags. Protein Exp and Purif 7:183-193, 1996.

Long, D., Wilcox, W.C., Abrams, W. R., Cohen, G.H., Eisenberg, R.J. The Disulfide Bond Structure of Glycoprotein D of Herpes Simplex Virus Types 1 and 2. J Virol 66:6668-6685, 1992.

Trask TM, Crippes Trask B, Ritty TM, Abrams WR, Rosenbloom J, Mecham RP. Interaction of tropoelastin with the amino-terminal domains of fibrillin-1 and fibrillin-2 suggests a role for the fibrillins in elastic fiber assembly. J Biol Chem 275:24400-6, 2000.

Billings, P.C., Herrick, D.J., Kucich, U., Engelsberg, B.N., Abrams, W.R., Macarak, E.J., Rosenbloom, J., Howard, P.S. Extracellular matrix and nuclear localization of ig-h3 in human bladder smooth muscle and fibroblast cells. J. Cellular Biochemistry 79:261-273, 2000.

Li, W., Gibson, C.W., Abrams, W.R., Andrews, D.W., DenBesten, P.D. Reduced hydrolysis of amelogenin may result in X-linked Amelogenesis Imperfecta. Matrix Biol 19:755-760, 2001.

Greene, S.R., Yuan, Z.A., Wright, J.T., Amjad, H., Abrams, W.R., Buchanan, J.A., Trachtenberg, D.I., Gibson, C.W. A frameshift mutation encoding a truncated amelogenin leads to amelogenesis imperfecta. Arch Oral Biol 47:211-217, 2002.

Billings, P.C., Whitbeck, J.C., Adams, C.S., Abrams, W.R., Cohen, A.J., Engelsberg, B.N., Howard, P.S., Rosenbloom, J. The TGF-ig-h3 interacts with fibronectin. J Biol Chem 227: 28003-28009, 2002.

Wu, Z.,Van Ryk, D., Davis, C., Abrams, W.R., Chaiken, I., Magnani, J., Malamud, D. Salivary agglutinin (SAG) inhibits HIV-1 infectivity through interaction with viral gp120. AIDS Res and Human Retroviruses 19:201-209, 2003.

Chen, E., Yuan, Z.-A., Wright, J.T., Hong, S.P., Li, Y., Collier, P.M., Hall, B., D'Angelo, M., Decker, S., Piddington, R., Abrams, W.R., Kulkarni, A.B. and Gibson, C.W. The small bovine amelogenin LRAP fails to rescue the amelogenin null phenotype. Calcif Tissue Int, 73: 487-495, 2003.

Wojczyk, B.S., Takahashi, N., Levy, M.T., Andrews, D.W., Abrams, W.R., Wunner, W.H., Spitalnik, S.L. N-Glycosylation at one Rabies Virus Glycoprotein sequon influences N-glycan processing at a distant sequon on the same molecule. Glycobiology 15:655-666, 2005.

Holm-Hansen, C., Tong, G., Davis, C., Abrams, W.R., Malamud, D. Comparison of oral fluid collectors for use in a rapid point-of-care diagnostic device. Clin Diagn Lab Immunol 11(5):909-12, 2004.

Wu, Z., Golub, E., Abrams, W.R., Malamud, D. gp340 (SAG) binds to the V3 sequence of gp120 important for chemokine receptor interaction. AIDS Res Hum Retroviruses. 20:600-7, 2004.

Chen, Z,, Qian, S., Abrams, W.R., Malamud, D., Bau, H.H. Thermosiphon-based PCR reactor: experiment and modeling. Anal Chem 76(13):3707-15, 2004.

Gibson, C.W., N.H. Thomson, W.R. Abrams, J. Kirkham. Nested genes: Biological implications and use of AFM for analysis. Gene 350:15-23, 2005.

Corstjens, P.L.A.M., Li, S., Zuiderwijk, M., Kardos, K., Abrams, W.R., Niedbala, S.R., Tanke, H.J. Infrared up-converting phosphors for bioassays. IEE Proc.-Nanobiotechnol 152:64-72, 2005.

Li, Y., S. Decker, Z.A. Yuan, P.K. DenBesten, M.A. Aragon, K. Jordan-Sciutto, W.R. Abrams, J. Huh, C. McDonald, E. Chen, M. MacDougall, C.W. Gibson. 2005. Effects of sodium fluoride on the actin cytoskeleton of murine ameloblasts. Archs Oral Biol 50(8): 681-688, 2005.

Prakash, S.K.,C.W. Gibson, J.T. Wright, C. Boyd, T. Cormier, R. Sierra, Y. Li, W.R. Abrams, M.A. Aragon, Z.A. Yuan, I.B. Van den Veyver. Tooth enamel defects in mice with a deletion at the Arhgap6/Amel locus. Calcif Tissue Int 77(1):23-29, 2005.