Ongoing studies in Dr. Jackson’s laboratory seek to understand how arterioles in the microcirculation sense their environment and how changes in the environment alter the contractile function of vascular muscle cells in the walls of these microvessels. In particular he has had a long-term interest in the site in tissues where changes in oxygen are sensed and how such changes alter the contractile function of arteriolar muscle cells. Using techniques such as intravital videomicroscopy, single cell contraction, immunocytochemistry, single cell quantitative RT-PCR, fluorescence microscopy, calcium imaging, patch clamp recording, pressure myography and conventional microelectrode methods, the Jackson lab seeks to understand the role played by smooth muscle and endothelial cell ion channels in the regulation of vascular smooth muscle tone in arterioles related to the local regulation of blood flow in the microcirculation, and the impact of aging and disease states, such as hypertension, on these processes.

Selected Achievements since 2001
2003-2007 National Institutes of Health, Charter member Vascular Cell and Molecular Biology Study Section
2007-2009 Circulation Research, Editorial Board
2001-2009 American Journal of Physiology, Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Editorial Board.
1995-2009 Journal of Vascular Research, Editorial Board
2001-2009 Journal of Investigative Surgery, Editorial Board.
1999-2004 Associate Editor, Microcirculation
2004-2009 Editor-in-Chief, Microcirculation
2009-2010 President, The Microcirculatory Society, Inc.

Selected Samples of Publications Since 2001
Jackson, W.F. Potassium channels in skeletal muscle circulation. In Potassium channels in the cardiovascular biology , Eds. S.L. Archer and N.J. Rusch, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 2001, pp. 505-522.

Bukoski, R.D., S. Shearin, W.F. Jackson, and M.F. Pamarthi. Inhibition of Ca2+-induced relaxation by oxided tungsten wires and paratungstate. J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 299(1): 343-350, 2001.

Bukoski, R.D., S. Batkai, J. Járai, Y. Wang, W.F. Jackson and G. Kunos. The CB1 Receptor Antagonist SR141716A Inhibits Ca2+-Induced Relaxation in CB1 Receptor Deficient Mice. Hypertension 39(2): 251-257, 2002.

Cohen, K.D. and W.F. Jackson. Hypoxia inhibits contraction but not calcium channel currents or changes in intracellular calcium in arteriolar muscle cells. Microcirculation 10: 133-141, 2003.

Burns, W. R. , K.D. Cohen and W.F. Jackson. K+-induced dilation of hamster cremasteric arterioles involves both the Na+/K+ ATPase and inward-rectifier K+ channels. Microcirculation, 11(3): 279-293, 2004.

Jackson, W.F. Ion channels and arteriolar tone, in Microvascular Research: Biology and Pathology, Volume 1, Chapter 34, edited by David Shepro, Academic Press, pages 221-228, 2005.

Jackson, W.F. Potassium Channels in the Peripheral Microcirculation. Microcirculation, 12(1): 113-127, 2005.

Cohen, K.D. and W.F. Jackson. Membrane hyperpolarization is not required for sustained muscarinic receptor-mediated increases in Ca2+ in arteriolar endothelial cells. Microcirculation 12(2): 169-182, 2005

Brekke, J.F., Jackson, W.F. and Segal, S.S. Arteriolar smooth muscle Ca2+ dynamics during blood flow control in hamster cheek pouch. J Appl Physiol. 101(1):307-315, 2006. Epub 2006 Feb 2..

Jantzi, M.C., Brett, S.E., Jackson, W.F., Corteling, R., Vigmond, E.J. and Welsh, D.G.. Inward Rectifying Potassium Channels Facilitate Cell-to-Cell Communication in Hamster Retractor Muscle Feed Arteries. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 291(3):H1319-28, 2006. Epub 2006 Apr 14.

Jackson, W.F., Silent Inward Rectifier K+ Channels in Hypercholesterolemia. Circ Res. 98: 982-984, 2006. (Editorial)

Jackson W.F., Invited Editorial Focus: Vascular smooth muscle store-operated Ca2+ channels: What a TRP! Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 291(6):H2592-4, 2006. Aug 18; [Epub ahead of print]

Xu, H, Jackson, W.F., , Fink, G.D. ,and Galligan, J.J. Activation of BK Channels by Tempol in Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells from Normotensive and DOCA-salt Hypertensive Rats. Hypertension 48(6):1080-1087, 2006. Epub 2006 Oct 23.

Hakim, C.H., Jackson, W.F. and Segal, S.S. Connexin Isoform Expression in Smooth Muscle Cells and Endothelial Cells of Hamster Cheek Pouch Arterioles and Retractor Feed Arteries. Microcirculation 15(6): 503 – 514, 2008. iFirst 03 June 2008

Jackson, W.F., Boerman, E.M., Lange, E.J., Lundback, S.S., Cohen, K.D. Smooth muscle α1D-adrenoceptors mediate phenylephrine-induced vasoconstriction and increases in endothelial cell Ca2+ in hamster cremaster arterioles.. Br J Pharmacol 155(4):514-24, 2008. Epub 2008 Jul 7.advance online publication, July 7, 2008; doi:10.1038/bjp.2008.276..

Jackson, W.F. Vanishing Act: PKC-dependent internalization of KATP channels. . Hypertension, 52(3):470-2, 2008. Epub 2008 Jul 28 (Editorial Commentary).