Athula Wikramanayake

Professor

208 Cox Science Center, Dept. of Biology
1301 Memorial Drive, Coral Gables, FL 33124

(305) 284-4134
Lab: (305) 284-1676
email
laboratory website

Education and Professional Experience

  • 1993, Ph.D.in Zoology,University of California, Davis
  • 1993-1997, Postdoctoral Fellow: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
  • 1997-1998, Research Associate: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
  • 1998-2000, AssistantProfessor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Universit of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
  • 2001-2005 Assistant Professor of Zoology, University of Hawaii at Manoa
  • 2004-2005,President, Sigma Xi University of Hawaii at Manoa chapter
  • 2005-2007, Associate Professor of Zoology (with tenure), University of Hawaii at Manoa
  • 2007-Present, Associate Professor, Department of Biology, The University of Miami at
    Coral Gables
  • 2005, The National Academies Summer Institutes on Undergraduate Education in
    Biology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Awards

  • California Sea Grant Trainee, University of California, Davis
  • Best Postdoctoral Fellow Presentation: 12th Annual Southwest Developmental Biology Conference, 10-12 May, 1994, Houston, TX.
  • Best Postdoctoral Fellow Presentation: 13th Annual Southwest Developmental Biology Conference, 18-20 May, 1995, Houston, TX.
  • Honorable mention: Best poster presentation, 54th Annual Symposium, Society for Developmental Biology, 26-30 August, 1995, San Diego, CA.
  • Keynote Speaker, University of California at Davis, Reproductive Biology Colloquium, 23 September 2005.
  • President, Sigma Xi University of Hawaii at Manoa cahpter, 2004-2005
  • National Academies Education Fellow in the Life Sciences, 2005-2006

Selected Grants

  • National Science Foundation IBN-0110532. Principal Investigator Specification and patterning of the animal-vegetal axis August 1, 2001-July 30, 2004  $360,000
  • Hawaii Community Foundation Principal Investigator Role of Wnt signaling in morphogenesis January 1, 2003-December 31, 2003 $49,900
  • American Heart Association Principal Investigator (Postdoctoral fellowship to Dr. Christine Byrum) The roles of Wnt signaling in morphogenesis and specification January 1, 2004-December 31, 2006  $139,944
  • Hawaii Community Foundation Principal Investigator Regulation of an oncogenic signaling pathway January 1, 2004-December 31, 2004 $49,995
  • Hawaii Community Foundation Principal Investigator Regulation of an oncogenic signaling pathway
    Year 2(Competitive renewal) January 1, 2005-December 31, 2005 $49,995
  • National Science Foundation Co-Principal Investigator with Dr. Mark Q. Martindale (University of Hawaii) The evolution of embryonic polarity: A molecular and phylogenetic approach January 1, 2004-December 31, 2006 (no cost extension until 12/07) $750,000 (total costs)
  • National Science Foundation IBN Principal Investigator Specification and patterning of the animal-vegetal axis January 1, 2005-December 31, 2007 $434,020 (total costs)
  • Hawaii Community Foundation Principal Investigator Regulation of an oncogenic signaling pathway
    Year 3 (Competitive renewal) June 1, 2006-May 31, 2007 $49,900
  • National Science Foundation Principal Investigator Evolution of embryonic polarity: The role of the Wnt signaling pathways July 1, 2007-June 30, 2010 $420,000 (total costs)
  • National Science Foundation MRI: Acquisition of a Laser Micromanipulation, Dissection and Catapulting System PI: Stuart Donachie (University of Hawaii) CO-PI(S): Sean Callahan, Tung Hoang, Athula Wikramanayake, Richard Allan. October 1, 2007- September 30, 2009 $339, 561

Area of Focus

Developmental Biology; Evolutionary Biology

Research Interests

I am an evolutionary developmental biologist and my laboratory uses embryological, molecular, genomic and phylogenetic approaches to investigate the evolution of pattern formation in metazoan embryos. A major focus of my laboratory is to investigate the molecular basis for the evolution, specification and patterning of the animal-vegetal (AV) axis. The AV axis is a cytoplasmic/cytoarchitectural polarity that is present in most animal eggs, and is specified maternally by largely unknown mechanisms. This maternally deposited developmental information is used during embryogenesis to specify the primary germ layers. We use embryos of sea urchins, which are basal deuterostomes from the phylum Echinodermata, as a model system for our studies on AV axis specification and patterning. In parallel with these studies in sea urchins, we use this information in a phylogenetic context to gain insight into the mechanisms that may have led to the evolution of the AV axis and the evolution of the germ layers. For these comparative studies we use the new genomic cnidarian model system, Nematostella vectensis. Cnidarians are thought to be the sister group to the bilaterians, making Nematostella an excellent model system for gaining insight into the developmental mechanisms used by the ancestral bilaterian. This phylogenetic approach has yielded important insight into the evolutionarily conserved role of the Wnt signaling pathway in early pattern formation in animal embryos. Additionally, these simple marine invertebrate embryos are proving to be excellent model systems for studying the regulation and evolution of the Wnt pathway, a pathway of considerable biomedical significance. Some areas of current focus in the lab are; 1) The regulation of the Dishevelled protein during activation of canonical Wnt signaling in sea urchin and sea anemone embryos; 2) The roles of non-canonical Wnt signaling during Nematostella development; 3) The molecular mechanisms regulating morphogenesis and cell fate specification during Nematostella gastrulation.

Teaching Interests

In the past I have taught a number of classes including Introductory Biology for majors, Introductory Zoology for non-majors, Developmental Biology, and Cell Biology at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level I have taught Evolution of Development and have participated in a team-taught class in Cell and Molecular Biology to first year graduate students. At the University of Miami, I will be teaching one of the Introductory Biology HHMI labs that involves freshman students in active learning through research projects. In the spring semester I will be teaching Developmental Biology. I feel fortunate to teach this class because it gives me an opportunity to use experimental developmental biology research as a didactic tool to hone the critical thinking skills of students. I also incorporate several teaching strategies I learned at The National Academies Summer Institutes on Undergraduate Education in Biology to foster a more active learning environment in my classes.

Selected Publications

  • Wikramanayake, A.H., Uhlinger, K.R., Griffin, F.J., and W.H. Clark, Jr. (1992). Sperm of the  shrimp Sicyonia ingentis undergo a bi-phasic capacitation accompanied by morphological changes. Dev. Growth Differ. 34, 347-355.
  • Wikramanayake, A.H., and W.H. Clark, Jr. (1994). Two extracellular matrices from oocytes of  the marine shrimp Sicyonia ingentis that independently mediate primary or secondary sperm binding. Dev. Growth Differ. 36, 86-101.
  • Gan, L., Mao, C., Wikramanayake, A.H., Angerer, L., Angerer, R., and W.H. Klein. (1995). An orthodenticle-related gene from strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Dev. Biol. 167, 517-528.
  • Clark, W.H., Jr., Griffin, F.J., and A.H. Wikramanayake. (1994). Pre-fusion events of sperm- oocyte interaction in the marine shrimp, Sicyonia ingentis. Sem. Dev. Biol. 5, 225-231.
  • Wikramanayake, A.H., Brandhorst, B., and W.H. Klein. (1995). Autonomous and non-autonomous differentiation of ectoderm in different sea urchin species. Development 121, 1497-1505.
  • Mao, C.A*, Wikramanayake, A.H.*, Gan, L., Chuang, C-k, Summers, R.G., and W.H. Klein. (1996). Redirecting sea urchin cell fate by overexpressing an orthodenticle-related protein, SpOtx. Development 122, 1489-1498 * Denotes equal contribution by these authors.
  • Mao, C.A*, Wikramanayake, A.H.*, Gan, L., Chuang, C-k, Summers, R.G., and W.H. Klein. (1996). Redirecting sea urchin cell fate by overexpressing an orthodenticle-related protein, SpOtx. Development 122, 1489-1498 * Denotes equal contribution by these authors.
  • Chuang,C.K., Wikramanayake, A.H., Mao, C-A., Li, X., and W.H. Klein. (1996). Transient appearance of stroglyocentrotus purpuratus Otx in micromere nuclei: Cytoplasmic retention of spOtx possibly mediated through an alpha-actinin interaction. Dav. Genet. 19, 231-237.
  • Wikramanayake, A.H., and W.H. Klein. (1997). Multiple signaling events pattern ectoderm and  polarize the oral-aboral axis in the sea urchin embryo. Development 124, 13-20.
  • Wikramanayake, A.H. , Huang, L.  and W.
    Graduate student: University of California, Davis (Dr. Wallis Clark, Jr., advisor).
    Graduate student: Department of Animal Science,University of California, Davis (Dr. Douglas Conklin,
    advisor).
    H. Klein. (1998). beta-catenin is essential for  patterning the maternally specified animal-vegetal axis in the sea urchin embryo. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 9343-9348.
  • Wikramanayake, A.H. , Huang, L.  and W.H. Klein. (1998). beta-catenin is essential for  patterning the maternally specified animal-vegetal axis in the sea urchin embryo. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 9343-9348.
  • Li, X., Wikramanayake, A.H., and W.H. Klein. (1999). Requirement of SpOtx in cell fate decisions in the sea urchin embryo and possible role as a mediator of beta-catenin signaling. Dev. Biol. 212, 425-439.
  • Wessel, G.M. and A.H. Wikramanayake. (1999). How to grow a gut: Ontogeny of the endoderm in the sea urchin embryo. BioEssays, 21, 459-471.
  • Wikramanayake, A.H., Hong, M., Lee, P.N., Pang, K., Byrum, C.A., Bince, J.M., Xu, R. and M.Q. Martindale. (2003). An ancient role for nuclear beta-catenin in the evolution of axial polarity and germ layer segregation. Nature 426, 446-450
  • Weitzel, H. E., Illies, M. R., Byrum, C. A., Xu, R., Wikramanayake, A. H., and Ettensohn, C. A. (2004). Differential stability of beta-catenin along the animal-vegetal axis of the sea urchin embryo mediated by Dishevelled. Development 131, 2947-2956
  • Wikramanayake, A.H., Peterson, R., Huang, L., Chen, J., Bince, J.M., McClay, D.R., and W.H.  Klein. (2004) Nuclear beta-catenin-dependent Wnt8 signaling in vegetal cells of the early sea urchin embryo regulates gastrulation and differentiation of endoderm and mesodermal cell lineages. Genesis 39, 194-205
  • Minokawa, T., Wikramanayake, A.H. and E.H. Davidson. (2005). cis-Regulatory inputs of the  wnt8 gene in the sea urchin endomesoderm network. Dev. Biol. 288, 545-558
  • Wikramanayake, A.H. and J. Wallingford, Eds. (2006). Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology - The Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway and embryonic polarity 17(3)
  • Croce, J.,  Wu,  S., Byrum, C., Xu, R., Duloqquin, L., Wikramanayake, A.H., Gache, C., and  McClay, D. R. (2006). A genome-wide survey of the evolutionarily conserved Wnt pathways in the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus. Dev. Biol. 300, 121-131
  • Weinstock, G. & The Sea Urchin Genome Sequencing Consortium. (2006) The genome of the  sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus.  Science, 314, 941-952
  • Kumburegama, S. and A.H. Wikramanayake. (2007). Specification and patterning of the animal- vegetal axis in sea urchins by the canonical Wnt signaling pathway. Signal Transduction 7, 164-173.
  • Lee, P., Kumburegama, S., Marlowe, H., Martindale, M.Q. and Wikramanayake, A.H. (2007).  Asymmetric developmental potential along the animal-vegetal axis in the anthozoan cnidarian, Nematostella vectensis, is mediated by Disheveled. Dev. Biol. 310, 169-186.
  • Byrum, C.A., Xu, R., Bince, J., Illies, M., McClay, D.R., Ettensohn, C. and Wikramanayake, A.H. Wnt signaling through the Planar Cell Polarity pathway regulates endomesoderm segregation in the sea urchin embryo. (In Prep).
  • Peng, C., Bince, J., Kumburegama, S., Hong, M., Xu, R. and Wikramanayake, A.H. Localized activation of Dishevelled in vesicles at the vegetal pole of the sea urchin embryo during early pattern formation. (In Prep).
Dept. of Biology, Cox Science Ctr.
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