Dr. Shermali Gunawardena

The Laboratory of Dr. Shermali Gunawardena

Publications

Selected Publications

• Iacobucci GJ, Gunawardena S. (2017). Ethanol stimulates the in vivo axonal movement of neuropeptide-dense core vesicles in Drosophila motor neurons. J. Neurochemistry. In Press.

• White JA 2nd, Banejee R, Gunawardena S (2016). Axonal transport and neurodegenerative disease: How marine drugs can be used a therapeutics. Marine Drugs. 19;14(5). pii: E102.

• Xu W, Weissmiller AM, White JA 2nd, Fang F, Wang X, Wu Y, Pearn ML, Zhao X, Sawa M, Chen S,Gunawardena S, Ding J, Mobley WC, Wu C. (2016) Amyloid precursor protein-mediated endocytic pathway disruption induces axonal dysfunction and neurodegeneration. J Clin Invest. Apr 11. pii: 82409. doi: 10.1172/JCI82409.

• White II JA, Anderson E, Zimmerman K, Zheng K, Rouhani R, Gunawardena S. Huntingtin differentially regulates the axonal transport of a sub-set of Rab-containing vesicles in vivo. Human Molecular Genetics. 24(25):7182-95. (2015) News Link

• Kang MJ, Hansen TJ, Michiewicz M, Kaczynski TJ, Fye S, Gunawardena S. (2014) Disruption of axonal transport perturbs bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)- signaling and contributes to synaptic abnormalities in two neurodegenerative diseases. PLoS ONE. Aug 15;9(8):e104617. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0104617.

• Ehaideb SN, Iyengar A, Ueda A, Iacobucci GJ, Cranston K, Bassuk AG, Gubb D, Axelrod JD, Gunawardena S, Wu C, Manak JR. (2014) prickle modulates microtubule polarity and axonal transport to ameliorate seizures in flies. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. Jul 29;111(30):11187-92. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1403357111.

• Iacobucci GJ, Rahman NA, Valtueña AA, Nayak TK, Gunawardena S. (2014) Spatial and temporal characteristics of normal and perturbed vesicle transport. PLoS ONE. May 30;9(5):e97237
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• Anderson EN#, White JA 2nd#, Gunawardena S. (2014) Axonal transport and neurodegenerative disease: Vesicle-motor complex formation and their regulation. Degenerative Neurological and Neuromuscular Disease 4:29-47. # contributed equally to this work.

• Dolma K, Iacobucci GJ, Zheng KH, Shandilya J, Toska E, White JA 2nd, Spina E, Gunawardena S. (2013) Presenilin influences Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3beta (GSK-3β) for kinesin-1 and dynein function during axonal transport. Hum Mol Genet. 2013 Oct 8.

• Gunawardena S.^§, Yang G, Goldstein LSB. (2013) Presenilin controls kinesin-1 and dynein activity during axonal transport. Human Molecular Genetics Jun 6 10.1093/hmg/ddt237, ^§corresponding author.
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• Gunawardena S. (2013) Nanoparticles in the brain: A Potential therapeutic system targeted to an early defect observed in many neurodegenerative diseases. Pharmaceutical Research Apr 27 10.1007/s11095-013-1037-0

• Gunawardena S (2012) .Developing nanotherapies for neurodegenerative diseases: ORMOSIL and its potential in axonal transportTher Deliv. 2012 Oct;3(10):1189-98.

• Power D, Srinivasan S, Gunawardena S .(2012) In-vivo evidence for the disruption of Rab11 vesicle transport by loss of huntingtin.Neuroreport. 2012 Nov 14;23(16):970-7.

• Barandeh F, Nguyen PL, Kumar R, Iacobucci GJ, Kuznicki ML, Kosterman A, Bergey EJ, Prasad PN, Gunawardena S. (2012) Organically modified silica nanoparticles are biocompatible and can be targeted to neurons in vivo. PLoS One. 2012;7(1):e29424.
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• Kaczynski, T.J., Gunawardena S. (2010) Visualization of the embryonic nervous system in whole-mount Drosophila embryos. J Vis Exp Dec 11;(46). pii: 2150. doi: 10.3791/2150.

• Kuznicki, M.L., Gunawardena, S. (2010) In vivo visualization of synaptic vesicles within Drosophila larval segmental axons. J Vis Exp Oct 15;(44). pii: 2151. doi: 10.3791/2151.

• Fye, S., Dolma, K., Kang, M.J., Gunawardena, S. (2010) Visualization of larval segmental nerves in 3rd instar Drosophila larval preparations.J Vis Exp. Sep 29;(43). pii: 2128. doi: 10.3791/2128

• Falzone T. L., Gunawardena S., McCleary D., Reis G., Goldstein L.S.B. (2010) Kinesin-1 transport reductions enhance human tau hyperphosphorylation, aggregation and neurodegeneration in animal models of taupathies. Hum Mol Genet 19:4399-408.

• Stokin, G.B., Almenar-Queralt, A., Gunawardena S., Rodrigues, E.M., Lillo, C., Mount, S.L., Roberts, E.A., Williams, D.S., Goldstein, L.S.B. (2008) Presenilin-medated suppression of amyloid precursor protein-induced axonopathies. Hum Mol Genet 17(22):3474-86.

• Gunawardena, S. and Goldstein, L.S.B. (2005) ‘Polyglutamine diseases and transport problems: Deadly traffic jams on neuronal highways’. Archives of Neurology 62:46-51.

• Gunawardena, S. and Goldstein, L.S.B. (2004) ‘Cargo carrying motor vehicles on the neuronal highway: Transport pathways and neurodegenerative disease’. Journal of Neurobiology 58:258-71.

• Gunawardena, S., Her, L., Laymon, R.A., Brusch, R.G., Niesman, I.R., Sintasath, L., Bonini, N.M., and Goldstein, L.S.B. (2003) Disruption of axonal transport by loss of huntingtin or expression of poly Q protein in Drosophila. Neuron 40:25-40. (see accompanying “Previews” in same issue).

• Gunawardena, S. and Goldstein, L.S.B. (2001). Disruption of axonal transport and neuronal viability by amyloid precursor protein mutations in Drosophila. Neuron 32:389-401.

• Goldstein, L.S.B. and Gunawardena, S. (2000). Flying through the Drosophila cytoskeletal genome. Journal of Cell Biology 150:F63-F68.

• Gunawardena, S. and Rykowski, M.C. (2000). Direct evidence for interphase chromosome movement during the mid-blastula transition in Drosophila. Current Biology 10: 285-288.

• Gunawardena, S., Heddle, E and Rykowski, M. (1995). “Chromosomal Puffing” in diploid nuclei of Drosophila melanogaster. Journal of Cell Science 108: 1863-1872.

• Gunawardena, S. and Rykowski, M. (1994). Looking at diploid interphase chromosomes. Methods in Cell Biology 44: 393-409.