About

Gaya Amarasinghe

Alumni Endowed Professor of Pathology and Immunology
Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Professor of Molecular Microbiology

Department of Pathology and Immunology
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

BS, Biochemistry: City College of New York/CUNY, New York, New York (1997)
PhD, Biochemistry: University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD (2001)

Research

The overarching goal of my research program is to develop a mechanistic understanding of host-pathogen interactions with biological consequences to pathogenesis. These interactions promote host immune suppression and enhance pathogen replication in cell and tissue specific manner, but remain incompletely described. Results from these studies will inform on molecular mechanisms of action during infection as well as insights into potential therapeutic targets and mechanisms of action. We currently use biochemical and biophysical methods to identify and characterize components from hosts and pathogens in order to develop an atomic resolution framework. Importantly, these efforts also provide opportunities to mentor a range of trainees, including undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. 

Publications
Leung Lab
  • Fig. 1 Global phosphorylation analysis of EBOV propagated in primate and bat cells
  • Fig. 2 Phosphorylation of EBOV GP from Vero-E6-grown virus.
  • Fig. 3 Phosphorylation of EBOV VP40 from Vero-E6-grown virus
  • Fig. 4 Phosphorylation of EBOV VP24 from Vero-E6-grown virus.
  • Fig. 5 Phosphorylation of EBOV NP from Vero-E6-grown virus.
  • Fig. 6 Phosphorylation of EBOV VP30 from Vero-E6-grown virus.
  • Fig. 7 Phosphorylation of EBOV VP35 from Vero-E6-grown virus.
  • Fig. 8 Phosphorylation of VP35 T210 is required for EBOV transcriptional activity.
  • Fig. 9 VP35 T210 is not involved in IFN antagonism.
  • Fig. 10 VP35 T210 is involved in interaction with NP.

Figures from Ivanov A, Ramanathan P, Parry C, Ilinykh PA, Lin X, Petukhov M, Obukhov Y, Ammosova T, Amarasinghe GK, Bukreyev A, Nekhai S. Global phosphoproteomic analysis of Ebola virions reveals a novel role for VP35 phosphorylation-dependent regulation of genome transcription. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2020 Jul;77(13):2579-2603. doi: 10.1007/s00018-019-03303-1. Epub 2019 Sep 28. PMID: 31562565; PMCID: PMC7101265.

Meet the Lab

David Donermeyer
Staff Scientist
ddonermeyer@wustl.edu
Nitin Sharma
Postdoctoral Research Associate
nitins@wustl.edu
Ben Walker
Research Technician w.benjamin@wustl.edu
Grace Uwase
MD/PhD Student
guwase@wustl.edu
Maria Borges
Undergraduate Student
borges@wustl.edu

Love Panchariya
Staff Scientist
lovep@wustl.edu
Cara Kirby
Staff Scientist
carak@wustl.edu
Gavin Zhao
PhD Student
g.zhao@wustl.edu
Lydia Wheat
Coordinator of Laboratory Support Services
wheat@wustl.edu
Maria Brito
Undergraduate Student
bmaria@wustl.edu
Griffin Brown
Research Assistant
griffinbrown@wustl.edu
Leanne Le
Undergraduate Student
leannele@wustl.edu
Farheen Fatma
Postdoctoral Research Associate
fatma@wustl.edu
Divya Mehta
Postdoctoral Research Associate
mdivya@wustl.edu

Contact Us

Address: 4939 Childrens Place St. Louis, MO 63110

Email: gamarasinghe@wustl.edu