Download Scholarly Interest Report

Peter Lwigale
Assistant Professor
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Cell
Biology
e-mail:[email protected]





Senior Research Fellow (2007-2008) California Institute
of Technology
Postdoctoral Fellow (2002 -2007) California Institute of
Technology
B.S. Biology (1994) University of Northern Iowa
M.S. Cell & Developmental Biology (1997) University of
Northern Iowa
Ph.D. Cell & Developmental Biology (2001) Kansas
State University
Primary Department
Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Department Affiliations
 Institute of Biosciences and Bioengineering
Other Affiliations
 Baylor College of Medicine
Websites
Lwigale Lab Web Page
Research Areas
Molecular regulation of cell migration during eye development and cornea regeneration
Research Statement
I am interested in events that regulate the differentiation of the multipotent neural crest cells
during corneal development and neural crest-derived stromal keratocytes during cornea
regeneration. The cornea is a highly specialized transparent tissue located at the anteriormost surface of the eye. An embryonic cell population known as neural crest cells gives rise to
majority of the cells in the cornea, including: stromal keratocytes, corneal endothelium, and
sensory nerves. Development and regeneration of the cornea are both multi-step
processes that involve coordinated migration and differentiation of neural crest cells and
keratocytes, respectively, as well as the intricate patterning of sensory nerves. Using the chick
as a model organism and a combination of molecular, microsurgical, and tissue culture
approaches, we have shown that: 1) only a subpopulation of neural crest cells can properly
contribute to the cornea, 2) corneal keratocytes retain the stem cell-like properties of their
neural crest progenitors when challenged in an embryonic environment, and 3) the lensderived axon guidance molecule, Semaphorin3A, regulates sensory innervation of the cornea.
Currently, our research is aimed at further elucidating the role of guidance molecules during
cornea development. Since cornea regeneration recapitulates development, we will
extrapolate our studies to cornea wound healing. In addition to the chick, these studies will
involve the mouse as a genetic model organism to further our understanding of the genes that
are involved in these processes. We are also studying the stem cell potential of keratocytes
and their characteristics in the embryonic environment. Ultimately, the goal of our research is
to provide an insight into how guidance molecules are disrupted in congenital eye disorders
and cornea wound healing, which may lead to discoveries of remedies or cures to these ocular
problems.
Selected Publications
Abstracts
Griswold, S and Lwigale, P. "Optic Neural Crest Migratory Stream Consists Of Two
Rostrocaudal Subpopulations Recruited Toward Ventral Midline." , 53 (March 26, 2012) :
4931.
Kwiatkowski, S., Nupur, J., Munjaal R.P., and Lwigale, P. "Expression of angiogenic factors
during development of the anterior eye." , 53 (March 26, 2012)
McKenna, C. and Lwigale, P. "Sema3A/Npn1 signaling is required to maintain corneal
avascularity during development." , 53 (March 26, 2012) : 4739.
Ojeda, A., Munjaal R.P., and Lwigale, P. "Expression of Chemokines During Ocular
Development and in the Adult Cornea." , 53 (March 26, 2012) : 4743.
Schwend, T., Lwigale, P., and Conrad, G. "Robo-slit signaling regulates avian cornea
innervation." (May 2011) : 1975.
Spurlin, J. and Lwigale, P. "Characterization of the Wound Healing Response and Scar Free
Regeneration of the Embryonic Cornea." , 53 (March 26, 2012) : 3547.
McKenna, C., Munjal R.P., and Lwigale, P. "Sema3A/Npn1 Signaling Is Required For Proper
Innervation Of The Mouse Cornea During Development." Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. Meeting
Abstract: 2090 (May 2011)
Refereed articles
Chao, J., Bronner, M., and Lwigale, P. "Human Corneal Keratocytes have Multipotent
Characteristics in the Developing Avian Embryo." Stem Cells and Development. Under review.
(2013)
Griswold, S. and Lwigale, P. "Analysis of neural crest migration and differentiation by crossspecies transplantation." J. Vis. Exp. , 7 (60) (2012) : 3622.
Kwiatkowski, S., Munjaal, R., Lee, T., and Lwigale, P "Expression of Pro- and Anti-angiogenic
Factors in the Anterior Eye during Development of the Chick Cornea and Periocular
Vasculature." Dev Dyn. Under review. (2012)
McKenna, C. and Lwigale, P. "Semaphorin3A/neuropilin-1 signaling inhibits angioblast
migration and vascularization of the embryonic cornea." in preparation (2012)
McKenna, C., Munjaal, R., and Lwigale, P. "Distinct roles for Neuropilin1 and Neuropilin2
during mouse corneal innervation." PLoS ONE, 7 (5) (2012) : e37175.
Ojeda A., Munjaal, R. and Lwigale, P. "Chemokine expression during development and in adult
ocular tissues." in preparation (2012)
Schwend, T., Lwigale, P., and Conrad, G. "Nerve repulsion by the lens and cornea during
cornea innervation is dependent on Robo-Slit signaling and diminishes with neuron age." Dev.
Biol. , 363 (2012) : 115-127.
Spurlin, J. and Lwigale, P. "A Technique to Increase Accessibility to Late-stage Chick Embryos
for In Ovo Manipulations." Dev Dyn., DOI 10.1002/dvdy.23907 (2012)
McKenna, C. and Lwigale, P. "Innervation of the mouse cornea during development." Invest
Ophthalmol Vis Sci., 52 (2011) : 30-35.
Lwigale, P.Y. and Bronner-Fraser, M. "Semaphorin3A/neuropilin-1 signaling acts as a
molecular switch regulating neural crest migration during cornea development." Dev Biol, 336
(2009) : 257-265.
Shiau, C.E., Lwigale, P.Y., Raman, M.D., Wilson, S.A., and Bronner-Fraser, M. "Robo2-Slit1
dependent cell-cell interactions mediate assembly of the trigeminal ganglion." Nature
Neuroscience, 11 (2008) : 269-276.
Lwigale, P.Y., and Marianne Bronner-Fraser "Lens-derived Semaphorine3A regulates cornea
innervation." Dev Biol., 306 (2007) : 750-759.
Lwigale, P.Y., Cressy, P. A., and Bronner-Fraser, M. "Corneal keratocytes retain neural crest
progenitor cell properties." Dev Biol, 288 (2005) : 284-293.
Cerny, R, Lwigale, P., Ericsson, R, Meulemans, D., Epperlein, H. and Bronner-Fraser, M.
"Mandibular arch morphogenesis and the origin of jaws: new interpretation of "maxillary" and
"mandibular"." Dev BioI, 276 (2004) : 225-236.
Lwigale, P.Y., Gary W. Conrad, and Marianne Bronner-Fraser "Graded potential of neural crest
to form cornea, sensory neurons and cartilage along the rostrocaudal axis." Development, 131
(2004) : 1979-1991.
Lwigale, P.Y., and Marianne Bronner-Fraser "Embryonic origin of avian corneal sensory
nerves." Dev BioI, 239 (2001) : 323-337.
Riley, N. C., Lwigale, P., and Conrad, G. "Specificity of corneal nerve positions during
embryogenesis." Mol. Vis., 7 (2001) : 297-304.
Lwigale, P.Y., Thurmond, 1. E., Norton, W. N.; Spooner, B. S. and Wiens, D. 1. "Simulated
microgravity and hypergravity attenuate heart tissue development in explant culture." Cells
Tissues Organs, 167 (2000) : 171-183.
Lwigale, P.Y. "Nuclear morphologies of bovine corneal cells as visualized by confocal
microscopy." Cells Tissues Organs, 165 (1999) : 104-112.
Book chapters
Lee, V.M. and Lwigale, P.Y. "Neural Crest, Sensory Neuron and Muscle Cultures." Methods Cell
Biology, 87 (2008) : 115-133.
Lwigale, P.Y. and Schneider, R.A. "Other Chimeras: Quail-Duck and Mouse-Chick." Methods
Cell Biology, 87 (2008) : 59-74.
Presentations
Invited talks
"Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Ocular Surface Morphogenesis." Development and
Diseases session, International Society of Eye Research (ISER), Berlin. (2012)
"Invited speaker, Pediatric Keratoplasty Association gathering." ARVO, (2012)
"Multicellular Self-Organization Meeting." John S. Dunn-BRC Collaborative Research Event,
(2012)
"Molecular regulation of cornea Development." TERMIS-North America Bioengineering
Conference, Houston, TX.
"Molecular regulation of cornea Development." Department of Genetics, UT MD Anderson
Cancer Center, Houston, TX.
"Neural Crest in Ocular development: Turning Points in Development and Disease." Annual
meeting of the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), Fort
Lauderdale, FL.
"Contribution and molecular regulation of neural crest cells during eye development."
Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology Annual Retreat, Rice University. (October 13,
2008)
Lectures
"Fundamentals Issues in Vision Research." (FIVR course), Marine Biological Labs, Woods Hole.
(2012)
"Eye Development." Developmental Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.
(2008)
Posters
"The Cornea of the Chouse: Understanding Neural Crest Cell Differentiation in the Cornea
Using a Chick-Mouse Chimeric Technique." Rice IBB symposium, Houston, TX. With Chou, D.
and Spurlin J.
"VEGF Expression in the Developing Cornea." Rice IBB symposium, Houston, TX. With
Paulsen, S., Munjaal, R., McKenna, C., Kwiatkowski, S. and Ojeda, A.
"Corneal plasticity: Characterization of the multipotentiality of human keratocytes."
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Annual Meeting, With Chao, J.R.,
Bronner-Fraser, M., and Lwigale, P.Y.
"Semaphorin3A regulates neural crest migration during ocular development." Society of
Developmental Biology, 67th Annual Meeting, (2008) With Lwigale, P. and Bronner-Fraser, M.
"Semaphorin3A regulates neural crest migration into the eyes during cornea development."
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology, Annual Meeting, With Lwigale, P. and
Bronner-Fraser, M.
Seminar speaker
"Contribution and molecular regulation of neural crest cells during eye development."
Department of Biochemistry, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA. (January
21, 2008)
"Contribution and molecular regulation of neural crest cells during eye development."
Department of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, Rice University, Houston, Texas. (February 18,
2008)
"Molecular regulation of neural crest cell migration during eye development." Department of
Ophthalmology and Visual Science, University of Texas Medical School. (October 10, 2008)
"Molecular regulation of neural crest cells during eye development." Department of Biology,
California State University, Northridge. (May 9, 2008)
"Research proposal/Chalk talk, Contribution and molecular regulation of neural crest cells
during eye development." Dept. of Pharmacological Sciences, State University of New York,
Stony Brook. (January 30, 2008)
"Research proposal/Chalk talk, Contribution and molecular regulation of neural crest cells
during eye development." Dept. of Pediatrics, Division of Human Molecular Embryology,
Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. (Febfruary 11, 2008)
Supervised Theses & Dissertations
Cody Gregory, MA Investigation of the role of Wee2 in the zebrafish midblastula transition.
(2010) (Committee Member)
Derek L. Shenefelt, MA FGFR4 and β-Klotho in Metastatic Prostate Cancer. (2012) (Committee
Member)
Chelsea McKenna, Ph.D. The Role of Semaphorin/Neuropilin Signaling in the Development of
Innervation and Avascularization of the Cornea. (2012) (Thesis or Dissertation Director)