Devi Atukorallaya, BDS, PhD

Research summary

Her research interest is on identifying the morphogenetic mechanisms of craniofacial organ development, including the aetiology of human structural birth defects. Taking teleost fish such as zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Mexican tetra fish (Astyanax mexicanus) as model animals, her laboratory studies the conserved developmental mechanisms of the sensory systems, and craniofacial skeleton.

The Mexican tetra fish (Astyanax mexicanus) is a unique and new animal model. This fish exists in two forms; surface fish, with eyes, skin pigments, and lives in fresh water streams. The cavefish is the blind albino fish, which live in caves. Cavefish has large number of taste buds. The taste signalling mechanisms are poorly characterized and understood in vertebrates, including this species. Atukorala lab uses this model animal to understand the conserved development of the chemosensory taste system in vertebrates. Further, they try to characterize the molecular mechanisms of bitter taste receptors in A. mexicanus. This program will provide novel insights into taste sensory system in A. mexicanus, and highlight the relative importance between taste sensation and vision.