Research focus 

Nuclear pore exclusively mediate all the transport that take place between nucleus and cytoplasm. These pores are made up of protein called Nups and these Nups play critical regulatory roles in nucelo-cytoplasmic transport. 

We are exploring the importance of Nups during development utilizing Drosophila melanogaster as model organism. We are investigating functions of the dELYS and the Nup107-160 complex in organismal growth and development through biochemical and genetic interventions. dELYS play critical roles in Drosophila development through regulation of Dorsal pathway. In particular, we are dissecting out dELYS function in hematopoeitic development and Nup107 complex role in neuronal development and signaling.

Nups are known to be dysregulated in cancer. Overexpression of Nup88 is like a biomarker for cancer. Nup88 expression works along with Nup62 to induce pro-inflammatory, pro-growth, and anti-apoptotic pathways to cause cancer. Nup88 interaction with Nup214 also helps in mediating the cancerous consequences. Post-translational modification (PTM) also exerts regulatory control over Nup function. Further, how Nups function in the immune cells with highly variable nuclear size when activated is unknown. 

Biochemical and cell biological analysis of Nup62/Nup88/Nup214 cancer and immune cell activation is being actively pursued. How these nuclear pore proteins help regulate cell division by mediating nucleo-cytoplasmic transport is a piece of puzzle that we are trying to put together.

SUMOylation of cytoskeletal proteins and their binders has been identified from different proteomic studies. Of particular interest to the lab is Actin binding proteins (ABPs) and their SUMOylation. The focus of the project is currently on ABPs Coronin, Cofilin, and Profilin SUMOylation.

We are developing an understanding of how SUMOylation ABPs contribute to the microfilament dynamics. More specifically, we wish to understand how the SUMOylation and consequently the microfilament dynamics contribute to diseases, including the neurodegenerative diseases like Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). We deploy protein biochemistry and cell biological imaging-based analysis to develop the understanding. 

Several methods have described in greater details for the labeling of proteins for academic and therapeutics purposes. However, most of them are not precise in term of labeling proteins uniquely. 

Proteins modified using the Linchpin Directed modification (LDM) and other related chemical toolboxes available with Dr. Vishal Rai's group in the Chemistry Department, IISER Bhopal, we are involved in the precise in vitro and in cellulae labeling and characterization of proteins.