Sahu Proteasome Lab

About

Dr. Indrajit Sahu is a Protein Biochemist and Molecular-cell Biologist. He has been working in the field of the Ubiquitin-Proteasome System (UPS) since 2010. His research has mainly focused on understanding the mechanisms of protein degradation and protein homeostasis in human diseases and development. After finishing his PhD in Cancer biology at the Advanced Centre for Treatment, Research and Education in Cancer (ACTREC)-Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai, he joined Prof. Michael Glickman at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, for his first Postdoctoral research in Ubiquitin-Proteasome biology with a Marie Curie Individual Fellowship. In 2021, he joined Prof. Alfred Goldberg at Harvard Medical School to continue his research on UPS, and later he joined Prof. Jarrod Marto’s lab at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. After returning to India, he joined as an Assistant Professor in 2023 in the Department of Medical Research, SRM University, Chennai, and in 2024 he moved to NCCS, Pune as Scientist-D.

Education

PhD in Life Sciences (2016): ACTREC-Tata Memorial Centre, Navi Mumbai, India

MSc in Microbiology (2008): OUAT, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

BSc in Zoology (2006): Ravenshaw College, Utkal University, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India

Research Experience

Scientist D, Oct 2024 to present, National Centre for Cell Science (BRIC-NCCS), Pune, India

Assistant Professor, April 2023 to Oct 2024, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, SRM-IST, Kattankulathur Campus, Chennai, India

Postdoctoral Researcher, Feb 2022 to March 2023, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Postdoctoral Researcher, March 2021 to Feb 2022, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Marie-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow (MSCA-IF), Nov 2017 to Feb 2021, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

Postdoctoral Researcher, Nov 2015 to Oct 2017, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel

Dr. Indrajit Sahu

Scientist D, BRIC-NCCS, Pune

indrajitsahu@nccs.res.in

Welcome to Sahu Proteasome Lab at BRIC-NCCS..!!

Research Focus

Ubiquitin Proteasome System (UPS) and Mechanism of Protein Degradation

Our lab mainly focus to understand the structure and function of Ubiquitin Proteasome system (UPS) which is the major protein degradation system in all eukaryotic cells. UPS takes care of cellular proteostasis by timely degrading the damaged, misfolded and retired proteins. Several of our projects involves understanding the mechanism of protein degradation, the mechanism of proteasome functions and alterations of UPS function in disease conditions. We integrate interdisciplinary approaches including protein biochemistry, proteomic, structural biology and molecular cell biology to answer these imperative questions.

Regulation of cellular Ubiquitin Landscape by ubiquitin modifiers (E3s and DUBs)

Ubiquitin landscape in the eukaryotic cell is vast and complicated which orchestrate most of the cellular signaling pathways. The ubiquitination status of a protein -- the number of ubiquitin attachments, nature of polyubiquitin type, linkage and topology -- plays the critical role for its cellular function. The precise regulation for modulating this landscape is executed by a fine balance between ubiquitination and deubiquitination via the actions of E3 ligases (>600) and DUBs (>100). We aim to understand the cumulative as well as individual contribution of the E3 ligases and DUBs towards maintaining a healthy proteoform by following Proteomic, Ubiquitinomic and biochemical approaches.

Mechanism of Protein degradation by 20S Proteasome

In our recent past studies, we have uncovered the adaptive response of hypoxic cells to regulate protein degradation. Interestingly we observed that the free 20S proteasomes can also degrade the ubiquitinated proteins, but without releasing the ubiquitin units unlike 26S proteasomes does. The 20S proteasomes do not have any unfoldase activities. So, this surprising ability of 20S proteasome in unfolding globular proteins is far from our current understanding. We follow a structural and biochemical approach to understand the events of substrate recognition, binding, unfolding, translocation and degradation by 20S proteasome.

Contact

National Centre for Cell Science (BRIC-NCCS)
Lab no 10, Old Building, Savitribai Phule Pune University Campus
Ganeshkhind Road, Pune – 411007
Maharashtra, India
Phone: +91 20 2570 8112
Website: www.nccs.res.in

I have always been fascinated by making the invisible visible.

- Irving Geis, 1993

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