Research
Molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions:
Manifestation of diseased conditions is deeply rooted in the molecular interactions between invading pathogen and its corresponding host. Therefore, understanding the molecular basis of host pathogen interplay is the key to unravel disease progression and pathogenesis. Host-pathogen interaction, as the name suggests, could be exemplified in terms of modulations of cellular responses for both of the interacting partners, in response to each other. In order to survive the adverse environment inside the host, pathogens have evolved several clever defensive strategies. Principally these strategies involve expression of protein elicitors, which cripple host’s immune responses or reprogram host’s gene expression by modulation of epigenetic factors. Therefore, detailed biochemical-structural characterizations of the pathogen derived protein elicitors, responsible for mitigation of host’s immune responses are fundamental to combat deadly diseases.
Our research aims to unfold the molecular basis of diseased conditions through biochemical-structural characterization of pathogen derived cellular factors, responsible for the recalcitrance of the pathogen against host’s immune responses. To ascertain this goal, we employ the state of the art X-ray diffraction crystallography and Single particle Cryo electron microscopy along with other biochemical and biophysical tools. The biochemical-biophysical information gained thereof would further feed into structural studies to obtain the subtle molecular basis of such interactions at atomic resolutions. These information can further aid in structure based rational drug designing against the dreaded pathogens. Altogether, using interdisciplinary research approaches, our research excavate precise biochemical-structural mechanism of novel cellular factors in host-pathogen interplay during microbial pathogenesis.
With this aim so far we have solved and submitted more than twenty five protein structures. The key findings are published in 19 peer reviewed international journals with high scientific reputation, including Science (doi: 10.1126/science.aaj1849), PNAS (doi: 10.1073/pnas.1816606115) and Cell Host and Microbes (doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2019.03.002). The published research articles were immensely popularized among scientific and non scientific communities (https://cns.utexas.edu/news/ancient-microbes-folded-their-dna-similarly-to-modern-life-forms, http://www.dailytexanonline.com/2017/08/29/microbes-offer-insight-on-dna-folding, https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/lifting-the-lid-on-hiv).