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In India, multidrug resistance determinants are much more abundant in community-associated bacterial pathogens due to the improper treatment of domestic and industrial effluents. In particular, a high bacterial load of the opportunistic... more
In India, multidrug resistance determinants are much more abundant in community-associated bacterial pathogens due to the improper treatment of domestic and industrial effluents. In particular, a high bacterial load of the opportunistic pathogen P. aeruginosa in sewage and water bodies in India is well documented.
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Bladder carcinoma (BC) incidence and mortality rates are increasing worldwide. The development of novel therapeutic strategies is required to improve clinical management of this cancer. Aberrant protein expression may lead to cancer... more
Bladder carcinoma (BC) incidence and mortality rates are increasing worldwide. The development of novel therapeutic strategies is required to improve clinical management of this cancer. Aberrant protein expression may lead to cancer initiation and progression. Therefore, the identification of these potential protein targets and limiting their expression levels would provide alternative treatment options. In this study, we utilized a liquid-chromatography tandem mass spectrometry-based global proteomics approach to identify differentially expressed proteins in bladder cancer cell lines. A total of 3913 proteins were identified in this study, of which 479 proteins were overexpressed and 141 proteins were downregulated in 4 out of 6 BC cell lines when compared with normal human urothelial cell line (TERT-NHUC). We evaluated the role of UDP-N-acetylhexosamine pyrophosphorylase (UAP1) in bladder cancer pathogenesis. The silencing of UAP1 led to reduction in proliferation, invasion, colon...
Research Interests: Cancer, Biology, Proteomics, Cancer Research, Medicine, and 3 moreGene Silencing, Bladder Cancer, and Genes
Background Several new programming languages and technologies have emerged in the past few decades in order to ease the task of modelling complex systems. Modelling the dynamics of complex systems requires various levels of abstractions... more
Background Several new programming languages and technologies have emerged in the past few decades in order to ease the task of modelling complex systems. Modelling the dynamics of complex systems requires various levels of abstractions and reductive measures in representing the underlying behaviour. This also often requires making a trade-off between how realistic a model should be in order to address the scientific questions of interest and the computational tractability of the model. Methods In this paper, we propose a novel programming paradigm, called temporal constrained objects, which facilitates a principled approach to modelling complex dynamical systems. Temporal constrained objects are an extension of constrained objects with a focus on the analysis and prediction of the dynamic behaviour of a system. The structural aspects of a neuronal system are represented using objects, as in object-oriented languages, while the dynamic behaviour of neurons and synapses are modelled ...
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Background. Over the last few decades, in developing nations including India, there have been rapid developments in information and communication technologies with progress towards sustainable development goals facilitating universal... more
Background. Over the last few decades, in developing nations including India, there have been rapid developments in information and communication technologies with progress towards sustainable development goals facilitating universal access to education. With the aim of augmenting laboratory skill training, India’s Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD)’s National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NME-ICT), launched Virtual laboratories project, enabling professors and institutions to deliver interactive animations, mathematical simulators and remotely-controlled equipment for online experiments in biosciences and engineering courses. Towards that mission of improving teaching and learning quality and with a focus on improving access to users in geographically remote and economically constrained institutes in India, we developed and deployed over 30 web-based laboratories consisting of over 360 computer-based online experiments. This paper...
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Objective: The present study attempted to evaluate the anti-biofilm activity of D-amino acids (D-AAs) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and determine if the combination of D-AAs with tetracycline enhances the anti-biofilm activity in vitro and ex... more
Objective: The present study attempted to evaluate the anti-biofilm activity of D-amino acids (D-AAs) on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and determine if the combination of D-AAs with tetracycline enhances the anti-biofilm activity in vitro and ex vivo.Methods: Different D-AAs were tested for antibiofilm activity against wild type P. aeruginosa PAO1 and two multidrug resistant P. aeruginosa clinical strains in the presence of sub inhibitory concentrations of tetracycline using crystal violet microtitre plate assay. Results were further validated using in vitro wound dressing and ex vivo porcine skin models followed by cytotoxicity and hemocompatibility studies.Results: D-tryptophan (5 mmol) showed 61 % reduction in biofilm formation of P. aeruginosa. Interestingly combinatorial effect of 5 mmol D-tryptophan and 0.5 minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) (7.5µg/ml) tetracycline showed 90% reduction in biofilm formation. 5 mmol D-methionine shows 28 % reduction and combination with tetracyclin...
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Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke markedly increases the risk for lung cancer. Regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by miRNAs influences a variety of cancer-related interactomes. Yet, relatively little is... more
Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke markedly increases the risk for lung cancer. Regulation of gene expression at the post-transcriptional level by miRNAs influences a variety of cancer-related interactomes. Yet, relatively little is known on the effects of long-term cigarette smoke exposure on miRNA expression and gene regulation. NCI-H292 (H292) is a cell line sensitive to cigarette smoke with mucoepidermoid characteristics in culture. We report, in this study, original observations on long-term (12 months) cigarette smoke effects in the H292 cell line, using microarray-based miRNA expression profiling, and stable isotopic labeling with amino acids in cell culture-based quantitative proteomic analysis. We identified 112 upregulated and 147 downregulated miRNAs (by twofold) in cigarette smoke-treated H292 cells. The liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry analysis identified 3,959 proteins, of which, 303 proteins were overexpressed and 112 proteins downregulated (by twofold)...
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Research Interests: Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Drug Discovery, Medicine, Humans, and 13 moreNatural Product, Zinc, Hydrogen Bonding, Protein Conformation, Bioorganic and medicinal Chemistry, Protein Binding, Flavones, Cell Survival, Molecular Structure, Matrix Metalloproteinase, binding sites, Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences, and Matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors
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Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-enabled virtual laboratories provide an online learning experience with the aid of computer-based instructional materials (animation, simulation, and remote-trigger experiments) for improving... more
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)-enabled virtual laboratories provide an online learning experience with the aid of computer-based instructional materials (animation, simulation, and remote-trigger experiments) for improving the active learning process. The project reported on in this chapter was set up in order to enhance university and college education, which is now becoming an advanced training environment for solving the geographical, social, and economic challenges faced in the interdisciplinary field of science education, especially in India. In order to study the role of biotechnology virtual laboratories in the current education system, a pedagogical survey, via workshops and online feedback, was carried out among several student and teacher groups of different Indian universities. This chapter reports how virtual labs in biotechnology can be used to improve teaching and learning experiences in an easy and understandable way with user interaction and how such ...
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The cerebellum input stage has been known to perform spatio-temporal transformations and combinatorial operations [1][2] on input signals. In this paper, we developed a model to study information transmission and signal recoding in the... more
The cerebellum input stage has been known to perform spatio-temporal transformations and combinatorial operations [1][2] on input signals. In this paper, we developed a model to study information transmission and signal recoding in the cerebellar granular layer and to test observations like center-surround organization and time-window hypothesis [1][3]. Detailed biophysical models were used to study synaptic plasticity and its effect in generation and modulation of spikes in the granular layer network. Our results ...
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Classroom-level neuroscience experiments vary from detailed protocols involving chemical, physiological and imaging techniques to computer-based modeling. The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is... more
Classroom-level neuroscience experiments vary from detailed protocols involving chemical, physiological and imaging techniques to computer-based modeling. The application of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is revolutionizing the current laboratory scenario in terms of active learning especially for distance education cases. Virtual web-based labs are an asset to educational institutions confronting economic issues in maintaining equipment, facilities and other conditions needed for good laboratory practice. To enhance education, we developed virtual laboratories in neuroscience and explored their first-level use in (Indian) University education in the context of developing countries. Besides using interactive animations and remotely-triggered experimental devices, a detailed mathematical simulator was implemented on a web-based software platform. In this study, we focused on the perceptions of technology adoption for a virtual neurophysiology laboratory as a new pedag...
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With recent advances in ICT, virtual and remote laboratories have become ubiquitous as a complementary tool allowing student users to access a mobile platform and utilize real-time shared equipment over the internet. In this paper, we... more
With recent advances in ICT, virtual and remote laboratories have become ubiquitous as a complementary tool allowing student users to access a mobile platform and utilize real-time shared equipment over the internet. In this paper, we explore the role of biotechnology remotely controlled labs in augmenting student education via allowing real time shared resources. We deployed 23 virtual laboratories with 218 virtual experiments in biotechnology to provide an online laboratory experience that allowed students and teachers to share and augment conceptual and practical knowledge. Student users reported high usability and repeatability of experimental process and suggested virtual labs as complementing tool for augmenting student's perception in an active learning scenario. Hybrid approaches in mobile learning indicated student users preferred a blended learning role via classrooms. We also observed that performance in examinations improved with those students using remote labs. We also evaluated the role of virtual labs as a teaching tool for university teachers.
Abstract Understanding functional role of spike bursts in the brain circuits is vital in analyzing coding of sensory information. Information coding in neurons or brain cells happen as spikes or action potentials and excitatory... more
Abstract Understanding functional role of spike bursts in the brain circuits is vital in analyzing coding of sensory information. Information coding in neurons or brain cells happen as spikes or action potentials and excitatory post-synaptic potentials (EPSPs). Information transmission at the Mossy fiber-Granule cell synaptic relay is crucial to understand mechanisms of signal coding in the cerebellum. We analyzed spiking in granule cells via a detailed computational model and computed the spiking-potentiation contributing to signal ...
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Scholarship knows no geographical boundaries. This science diplomacy and biotechnology journalism article introduces an original concept and policy petition to innovate the global translational science, a Science Peace Corps. Service at... more
Scholarship knows no geographical boundaries. This science diplomacy and biotechnology journalism article introduces an original concept and policy petition to innovate the global translational science, a Science Peace Corps. Service at the new Corps could entail volunteer work for a minimum of 6 weeks, and up to a maximum of 2 years, for translational research in any region of the world to build capacity manifestly for development and peace, instead of the narrow bench-to-bedside model of life science translation. Topics for translational research are envisioned to include all fields of life sciences and medicine, as long as they are linked to potential or concrete endpoints in development, foreign policy, conflict management, post-crisis capacity building, and/or peace scholarship domains. As a new instrument in the global science and technology governance toolbox, a Science Peace Corps could work effectively, for example, towards elucidating the emerging concept of "one heal...
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Introduction Candida albicans and Candida glabrata are the two most common opportunistic pathogens which are part of the normal flora in humans. Clinical diagnosis of infection by these organisms is still largely based on culturing of... more
Introduction Candida albicans and Candida glabrata are the two most common opportunistic pathogens which are part of the normal flora in humans. Clinical diagnosis of infection by these organisms is still largely based on culturing of these organisms. In order to identify species-specific protein expression patterns, we carried out a comparative proteomic analysis of C. albicans and C. glabrata. Methods We used “isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation” (iTRAQ) labeling of cell homogenates of C. albicans and C. glabrata followed by LC-MS/MS analysis using a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The MS/MS data was searched against a protein database comprised of known and predicted proteins reported from these two organisms. Subsequently, we carried out a bioinformatics analysis to group orthologous proteins across C. albicans and C. glabrata and calculated protein abundance changes between the two species. Results and Conclusions We identified 500 proteins from the...
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Previously we have shown that epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates cardiac adenylyl cyclase and increases cAMP accumulation in the rat heart (Nair et al., Biochem. J. 264, 563-571, 1989). Moreover, we have shown that the stimulation... more
Previously we have shown that epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates cardiac adenylyl cyclase and increases cAMP accumulation in the rat heart (Nair et al., Biochem. J. 264, 563-571, 1989). Moreover, we have shown that the stimulation of adenylyl cyclase by EGF in heart is mediated via activation of the stimulatory GTP binding regulatory protein Gs alpha (Nair et al., J. Biol. Chem. 265, 21317-21322, 1990). Since cAMP increases the beating rate of hearts, studies were performed to investigate the effects of EGF on mechanical function of the heart and the role of cAMP in mediating the cardiac effects of EGF. In isolated perfused rat hearts EGF (15 nM) decreased perfusion pressure, increased ventricular contractility and heart rate in a manner similar to that observed with the beta-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol (10 nM). In the presence of the adenosine A1 receptor agonist (-)-N6-(R-phenylisopropyl)-adenosine (PIA, 100 nM) which via activation of the inhibitory GTP binding protein Gi inhibits adenylyl cyclase, the effects of EGF on cAMP accumulation in the heart were markedly attenuated. PIA also decreased the ability of EGF and isoproterenol to alter cardiac contractility and beating rate. However, PIA did not attenuate the increase in heart rate and contractility induced by the alpha-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine which does not stimulate cAMP accumulation in the heart. These data suggest that EGF alters cardiac function by increasing cellular cAMP accumulation.
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The cerebellum input stage has been known to perform combinatorial operations on input signals. In this paper, two types of mathematical models were used to reproduce the role of feed-forward inhibition and computation in the granular... more
The cerebellum input stage has been known to perform combinatorial operations on input signals. In this paper, two types of mathematical models were used to reproduce the role of feed-forward inhibition and computation in the granular layer microcircuitry to investigate spike train processing. A simple spiking model and a biophysically-detailed model of the network were used to study signal recoding in the granular layer and to test observations like center-surround organization and time-window hypothesis in addition to effects of induced plasticity. Simulations suggest that simple neuron models may be used to abstract timing phenomenon in large networks, however detailed models were needed to reconstruct population coding via evoked local field potentials (LFP) and for simulating changes in synaptic plasticity. Our results also indicated that spatio-temporal code of the granular network is mainly controlled by the feed-forward inhibition from the Golgi cell synapses. Spike amplitud...
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Peptides identified in GBC cell lines using Sequest and Mascot search algorithm. (XLS 5659 kb)
Background: Poor prognosis in gallbladder cancer is due to late presentation of the disease, lack of reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis and limited targeted therapies. Early diagnostic markers and novel therapeutic targets can... more
Background: Poor prognosis in gallbladder cancer is due to late presentation of the disease, lack of reliable biomarkers for early diagnosis and limited targeted therapies. Early diagnostic markers and novel therapeutic targets can significantly improve clinical management of gallbladder cancer. Methods: Proteomic analysis of four gallbladder cancer cell lines based on the invasive property (non-invasive to highly invasive) was carried out using the isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation labeling-based quantitative proteomic approach. The expression of macrophage migration inhibitory factor was analysed in gallbladder adenocarcinoma tissues using immunohistochemistry. In vitro cellular assays were carried out in a panel of gallbladder cancer cell lines using MIF inhibitors, ISO-1 and 4-IPP or its specific siRNA. Results: The quantitative proteomic experiment led to the identification of 3,653 proteins, among which 654 were found to be overexpressed and 387 were downreg...
Internal models inspired from the functioning of cerebellum are being increasingly used to predict and control movements of anthropomorphic manipulators. A major function of cerebellum is to fine tune the body movements with precision and... more
Internal models inspired from the functioning of cerebellum are being increasingly used to predict and control movements of anthropomorphic manipulators. A major function of cerebellum is to fine tune the body movements with precision and are comparative to capabilities of artificial neural network. Several studies have focused on encoding the real-world information to neuronal responses but temporal information was not given due importance. Spiking neural network accounts to conversion of temporal information into the adaptive learning process. In this study, cerebellum like network was reconstructed which encodes spatial information to kinematic parameters, self-optimized by learning patterns as seen in rat cerebellum. Learning rules were incorporated into our model. Performance of the model was compared to an optimal control model and have evaluated the role of bioinspired models in representing inverse kinematics through applications to a low cost robotic arm developed at the lab. Artificial neural network of Kawato was used to compare with our existing model because of their similarity to biological circuit as seen in a real brain. Kawato's paired forward inverse model has used to train for fast movement based tasks which resembles human based motor tasks. Result suggest kinematics of a 6 DOF robotic arm was internally represented and this may have potential application in neuroprosthesis.
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Neuronal models and real-time simulations of large-scale neural networks allow hypothesis testing of physiological data and for predicting neurological disorders. Simulators using web technologies serve as educational tools in addition to... more
Neuronal models and real-time simulations of large-scale neural networks allow hypothesis testing of physiological data and for predicting neurological disorders. Simulators using web technologies serve as educational tools in addition to allowing experimentalists make predictions on experimental hypotheses. In this paper, we have developed a web-based neuron and network simulator to model spatio-temporal computations in animal nervous systems. Neuronal models including Hodgkin-Huxley (HH), Adaptive Exponential (AdEx) integrate and fire model and Izhikevich model were incorporated. All models were implemented using JavaScript and python with visualization using HTML5. Single neuron responses and a small-scale network dynamics corresponding to experimentally-known stimuli patterns were simulated. The simulator allows configuring neuronal dynamics through the GUI and can also allow modeling complex dynamics by interfacing with BRIAN for more large-scale and complex simulations. This w...
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With computational methods enabling study of cognitive activities in the brain, a common research topic includes identifying complex patterns and correlations relating activity and brain dynamics. Verbal or nonverbal signals that... more
With computational methods enabling study of cognitive activities in the brain, a common research topic includes identifying complex patterns and correlations relating activity and brain dynamics. Verbal or nonverbal signals that transmitted or received during communication in the brain of a speaker and a listener during their communication can be analyzed with electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. The main goal of this study was to analyze speaker-listener synchrony during verbal and nonverbal communication within EEG spectra. Three sets of experiments were performed including one for verbal communication and two for non-verbal communication 5 trials with 8 volunteering subjects were included. Speaker and listener spectra in verbal communication had strong correlations in the anterior frontal lobe of the brain attributed to control functions related to problem solving, memory, language and judgment. Speaker/listener spectra of non-verbal communication suggests enhances differences in neural activity in the frontal lobe of the brain. A synchrony between speaker and listener was noticed in both cases. This correlation study suggests brain-to-brain synchronization was more in alpha and beta rhythms which could be exploited in brain-machine interfaces.
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Over the last few years, research was aimed to investigate neuromorphic computing methodologies for understanding the functions and behavior of biological neurons on a real-time basis. In neuron electrical models, the principles of... more
Over the last few years, research was aimed to investigate neuromorphic computing methodologies for understanding the functions and behavior of biological neurons on a real-time basis. In neuron electrical models, the principles of computational neuroscience is translated on to analog hardware and the circuits reproduces the bio-physical properties of neurons. Our aim was to implement analog neuron models based on Hodgkin-Huxley formalism, and to deploy it as an educational platform for understanding the cellular and behavioral neuroscience. We have taken multiple analog hardware models and implemented its corresponding equivalent for studying the pedagogical concepts such as spiking, bursting, effects of ion channels, effect of pharmacological agents on spiking properties. We implemented remote electrical laboratories for science and engineering education bridging computing systems and neural studies. Initial implementation of the remote labs were done with commercial software which was later replaced with Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) architecture. Pedagogical analysis indicated, effectiveness in the usage of analog neuron model as a learning material for complementing neuroscience education in universities. Post-deployment studies on students and teachers includes perceived use of remote experimentation in a blended classroom scenario.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common cancer of the oral cavity in India. Cigarette smoking and chewing tobacco are known risk factors associated with OSCC. However, genomic alterations in OSCC with varied tobacco consumption... more
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a common cancer of the oral cavity in India. Cigarette smoking and chewing tobacco are known risk factors associated with OSCC. However, genomic alterations in OSCC with varied tobacco consumption history are not well-characterized. In this study, we carried out whole-exome sequencing to characterize the mutational landscape of OSCC tumors from subjects with different tobacco consumption habits. We identified several frequently mutated genes, including TP53, NOTCH1, CASP8, RYR2, LRP2, CDKN2A, and ATM. TP53 and HRAS exhibited mutually exclusive mutation patterns. We identified recurrent amplifications in the 1q31, 7q35, 14q11, 22q11, and 22q13 regions and observed amplification of EGFR in 25% of samples with tobacco consumption history. We observed genomic alterations in several genes associated with PTK6 signaling. We observed alterations in clinically actionable targets including ERBB4, HRAS, EGFR, NOTCH1, NOTCH4, and NOTCH3. We observed enric...
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common histological subtype of esophageal cancer in India. Cigarette smoking and chewing tobacco are known risk factors associated with ESCC. However, genomic alterations associated... more
Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common histological subtype of esophageal cancer in India. Cigarette smoking and chewing tobacco are known risk factors associated with ESCC. However, genomic alterations associated with ESCC in India are not well-characterized. In this study, we carried out exome sequencing to characterize the mutational landscape of ESCC tumors from subjects with a varied history of tobacco usage. Whole exome sequence analysis of ESCC from an Indian cohort revealed several genes that were mutated or had copy number changes. ESCC from tobacco chewers had a higher frequency of C:G > A:T transversions and 2-fold enrichment for mutation signature 4 compared to smokers and non-users of tobacco. Genes, such as TP53, CSMD3, SYNE1, PIK3CA, and NOTCH1 were found to be frequently mutated in Indian cohort. Mutually exclusive mutation patterns were observed in PIK3CA–NOTCH1, DNAH5–ZFHX4, MUC16–FAT1, and ZFHX4–NOTCH1 gene pairs. Recurrent amplifications were observed in 3q22-3q29, 11q13.3-q13.4, 7q22.1-q31.1, and 8q24 regions. Approximately 53% of tumors had genomic alterations in PIK3CA making this pathway a promising candidate for targeted therapy. In conclusion, we observe enrichment of mutation signature 4 in ESCC tumors from patients with a history of tobacco chewing. This is likely due to direct exposure of esophagus to tobacco carcinogens when it is chewed and swallowed. Genomic alterations were frequently observed in PIK3CA-AKT pathway members independent of the history of tobacco usage. PIK3CA pathway can be potentially targeted in ESCC which currently has no effective targeted therapeutic options.
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Dysregulation of the dynamic balance between cell proliferation and cell death leads to several malignancies including cancer. Biflavones are known to possess anti-proliferative activity against numerous cancer cell lines. The current... more
Dysregulation of the dynamic balance between cell proliferation and cell death leads to several malignancies including cancer. Biflavones are known to possess anti-proliferative activity against numerous cancer cell lines. The current study was undertaken to understand the mechanism of action of the biflavonoid (I-3,II-3)-biacacetin on MDA-MB-231. Biacacetin induces dose-dependent cell death in MDA-MB-231 cells from concentrations as low as 0.5 μM, which was further confirmed by an increase in sub-G1 cells. Furthermore, the cell death induced by biacacetin was found to be mitochondria-dependent, since cells devoid of mitochondria were viable in the presence of biacacetin even at the highest concentration tested (25 μM). Fluorescence studies clearly indicated nuclear changes and apoptotic body formation that are characteristic of apoptosis. These results were further corroborated by studies that demonstrate biacacetin to regulate several key markers of apoptosis like Caspase 3, p53, Bax, and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase-1. Furthermore, biacacetin did not induce cell death in normal macrophage cell line, RAW at concentrations up to 15 μM. In addition to MDA-MB-231 cells, biacacetin also induces apoptotic cell death in the highly chemo-resistant cell line, OVISE, where the cells stained positive for annexin. Biacacetin also induces cell death in the highly malignant fibrosarcoma cell line HT1080. Furthermore, biacacetin also induces significant cell death (50%) in 3D tumor spheroids, at a concentration of 25 μM. Taken together, these results provide an understanding of biacacetin-mediated cell death and thereby provides a strong basis for the use of such compounds as novel templates for anti-cancer therapeutics.
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Hypnale hypnale (hump-nosed pit viper) is considered to be one among the medically important venomous snake species of India and Sri Lanka. In the present study, venom proteome profiling of a single Hypnale hypnale from Western Ghats of... more
Hypnale hypnale (hump-nosed pit viper) is considered to be one among the medically important venomous snake species of India and Sri Lanka. In the present study, venom proteome profiling of a single Hypnale hypnale from Western Ghats of India was achieved using SDS-PAGE based protein separation followed by LC-MS/MS analysis. The identities of the proteins that were not established using the Mascot search were determined through de novo sequencing tools such as Novor followed by MS-BLAST based sequence similarity search algorithm and PEAKS proteomics software. The combined proteomics analysis revealed a total of 37 proteins belonging to nine different snake venom families, in which 7 proteins were exclusively identified through de novo strategies. The enzymatic and non-enzymatic venom protein families identified include serine proteases, metalloproteases, phospholipase A, thrombin-like enzymes, phospholipase B, C-type lectins/snaclecs, disintegrins, cysteine rich secretory proteins a...
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The cerebellar granular layer input stage of cerebellum receives information from tactile and sensory regions of the body. The somatosensory activity in the cerebellar granular layer corresponds to sensory and tactile input has been... more
The cerebellar granular layer input stage of cerebellum receives information from tactile and sensory regions of the body. The somatosensory activity in the cerebellar granular layer corresponds to sensory and tactile input has been observed by recording Local Field Potential (LFP) from the Crus-IIa regions of cerebellum in brain slices and in anesthetized animals. In this paper, a detailed biophysical model of Wistar rat cerebellum granular layer network model and LFP modelling schemas were used to simulate circuit's evoked response. Point Source Approximation and Line Source Approximation were used to reconstruct the network LFP. The LFP mechanism in in vitro was validated in network model and generated the in vivo LFP using the same mechanism. The network simulations distinctly displayed the Trigeminal and Cortical (TC) wave components generated by 2 independent bursts implicating the generation of TC waves by 2 independent granule neuron populations. Induced plasticity was s...
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Phycobilisomes are light-harvesting protein complexes and are widely distributed in red algae and cyanobacteria. Each phycobilisome contains highly fluorescent protein components called phycobiliproteins. Based upon the distinct... more
Phycobilisomes are light-harvesting protein complexes and are widely distributed in red algae and cyanobacteria. Each phycobilisome contains highly fluorescent protein components called phycobiliproteins. Based upon the distinct physiochemical properties, phycobiliproteins are classified as allophycocyanin, phycocyanin, phycoerythrin and phycoerythrocyanin. In the present study, we describe purification and structural characterization of a novel phycocyanin and phycoerythrin isolated from a marine red macroalga, Centroceras clavulatum. The absorbance and fluorescence studies indicated that the purified proteins belong to R-Phycocyanin (R-PC) and R-Phycoerythrin (R-PE). The single bands under native-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed the intact molecular weights of R-PC and R-PE as 110kDa and 250kDa. The polypeptide compositions of the two proteins were demonstrated by SDS-PAGE. The result showed that R-PC contains two bands at 17 and 21kDa and were identified as α and β sub...
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Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Though cigarette smoke is an established cause of head and neck cancer (including oral cancer), molecular alterations associated with chronic cigarette smoke exposure are poorly... more
Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Though cigarette smoke is an established cause of head and neck cancer (including oral cancer), molecular alterations associated with chronic cigarette smoke exposure are poorly studied. To understand the signaling alterations induced by chronic exposure to cigarette smoke, we developed a cell line model by exposing normal oral keratinocytes to cigarette smoke for a period of 12 months. Chronic exposure to cigarette smoke resulted in increased cellular proliferation and invasive ability of oral keratinocytes. Proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses showed dysregulation of several proteins involved in cellular movement and cytoskeletal reorganization in smoke exposed cells. We observed overexpression and hyperphosphorylation of protein kinase N2 (PKN2) in smoke exposed cells as well as in a panel of head and neck cancer cell lines established from smokers. Silencing of PKN2 resulted in decreased colony formation, invasion a...
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Dysregulation of miRNAs is associated with the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is imperative to study the dysregulation of miRNAs by cigarette smoke which will affect their targets, either leading to the... more
Dysregulation of miRNAs is associated with the development of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is imperative to study the dysregulation of miRNAs by cigarette smoke which will affect their targets, either leading to the overexpression of oncoproteins or downregulation of tumor suppressor proteins. In this study, we carried out miRNA sequencing and SILAC-based proteomic analysis of H358 cells chronically exposed to cigarette smoke condensate. Using bioinformatics analysis, we mapped the dysregulated miRNAs to differentially expressed target proteins identified in our data. Gene ontology-based enrichment and pathway analysis was performed using the deregulated targets to study the role of cigarette smoke-mediated miRNA dysregulation in NSCLC cell line. miRNA sequencing resulted in the identification of 208 miRNAs, of which 6 miRNAs were found to be significantly dysregulated (2 fold, Log Base 2; p-value ≤ 0.05) in H358-Smoke cells. Proteomic analysis of the smoke exposed cells c...
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Internet-enabled technologies for robotics education are gaining importance as online platforms promoting skill training. Understanding the use and design of robotics are now introduced at university undergraduate levels, but in... more
Internet-enabled technologies for robotics education are gaining importance as online platforms promoting skill training. Understanding the use and design of robotics are now introduced at university undergraduate levels, but in developing economies establishing usable hardware and software platforms face several challenges like cost, equipment etc. Remote labs help providing alternatives to some of the challenges. We developed an online laboratory for bioinspired robotics using a low-cost 6 degree-of-freedom robotic articulator with a neuro-inspired controller. Cerebellum-inspired neural network algorithm approximates forward and inverse kinematics for movement coordination. With over 210000 registered users, the remote lab has been perceived as an interactive online learning tool and a practice platform. Direct feedback from 60 students and 100 university teachers indicated that the remote laboratory motivated self-organized learning and was useful as teaching material to aid rob...