Pics of ccmb scientists

Yogendra sharma


shashi now professor in iiser pune



Imran


Ramesh sonti


Shivaji


Thangaraj K


Lalji singh


amit chattopadhyay

Utpal bhadra


jyotsana dhawan
Jyotsna Dhawan is a senior scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad India. Jyotsna is a leading young researcher at this top Indian Research Institute, working on muscle stem cells and molecular regulation in mammalian systems.

Jyotsna Dhawan received her PhD from Boston University School of Medicine in 1991 studying growth control in fibroblasts and myoblasts. After postdoctoral work at Stanford University investigating skeletal muscle as a target tissue for cell and gene therapy, she established a group at CCMB in 1996 to study the biology of adult skeletal muscle stem cells, in particular, the importance of quiescence in muscle stem cell function. Research in Jyotsna’s group is currently focused on intrinsic chromatin regulatory mechanisms that couple the cell cycle and myogenic differentiation, and signaling pathways that convey information from extrinsic sources.



Rakesh mishra



Mohan rao

Dr. guruprasad's group

About Dr. guruprasad

K. Guruprasad, Ph.D (Univ. of London, U.K.)
Scientist & Co-ordinator, Bioinformatics,
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB),
Uppal Road, Hyderabad, 500 007, INDIA.


Positions held:

1983-1985: Project Assistant, Society of Biological Chemists in India, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad - 500 007, India.
1985-1990: Scientist, Bioinformatics, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad - 500 007, India.
1990-1997: Research Fellow, Department of Crystallography, Birkbeck College, University of London & Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, U.K.
1997-1998: Faculty member (Reader), Bioinformatics Centre, University of Pune, Ganeshkhind, Pune - 411 007, India. Coordinated the first batch students of the One-Year Advanced Diploma Course in Bioinformatics programme.
1998-2000: Head, Bioinformatics & Manager, European Molecular Biology Network (EMBnet) India Node. Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), Nacharam, Hyderabad - 500 076, India. Established the Bioinformatics infrastructure and led a Research group.
2000-2001: Head, Bioinformatics, gvkbio, Hyderabad. Helped promoters start-up this company.
2001- : Head, Bioinformatics, Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Uppal Road, Hyderabad - 500 007, India.

Anant patel's group

About ANANT

Dr. Anant B. Patel obtained his master in Chemistry with Physical Chemistry specialization from Department of Chemistry, Banaras Hindu University in 1993 and Ph. D. in Chemistry entitled "NMR Studies of Biomolecular Systems" from the Department of Chemical Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundmamental Research / Mumbai University, Mumbai in 1999. He was a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Magnetic Resonance Research Centre (MRRC), Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA from 1999-2003. He served as Associate Research Scientist at Yale MRRC from 2003-2006.

He joined the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad as a senior scientist in June 2006. He has started in vivo NMR imaging and spectroscopy program in the institute and carrying out research in the field of in vivo NMR spectroscopy. His research interests are in trying to understand metabolic basis of various diseases/disorders related with nervous system. One major area of focus in his laboratory is in understanding how excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission are affected during normal ageing and in Alzeimer's disease. The other areas of research in his laboratory include understanding the brain energy metabolism in diabetes and identify the biomarker for the diagnosis of liver diseases.
Research Interest

Glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) are the major excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitter, in central nervous system. It is well established that a neuronal astrocytic neurotransmitter cycle exists in the brain. In this cycle, neurotransmitter glutamate released from neurons into the synaptic cleft is taken up by astrocytes, converted to glutamine, and returned to neurons in this synaptic inactive form. In neurons glutamine is hydrolyzed to glutamate and re-packaged into vesicles, and ready for the next release. Similarly, GABA released from the inhibitory neurons also may be taken up by astrocytes, converted to glutamate and recycled to GABAergic neurons in the same way. This cycle is called neurotransmitter (glutamate/glutamine, GABA/glutamine) cycle. We have developed stable 13C isotope technique to quantify energetics of glutamaterigc and GABAergic neurotransmission in rodent brain in vivo.

Our current research work is focused on to understand the metabolic basis of various diseases related with central nervous system. The major goals of our studies are following:

1. Identify the atrophy in different brain regions during normal ageing and at various stage of Alzheimer's disease in mouse model.

2. Measure quantitatively the effects of normal ageing and Alzheimer's disease on the concentrations of the major cerebral metabolites specific to neuronal and astroglial cell in mouse model.

3. Determine the effects of normal ageing and Alzheimer's disease on the eneregics of glutamatergic (excitatory neuron), GABAergic neurons (inhibitory neuron) and astroglia.

4. Understand the role of caloric restricted diet and memory enhancing dugs in brain atrophy, cerebral metabolites and neurotransmitter energetics during normal ageing and in Alzheimer's disease.

5. Investigate cerebral metabolism in mouse model of diabetes.

6. Develop non-invasive NMR method for studying hepatic, diabetes, etc. diseases.

Imaran siddique group

Dr. Imran Siddiqi
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology(CCMB)
Uppal Road,Hyderabad-500 007
Andra Pradesh
India
Tel: +91 40 27192570
Fax: +91 40 27160591, 27160311
Email: imran@ccmb.res.in
Dr. Siddiqi obtained his M.Sc from Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, in 1981, and his Ph.D from University of Oregon, under the guidance of Prof. Franklin Stahl, in 1989. Following postdoctoral work at Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore,he joined Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology(CCMB) in 1992. Currently he is a group leader at CCMB.


Plant Developmental Biology

Research in the lab is mainly focused on the developmental biology of plant reproduction with an emphasis on the control of female meiosis and gametogenesis. The study of female gametophyte development is of special interest in that it affords the opportunity of addressing basic issues in plant developmental biology such as the generation of positional information leading to cell specification, and the role of cell interactions and programmed cell death, in the context of a small and well defined group of distinct and highly specialized cells that make up the female gametophyte.

The female gametophyte or embryo sac contains the egg cell and associated cells required for fertilization and development of the embryo and endosperm. In order to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying ovule and female gametophyte development in higher plants, we have taken a genetic approach starting with screens for mutants that affect female fertility using Arabidospsis as a model system. We also employ candidate gene approaches to address the function of Arabidopsis homologs of genes that are required for the control of meiosis in yeast.

Ch. Mohan Rao's Group

Dr.Ch.Mohan Rao's research interests include protein folding in health and disease, molecular basis for lens transparency and cataract.

Born in Huzurabad, Andhra Pradesh, Mohan Rao has obtained his B.Sc. degree from the Arts and Science College (Osmania University), Warangal and M.Sc.(Physical Chemistry) form Kakatiya University, Warangal. Then he moved to the University of Hyderabad for a Ph.D. programme in chemistry. During the Ph.D. programme, he worked on photoacoustic spectroscopy of chemical and biological systems. This work also involved modification and improvement of the system, data acquisition and processing software.
Later he joined CCMB and initiated intact lens spectroscopic investigation. During 1990-92, he visited National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA and carried out investigations on stability of crystallins and the role of nucleotides in the damage to eye lens due to exposure to ultraviolet light. On his return he initiated work on protein folding in health and disease, particularly molecular chaperone like property of alpha-crystallin and its relation to cataract, neurodegenerative diseases and cardiomyopathy. He is also investigating other heat-shock proteins such as hsp22 and hsp33.

He was a visiting Professor at the Tokyo Science University, Japan during 1996, Visiting Scientist (Raman Fellow) at the University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, USA during 2000, Visiting Professor at the Institute for Protein Research, Osaka, Japan during 2002. He is a Fellow of Indian National Science Academy, National Academy of Sciences, Indian Academy of Science and Andhra Pradesh Akademi of Sciences. He was awarded the Shanthi Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in 1999.

Ch.Mohan Rao's Group members
Name Designation Extn. No. E-mail
Ch. Mohan Rao Scientist 2543 mohan@ccmb.res.in
K Sridhar Rao Scientist 2558 sreedhar@ccmb.res.in
V Srinivas Technical Office 2556 volety@ccmb.res.in
B. Raman Technical Officer 2558 raman@ccmb.res.in
P Hanumanthu Group I 2555
V Anuradha Technician 2529
Md. Faiz Ahmad Senior Research Fellow 2555
Abhay Kumar Thakur Senior Research Fellow 2555 abhay@ccmb.res.in
Bhairab Nath Singh senior Research Fellow 2559 bnsigh@ccmb.res.in
Aftab Taiyab senior Research Fellow 2557 ataiyab@ccmb.res.in
Abhishek Asthana senior Research Fellow 2555
S Prabhu Junior Research Fellow 2560 prabhus@ccmb.res.in
Saad Mohammad Ahsan Junior Research Fellow 2557 saadmahsan@ccmb.res.in
Abdullah Sultan Junior Research Fellow 2555 abdullah@ccmb.res.in
V Jagadish Project Asstt. 2778
R Shalini Project Asstt. 2778
P Suhardra Project Asstt. 2778

PM Bhargava The founder director of ccmb

Dr Pushpa Mittra Bhargava, whose vision, foresight and selfless efforts were intstrumental to the establishment of this centre, the contributions of which are now known around the world. Dr Pushpa Mittra Bhargava, widely regarded as the architect of modern biology in India, has conceived the idea of establishing the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and saw to it that it was built, equipped and staffed to uncompromising standards.

It is his vision that - `a Centre for research in frontier areas of modern biology at par with those in Western countries can be built and maintained in India too' - led to what CCMB is today as acclaimed by many distinguished people. His vision of the establishment of CCMB fulfilled a long-felt need in the country for providing the necessary thrust in molecular and cellular biology. CCMB is the first institution in India devoted exclusively to research in frontier-areas of modern biology and it has played a key role in the development of Biotechnology programme in the country.

The results of the care and attention to detail that Dr Bhargava evinced at every step are visible - in the laboratories as well as in the beautiful green surroundings. His experiment in forging a novel framework for the sharing of all facilities, equipment and chemicals amongst the scientific groups is unique in Indian set-up. In effect, this means that the CCMB functions as one integrated laboratory; and so far this experiment has been successful. He is a firm believer in that science and art are the two facets of creative human activity and they go hand in hand. His penchant for aesthetics reflects at various places in the CCMB campus. Dr Bhargava's continued association and support to CCMB is a great help to maintain and improve these traditions.

The Centre, formally set up as an autonomous organisation in 1977, moved to its own modern building complex and was dedicated to the nation by the then Prime Minister, Mr Rajiv Gandhi, on 26th November 1987. The inaugural function was attended by a galaxy of distinguished scientists including few Nobel Laureates such as Dr F H C Crick, Dr C D Gajdusek, Dr B S Blumberg, Dr J C Kendrew, Dr Georges Kohler and Dr S O Choa.

PM Bhargava founder director

Sculpture designed by mf hussain in CCMB

CCMB Students enjoying after a birthday party

ccmb quarters

ccmb main entrance cell nucleus components

CCMB guest house

CCMB FISHRIES

Fountain in front of ccmb

Fountain in day time

Fountain view in night

Lab view


CCMB students with ex president Dr. APJ

R.Sankaranarayanan's Group

Dr.Rajan Sankaranarayanan obtained his M. Sc. in Physics from Madura College, Madurai Kamaraj University in 1990 and Ph. D. from the Molecular Biophysics Unit, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore in 1996. He was a postdoctoral research fellow in the Institut de Genetique et de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Strasbourg, France from 1996-2002.

He joined the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad as a senior scientist in March 2002. He has setup a state-of-the-art macromolecular crystallography laboratory in the institute and carrying out research in the field of Structural Biology. His research interests are in trying to understand intermolecular recognition mechanisms. One major area of focus in his laboratory is in elucidating how very similar substrates are recognized with a high accuracy in order to achieve a faithful translation of the genetic code. The other areas of research in his laboratory includes understanding the structural basis of functional interplay between polyketide synthases and fatty acid synthases in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, structure-function studies on virulence factors of a rice pathogenic bacteria and structure guided design of thermostable lipases.

Rakesh Mishra's group

Dr. Rakesh K Mishra
Senior Scientist
Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology
Uppal Road
Hyderabad 500 007
India.

Email: mishra@ccmb.res.in
Telephone: (+ 91) 40 2719 2658
Fax No: (+ 91) 40 2716 0591


Our lab is interested in higher order chromatin structure in the context of genomic organization and regulation of gene expression.


1 Chromatin and nuclear architecture

Establishment of cell type specific gene expression and epigenetic inheritance of the expression state are essential features of developmental mechanisms. We are studying these processes at the level of higher order chromatin organization. We focus on the following:

1.1 Molecular analysis of boundary and Polycomb response elements
1.2 The Nuclear matrix
1.3 Genomic organization and chromatin structure in the human Y chromosome

2 Homeotic gene complexes: the evo-devo of A-P body axis

Homeotic gene complexes determine the A-P body axis in animals. Expression and function of the homeotic genes along the A-P axis is colinear with their order of occurrence in the complex. This 'chromosomal organization and its functional correspondence' is conserved during evolution. We are studying the molecular basis of this conservation and mechanisms involved in the regulation of the Hox complexes:

2.1 Regulation of bithorax complex of Drosophila melanogaster
2.2 Evolutionarily conserved features in the organization and regulation of Hox complexes

3 Comparative genomics of non-coding DNA

In higher eukaryotes a large proportion of the genome does not code for proteins. It is emerging that a large proportion of non-coding DNA is required for packaging and regulation of the genome. We believe that genomes evolve within this constraint of packaging. The 'packaging code' of genomes is not clear as yet. We have taken comparative genomics approach to study patterns with in the non-coding regions, in particular the stretches that are under strong selection pressure:

3.1 Comparative and functional genomics of non-repetitive non-coding DNA
3.2 Pattern search approach to identify novel regulatory elements


Current Lab Members

Name Position
Rakesh K Mishra Senior Scientist
Rashmi U Pathak Scientist
A.Srinivasan Technical Assistant
Afsar Soghra Secretariat

M.Anitha Postdoctoral Fellow

D.Vasanthi PhD Student
S.Krishnan PhD Student
Ram P Kumar PhD Student
Bony De Kumar PhD Student
Hina Sultana PhD Student
Navneet K M PhD Student
Satish Kallappagoudar PhD Student
R Senthilkumar PhD Student (Joint PhD program of CCMB & IIIT-H)
Narendra Pratap Singh PhD Student
Abhishek Kulkarni PhD Student

Sreesankar E PhD Student (CSIR sponsored collaborative project with University of Hyderabad)
Manohar Dange Project JRF (CSIR sponsored collaborative project with University of Hyderabad)

Jyotsna Singh Project JRF
Sayantanee Dutta Project JRF


Rakesh Mishra's Lab in CCMB

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>Welcome to Dr. Rakesh Mishra's lab home page src="pic1/rakesh.jpg" width="170" border="1" align="left"> Dr. Rakesh K Mishra Senior Scientist Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology Uppal Road Hyderabad 500 007 India. Email: href="mailto:mishra@ccmb.res.in" style="text-decoration: none">mishra@ccmb.res.in Telephone:  (+ 91) 40 2719 2658 Fax No:       (+ 91) 40 2716 0591 Our lab is interested in higher order chromatin structure in the context of genomic organization and regulation of gene expression. 1 Chromatin and nuclear architecture Establishment of cell type specific gene expression and epigenetic inheritance of the expression state are essential features of developmental mechanisms. We are studying these processes at the level of higher order chromatin organization. We focus on the following: 1.1 Molecular analysis of boundary and Polycomb response elements 1.2 The Nuclear matrix 1.3 Genomic organization and chromatin structure in the human Y chromosome 2 Homeotic gene complexes: the evo-devo of A-P body axis Homeotic gene complexes determine the A-P body axis in animals. Expression and function of the homeotic genes along the A-P axis is colinear with their order of occurrence in the complex. This 'chromosomal organization and its functional correspondence' is conserved during evolution. We are studying the molecular basis of this conservation and mechanisms involved in the regulation of the Hox complexes: 2.1 Regulation of bithorax complex of Drosophila melanogaster 2.2 Evolutionarily conserved features in the organization and regulation of Hox complexes 3 Comparative genomics of non-coding DNA In higher eukaryotes a large proportion of the genome does not code for proteins. It is emerging that a large proportion of non-coding DNA is required for packaging and regulation of the genome. We believe that genomes evolve within this constraint of packaging. The 'packaging code' of genomes is not clear as yet. We have taken comparative genomics approach to study patterns with in the non-coding regions, in particular the stretches that are under strong selection pressure: 3.1 Comparative and functional genomics of non-repetitive non-coding DNA 3.2 Pattern search approach to identify novel regulatory elements

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His wife Dr.KRISHNAVENI MISHRA also assit professor in UNIVERSITY of hyderabad.


DR KRISHNAVENI MISHRA

Contact: kmsl.@.uohyd.ernet.in, +91-40-23134572 (Tel); +91-40-23010120 (Fax)

Dr Krishnaveni Mishra PhD (CCMB, JNU)
Lecturer.

Teaching: Genetics, Genetic engineering, Microbiology, Lipid biochemistry

Research Interest: Functional Compartmentalization of the Nucleus and Telomere biology

The eukaryotic nucleus is organized into various compartments, several of these are readily visible under the microscope, like the nucleolus, nuclear lamina, etc. Apart from these prominent structures, several nuclear functions like transcription, splicing, DNA repair seem to be restricted to certain distinct loci within the nucleus. Additionally, current data support the view that the nucleus is subdivided into transcriptionally permissive and restrictive compartments. Importantly, there is a lot of reorganization at the nuclear level during differentiation. These observations strengthen the view that nuclear compartmentalization has consequences on the functioning of the genome.

My lab is using the budding yeast as a model system to study the establishment and maintenance of telomere-based compartments at the nuclear periphery. Telomeres are ends of the chromosomes consisting of tandem repetitive sequences and specific set of proteins associated with it. The telomere repeat tracts are maintained by telomerase, a telomere specific reverse transcriptase that counteracts the loss of terminal sequences during DNA replication. Telomeres also protect chromosome ends from fusion and prevent the natural chromosome ends from being recognized as double strand DNA breaks by the DNA repair system. The 32 telomeres of budding yeast are confined to a few foci at the periphery of the nucleus that light up as 3-6 intensely staining spots when hybridized with fluorescently labeled telomeric DNA. These foci recruit and accumulate the SIR (silent information regulator) proteins and create a transcriptionally repressive environment at the nuclear periphery.

A few proteins involved in DNA repair (eg Yku70, Yku80) are also found in this foci. Certain conditions like, large number of DNA breaks, aging etc induce the movement of Sirp from the telomeres. Several questions remain unanswered. How are the telomeres clustered and anchored to the nuclear periphery? What is the molecular basis of this organization? What happens to these sites during cell division and differentiation? What is the connection between these sites and telomere synthesis, DNA repair, aging etc.

We have taken a genetic and cell biological approach to address these issues. We are isolating mutants that disrupt the establishment and maintenance of these compartments in order to understand the molecular basis of this compartmentalization. We are also taking a bioinformatics approach to look at the sequences at the subtelomeric regions to see if there are any signature sequences that contribute to this organization. We are tagging individual chromosomes with traceable markers to investigate the specificity of these associations. Additionally, we are investigating the connection between telomere metabolism, DNA repair and nuclear compartmentalization.

Significant Publications

Pathak, R.U., Ragaraj, N., Sathish, K., Mishra, K*., and Mishra, R. (2007). Boundary Element Associated Factor, BEAF 32B, Connects Chromatin Domains to the Nuclear Matrix. Mol. Cell. Biol. 27: 4796-4806. (*Corresponding author)

Krishnaveni Mishra, Vivek S Chopra, A. Srinivasan and Rakesh Mishra. Trl-GAGA interacts with lola -like and both are part of the repressive complex of Polycomb group of genes. Mechanisms of Development.120: 681 – 689. 2003.

Krishnaveni Mishra and David M. Shore. Yeast Ku protein plays a direct role in telomeric position effect and counteracts the inhibitory effects of rif proteins. Curr. Biology 9, 1123-1126, 1999.

Krishnaveni Mishra and Veena K. Parnaik. Essential role of protein phosphorylation in nuclear transport. Expt. Cell Res. 216, 124-134, 1995.

Krishnaveni Mishra, DVSS Kathyayini and Veena K. Parnaik. A conserved epitope on pore phosphoproteins reflects cell division status. Indian J. Biochem. Biophysics 31, 243-248, 1994.

Siyaram Pandey, Anjali S. Karande, Krishnaveni Mishra and Veena K. Parnaik. Inhibition of nuclear protein import by an antibody that recognises a novel class of pore proteins. Expt. Cell Res. 212, 234-254, 1994.