Lab Research Focus
The primary goal of our research is to elucidate the molecular mechanism of function of various proteins and to understand the structural basis for their biological activity. Research in our laboratory focuses in three areas.
Infectious diseases are still the leading cause of death worldwide Rapid emergence of resistance to administered drugs is a common phenomenon which emphasizes the need for continuous research to identify new and novel targets in the microbes for developing effective regimen of drugs. One of the programs in our laboratory involves characterization of novel chemotherapeutic targets in infectious parasites such as Plasmodium falciparum and Trypanosoma cruzi. Purine salvage pathway offers a multiplicity of potential targets for anti-parasitic chemotherapy, as protozoan parasites are incapable of de novo purine biosynthesis and must acquire purines from their host. We are also studying several enzymes of the glycolytic pathway in parasites.
A second project in our laboratory focuses on studying the components of the Rab-mediated trafficking pathway in malaria parasite. Malaria parasite spends much of its life cycle inside the host erythrocytes. Within the erythrocyte, several layers of membranes surround the parasite. Mechanisms by which proteins are trafficked within and beyond the parasite's plasma membrane is not clear. Several components of the standard eukaryotic trafficking machinery are known to be present. On the other hand, the trafficking machinery of Plasmodium possesses distinctive features as well. A family of small GTPases, known as Rab proteins, cycles between a membrane-associated GTP-bound active form and a cytosolic GDP-bound inactive form and determines the specificity of vesicle docking. Cycling of Rab proteins is regulated by highly organized and sequential interactions of many regulator and effector molecules in the pathway. Research in our laboratory aims at determining the specificity of their recognition throughout the pathway.
The third area of interest is structure-based drug design and its application. We collaborate with pharmaceutical companies for development of high affinity inhibitors of clinically important human proteins that are targets for drug discovery.
For more information on the Chattopadhyay lab, click here.
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