Rajan Sankaranarayanan

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Rajan Sankaranarayanan
Sankaranarayanan Rajan.jpg
Rajan Sankaranarayanan in 2022
Born
Papanasam Project, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality Indian
Alma mater Indian Institute of Science
Known forChiral proofreading during translation
Awards
Scientific career
FieldsStructural Biology
Institutions Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad; MKU
Doctoral advisor M. Vijayan
Website https://sankarslab.weebly.com/

Rajan Sankaranarayanan is an Indian structural biologist and a group leader at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad. He is known for his research in the field of protein translation, especially for his contribution in chiral proofreading during protein biosynthesis. In 2020, Sankaranarayanan was awarded the Infosys Prize in life sciences, the most prestigious award that recognizes achievements in science and research, in India. [1] [2]

Contents

Biography

He was born in Papanasam project, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu. He pursued his master's degree in Madurai Kamaraj University (MKU) followed by his Ph.D. in Indian Institute of Science (IISc) under the guidance of Prof. M. Vijayan. He did his postdoctoral research with Prof. Dino Moras at Laboratoire de Biologie Structurale, IGBMC, Strasbourg, France. During that period, he worked on the structure of threonyl-tRNA synthetase. [3] In 2002, he moved back to India, since then he is working as a group leader at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) in Hyderabad.

Research and career

Sankaranarayanan's group is interested in understanding unique proofreading mechanisms that are operational in biological systems to maintain quality control during the translation of the genetic code. These processes are important in understanding how D-amino acids are kept away from getting incorporated during protein biosynthesis. [4] Most of his research work is focused on understanding the mechanistic, physiological and evolutionary role of 'chiral proofreading' systems.

His laboratory has elucidated the mechanism of D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase 1 (DTD1), where he has shown how an invariant 'cross-subunit' Gly-cisPro dipeptide captures the chiral centre of incoming D-aminoacyl-tRNA. [5] His group also identified a paralog of DTD1 in animals known as Animalia-specific-tRNA Deacylase (ATD), [6] which plays a crucial role in protecting animals from mistranslation associated with oxidative stress and its implications in the evolution of multicellularity in Animalia. [7]

The group has also identified the role of archaeal-derived chiral proofreader D-aminoacyl-tRNA deacylase 2 (DTD2) in removing N-ethyl adducts formed on D-aminoacyl-tRNA by acetaldehyde, an anaerobic fermentation intermediate. [8] Furthermore, the group has also went on to show how these two chiral proofreaders are involved in the optimization of cellular networks during the emergence and evolution of organelles in two major branches of eukaryotes, i.e., opisthokonta and plants. [9] [10]

His laboratory is also interested in understanding the roles of a class of lipid metabolising enzymes called Fatty acyl-AMP ligases (FAAL), which are involved in the production of lipidic secondary metabolites in bacteria. The group has identified the mechanistic underpinnings of FAAL's incredible specificity towards its substrate, acyl carrier protein and rejecting CoA, despite being chemically identical. [11]

Recently, the group has also identified the role of a FAAL-like homolog in eukaryotes called Disco-interacting protein 2 (DIP2), in regulating a specific pool of diacylglycerols by converting it into triacylglycerols, thereby maintaining cellular homeostasis. [12]

Awards and recognition

Rajan Sankaranarayanan receiving Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize from Manmohan Singh in 2011 Sankaranarayanan.jpg
Rajan Sankaranarayanan receiving Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize from Manmohan Singh in 2011

Sankaranarayanan was awarded the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology (2011), the highest science award in India, in the biological sciences category. [13] He is also the recipient of the National Bioscience Award for Career Development. In 2020, Sankaranarayanan has been awarded the Infosys Prize in life sciences, the most prestigious award that recognizes achievements in science and research, in India. [1] [2] In the year 2022, he was elected as an associate member of the esteemed European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO).

In December 2020, Sankaranarayanan was awarded Infosys Prize for Life Sciences – for his fundamental contributions towards understanding one of the most basic mechanisms in biology.


References

  1. 1 2 Staff Reporter (2020-12-02). "Infosys Prize 2020 winners felicitated in six categories". The Hindu. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
  2. 1 2 "Infosys Laureate - Life Sciences (2020) ~ Rajan Sankaranarayanan".
  3. ↑ https://www.cell.com/fulltext/S0092-8674(00)80746-1
  4. ↑ Kuncha, Santosh Kumar; Kruparani, Shobha P.; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan (2019-11-08). "Chiral checkpoints during protein biosynthesis". Journal of Biological Chemistry. 294 (45): 16535–16548. doi: 10.1074/jbc.REV119.008166 . ISSN   0021-9258. PMC   6851308 . PMID   31591268.
  5. ↑ Ahmad, Sadeem; Routh, Satya Brata; Kamarthapu, Venu; Chalissery, Jisha; Muthukumar, Sowndarya; Hussain, Tanweer; Kruparani, Shobha P; Deshmukh, Mandar V; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan (2013-12-03). Kuriyan, John (ed.). "Mechanism of chiral proofreading during translation of the genetic code". eLife. 2 e01519. doi: 10.7554/eLife.01519 . ISSN   2050-084X. PMC   3845328 . PMID   24302572.
  6. ↑ Kuncha, Santosh Kumar; Mazeed, Mohd; Singh, Raghvendra; Kattula, Bhavita; Routh, Satya Brata; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan (2018-02-06). "A chiral selectivity relaxed paralog of DTD for proofreading tRNA mischarging in Animalia". Nature Communications. 9 (1): 511. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02204-w . ISSN   2041-1723. PMC   5802732 . PMID   29410408.
  7. ↑ Kuncha, Santosh Kumar; Venkadasamy, Vinitha Lakshmi; Amudhan, Gurumoorthy; Dahate, Priyanka; Kola, Sankara Rao; Pottabathini, Sambhavi; Kruparani, Shobha P; Shekar, P Chandra; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan (2020-05-28). Manley, James L; Hinnebusch, Alan G; Ibba, Michael; Francklyn, Christopher (eds.). "Genomic innovation of ATD alleviates mistranslation associated with multicellularity in Animalia". eLife. 9 e58118. doi: 10.7554/eLife.58118 . ISSN   2050-084X. PMC   7302879 . PMID   32463355.
  8. ↑ Mazeed, Mohd; Singh, Raghvendra; Kumar, Pradeep; Roy, Ankit; Raman, Bakthisaran; Kruparani, Shobha P.; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan (2021-02-05). "Recruitment of archaeal DTD is a key event toward the emergence of land plants". Science Advances. 7 (6). doi:10.1126/sciadv.abe8890. ISSN   2375-2548. PMC   7857688 . PMID   33536220.
  9. ↑ Gogoi, Jotin; Bhatnagar, Akshay; Ann, Kezia. J.; Pottabathini, Sambhavi; Singh, Raghvendra; Mazeed, Mohd; Kuncha, Santosh Kumar; Kruparani, Shobha P.; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan (2022-01-14). "Switching a conflicted bacterial DTD-tRNA code is essential for the emergence of mitochondria". Science Advances. 8 (2) eabj7307. doi:10.1126/sciadv.abj7307. ISSN   2375-2548. PMC   8754408 . PMID   35020439.
  10. ↑ Kumar, Pradeep; Babu, Kandhalu Sagadevan Dinesh; Singh, Avinash Kumar; Singh, Dipesh Kumar; Nalli, Aswan; Mukul, Shivapura Jagadeesha; Roy, Ankit; Mazeed, Mohd; Raman, Bakthisaran; Kruparani, Shobha P.; Siddiqi, Imran; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan (2023-06-13). "Distinct localization of chiral proofreaders resolves organellar translation conflict in plants". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 120 (24) e2219292120. doi:10.1073/pnas.2219292120. ISSN   0027-8424. PMC   10268278 . PMID   37276405.
  11. ↑ Patil, Gajanan S; Kinatukara, Priyadarshan; Mondal, Sudipta; Shambhavi, Sakshi; Patel, Ketan D; Pramanik, Surabhi; Dubey, Noopur; Narasimhan, Subhash; Madduri, Murali Krishna; Pal, Biswajit; Gokhale, Rajesh S; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan (2021-09-07). Raushel, Frank; Marletta, Michael A; Nair, Satish K (eds.). "A universal pocket in fatty acyl-AMP ligases ensures redirection of fatty acid pool away from coenzyme A-based activation". eLife. 10 e70067. doi: 10.7554/eLife.70067 . ISSN   2050-084X. PMC   8460268 . PMID   34490847.
  12. ↑ Mondal, Sudipta; Kinatukara, Priyadarshan; Singh, Shubham; Shambhavi, Sakshi; Patil, Gajanan S; Dubey, Noopur; Singh, Salam Herojeet; Pal, Biswajit; Shekar, P Chandra; Kamat, Siddhesh S; Sankaranarayanan, Rajan (2022-06-29). Campelo, Felix; Malhotra, Vivek; Campelo, Felix (eds.). "DIP2 is a unique regulator of diacylglycerol lipid homeostasis in eukaryotes". eLife. 11 e77665. doi: 10.7554/eLife.77665 . ISSN   2050-084X. PMC   9342972 . PMID   35766356.
  13. ↑ "11 scientists selected for Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar award" ibn live, Sep 26,2011

https://www.embo.org/press-releases/embo-elects-67-new-members-and-associate-members/

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