Rashna Bhandari

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Rashna Bhandari
NationalityIndian
Alma mater Indian Institute of Science, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Rockefeller University, University of California, Berkeley
Known forBiological Sciences, Eukaryotic signal transduction
Scientific career
Institutions Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics

Rashna Bhandari is Head, Laboratory of Cell Signalling at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad. Bhandari is pursuing her study on signal transduction in biological systems, with particular emphasis on understanding the role of inositol pyrophosphates in physiology and metabolism.

Contents

Education

Bhandari obtained her bachelor's degree in Human Biology from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, followed by post graduation and doctorate in Biological Sciences from the Indian Institute of Science. [1]

Career

Bhandari joined Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics in 2008 as a Staff Scientist.

Post her doctorate at Indian Institute of Science, Bhandari worked with Sandhya Srikant Visweswariah on signal transduction by the membrane-bound guanylyl cyclase, GCC, which is involved in maintaining fluid and ion homeostasis across the intestinal membrane. [2]

In 2001, Bhandari joined John Kuriyan laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley as a post-doctoral fellow to work on the structural biology and biochemistry of proteins involved in cell signaling. [2] In 2003, Bhandari relocated to the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore, where she worked with Solomon Snyder on deciphering the role of inositol pyrophosphates as signalling molecules. [2]

In 2015, a group led by Bhandari found that mice with lower levels of IP7 show reduced blood clotting. Inadequate levels of IP7 led to reduction in another phosphate-rich molecule called polyphosphate (a long chain of phosphate groups linked to each other). In mammals, polyphosphate is predominantly found in platelets and helps in strengthening blood clots during their formation. Polyphosphates housed inside platelets break up during clotting. These polyphosphates and other components get released to form a mesh that constitutes the basic structure for clot. Lowering IP7 levels could have potential applications in the prevention of stroke or myocardial infarction by reducing clotting. [3]

Bhandari believes that ambition leads to success and not gender. [4]

Publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Signal transduction</span> Cascade of intracellular and molecular events for transmission/amplification of signals

Signal transduction is the process by which a chemical or physical signal is transmitted through a cell as a series of molecular events. Most commonly, protein phosphorylation is catalyzed by protein kinases, ultimately resulting in a cellular response. Proteins responsible for detecting stimuli are generally termed receptors, although in some cases the term sensor is used. The changes elicited by ligand binding in a receptor give rise to a biochemical cascade, which is a chain of biochemical events known as a signaling pathway.

Inositol trisphosphate or inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate abbreviated InsP3 or Ins3P or IP3 is an inositol phosphate signaling molecule. It is made by hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), a phospholipid that is located in the plasma membrane, by phospholipase C (PLC). Together with diacylglycerol (DAG), IP3 is a second messenger molecule used in signal transduction in biological cells. While DAG stays inside the membrane, IP3 is soluble and diffuses through the cell, where it binds to its receptor, which is a calcium channel located in the endoplasmic reticulum. When IP3 binds its receptor, calcium is released into the cytosol, thereby activating various calcium regulated intracellular signals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inositol</span> Carbocyclic sugar

Inositol, primarily the isomer myo-inositol, is a carbocyclic sugar that is abundant in the brain and other mammalian tissues; it mediates cell signal transduction in response to a variety of hormones, neurotransmitters, and growth factors and participates in osmoregulation. Concerning regulation of osmosis, in most mammalian cells the intracellular concentrations of myo-inositol are 5 to 500 times greater than the extracellular concentrations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phosphatidylinositol</span> Signaling molecule

Phosphatidylinositol or inositol phospholipid is a biomolecule. It was initially called "inosite" when it was discovered by Léon Maquenne and Johann Joseph von Scherer in the late 19th century. It was discovered in bacteria but later also found in eukaryotes, and was found to be a signaling molecule.

Second messengers are intracellular signaling molecules released by the cell in response to exposure to extracellular signaling molecules—the first messengers. Second messengers trigger physiological changes at cellular level such as proliferation, differentiation, migration, survival, apoptosis and depolarization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inositol phosphate</span>

Inositol phosphates are a group of mono- to hexaphosphorylated inositols. Each form of inositol phosphate is distinguished by the number and position of the phosphate group on the inositol ring.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inositol-phosphate phosphatase</span> Class of enzymes

The enzyme Inositol phosphate-phosphatase is of the phosphodiesterase family of enzymes. It is involved in the phosphophatidylinositol signaling pathway, which affects a wide array of cell functions, including but not limited to, cell growth, apoptosis, secretion, and information processing. Inhibition of inositol monophosphatase may be key in the action of lithium in treating bipolar disorder, specifically manic depression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inositol-trisphosphate 3-kinase</span> Class of enzymes

Inositol (1,4,5) trisphosphate 3-kinase (EC 2.7.1.127), abbreviated here as ITP3K, is an enzyme that facilitates a phospho-group transfer from adenosine triphosphate to 1D-myo-inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. This enzyme belongs to the family of transferases, specifically those transferring phosphorus-containing groups (phosphotransferases) with an alcohol group as acceptor. The systematic name of this enzyme class is ATP:1D-myo-inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate 3-phosphotransferase. ITP3K catalyzes the transfer of the gamma-phosphate from ATP to the 3-position of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate to form inositol 1,3,4,5-tetrakisphosphate. ITP3K is highly specific for the 1,4,5-isomer of IP3, and it exclusively phosphorylates the 3-OH position, producing Ins(1,3,4,5)P4, also known as inositol tetrakisphosphate or IP4.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">INPP5D</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Src homology 2 (SH2) domain containing inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatase 1(SHIP1) is an enzyme with phosphatase activity. SHIP1 is structured by multiple domain and is encoded by the INPP5D gene in humans. SHIP1 is expressed predominantly by hematopoietic cells but also, for example, by osteoblasts and endothelial cells. This phosphatase is important for the regulation of cellular activation. Not only catalytic but also adaptor activities of this protein are involved in this process. Its movement from the cytosol to the cytoplasmic membrane, where predominantly performs its function, is mediated by tyrosine phosphorylation of the intracellular chains of cell surface receptors that SHIP1 binds. Insufficient regulation of SHIP1 leads to different pathologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phospholipase C</span> Class of enzymes

Phospholipase C (PLC) is a class of membrane-associated enzymes that cleave phospholipids just before the phosphate group (see figure). It is most commonly taken to be synonymous with the human forms of this enzyme, which play an important role in eukaryotic cell physiology, in particular signal transduction pathways. Phospholipase C's role in signal transduction is its cleavage of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) into diacyl glycerol (DAG) and inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), which serve as second messengers. Activators of each PLC vary, but typically include heterotrimeric G protein subunits, protein tyrosine kinases, small G proteins, Ca2+, and phospholipids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">INPP4A</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Type I inositol-3,4-bisphosphate 4-phosphatase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the INPP4A gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">INPP5B</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Type II inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate 5-phosphatase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the INPP5B gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">IHPK1</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the IP6K1 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">INPP4B</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Inositol polyphosphate-4-phosphatase, type II, 105kDa is a protein that in humans is encoded by the INPP4B gene.

Inositol-polyphosphate multikinase is an enzyme with systematic name ATP:1D-myo-inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate 6-phosphotransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction

Inositol-hexakisphosphate kinase is an enzyme with systematic name ATP:1D-myo-inositol-hexakisphosphate 5-phosphotransferase. This enzyme catalyses the following chemical reaction

Phosphatidylinositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate 5-phosphatase is an enzyme with systematic name 1-phosphatidyl-1D-myo-inositol-3,4,5-trisphosphate 5-phosphohydrolase, that has two isoforms: SHIP1 and SHIP2 (INPPL1).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PPIP5K2</span> Protein-coding gene in the species Homo sapiens

Diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate kinase 2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the PPIP5K2 gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inositol polyphosphate kinase</span> Enzyme family

Inositol polyphosphate kinase (IPK) is a family of enzymes that have a similar 3-dimensional structure. All members of the family catalyze the transfer of phosphate groups from ATP to various inositol phosphates. Members of the family include inositol-polyphosphate multikinases, inositol-hexakisphosphate kinases, inositol-trisphosphate 3-kinases, and inositol-pentakisphosphate 2-kinase, which is more distantly related to the others

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothea Fiedler</span> German chemical biologist

Dorothea Fiedler is a chemical biologist and also the first female director of the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie in Berlin, Germany.

References

  1. "CDFD Profile - Rashna Bhandari" . Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Fellow Profile" . Retrieved 16 July 2016.
  3. Mallikarjun, Y. (18 February 2015). "Small molecule with a huge potential". The Hindu. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  4. "In media". Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 16 July 2016.