Veena Parnaik

Last updated

Dr. Veena Parnaik
Born1953
Nationality Indian
Alma mater
Known for
Contributions to the understanding of the nuclear lamina
Awards2011  JC Bose Fellowship
Scientific career
Fields Cell Biology
Institutions

Veena Krishnaji Parnaik (born 1953) is an Indian cell biologist and the current Chief Scientist at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. She obtained her Masters in Science in medicinal biochemistry from the University of Mumbai and received her PhD from Ohio State University before moving back to India to work at the CCMB. Her research is focused on understanding the functional role of the nuclear lamina and how defects in it may lead to disorders such as progeria and muscular dystrophy.

Contents

Education and career

In 1974, Dr. Veena Parnaik obtained her M.Sc from the University of Mumbai. [1] She then traveled to the United States to obtain her PhD at Ohio State University for her research on the enzyme dextransucrase. [1] She received her PhD in 1979 and then in 1980 she traveled back to India to work at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, (CCMB), in Hyderabad as a research associate. [1] In 1981 she was promoted to scientist and she currently holds the role of Chief Scientist at the institution. [1] Since that time she has been an active member of the Indian Society of Cell Biology and has been a member of the RAP-SAC of National Institute of Immunology in New Delhi and the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics in Hyderabad. [1]

Research

Dr. Parnaik's research is mainly concerned with understanding the functional role of the nuclear lamina, not to be confused with the basal lamina which provides structural support to the extracellular matrix. The nuclear lamina provides structural support to the nucleus and is invaluable in its role in cell differentiation in the embryonic stage and its role in regulating certain cellular events such as cell division and DNA replication. Although her research is concerned with the functional role of the nuclear lamina the applications of her research may provide insight into the causes and genetic origins of laminopathies.

Laminopathies

Laminopathies are a group of rare genetic disorders that are caused by defects in genes that code for the nuclear lamina. [2] Symptoms of laminopathy may include muscular dystrophy, diabetes, dysplasia and progeria (premature aging). [2] Although there are a number of rare mutations that may result in laminopathy one of the most well researched causes is a mutation in the gene coding for lamin A/C (LMNA). [3] Dr. Parnaik's research is concerned with discovering the cause of a number of defects on the nuclear level that result from mutations in LMNA that include failure to differentiate in adipose tissue, impaired nuclear integrity, impairment in the cell's ability to respond to DNA damaging agents, and cellular toxicity which may lead to premature aging. [2]

Nuclear Lamins

A large role of Dr. Parnaik's research into the nuclear lamina is focused on the nuclear lamins, fibrous proteins found in the nuclear lamina that provide structural support and are essential for proper cell differentiation and gene regulation. Through her research, Dr. Parnaik has made considerable progress in understanding the role of nuclear lamins during embryonic development. She identified human lamin A/C as being invaluable to proper embryonic development by demonstrating that depletion leads to improper cell differentiation in stem cells. [3] In cells where lamin A/C has been depleted the stem cells fail to differentiate into endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm. [3] In addition to stem cell differentiation, Dr. Parnaik's research has also shown a relationship between lamin A/C and cyclin D3. [4] From her research, Dr. Parnaik pointed towards a complex that formed between lamin A/C and cyclin D3 that played an important role in muscle cell differentiation. [4] Dr. Parnaik's research may pave the way to new understanding of how cell's differentiate in the embryonic stage and may provide insight into how mutations and deletions in these molecules may explain certain embryonic defects and failures to differentiate.

Honors and awards

Dr. Parnaik has served on the Executive Committee of the Indian Society of Cell Biology for numerous years (1991-1994, 2003-2005, and 2007-2009) and she served as the president of the Society from 2011 to 2013. [1] In 2004 she was elected Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy in New Delhi and in 2008 she was elected Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences in Bangalore. In 2011 she received the JC Bose Fellowship. [1] Dr. Parnaik has also received a number of prestigious awards including the Shakuntala Devi Amirchand Prize of ICMR (1992),the Dr. PA Krup Lecture Award of Society of Biological Chemists for India (1997) and the Professor SP Ray-Chaudhuri Lecture Award of Indian Society of Cell Biology (2010). [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cell nucleus</span> Eukaryotic membrane-bounded organelle containing DNA

The cell nucleus is a membrane-bound organelle found in eukaryotic cells. Eukaryotic cells usually have a single nucleus, but a few cell types, such as mammalian red blood cells, have no nuclei, and a few others including osteoclasts have many. The main structures making up the nucleus are the nuclear envelope, a double membrane that encloses the entire organelle and isolates its contents from the cellular cytoplasm; and the nuclear matrix, a network within the nucleus that adds mechanical support.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progeria</span> Genetic disorder that causes early aging

Progeria is a specific type of progeroid syndrome, also known as Hutchinson–Gilford syndrome. A single gene mutation is responsible for progeria. The gene, known as lamin A (LMNA), makes a protein necessary for holding the nucleus of the cell together. When this gene gets mutated an abnormal form of lamin A protein called progerin is produced. Progeroid syndromes are a group of diseases that causes individuals to age faster than usual, leading to them appearing older than they actually are. Patients born with progeria typically live to an age of mid-teens to early twenties.

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

Lamins, also known as nuclear lamins are fibrous proteins in type V intermediate filaments, providing structural function and transcriptional regulation in the cell nucleus. Nuclear lamins interact with inner nuclear membrane proteins to form the nuclear lamina on the interior of the nuclear envelope. Lamins have elastic and mechanosensitive properties, and can alter gene regulation in a feedback response to mechanical cues. Lamins are present in all animals but are not found in microorganisms, plants or fungi. Lamin proteins are involved in the disassembling and reforming of the nuclear envelope during mitosis, the positioning of nuclear pores, and programmed cell death. Mutations in lamin genes can result in several genetic laminopathies, which may be life-threatening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intermediate filament</span> Cytoskeletal structure

Intermediate filaments (IFs) are cytoskeletal structural components found in the cells of vertebrates, and many invertebrates. Homologues of the IF protein have been noted in an invertebrate, the cephalochordate Branchiostoma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear lamina</span>

The nuclear lamina is a dense fibrillar network inside the nucleus of eukaryote cells. It is composed of intermediate filaments and membrane associated proteins. Besides providing mechanical support, the nuclear lamina regulates important cellular events such as DNA replication and cell division. Additionally, it participates in chromatin organization and it anchors the nuclear pore complexes embedded in the nuclear envelope.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embryonic stem cell</span> Pluripotent stem cell of the inner cell mass of the blastocyst

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre-implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consist of 50–150 cells. Isolating the inner cell mass (embryoblast) using immunosurgery results in destruction of the blastocyst, a process which raises ethical issues, including whether or not embryos at the pre-implantation stage have the same moral considerations as embryos in the post-implantation stage of development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology</span>

The Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology or CCMB is an Indian fundamental life science research establishment located in Hyderabad that operates under the aegis of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. CCMB is a designated "Centre of Excellence" by the Global Molecular and Cell Biology Network, UNESCO.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laminopathy</span> Medical condition

Laminopathies are a group of rare genetic disorders caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins of the nuclear lamina. They are included in the more generic term nuclear envelopathies that was coined in 2000 for diseases associated with defects of the nuclear envelope. Since the first reports of laminopathies in the late 1990s, increased research efforts have started to uncover the vital role of nuclear envelope proteins in cell and tissue integrity in animals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pre-Lamin A/C</span> Filament protein

Pre-lamin A/C or lamin A/C is a protein that in humans is encoded by the LMNA gene. Lamin A/C belongs to the lamin family of proteins.

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

Lamin-B receptor is a protein, and in humans, it is encoded by the LBR gene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LEM domain-containing protein 3</span>

LEM domain-containing protein 3 (LEMD3), also known as MAN1, is an integral protein in the inner nuclear membrane (INM) of the nuclear envelope. It is encoded by the LEMD3 gene and was first identified after it was isolated from the serum of a patient with a collagen vascular disease.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuclear envelope</span> Nuclear membrane surrounding the nucleus in eukaryotic cells

The nuclear envelope, also known as the nuclear membrane, is made up of two lipid bilayer membranes that in eukaryotic cells surround the nucleus, which encloses the genetic material.

ZMPSTE24 is a human gene. The protein encoded by this gene is a metallopeptidase. It is involved in the processing of lamin A. Defects in the ZMPSTE24 gene lead to similar laminopathies as defects in lamin A, because the latter is a substrate for the former. In humans, a mutation abolishing the ZMPSTE24 cleavage site in prelamin A causes a progeroid disorder. Failure to correctly process prelamin A leads to deficient ability to repair DNA double-strand breaks.

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

Progerin is a truncated version of the lamin A protein involved in the pathology of Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome. Progerin is most often generated by a sporadic single point nucleotide polymorphism c.1824 C>T in the gene that codes for matured Lamin A. This mutation activates a cryptic splice site that induces a mutation in premature Lamin A with the deletion of a 50 amino acids group near the C-terminus. The endopeptidase ZMPSTE24 cannot cleave between the missing RSY - LLG amino acid sequence during the maturation of Lamin A, due to the deletion of the 50 amino acids which included that sequence. This leaves the intact premature Lamin A bonded to the methylated carboxyl farnesyl group creating the defective protein Progerin, rather than the desired protein matured Lamin A. Approximately 90% of all Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome cases are heterozygous for this deleterious single nucleotide polymorphism within exon 11 of the LMNA gene causing the post-translational modifications to produce Progerin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janet Rossant</span> Biologist

Janet Rossant, is a developmental biologist well known for her contributions to the understanding of the role of genes in embryo development. She is a world renowned leader in developmental biology. Her current research interests focus on stem cells, molecular genetics, and developmental biology. Specifically, she uses cellular and genetic manipulation techniques to study how genes control both normal and abnormal development of early mouse embryos. Rossant has discovered information on embryo development, how multiple types of stem cells are established, and the mechanisms by which genes control development. In 1998, her work helped lead to the discovery of the trophoblast stem cell, which has assisted in showing how congenital anomalies in the heart, blood vessels, and placenta can occur.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inner nuclear membrane protein</span> Protein embedded in inner membrane of nuclear envelope

Inner nuclear membrane proteins are membrane proteins that are embedded in or associated with the inner membrane of the nuclear envelope. There are about 60 INM proteins, most of which are poorly characterized with respect to structure and function. Among the few well-characterized INM proteins are lamin B receptor (LBR), lamina-associated polypeptide 1 (LAP1), lamina-associated polypeptide-2 (LAP2), emerin and MAN1.

Progeroid syndromes (PS) are a group of rare genetic disorders that mimic physiological aging, making affected individuals appear to be older than they are. The term progeroid syndrome does not necessarily imply progeria, which is a specific type of progeroid syndrome.

Ghanshyam Swarup is an Indian molecular biologist, a J. C. Bose National Fellow and the head of the Ghanshyam Swarup Research Group of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. He is known for his studies on glaucoma and the discovery of protein tyrosine phosphatase, a new protein influencing the regulation of cell proliferation. Swarup is an elected fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy and the National Academy of Sciences, India. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, the apex agency of the Government of India for scientific research, awarded him the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology, one of the highest Indian science awards, in 1996, for his contributions to biological sciences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LMNA-related congenital muscular dystrophy</span> Medical condition

Lamin A/C congenital muscular dystrophy (CMD) is a disease that it is included in laminopathies. Laminopathies are caused, among other mutations, to mutations in LMNA, a gene that synthesizes lamins A and C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jyotsna Dhawan</span> Indian Cell and Developmental Biologist

Jyotsna Dhawan is an Indian Cell and Developmental Biologist, Emeritus Scientist at Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology and Visiting Professor, Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem). Dhawan's research has focused on adult stem cell function and skeletal muscle regeneration. Dhawan is the current (2019-2021) President of the Indian Society for Cell Biology and the Indian Society of Developmental Biologists (2017-2020). Dhawan was elected as a fellow to the Indian National Science Academy in 2019.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "INSA". www.insaindia.org. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Parnaik, Veena (October 2006). "Laminopathies: Multiple disorders arising from defects in nuclear architecture". Journal of Biosciences. 31 (3): 405–21. doi:10.1007/bf02704113. PMID   17006023. S2CID   5871612.
  3. 1 2 3 Sehgal, Poonam (25 February 2013). "Lamin A/C Haploinsufficiency Modulates the Differentiation Potential of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells". PLOS ONE. 8 (2): e57891. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...857891S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057891 . PMC   3581495 . PMID   23451281.
  4. 1 2 Mariappan, Indumathi (20 February 2007). "Identification of cyclin D3 as a new interaction partner of lamin A/C". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 355 (4): 981–5. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2007.02.060. PMID   17321498.