D. Kumar

Effect of developmental and adult diet composition on reproductive aging in Drosophila melanogaster

This study investigates how developmental and adult diet composition affects reproductive aging in Drosophila melanogaster, finding age-dependent impacts with independent effects of developmental and adult diets.

Large-pore connexin hemichannels function as molecule transporters independently of ion conduction

The paper shows that connexin hemichannels can transport molecules independently of ion conduction, challenging the conventional view of their function.

PPARγ mediated enhanced lipid biogenesis fuels Mycobacterium tuberculosis growth in a drug-tolerant hepatocyte environment.

This study shows Mtb induces PPARγ in hepatocytes to create lipid droplets and drug-tolerant environments, contributing to systemic pathogenicity and metabolic impairments during TB infection.

Unravelling Silicon's Transcriptomic Armor in Soybean against Macrophomina phaseolina causing Charcoal Rot Disease

This study uses RNA-Seq to identify genes and pathways involved in soybean resistance to charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina, showing that potassium silicate reduces disease incidence.

Conformational Dynamics and metal-ion interactions in human small Ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO2)

This study investigates Cu2+ ion binding and conformational flexibility in SUMO2, showing its impact on aggregation and non-covalent interactions with SIMs.

A mitochondrial quality control mechanism reverses the phagosome maturation arrest caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis

This study identifies a mitochondrial quality control mechanism that reverses phagosome maturation arrest caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis through RAB7 recruitment and lysosomal targeting.

Mediator Subunit Med4 Enforces Metastatic Dormancy in Breast Cancer

This study identifies Med4 as a regulator of metastatic dormancy in breast cancer, showing its role in maintaining chromatin structure and suppressing enhancer activation.

The N-terminal region of DNMT3A combines multiple chromatin reading motifs to guide recruitment.

This study identifies the N-terminal region of DNMT3A as containing multiple chromatin-binding motifs that mediate recruitment through interactions with nucleosomes and ubiquitylated histone H2AK119.

Ticks without borders: Microbial communities of immature Neotropical tick species parasitizing migratory landbirds along northern Gulf of Mexico

This study examines microbial communities in ticks parasitizing migratory birds in the Gulf of Mexico, identifying pathogenic microbes and their potential role in tick-borne pathogen spread.

Ly6G+Granulocytes-derived IL-17 limits protective host responses and promotes tuberculosis pathogenesis

This study identifies IL-17 and COX2 as negative regulators of protective immunity in tuberculosis, showing that Ly6G+ granulocytes are a major source of IL-17 and their inhibition reduces bacterial burden and pathology.

Cardiomyocyte-specific adenylyl cyclase type-8 overexpression induces activation of RelA together with myocardial and systemic inflammation

This study shows that overexpressing adenylyl cyclase type-8 in cardiomyocytes activates RelA and causes myocardial and systemic inflammation, leading to accelerated aging and reduced lifespan.

A Gallium-68-Labeled Peptide Radiotracer For CD38-Targeted Imaging In Multiple Myeloma With PET

This paper develops a gallium-68-labeled peptide radiotracer, [68Ga]Ga-AJ206, for non-invasive CD38 imaging in multiple myeloma using PET, showing high specificity and utility in monitoring therapy response.

STAT3 protects HSCs from intrinsic interferon signaling and loss of long-term blood-forming activity

This study shows that STAT3 is essential for maintaining hematopoietic stem cell function by suppressing interferon signaling and myeloid skewing, and its loss leads to impaired hematopoietic activity.

Evidence of kinesin motors involved in stable kinetochore assembly during early meiosis

This study identifies kinesin motors involved in stable kinetochore assembly during early meiosis in budding yeast.

Discovery And Characterization of Small Molecule Inhibitors of Zika Virus Replication

This study identifies compound F1289-0194 as a potential inhibitor of Zika virus replication through molecular docking, dynamics simulations, and in vitro testing.

Glucocorticoid signaling mediates CD8+ T cell memory differentiation

The paper shows glucocorticoids enhance CD8+ T cell memory differentiation by promoting tissue-homing TRM cells and metabolic shifts via AMPK and STAT3/5 signaling.

Spatially Resolved Metabolites in Stable and Vulnerable Human Atherosclerotic Plaques Identified by Mass Spectrometry Imaging

This study identifies spatially resolved metabolite differences between stable and unstable human atherosclerotic plaques using mass spectrometry imaging and RNA-seq integration.

Centriolar satellites expedite mother centriole remodeling to promote ciliogenesis.

This study shows that PCM1 and centriolar satellites are essential for efficient ciliogenesis by facilitating protein trafficking and remodeling of the mother centriole.

An exploratory study on the microbiome of northern and southern populations of Ixodes scapularis ticks predicts changes and unique bacterial interactions

This study compares the microbiome of northern and southern Ixodes scapularis ticks using metagenomic sequencing and network analysis to identify bacterial interactions and differences.

Changes in microbial composition, diversity, and functionality in the Amblyomma maculatum microbiome following infection with Rickettsia parkeri

This study examines how Rickettsia parkeri infection and blood meal affect the microbiome composition, diversity, and functionality of Amblyomma maculatum ticks across their life cycle.

Machine learning-based modulation of Ca2+-binding affinity in EFhand proteins and comparative structural insights into site-specific cooperative binding

The paper designs an EF-hand loop with high Ca2+ affinity using machine learning and validates it through mutagenesis, ITC, and crystallography, showing enhanced binding and altered oligomerization.

Dual avatars of E. coli grxB encoded Glutaredoxin 2 perform ascorbate recycling and ion channel activities

This study identifies two functional roles of EcGrx2: ascorbate recycling and ion channel activity, revealing its role in antioxidant defense and membrane integration in E. coli.

Transcriptional Inactivation of TP53 and the BMP Pathway Mediates Therapy-induced Dedifferentiation and Metastasis in Prostate Cancer

The paper identifies a novel subtype of therapy-induced prostate cancer cells with hybrid E/M and stem-like traits, showing their dependency on HER2/3 signaling and resistance to AR inhibition.

Label-retention expansion microscopy

This paper introduces label-retention expansion microscopy (LR-ExM) to prevent fluorescence signal loss and enable high-efficiency labeling, achieving molecular resolution in visualizing clathrin-coated pits.

A ciliopathy complex builds distal appendages to initiate ciliogenesis

The paper identifies the DISCO complex, essential for ciliogenesis, and shows its role in distal appendage formation and centriole length regulation, linking defects to human ciliopathies.

Host-virus chimeric events in SARS-CoV2 infected cells are infrequent and artifactual

This study investigates host-virus chimeric (HVC) events in SARS-CoV2 RNA-seq data and finds they are rare and likely artifacts, not evidence of viral integration.

Lipophilic Nanocrystal Prodrug-Release Defines the Extended Pharmacokinetic Profiles of a Year-Long Cabotegravir

This study demonstrates that a nanoformulated CAB prodrug (NM2CAB) maintains plasma levels above the inhibitory concentration for up to one year, with sustained drug retention in tissues and macrophages.

PRAK-03202: A triple antigen VLP vaccine candidate against SARS CoV-2

This paper develops a triple antigen VLP vaccine candidate, PRAK-03202, against SARS-CoV-2 and shows it induces neutralizing antibodies and Th1 immune responses in mice.

Benchmarking ensemble docking methods as a scientific outreach project

High school students benchmarked ensemble docking methods for ligand affinity prediction in a drug discovery challenge, finding Cathepsin S challenging and exploring advanced techniques.

Evaluation of Safety and Immunogenicity of an Adjuvanted, TH-1 Skewed, Whole Virion Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine - BBV152

This study evaluates the safety and immunogenicity of a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine BBV152 in mice, rats, and rabbits, showing high antibody titers and Th1-biased responses with the TLR7/8 agonist adjuvant.