Barani Kumar Rajendran

Yale University | YU · School of Medicine

Venomous reptiles especially serpents are well known for their adverse effects after accidental conflicts with humans. Upon biting humans these serpents transmit arrays of detrimental toxins with diverse physiological activities that may either lead to minor symptoms such as dermatitis and allergic response or highly severe symptoms such as blood c...

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is second most common cause of cancer-related mortality in the USA and most patients with advanced tumors lack effective therapeutic options. Epigenetic silencing resulting in reduced expression of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) has been described in diverse tumor types including CRC and it is li...

Among people with HIV (PWH), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is increasing in incidence, presents with more advanced disease, and portends a worse prognosis compared to the general NSCLC population. Despite effective control of viral replication with antiretroviral therapy (ART), PWH have evidence of immune dysfunction, and it is unknown whether...

Neutrophils are important innate immune cells with plasticity, heterogenicity, and functional ambivalency. While bone marrow is often regarded as the primary source of neutrophil production, the roles of extramedullary production in regulating neutrophil plasticity and heterogenicity in autoimmune diseases remain poorly understood. Here, we report...

CD8⁺ T cells play an important role in anti-tumor immunity. Better understanding of their regulation could advance cancer immunotherapies. Here we identify, via stepwise CRISPR-based screening, that CUL5 is a negative regulator of the core signaling pathways of CD8⁺ T cells. Knocking out CUL5 in mouse CD8⁺ T cells significantly improves their tumor...

Homeobox D10 (HOXD10) is a transcription factor from the homeobox gene family that controls cell differentiation and morphogenesis throughout development.Due to their functional interaction, changes in HOXD10 gene expression might induce tumors. This narrative review focuses on how and why the dysregulation in the signaling pathways linked with HOX...

Oral cancer is a common and deadly kind of tissue invasion, has a high death rate, and may induce metastasis that mostly affects adults over the age of 40. Most in vitro traditional methods for studying cancer have included the use of monolayer cell cultures and several animal models. There is a worldwide effort underway to reduce the excessive use...

Introduction: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death among PWH with a relative risk that is over 3-fold higher compared to the uninfected population. In addition, HIV-infected patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have a significantly worse prognosis. The determinants for these associations remain uncertain. Methods: We...

Endocytosis in mammalian cells is a fundamental cellular machinery that regulates vital physiological processes, such as the absorption of metabolites, release of neurotransmitters, uptake of hormone cellular defense, and delivery of biomolecules across the plasma membrane. A remarkable characteristic of the endocytic machinery is the sequential as...

Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have a numerous biomedical applications including their antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anticancer applications. We have synthesized AuNPs laced with the extracts of red algae Halymenia pseudofloresii using the green method (Hp-AuNPs). The synthesized nanoparticles were characterized by UV spectroscopy, XRD, FTIR, and SEM...

Green synthesized metal nanoparticles play a significant role in biomedical applications. This investigation focused on eco-friendly synthesized iron nanoparticles using marine brown algae Spatoglossum asperum which was evaluated for its anticancer and free radical scavenging activity against glioblastoma. The formation of iron nanoparticles confir...

WNT5A and WNT5B are two close homologs, both of which are implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases. However, the roles these two proteins play in the disease remain largely uncharacterized. Here, we report that double knockout of Wnt5a and Wnt5b (Wnt5 DKO) protects mice from Dextran Sodium Sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in mice,...

Pulmonary inflammation compromises lung barrier function and underlies many lung diseases including acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). However, mechanisms by which lung cells respond to the damage caused by the inflammatory insults are not completely understood. Here we show that Fzd6-deficiency in Foxj1+ ciliated cel...

Phytochemical substances in seaweeds have a wide range of pharmacological properties and are involved in a unique eco-friendly technique to produce stable, less harmful metal nanoparticles. The antioxidant-rich phytochemical elements in red seaweed Champia parvula extract have garnered attention for their potential functions in the prevention of hu...

Endocytosis in mammalian cells is a fundamental cellular machinery that regulates vital physiological processes, such as the absorption of metabolites, release of neurotransmitters, hormonal secretion, cellular defense, and delivery of biomolecules across the plasma membrane. A remarkable characteristic of the endocytic machinery is the sequential...

CD8+ T cells play an important role in tumor immune surveillance and control. Better understanding of the regulation of their anti-tumor actions and improving their cytotoxic function and persistence will help advancing cancer immunotherapies. Here, we report the development of a step-wise CRISPR knockout (KO) screening strategy under the selection...

3D bioprinting has become a popular medical technique in recent years. The most compelling rationale for the development of 3D bioprinting is the paucity of biological structures required for the rehabilitation of missing organs and tissues. They're useful in a multitude of domains, including disease modelling, regenerative medicine, tissue enginee...

Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) incidence increases with age, and blood involvement portends a worse prognosis. To advance our understanding of CTCL development and identify potential therapeutic targets, we performed integrative analyses of paired single-cell RNA and TCR sequencing of peripheral blood CD4+ T-cells from CTCL patients to reveal dis...

Gene expression changes are one of the hallmarks of malignant cells and such changes in specific genes have been identified for a variety of human cancers. Such an association in gene expression changes becomes very significant for breast cancers due to the genetic heterogeneity seen in such cancers. It is due to such genetic implication that breas...

The biocompatible gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have great potential in the development of next-generation anti-cancer medicine. Here, AuNPs were synthesized through a biogenic method using the red marine algae Champia parvula. The synthesized Cp-AuNPs were characterized and confirmed by various spectroscopic techniques. The UV spectroscopy analysis f...

Cancer is a disease characterised by abnormal cell growth that can invade or spread to other regions of the body. Organoids are three-dimensional ex vivo tissue cultures made from embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, progenitor cells or tissue that serve as a physiological model for cancer research. These are designed to recapitula...

In this present study, marine red algae Hypnea valentiae capped silver nanoparticles (Hv-AgNPs) have been prepared through the green method and characterized by various analytical tools. The prepared Hv-AgNPs were confirmed by Ultraviolet-visible (UV) spectroscopy at 430 nm. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis affirmed the face-centered cubic crys...

The feasibility of personalized medicine for cancer treatment is largely hampered by costly, labor-intensive and time-consuming models for drug discovery. Herein, establishing new pre-clinical models to tackle these issues for personalized medicine is urgently demanded. Methods: We established a three-dimensional tumor slice culture (3D-TSC) platfo...

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant head and neck cancer type with high morbidity in Southeast Asia, however the pathogenic mechanism of this disease is poorly understood. Using integrative pharmacogenomics, we find that NPC subtypes maintain distinct molecular features, drug responsiveness, and graded radiation sensitivity. The epithelia...

Background: Germline mutation in BRCA1 and BRCA2 (BRCA) is genetic predisposition for breast and ovarian cancer. Identification of mutation carriers is a critical step to prevent and treat the cancer in the mutation carriers. Human BRCA variation has been well determined as ethnic-specific by studies in Ashkenazi Jewish, Polish and Icelandic popul...

BRCA1 mutation carriers have a higher risk of developing triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which is a refractory disease due to its non-responsiveness to current clinical targeted therapies. Using the Sleeping Beauty transposon system in Brca1-deficient mice, we identified 169 putative cancer drivers, among which Notch1 is a top candidate for a...

The giant multifunctional protein “OBSCURIN” is encoded by OBSCN gene and is mostly expressed in cardiac and other skeletal muscles responsible for myofibrils organization. Loss of OBSCURIN affects the entire downstream pathway proteins vital for various cellular functions including cell integration and cell adhesion. The OBSCN gene mutations are m...

Breast cancer is the second most frequently occurring form of cancer and is also the second most lethal cancer in women worldwide. A genetic mutation is one of the key factors that alter multiple cellular regulatory pathways and drive breast cancer initiation and progression yet nature of these cancer drivers remains elusive. In this article, we ha...

The alpha-delta bungartoxin-4 (α-δ-Bgt-4) is a potent neurotoxin produced by highly venomous snake species, Bungarus caeruleus, mainly targeting neuronal acetylcholine receptors (nAchRs) and producing adverse biological malfunctions leading to respiratory paralysis and mortality. In this study, we predicted the three-dimensional structure of α-δ-Bg...

Background: The alpha-delta bungartoxin-4 (α-δ-Bgt-4) is a potent neurotoxin produced by highly venomous snake species, Bungarus caeruleus, mainly targeting neuronal acetylcholine receptors (nAchRs) and producing adverse biological malfunctions leading to respiratory paralysis and mortality. Objective: In this study, we predicted the three-dimensio...

Objective: Charybdotoxin-C (ChTx-C), from the scorpion Leiurus, quinquestriatus hebraeus blocks the calcium-activated potassium channels and causes hyper excitability of the nervous system. Detailed understanding the structure of ChTx-C, conformational stability, and intermolecular interactions are required to select the potential inhibitors of the...

Objective: A wide range of toxic effects against other species are affected through potential protein molecules called neurotoxins. Among various kinds of toxins, neurotoxins play a critical role in life of other organisms (especially humans). So it is relatively important to know more about neurotoxins and their action on biological systems. All a...

Objective: A wide range of toxic effects against other species are affected through potential protein molecules called neurotoxins. Among various kinds of toxins, neurotoxins play a critical role in life of other organisms (especially humans). So it is relatively important to know more about neurotoxins and their action on biological systems. All a...

Objective: Desmodium gangeticum (Linn.) DC of Fabaceae is the vital plant used in ancient medicinal system of Ayurveda which was originated in India. This plant was reported to be a good result on cardiac system and nervous system. It has an ability to cures burning sensation, fever, cough, difficult breathing, dysentery, thirst and vomiting. D. ga...

Objectives: Various types of venoms are being produced by different toxic species which make mild or severe damage to the biological system of target species. The main objective is to disseminate structural information in order to understand the functional importance of the short chain neurotoxins (SCNs). Methods: Computational homology modeling te...

Toxins are poisonous substances produced by living organisms from emergent microscopic species to well developed species mainly for protection and predation. Biological toxins produce wide range of health effects to mankind, for example, neurotoxins play an essential role by modulating the physiology of nervous system of target species. Toxins are...

Tamulotoxin (TmTx) from Buthus tamulus was found to be a highly venomous toxin which accelerates the neurotransmitter release that directly affects the cardiovascular tissues and the respiratory system leading to death. TmTx from red Indian scorpion is a crucial inhibitor for Ca(2+) activated K(+) channel in humans. The study is aimed at the identi...

Several research works are being carried out on natural medicines because they are cost effective and play a vital role in providing a permanent remedy. Phytochemicals are pharmacologically important source of plant products which targets many diseases especially finding antidote for envenomation. Accidental toxin bite becomes highly lethal due to...

Ricin is considered to be one of the most deadly toxins and gained its favor as a bioweapon that has a serious social and biological impact, due to its widespread nature and abundant availability. The hazardous effects of this toxin in human being are seen in almost all parts of the organ system. The severe consequences of the toxin necessitate the...

Sterol is a very vital compound for most of the insects and mosquitoes to complete their life cycle. Unfortunately mosquitoes cannot synthesize the sterol, it depends on mammals for the same. Mosquitoes take the sterol from the plant decays during their larval stage in the form of phytosterol, which is then converted to cholesterol for further grow...