1. Transport and Force Generation by Molecular Motors:
The organization inside a cell is maintained through a transportation system in which proteins called molecular motors (kinesin, dynein and unconventional myosin) haul cargo from one place to another along cytoskeletal filaments (microtubules and actin).

These molecular motors often function in team and our understanding of how these multiple motors function together is less developed. For example

  • How the team-work of these motors depends on the biophysical properties of individual motors engaged on cargo?
  • How switching of cargos from one filament to another is decided at microtubule and actin junctions inside cells?
  • How the team-work of these motors is modulated by various regulators?

The breakdown of this transportation system has been associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. A better
understanding of mechanism of intracellular transport will aid in the design of new therapeutic approaches.

Related Recent Publications from Lab:

  • Cargo transport properties are enhanced by cylindrical microtubule geometry and elliptical contact zone on cargo surface, Saumya Yadav, Aritra Sen and Ambarish Kunwar, Journal of Theoretical Biology, 565, 111466 (2023)
  • Sliding of motor tails on cargo surface due to drift and diffusion affects their team arrangement and collective transport, Saumya Yadav and Ambarish Kunwar, Physical Biology, 20, 016002 (2022)
  • Saumya Yadav and Ambarish Kunwar, Temperature dependent Activity of Motor Proteins: Energetics and Their Implications for Collective Behavior, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, section Membrane Traffic 9:610899. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.610899 (2021)
  • Carlos M. Guardia, Raffaella De Pace, Aritra Sen, Amra Saric, Michal Jarnik, David A. Kolin, Ambarish Kunwar, Juan S. Bonifacino, Reversible association with motor proteins (RAMP): A streptavidin-based method to manipulate organelle positioning, PLoS Biology 17(5): e3000279 (2019)

2. Interaction of potential anti-cancer drugs and microtubule-associated proteins with microtubule:
Microtubule play an important role during cell division. Microtubule are targets for various potential anti-cancer drugs. We are studying interaction of various potential drugs with microtubule using a number of tools such as theoretical/computational modeling, virtual screening, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations.  We also use these techniques to understand the interaction of MAPs such as Tau with microtubules under normal and diseased conditions. 

Related Recent Publications from Lab:

  • Computer simulation reveals the effect of severing enzymes on dynamic and stabilized microtubules, Aritra Sen and Ambarish Kunwar, Physical Biology, doi:10.1088/1478-3975/acc301 (2023)
  • Computational study of interactions of anti-cancer drug eribulin with human tubulin isotypes, Khushnandan RaiBajarang Vasant KumbharDulal Panda and Ambarish Kunwar, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics, 24, 16694-16700 (2022)
  • Vishwambhar Bhandare, Bajarang Vasant Kumbhar and Ambarish Kunwar, Differential binding affinity of tau repeat region R2 with neuronal specific β-tubulin isotypes, Scientific Reports 9, 10795 (2019) 
  • Bajarang Vasant Kumbhar, Dulal Panda and Ambarish Kunwar, Interaction of microtubule depolymerizing agent indanocine with different human αβ tubulin isotypes, PLoS ONE 13(3): e0194934 (2018)

3. Interaction of various proteins involved in gonadal development:
Very recently, we have started to work very closely with clinicians to understand the interaction of various proteins involved in gonadal development with hormones and drugs under normal and diseased conditions. We again use a combination of computational approaches consisting of homology modeling, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics simulations to understand the molecular reasons behind the disease.

Related Recent Publications from Lab:

  • Side‐Chain Cleavage Enzyme Deficiency: Systematic Review and Case Series, Aditya Phadte, Sneha Arya, Vijaya SarathiAnurag Lila, Madhur Maheshwari, Sab Samad Memon, Ankita Rane, Virendra Patil, Khushnandan Rai, Darpan Raghav, Ambarish Kunwar, Tushar BandgarClinical EndocrinologyAccepted, doi: 10.1111/cen.14848 (2022)
  • Arya S, Barnabas R, Lila AR, Sarathi V, Memon SS, Bhandare VV, Thakkar K, Patil V, Shah NS, Kunwar A, Bandgar T. Clinical, Hormonal, Genetic, and Molecular Characteristics in Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome in an Asian Indian Cohort from a Single Centre in Western India, Sexual Development, doi: 10.1159/000517763 (2021).
  • Manjiri Pramod Karlekar, Vijaya Sarathi, Anurag Lila, Khushnandan Rai, Sneha Arya , Vishwambhar V. Bhandare, Sridevi Atluri, Virendra Patil, Swati Ramteke-Jadhav , Nalini S Shah, Ambarish Kunwar, Tushar Bandgar, Expanding genetic spectrum and discriminatory role of steroid profiling by LC-MS/MS in 11β-hydroxylase deficiency, Clinical Endocrinology (Oxf), 94(4):533-543 (2021). doi: 10.1111/cen.14376.
  • Sneha Arya, Ankita Tiwari, Anurag Ranjan Lila, Vijaya Sarathi, Vishwambhar V. Bhandare, Bajarang V. Kumbhar, Khushnandan Rai, Ambarish Kunwar, Hemangini Thakkar, Kunal Thakkar, Saba S. Memon, Virendra Patil, Kranti Khadilkar, Swati S Jadhav, Nalini S Shah, Tushar Bandgar, Homozygous p.Val89Leu plays an important pathogenic role in 5α-reductase type 2 deficiency patients with homozygous p.Arg246Gln in SRD5A2, European Journal of Endocrinology, 183, 275-284 (2020), doi: 10.1530/EJE-19-1050.