The complexity and fine tuning of T cell and mast cell activation signaling cascades are the focus of the lab.  Our studies have shown that a type II PtdIns 4-kinase activity is associated with CD3, CD4, CD7 and CD28 receptors in T cells and with FcRI in mast cells.  These studies suggest that type II PtdIns 4-kinases may generate a threshold of signals at plasma membrane that may regulate immune synapse formation, T cell adhesion and infiltration and inflammatory responses.  Type II PtdIns 4-kinases have also been shown to play a role in microbial pathogenicity and neuronal signaling. Understanding of type II PtdIns 4-kinases function and its regulators may help in development of rational drug design for immunomodulators and possibly in cancer metastasis.
The other projects that have been initiated recently in our lab are on stress signaling mechanisms in a marine algae Dunaliella salina, and Pheodactylum tricornutum.  D. salina responds to different stress conditions by accumulating large quantities of carotenoids and the focus of the lab is to dissect out these signaling pathways and generate stable mutants in these pathways.  P.tricornutum under stress conditions accumulates large quantities of triacylglycerols and regulation of triacylglycerol biosynthesis is another line of research in the lab.