Molecular biology, Biotechnology

Genetics and epigenetics associated with arsenic toxicity

Groundwater arsenic toxicity is a major public health problem in West Bengaland Bangladesh. More than 160 million people are affected world wide. A multi-dimentional approach is required to address the situation.

Residing in the same geographic region, consuming same typeof food and water and belonging to the same socio-economic strata, only 10-15% of the population develops the symptoms of arsenic toxicity. This strongly indicates genetic predisposition to arsenic-related health problems.

Since arsenic goes through  several rounds of biotransformation, the genes responsible for the respective enzymes are the suspected candidates.

Our research interest is to look for the single nucleotide polymorphisms of the genes responsible for biotransformation of arsenic.

1. Multiple homeostatic mechanism in the control of PI plasmid replication

Das  N, Gratain MV Basuray A,Fekete R, Papp P,Paulsson J,Cottoraj DK Proceeding of The National Academy of Science ,USA (2005)102(8),2856-2861

2. Origin pairing (handcuffing) and unsparing in the control of PI plasmid replication

Das  N, Chattoraj DK, Molecular microbiology (2004) 54(3) 836-849

3. ras Gene mutation in oral cancer in eastern India

           Das  N, Majumder J,Dasgupta UB Oral Oncology (2000) 36 ,76-80

4. Report of a hitherto unreported sequence present and expressed in a cancer cell line. Das N, Dasgupta UB Cancer Letter ­(1998) 125(1-2), 31-34

5. Raha P, Ghosh B, Bhar,R, Das, N and Poddar Sarkar Mousumi,      2013, Ultrastructure of Trichome of old world porcupine of Indian subcontitent, Acta Zoologica, 96(2):140–146.[Wiley; IF: 1.296;ISSN: 1463-6395].

6. Talai Mukhopadhyay S, Mitra S, Biswas A, Das N andPoddar Sarkar,Mousumi, 2013,Screening of Antimicrobial and Antioxidative potential of selected Eastern HimalayanMossess, European Journal of Medicinal Plants, 3(3): 422-428. [Sciencedomain International; ISSN: 2231-0894, Open access]

7. Moumita Majumder, Uma B DasGupta, D.N. Guha Mazumder & Nilansu Das, 2017, Skin score correlates with global DNA methylation

and GSTO1 A140D polymorphism in arsenic affected population of Eastern India, Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods, 27(6):467-475

1. Oral presentation at the meeting " Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages" 2002 at Cold Spring Harbor, USA

2. Posterl presentation at the meeting " Molecular Genetics of Bacteria and Phages" 2003 at Univ. of Wisconsin , USA

Principal Investigator of  UGC Major Research Project No: 39-115/2010(SR) entitled “Studies on Genomic Polymorphisms and Genome- wide DNA Methylation in Arsenic exposed Individuals”    

Photography, Wildlife, Horticulture

NET (CSIR)

99.71 percentile in GATE 92