Profile
The goal of our research is to identify the rules, chemical logic and organizational principles of metabolic networks in cells. How does metabolism function as the ultimate form of biological information flow, to drive the chemical processes required for life? To understand this, we study how some metabolites are formed, and are sensed within and between cells. We also study systems level principles of metabolic network organization, build frameworks to understand metabolic exchange between cells, and how the evolution of metabolic pathways might have determined these resource allocation strategies. Natural extensions of these studies are to understand extreme biology in model and non-model organisms. We are also using metabolic engineering of cells for regenerative biology, food, synthetic biology and environmental biotechnology.
Current Focus Areas
Our current focus ares span systems biology, metabolic engineering of cell factories, synthetic biology, chemical biology of nutrient sensing, and extreme biolog
Selected Publications
Prasad A, Sreedharan S, Bakthavachalu B*, Laxman S*. Eggs of the mosquoto Aedes aegypti survive desiccation by rewiring their polyamine and lipid metabolism. Plos Biology 2023 21(10): e3002342.
Naaz A, Saini N, Metur S, Gahlot P, Walvekar A, Dutta A, Davathamizhan U, Sarin S*, Laxman S* (2022). Methionine uptake via SLC43A2 transporter is essential for regulatory T lymphocyte survival. Life Science Alliance Sep 2022, 5 (12) e202201663; DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202201663
Rashida Z, Srinivasan R, Cyanam M and Laxman S* (2021). Kog1/Raptor mediates metabolic rewiring during nutrient limitation by controlling SNF1/AMPK activity. Science Advances Apr 14;7(16):eabe5544. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abe5544.
Varahan S, Sinha V, Walvekar A, Krishna S and Laxman S* (2020). Resource plasticity-driven carbon-nitrogen budgeting enables specialization and division of labor in a clonal community. eLIFE 2020;9:e57609 doi: 10.7554/eLife.57609
Gupta R, Walvekar A, Liang S, Rashida Z, Shah P, Laxman S* (2019). A tRNA modification balances carbon and nitrogen metabolism by regulating phosphate homeostasis. eLIFE 2019;8:e44795 doi: 10.7554/eLife.44795