Profile
IFor all cellular processes to function optimally, the integrity of the genome has to be maintained. Conversely, plasticity in the genome can relieve selection pressures imposed by an adverse environment. These two conflicting requirements have led to the presence of molecules and pathways that either prevent or facilitate changes in the genome. I aim to elucidate the structural mechanism utilized by different molecular determinants of genomic integrity and plasticity to achieve function. These studies will provide insight into how organisms evolve, especially in response to stress and aid development of novel therapeutic strategies against pathogenic bacteria and viruses. For my research contributions, I was awarded with the SSB prize (2017) by CSIR, Bioscience Award (2014) by DBT and I am an elected fellow of INSA. I am centrally involved in DBT projects of national relevance such as the ESRF access program, Advanced Technology Platform Centre and Indian Biological Data Centre.
Current Focus Areas
Genome Replication: Using structural tools, biochemical methods, biophysical assays along with growth assays, we shed light on the chemical mechanisms utilized by bacterial DNA polymerases and their functional complexes to achieve accurate or error-prone DNA synthesis.
Genome Repair: Using structural tools, biochemical methods, biophysical assays along with growth assays, we shed light on the structural mechanisms utilized by bacterial DNA repair proteins and their functional complexes to correct errors in the genome.
Viral Replication: Using structural tools, biochemical methods, biophysical assays, we shed light on the structural mechanisms utilized by viral replication proteins and their functional complexes to duplicate the viral genome
Selected Publications
Johnson, M. K., Kottur, J., and Nair, D. T. (2019) A polar filter in DNA polymerases prevents ribonucleotide incorporation. Nucleic Acids Res. 47:10693-10705.
Kottur, J., and Nair, D. T. ยง (2018) Pyrophosphate hydrolysis is an intrinsic and critical step of the DNA synthesis reaction. Nucleic Acids Res. 46:5875-5885.
Nirwal, S., Kulkarni, D. S., Sharma, A., Rao, D. N. and Nair, D. T. (2018) Mechanism of formation of a toroid around DNA by the Mismatch Sensor protein. Nucleic Acids Res. 46:256-266.
Surana, P., Vijaya, S. and Nair, D. T. (2014) RNA-dependent RNA polymerase of Japanese Encephalitis Virus binds the initiator nucleotide GTP to form a mechanistically important pre-initiation state. Nucleic Acids Res. 42:2758.
Sharma A., Kottur, J., Narayanan, N. and Nair, D. T. (2013) A strategically located serine residue is critical for the mutator activity of DNA Polymerase IV from Escherichia coli. Nucleic Acids Res. 41:5104.