Profile
Centrosomes the major organiser (MTOC) is not fully understood beyond spindle assembly and cell division. Often centriole associated structures like centrosome, centriolar satellite and ciliary basal bodies are interconvertible membraneless structures that are dynamic in nature. We are now realising much more robust functioning of these structures in regulating events beyond cell division like subcellular trafficking, intracellular signalling, polarity establishment, development and differentiation. On the contrary these structures are totally dispensable in certain terminally differentiated states where centrosomal inactivation is poorly defined. Our research interests lie in understanding the perturbation of centriole based organelles across disease state that contributes to the pathobiological manifestations and how best to intervene them in order to restore the physiological states. We majorly try understanding these structures using imaging based approaches and the signalling aspects of these organelles by means of basic biochemical and molecular cell biology approaches combining the tools of modern proteomics, electron microscopy and super-resolution imaging.
Current Focus Areas
Centrioles in establishing and manifesting the infectious pathology at the cellular and organismal level. Signalosomes over centrosome and basal bodies in infection and ageing. Phase separation of centrosomal proteins. Centriolar satellites in the dynamics of centriolar functioning. Centriolar events during DNA damage response. Centrosomes as a drug intervention node.
Selected Publications
*Borah S, *Dhanasekaran K, *Balot S (2022) The LEM-ESCRT toolkit: Repair and maintenance of the nucleus. Frontiers Cell & Developmental Biology (10), 989217.
Karthigeyan Dhanasekeran, Nidhi Vishnoi, Madeleine Chalfant, Ivan Surovstev, Mustafa K. Khokha and C. Patrick Lusk. (2020) Differential turnover of Nup188 controls its levels at centrosomes and role in centriole duplication. J Cell Biol 219 (3), e201906031
D Karthigeyan, A Bose, R Boopathi, VJ Rao, H Shima, N Bharathy, K Igarashi, R Taneja, A K Trivedi, Tapas K Kundu (2020) Aurora kinase A-mediated phosphorylation of mPOU at a specific site drives skeletal muscle differentiation. The Journal of Biochemistry 167 (2), 195-201
K Dhanasekaran, A Bose, VJ Rao, R Boopathi, SR Shankar, VK Rao, A Swaminathan, M Vasudevan, R Taneja and Tapas K Kundu (2019) Unraveling the role of Aurora A beyond centrosomes and spindle assembly: implications in muscle differentiation. The FASEB Journal 33 (1), 219-230
K Dhanasekaran, S Kumari, R Boopathi, H Shima, A Swaminathan, M Bachu, U Ranga, K Igarashi and Tapas K Kundu (2016) Multifunctional human transcriptional coactivator protein PC4 is a substrate of Aurora kinases and activates the Aurora enzymes. The FEBS Journal 283 (6), 968-985