Plant C
Resume:
RAGUNATH CHANDRAN, Ph.D.
*** ********* ***** *****, *** 7331 ( Lexington, MA 02421 (
*********@*******.*** (
Objective:
Seeking a challenging position in a Drug Discovery and Development Group to
advance drug discovery process and patient health care
Interested Areas:
Molecular biology, Biochemistry, Enzyme kinetics, Biofilm, Protein
engineering and Genetic engineering of plants
Education:
Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (1998)
Work Experience and Accomplishment:
07/2011 - Present: Managing Director, Scientific Chemical Technologies,
Malden, MA 02148
. Overall performance of the company and for the day-to-day running and
management of the company's business and scientific advisor
06/1999 - 06/2011: Research Associate, Dept., of Oral Biology, UMDNJ,
Newark, NJ 07103
. Achieved the successful abolition of hydrolytic activity,
hydroxyapatite, and bacterial binding efficiency of human salivary
amylase, which plays an important role in dental biofilm
. Participated in key projects that resulted in the discovery of an
enzyme dispersion B that can potentially be used as an antibiofilm
agent by degrading biofilm polysaccharide
. Successfully cloned dispersin B into tobacco plants and made resistant
transgenic plants against plant pathogen Erwinia carotovora
8/1998 - 06/1999: Research Scientist, Dept., Plant Molecular biology,
University of Delhi-South Campus, New Delhi, India
. Participated on edible vaccine project that enabled the successful
cloning of B subunit of cholera toxin of Vibrio cholerae into tobacco
using agrobacterium
07/1997- 06/1998: Visiting Scientist, Dept., Plant Molecular biology,
University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom
. Successfully cloned RNS1 gene, which is highly induced in plants
under phosphate starvation conditions
07/1990- 06/1997: Research Fellow, Center for Plant Molecular Biology,
Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai 625 021, India
. Worked on the regulation of enzyme "Nitrate Reductase (NR)" by nitrate
and light during seed germination in maize
Special Competencies and Interests:
Biochemistry:
. Protein expression from insect cells and E. coli and purification
using AKTA-FPLC
. Protein purification by ion-exchange, affinity and size exclusion
chromatography
. In vitro enzyme kinetics, Inhibitor study, in vitro protein labeling
and protein crystallization
. ELISA, IEF, PAGE gel electrophoresis (1D and 2D) and western blotting
. Polysaccharide purification and estimation by calorimetric method,
HPLC and TLC
Molecular Biology:
. DNA & mRNA isolation, purification and estimation
. PCR, RT-PCR, Q-PCR, site directed mutagenesis, vector construction
. in vitro recombination and Gateway vector cloning
. Southern and Northern blotting
Microbiology:
. Culturing aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, cell viability assay
. Transposon mutagenesis and genetic complementation
. Bacterial biofilm culture in tissue culture plates, polystyrene rods,
intravenous catheters, assay for autoaggregation and biofilm
detachment by crystal violet staining
. Single/Multiple bacterial biofilm formation
Plant Molecular Biology:
. Plant transformation using Agrobacterium and particle gun gene
delivery system
. Plant tissue culture, micropropagation and acclimatization of
transgenic plants
. Protein extraction, estimation, recombinant protein purification and
in vitro enzyme assay
Virology:
. Preparation, purification and infection of Baculovirus
Macromolecular Crystallography
. Crystal tray setup (both manual and using robot), screening,
optimization and crystal mounting
Analytical Techniques:
. UV and Mass spectroscopy, ion-exchange, affinity and size exclusion
chromatography
. AKTA-FPLC (Unicorn 5.10) and VARIAN-HPLC chromatographic method
development
Leadership:
Mentored Postdoctoral fellows and Graduate students to help in designing
experiments and analyzing data, writing reports, presenting data in
seminars and conferences
Technical Skills:
MS office, Photoshop and Bioinformatics tools
Publications & Patents:
Published 28 papers in peer reviewed journals, two patent applications.
According to the results obtained from the ISI Web of Science on Nov, 2012,
I have served as the author or co-author of 28 scholarly manuscripts, which
were totally cited 958 times. The h-index of my publications is 13.
References: Available upon request
Professional Publications:
1. Ragunath, C., Shanmugam, M., Bendaoud, M., Kaplan, J.B & Ramasubbu, N.
(2011). Effect of a biofilm-degrading enzyme from an oral pathogen in
transgenic tobacco on the pathogenicity of Pectobacterium Carotovorum
Subsp. Carotovorum. Plant Pathology 61, 346-354.
2. Gyemant, G., Zajacz, A., Ragunath, C., Ramasubbu, N., Becsi, B., Erdodi,
F., Betta, G. & Kandra, L. (2009). Evidence for pentagalloyl glucose
binding to human salivary alpha-amylase through aromatic amino acid
residues. Biochim Biophys Acta 1794, 291-6.
3. Ragunath, C., Manuel, S.G., Sait, H. B., Kasinathan, C. & Ramasubbu, N.
(2008). Probing the role of aromatic residues at the secondary binding
sites of human salivary ?-amylase in substrate hydrolysis and bacterial
binding. J Mol Biol 384,1232-48.
4. Ragunath, C., Manuel, S.G., Kasinathan, C. & Ramasubbu, N. (2008).
Structure-function relationships in human salivary ?-amylase: role of
aromatic residues in a secondary binding site. Biologia. 63,1028-1034.
5. Kerrigan, J.E., Ragunath, C., Kandra, L., Janossy, J.B., Kaplan, J.B &
Ramasubbu, N. (2008). Modeling and biochemical analysis of the activity of
antibiofilm agent Dispersin B. Acta Biol. Hung 59, 439-451.
6. Izano, E. A., Sadovskaya, I., Wang, H., Vinogradov, E., Ragunath, C.,
Ramasubbu, N., Jabbouri, S., Perry, M. B. & Kaplan, J. B. (2008). Poly-N-
acetylglucosamine mediates biofilm formation and detergent resistance in
Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans. Microb Pathog 44, 52-60.
7. Yim, S., Dhawan, P., Ragunath, C., Christakos, S. & Diamond, G. (2007).
Induction of cathelicidin in normal and CF bronchial epithelial cells by
1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (3). J Cyst Fibros 6, 403-10. (One of the top 10
cited paper 2006-2008).
8. Rohde, H., Burandt, E. C., Siemssen, N., Frommelt, L., Burdelski, C.,
Wurster, S., Scherpe, S., Davies, A. P., Harris, L. G., Horstkotte, M. A.,
Knobloch, J. K., Ragunath, C., Kaplan, J. B. & Mack, D. (2007).
Polysaccharide intercellular adhesin or protein factors in biofilm
accumulation of Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus aureus
isolated from prosthetic hip and knee joint infections. Biomaterials 28,
1711-20.
9. Manuel, S. G., Ragunath, C., Sait, H. B., Izano, E. A., Kaplan, J. B. &
Ramasubbu, N. (2007). Role of active-site residues of dispersin B, a
biofilm-releasing beta-hexosaminidase from a periodontal pathogen, in
substrate hydrolysis. FEBS. J 274, 5987-99.
10. Izano, E. A., Wang, H., Ragunath, C., Ramasubbu, N. & Kaplan, J. B.
(2007). Detachment and killing of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans
biofilms by dispersin B and SDS. J Dent Res 86, 618-22.
11. Izano, E. A., Sadovskaya, I., Vinogradov, E., Mulks, M. H.,
Velliyagounder, K., Ragunath, C., Kher, W. B., Ramasubbu, N., Jabbouri, S.,
Perry, M. B. & Kaplan, J. B. (2007). Poly-N-acetylglucosamine mediates
biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance in Actinobacillus
pleuropneumoniae. Microb Pathog 43, 1-9.
12. Donelli, G., Francolini, I., Romoli, D., Guaglianone, E., Piozzi, A.,
Ragunath, C. & Kaplan, J. B. (2007). Synergistic activity of dispersin B
and cefamandole nafate in inhibition of staphylococcal biofilm growth on
polyurethanes. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 51, 2733-40.
13. Chaignon, P., Sadovskaya, I., Ragunath, C., Ramasubbu, N., Kaplan, J.
B. & Jabbouri, S. (2007). Susceptibility of staphylococcal biofilms to
enzymatic treatments depends on their chemical composition. Appl Microbiol
Biotechnol 75, 125-32.
14. Ramasubbu, N., Thomas, L. M., Ragunath, C. & Kaplan, J. B. (2005).
Structural analysis of dispersin B, a biofilm-releasing glycoside hydrolase
from the periodontopathogen Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. J Mol
Biol 349, 475-86.
15. Ramasubbu, N., Ragunath, C., Sundar, K., Mishra, P. J., Gyemant, G. &
Kandra, L. (2005) Structure-function relationships in human salivary alpha-
amylase: role of aromatic residues. Biologia. 60, 47-56.
16. Kandra, L., Gyemant, G., Remenyik, J., Ragunath, C. & Ramasubbu, N.
(2005) Transglycosylations catalysed by Y151M mutant of human salivary
alpha-amylase (HSA), Biologia. 60, 57-64.
17. Ramasubbu, N., Sundar, K., Ragunath, C. & Rafi, M. M. (2004).
Structural studies of a Phe256Trp mutant of human salivary alpha-amylase:
implications for the role of a conserved water molecule in enzyme activity.
Arch Biochem Biophys 421, 115-24.
18. Ramasubbu, N., Ragunath, C., Mishra, P. J., Thomas, L. M., Gyemant, G.
& Kandra, L. (2004). Human salivary alpha-amylase Trp58 situated at subsite
-2 is critical for enzyme activity. Eur J Biochem 271, 2517-29.
19. Kaplan, J. B., Velliyagounder, K., Ragunath, C., Rohde, H., Mack, D.,
Knobloch, J. K. & Ramasubbu, N. (2004). Genes involved in the synthesis and
degradation of matrix polysaccharide in Actinobacillus
actinomycetemcomitans and Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae biofilms. J
Bacteriol 186,8213-20.
20. Kaplan, J. B., Ragunath, C., Velliyagounder, K., Fine, D. H. &
Ramasubbu, N. (2004). Enzymatic detachment of Staphylococcus epidermidis
biofilms. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 48, 2633-6.
21. Sharma, A.K., Jani, D., Ragunath, C. & Tyagi.A.K. (2004) Transgenic
plants as bioreactors. Indian Journal of Biotechnology 3. 274-290.
22. Remenyik, J., Ragunath, C., Ramasubbu, N., Gyemant, G., Liptak, A. &
Kandra, L. (2003). Introducing transglycosylation activity into human
salivary alpha-amylase (HSA). Org Lett 5,4895-8.
23. Ramasubbu, N., Ragunath, C. & Mishra, P. J. (2003). Probing the role of
a mobile loop in substrate binding and enzyme activity of human salivary
amylase. J Mol Biol 325,1061-76.
24. Kaplan, J. B., Ragunath, C., Ramasubbu, N. & Fine, D. H. (2003).
Detachment of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans biofilm cells by an
endogenous beta-hexosaminidase activity. J Bacteriol 185, 4693-8.
25. Kandra, L., Gyemant, G., Remenyik, J., Ragunath, C. & Ramasubbu, N.
(2003). Subsite mapping of human salivary alpha-amylase and the mutant
Y151M. FEBS Lett 544,194-8.
26. Ragunath, C., Sundar, K. & Ramasubbu, N. (2002). Expression,
characterization, and biochemical properties of recombinant human salivary
amylase. Protein Expr Purif 24,202-11.
27. Mishra, P. J., Ragunath, C. & Ramasubbu, N. (2002). The mechanism of
salivary amylase hydrolysis: role of residues at subsite S2'. Biochem
Biophys Res Commun 292,468-73.
28. Ragunath, C., Sivaguru, M., Anbudurai, P. R., James, M. R. & Balakumar,
T. (1991). Tolerance to aluminum toxicity: certain basic biochemical
aspects. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 47,858-63.
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