Within the eukaryotic genome, DNA and proteins come together to form dynamic functional repeating units called Nucleosomes which further assemble to form the higher order Chromatin  within the nucleus. Chromatin is involved in all the genetic processes and thus, is of utmost importance in gene expression, development and disease. Chromatin structure is subjected to various alterations which includes the likes of histone modifications, chaperone mediated assembly and disassembly of the histones and ATP dependent remodeling enzymes. Our lab seeks to find out how these different enzymatically driven processes come together to ensure efficient regulation of gene expression. For this, we employ a broad range of molecular, biochemical and biophysical research tools to gain insights into protein structure, function and their corresponding mechanisms.

​

Broadly, our research interests include : ​

1. Structure-guided designing of inhibitor molecules against epigenetic enzymes  involved in metabolic disorders in human.

2. Insights into structural and functional aspects of histone chaperones involved in the DNA damage repair pathways and their role in rare diseases.

3. Structural and functional characterization histone ubiquitin ligases in different disease contexts. 

​​

Located at the Jadavpur campus of CSIR–Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, our laboratory is equipped with cutting-edge infrastructure for protein biochemistry, structural biology, and cell-based research with a special emphasis on chromatin.

We have all essential facilities for recombinant protein expression and purification, including a refrigerated FPLC system, three refrigerated shaker incubators, iBright FL1500 Chemidoc and a fully fledged mammalian cell culture facility.

Our shared state-of-the-art crystallization facility is equipped with mosquito® crystallization robotics and the dragonfly® crystal screen optimizer, enabling high-throughput crystallization screening and optimization. X-ray diffraction data collection is performed using a Bruker D8 Venture system equipped with a PHOTON III detector and an IμS DIAMOND microfocus source, located within the institute premises. We also have access to cutting-edge biophysical and analytical instrumentation housed within the centralized instrumental facility at CSIR–Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, including DAWN Light Scattering detector (Wyatt) for SEC-MALS, ForteBio Octet Bio-interferometry system, Shimadzu spectrofluorometer, Circular Dichroism spectropolarimeter (JASCO), Isothermal Titration Calorimeter (TA instruments) and a MALDI proteomics analyzer with TOF/TOF optics (Applied Biosystems), Differential scanning calorimeter (Malvern Panalytical) and many more.​​