SHAJI R.V
Associate Professor / Adjunct Scientist
Centre for Stem Cell Research
Christian Medical College
Phone: Office; +91 416 2284114
Lab: +91 416 2284113
Fax: +91 416 2284103
Email: rvshaji@cmcvellore.ac.in
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Induced pluripotent stem cells:
Introduction of four transcription factors Oct-4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc into adult cells can covert them to pluripotent stem cells. These induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) exhibit features characteristic of embryonic stem (ES) cells. These cells have exciting new prospects for biomedical research, drug discovery and for regenerative medicine. Our lab is interested in understanding the mechanism of the reprogramming process and the use of these cells to understand the pathophysiology of human diseases.
Generation of mouse induced pluripotent stem cells (miPSCs) from embryonic fibroblasts:
A. miPSCs exhibited mouse embryonic stem cell like morphology and high level of expression of alkaline phosphatase (AP). Expression of other pluripotency markers SSEA-1, Oct4 and Nanog were examined by immunofluorescence.
B. miPSCs formed embryoid bodies and could be differentiated into lineages from all three germ layers. Immunostaining for (i) alpha-fetoprotein (AFP; endoderm), smooth muscle actin (SMA; mesoderm) and b3 tubulin (ectoderm) are shown.
Generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from adult dermal fibroblasts:
A. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) were generated from adult dermal fibroblasts. They expressed NANOG, OCT4, SOX2, LIN28, SSEA4, TRA I-81 and TRA I-60 like human embryonic stem cells.
Mechanism of globin gene regulation:
During human development, three different types of hemoglobins are produced; embryonic, fetal and adult hemoglobins. In this project we are trying to understand the roles of transcription factors and epigenetics in developmental stage specific regulation of globin genes. We are also trying to understand the regulatory sequences in the globin clusters that help in stage specific expression of these genes. We are carrying out ex-vivo differentiation of haematopoietic stem cells to erythroid lineage and studying interaction of proteins with the DNA sequences using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by microarray (ChIP-chip) to understand the roles of transcription factors and epigenetic changes in the regulation of globin genes.