Charting the Course of Membrane Dynamics in Cancer

Namaskar and welcome to my homepage! Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher in Professor Henry Higgs' laboratory at Dartmouth. This website serves as a platform to showcase my ongoing, past, and forthcoming research endeavours.

Before delving into the specifics of my research, let's explore some captivating insights into lipids, often referred to as fats! While fat is often perceived as a threat to our health, it's crucial to recognize their significance to the body, akin to that of carbohydrates, proteins, or genes. In fact, fats/lipids constitute the most abundant component of our brain and the second most prevalent in all tissues. These lipids exhibit a remarkable trait—when in contact with water they spontaneously organize into bilayers, as depicted in the image 1 of a Giant Unilamellar Vesicle.

Lipids spontaneously forming vesicles in water

Lipid droptes in cells

Mitochondria

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Cells are rich in lipids that constitutes an integral part of their structural framework. To illustrate, the combined area of lipids isolated from a single adult human would span 100 square kilometers—equivalent to the size of a modern-day city!

Cells have evolved compartments crafted, such as mitochondria, from these lipids to facilitate and separate specialized reactions as shown in the accompanying image 2. Additionally, cells store these lipids in the form of lipid droplets (see image 3). In conditions such as cancer, cells employ strategies to augment lipid levels, fostering unchecked cell division and growth.

My current research focuses on unraveling the mechanisms underlying LACTB, a tumor suppressor protein localized to the mitochondrial intermembrane space. Through my investigations, I aim to elucidate its pivotal role in lipid metabolism and decipher its mechanisms of tumor suppression, employing in vitro reconstitution and in vivo mouse models. Here is a short graphical abstract of my work on LACTB.

As a postdoc with Professor Roop Mallik, I contributed to the reconstitution of ER-LD contact sites. Our findings revealed that these contact sites exhibit sensitivity to the metabolic state of rats, with LDs from fed rats establishing more extensive membrane contacts compared to those from fasted rats. In my graduate research, I pioneered the development of an assay for generating membrane nanotubes, subsequently utilized to study membrane fission reactions.

For further insights into my research, please explore the Research and Publications pages.

In News:

Navigating a science career isn’t easy—long hours, funding pressures, and constant demands. But sometimes, unexpected challenges bring the most valuable insights. In my recent piece for Science Magazine, I share how a friend’s journey taught me the power of listening. Read more: https://www.science.org/content/article/i-was-consumed-my-academic-struggles-until-friend-s-troubles-put-them-perspective

Thank you to Disease Models & Mechanisms and the ASCB conference travel awards for sponsoring Sukrut's travel to give a microsymposium talk and present poster at ASCB 2024 in San Diego.