Microbiology, Department of Cell & Molecular Biology (ICM), Biomedical Center (BMC), Uppsala University

Postal address: Dept. of Cell & Molecular Biology, Biomedical Center, Box 596, SE-751 24 Uppsala, Sweden
Visiting address: BMC, Husargatan 3, Corridors C7 and C9
Web page: http://www2.icm.uu.se/micro/

Contact person: Professor Leif Kirsebom, Head of Department, phone: +46 (0)18 471 40 68. Personal web page.

South Asia related research at the department

Prof. Kirsebom leads a research group on Metal-ion – RNA cooperativity. It focuses on the biology of RNA and its role in various cellular processes. More information.

In December 2009, Prof. Kirsebom received SEK 700 000 as a three-year International Collaborative Research Grant from the Swedish Research Links programme (funded by Sida and the Swedish Research Council) for a India related project entitled ”Comparative genomics and sporulation in mycobacteria”. See the full list of South Asia related projects given Swedish Research Links grants 2009.
The research project will be carried out in collaboration with Prof. Alok Bhattacharya, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi.
Abstract: Extensive clinical research and recent investigations into the molecular biology of host pathogen interactions notwithstanding, very little is known about the genetic and physiological basis for pathogenicity, virulence and prolonged persistence in latent state. Since mycobacterial strains can be classified easily on the basis of their growth rates (slow and fast), pathogenicity and dormancy (only the slow growers fall in this group), whole genome comparisons might provide us with clues, both evolutionary and metabolically, for genetics basis for such distinctions. Our collaboration with the Bioinformatics Centre, Life Sciences Department, JNU, New Delhi, India would allow us to test the genomic divergences for their roles in mycobacterial physiology and pathogenicity, if any. The Delhi laboratory would identify the divergent genes from whole genome comparison among various mycobacterial strains and we would characterize the roles of those genes in mycobacterial metabolism in vitro and in vivo. We have recently, for the first time, established the as yet undetected sporulation properties for mycobacteria growing in vitro. Identifying this process as a possible adaptation into persistent non-replicating phase inside the host would open up a new area of investigation in mycobacterial physiology and host-bacterial interaction providing new targets of diagnostic-, drug- and vaccine-design.

In the period 2007-2009, another researcher from Prof. Kirsebom's group, Santanu Dasgupta worked on a project on "The replications machinery in Helicobacter pyroli: mounting and control". The project was done in collaboration with Dr. Suman K. Dhar, Associate Professor at the Special Centre for Molecular Medicine, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India. The result of their collaboration has been three publications on the replication machinery in Helicobacter pylori and another on its way. They also succeeded to organise an International Symposim on ”Frontiers of Molecular Medicine” in collaboration with JNU.
Santanu Dasgupta's research is otherwise primarily focused on the control of the Escherichia coli cell cycle, as well as the control of replication and partition through nucleoid structure in Escherichia coli: roles of SeqA and MukB. Read more about his research on his profile page.